Min Pin Frise

The Min Pin Frise is a designer dog, a deliberate cross between a small, sleek ratting dog from Germany known as the Miniature Pinscher, and the Bichon Frise, an entertaining and affectionate companion animal developed in the Mediterranean. There is a prevailing misconception that the Miniature Pinscher is the miniaturized version of the Doberman Pinscher, however, despite their similarity in coat, color, and confirmation, these dogs are not closely related. The Miniature Pinscher is, in fact, an older breed by at least a century or two as documentation indicates that they have been employed as ratters and vermin hunters in Germany for on farms and in homes for several centuries. They remained virtually unknown outside of Germany until the Pinscher Klub, now known as the Pinscher-Schnauzer Klub was developed in 1895 and the first breed standard was written. It wasn’t until after the cessation of World War I that Miniature Pinschers were imported into the United States of America. They were first recognized in the Terrier group of the AKC under the name Min Pin in 1929, then reclassified into the Toy category under the heading of Pinscher (Miniature), and it wasn’t until 1972 that they received the moniker that they are still classified under today, the Miniature Pinscher. The Bichon Frise, a small white companion dog, is even older than the Miniature Pinscher, playing the role of a companion to royalty as far back as the 1300s. This little white dog is the descendant of an Italian water spaniel, the same Italian water spaniel that gave rise to both the Maltese and Poodle breeds, among others. These diminutive companion dogs were known as the Bichon Tenerife before they were renamed the Bichon Frise and they were prized for their cheery and loving dispositions. They were frequently used as trade items, travelling to other countries with sailors and from the 1300’s to the 1800’s they were favored by royal families from several countries. When the Bichon Frise fell out of favor with the Royals in the late 1800s and early 1900s, these spunky little canines found homes working the streets with organ grinders and performing tricks at circuses and fairs. It wasn’t until after World War I that the first breed standard for the Bichon Frise was developed in 1933, and nearly another 40 years until they were recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1972.