A Brief Breed History:
The Min Pin is not bred down from the Doberman. They do have a common ancestor though in the old German Pinscher. The Min Pin is actually the older of the two breeds.
Having had both breeds I must say the similarity is remarkable. The Min Pin is part of the German Pinscher-Schnauzer family which belonged to the prehistoric group of Torfspitzgrupe dating back to 3000 B.C. Torf meaning turf, Spitz meaning terrier and grupe meaning group. In 1895 when the German Pinscher-Schnauzer Klub was formed it was decided to develop each breed individually. They were divided by size, coat and head type. Eventually, these became Miniature Pinschers, Schnauzers, Affenpinschers and other similar breeds. The breed was named the Reh (deer) Pinschers by the Germans because of their resemblance to a species of tiny deer in the Black Forest (Swartzwald).
There is a lot of speculation and stories of the usefulness of these Reh Pinschers. One story is that hunters used packs of Reh Pinschers to chase deer. I would think that these dogs were larger than we know today plus these were tiny deer.
Another is the ability to catch mice and rats made them a super dual purpose dog. When not sitting on the laps of their owners, they kept the house and barns clear of rodents.
The first known Min Pin registered in the Pinscher-Schnauzer Registry was a black and tan (although then it was described as black with yellow-brown markings). In 1900 the first chocolate with rust markings was registered. Solid reds were the least desirable color. In those early days the goal for breeding was tiny. The dogs were shown in the arms of their owners or on satin pillows with jewels and ribbons hanging on them. Their little feet never hit the ground. The judges were forced to concentrate on heads and size only. Luckily some dedicated breeders took responsibility for the breed and set up a proper standard to conform to. Graceful, healthy, well-knit body lines, with a well proportioned head and still small in size. About this time the Min Pin was finding favor in the United States.
The first Min Pins in the United States were shown in the miscellaneous class at the AKC shows. The Miniature Pinscher Club of America was formed in1929 and the breed has grown in popularity since.