Mini Schnauzer Chin

The Japanese Chin originated at least 1,500 years ago and was part of the Chinese Royal Court around 500 A.D. Others believe they were bred in Korea and migrated from there but the majority of experts claim the Japanese Chin is from Japan and was bred to be a lap dog. They were originally called Japanese Spaniels but were bred from the Pekingese and Pug. Another story is that the Japanese Chin was given to the Emperor of Japan as a gift from the Chinese Emperor in 1,000 A.D. They were always treated as royalty although there were Portuguese sailors who used them as currency and Princess Catherine of Braganza got one as a gift from these sailors. In 1854, a Commodore named Matthew Perry brought the Japanese Chin to Europe and gave a pair to Queen Victoria and a pair to President Franklin Pierce. In 1888, the breed was accepted by the American Kennel Club although they were known as the Japanese Spaniel until 1977. Now, the Japanese Chin is the 108^th most popular breed of dog in the United States. The Miniature Schnauzer originally was developed from the Affenpinscher, Poodle, and other Terriers in the 1800s in Germany for hunting rats on small farms. They became popular as companion pets soon after and even though they were Schnauzers, they were put in the Terrier group, where they are still listed today with the American Kennel Club. They were named after their beard, since schnauzer means small beard in German. They are now the 17^th most popular breed of dog in the United States.