01 History of the Affenpinscher
Description
This article is from the Affenpinschers Breed FAQ, by Kimberly Andresen with numerous contributions by others.
01 History of the Affenpinscher
Dogs which we might categorize as Affenpinschers today, have appeared
in German artwork dating back to the 16th century: depicting them as
ratters and companions. However, as is true of many breeds, there are
no reliable written records of the breed until the late 19th century.
At this time, it seems there were two sizes of wire-haired pet
terriers. A larger, longer muzzled type and a smaller, round-headed,
shorter muzzled and prominent jaw type. It is fairly certain that the
larger type later became the Miniature Schnauzer, and the smaller
became the Affenpinscher.
In 1902, an attempt was made to write the very first "Affenpinscher
Breed Standard", by the Berlin Lapdog Club. As a result of the
standard's vague nature, the Affenpinscher was merely described as
anything that did not resemble a Miniature Schnauzer. However, by
1913, the obvious breed differentiation was established, and it was
generally accepted that the Affenpinscher's jaw should be under-shot.
The heaviest concentration of Affenpinscher breeding in Germany took
place in Bavaria, Munich, and Saxony. There was an observed spike in
Affenpinscher registrations just before World War I, but numbers
decreased during the War. Affenpinschers enjoyed prosperity in Germany
from the mid-1920's to the second World War.
The Affenpinscher was admitted to the American Kennel Club's Stud Book
in 1936, and a Standard based on the then current German standard was
adopted. The first Affenpinschers entered in the Stud Book, three
bitches and one dog, were all German imports owned by Mrs. Bessie
Mally of Cicero, Illinois. However, it appears that none of the
pre-World War II Affens contributed to the breed as it exists in the
US today.
Today's Affenpinscher can trace its origins back to dogs imported from
Germany by Mrs. Evelyn Brody, around 1950. One of Mrs. Brody's
imports, Bub V. Anwander, was the first American Champion of the
breed. The current AKC standard is maintained by the Affenpinscher
Club of America.
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