History...

The earliest records surrounding development of the Miniature Schnauzer in Germany come from the late 1800s. In the breed's earliest stages, several small breeds were employed in crosses to bring down the size of the well-established Standard Schnauzer, with the goal of creating a duplicate in miniature.

Crossing to other breeds, such as the Affenpinscher and Miniature Pinscher, had the side effect of introducing colors that were not considered acceptable to the ultimate goal — and as breeders worked towards the stabilization of the gene pool, mismarked particolors and white puppies were removed from breeding programs.

Earliest recorded Schnauzer

The earliest recorded Miniature Schnauzer was in 1888, and the first exhibition was in 1899.

With their bold courage the Miniature Schnauzer was originally used for guarding herds, small farms and families. As time passed they were also used to hunt rats, because they appeared to have a knack for it, and its small size was perfect to get into tight places to catch them.

AKC

The AKC (American Kennel Club) accepted registration of the new breed in 1926, two years after they were introduced to the United States.