The Standard Schnauzer (Mittelschnauzer) is a dog breed that originated in Germany in at least 14th–15th century, of Schnauzer breed type and progenitor of the Giant Schnauzer and Miniature Schnauzer. Historians and cynologists theorize that it has a common ancestry with German Pinscher as a rough-coated variant of the Pinscher breed, and that it was possibly crossed with black German Poodle and gray Wolf Spitz to which influence is attributed black soft coat and salt-and-pepper wiry coat, and perhaps also Bolognese dog. Such a variety would have been more useful in winter, and livestock-driving and vermin-hunting roles. Whether a Schnauzer is stripped or clipped, his coat requires a great deal of grooming. In most cases, this means an owner must either take care to learn the required grooming - for which the dog's breeder should be a great resource - or the owner must take their dog in for regular, often expensive, trips to a grooming salon.