One of the less well known breeds, especially in the United States, the Affenpinscher was originally a larger size. Today the standard calls for a dog no taller than 9 to 10 inches, putting this breed close to the size of the smallest dog, the Chihuahua. The Affenpinscher if one of the many off shoots of the Griffons. It is the smallest of the Griffon types and the Brussels Griffon runs a close second. The Affenpinscher has a distinctive "Monkey" appearance to its face and the word in German, it's country of origin, means "monkey-like terrier".