German Pinscher has been accepted for registration in Germany since 1879 though it was known in that country long before that time. Its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages and the Biberhund of southern Germany, a dog bred to hunt beaver, badger and otter. By the 15th century, a breed known as the Rattler evolved. It was renowned as a killer of vermin and protector of the home. The Rattler came in two varieties, rough and smooth, and the smooth is believed to be the forerunner of the German Pinscher. The German Pinscher is often mistaken for a small or young Doberman Pinscher, yet it was the German Pinscher that came first and inspired Louis Dobermann to create his larger version of the breed. Due to two World Wars, the German Pinscher slowly began to disappear and it remained for Herr Werner Jung to start a breeding program in the 1950s to put the breed back on its feet.
General Appearance: The German Pinscher is smooth-coated, of medium size, with elegant and flowing outlines, well balanced, yet strongly built, with well-distributed muscle development and of square construction, like the Schnauzer; compared with the latter, the Pinscher with his smooth, short coat appears more elegant and light. The trot is done in diagonal sequence.
German Pinscher Temperament: Alert temperament, attentiveness, good-natured, inclined to play, devoted to its master, unbribable watchfulness, yet without being a constant barker. Its short coat makes it easy to keep the dog in the house. Its highly developed sense organs, intelligence, learning ability, fearless attitude, endurance and resistance to sickness give the Pinscher the pre-requisites to be an excellent watch and companion dog.
Size: The height at withers measures from 18-20 inches (45-50 cm).
German Pinscher Colours:
Solid – coloured: brown in various shades to stag-red.
Bi-coloured: black with red or brown (tan) markings. Red/tan markings desired as dark and as rich as possible; they must be sharply marked. These markings are distributed as follows: above the eyes, at the throat, on the forechest as two triangles distinctly separated from each other, on the pasterns (metacarpal bone), on the feet, at the inner side of the hindquarters and at the anus.
No other colours are accepted.
German Pinscher
Head: Strong and elongated, without distinctly pronounced occipital bone. Its total length (from the tip of the nose to the occiput) compared with the length of the back (from the withers to the tailset) results in a ratio of approximately 1:2. The nasal bridge (topline of the muzzle) runs parallel to the extended line of the unwrinkled, flat forehead. The stop is slightly but distinctly marked. Cheek muscles are strong, but never causing any disturbing cheekiness. The deep muzzle ends in a blunt wedge. The nose is full, black, in corresponding shades in red and brown coloured dogs. The lips are well-fitting and darkly pigmented. Dentition: complete scissor bite, jaws fitting correctly; teeth strong and very white. Ears: cropped ears set on high, symmetrically shaped, carried erect. Uncropped ear set on high, forming a “V” with a folding pleat; or small, evenly erect ear. Eyes: dark, medium-sized, oval-shaped and directed forward. Eye rims well fitting, therefore, no haw (conjunctiva) visible.
Neck: Elegantly arched, with strong set-on to the body; nape well arched, neither too short nor too stout. The skin of the throat is tight without any folds or dewlap.
Forequarters: Shoulder-blades well laid back and slanting, well angulated with the upper arm; with flat, yet strong muscles. Forelegs are straight viewed from all sides, supporting the body well. The elbows are close-fitting to the chest.
Body: Chest moderately wide, flat-ribbed and oval in cross-section; brisket reaching beyond the level of elbows; the forechest is very pronounced by the sternum (prosternum) protruding beyond the point of the shoulder (joint of shoulder-blade with upper arm), by the point of shoulder itself and by the upper arm. The lower part of the chest rises slightly backwards merging with the moderate tuck-up of the belly. The distance between the last rib and the haunch is short, thereby giving the Pinscher a compact short-coupled appearance. The total length of the trunk corresponds approximately to the height at the withers. The back is short and slightly sloping. The topline is not totally straight but shows a very slight, gently flowing line caused by the strong first vertebra of the withers, the back and the slightly rounded rump (croup) to the set-on of the tail.
Hindquarters: The upper thighs are slanted and strongly muscled. Hocks (metatarsal joint) distinctly angulated. Feet short, round, compact, with tightly bunched and well-knuckled toes (cat feet). Dark nails. Hard, resistant pads.
German Pinschers
Tail: Set on high and carried upright. Docked or undocked. If docked, to approximately 3 joints (caudal vertebrae).
Faults: Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree. ; Too heavy or too light in substance; Too low or too high on the legs; Heavy, rounded skull ; Small Doberman-like head ; Wrinkles on the forehead ; Low set or badly cropped ears ; Light eyes, too small or too large ; Strongly protruding cheek bones ; Loose skin at throat ; Pincer bite, undershot or overshot mouth ; Short, snappy or narrow muzzle ; Back too long and weak; distinct roach (wheel) back or hollow back ; Elbows turned out ; Cow hocks ; Steep or bow-legged hindquarters ; Trace (black line extending from nape to tail), dark saddle and all pale colour shadings.
Link: German Pinscher club