Miniature Pinscher toy dog Breed Standard

General Appearance
The Miniature Pinscher is structurally a well balanced, sturdy, compact, short-coupled, smooth-coated dog. He naturally is well groomed, proud, vigorous and alert. Characteristic traits are his hackney-like action, fearless animation, complete self-possession, and his spirited presence.

  

Size, Proportion, Substance
Size -10 inches to 12½ inches in height allowed, with desired height 11 inches to 11½ inches measured at highest point of the shoulder blades. Disqualification -Under 10 inches or over 12½ inches in height. Length of males equals height at withers. Females may be slightly longer.

 Head
In correct proportion to the body. Tapering, narrow with well fitted but not too prominent foreface which balances with the skull. No indication of coarseness. Eyes full, slightly oval, clear, bright and dark even to a true black, including eye rims, with the exception of chocolates, whose eye rims should be self-colored. Ears set high, standing erect from base to tip. May be cropped or uncropped. Skull appears flat, tapering forward toward the muzzle. Muzzle strong rather than fine and delicate, and in proportion to the head as a whole. Head well balanced with only a slight drop to the muzzle, which is parallel to the top of the skull. Nose black only, with the exception of chocolates which should have a self-colored nose. Lips and Cheeks small, taut and closely adherent to each other. Teeth meet in a scissors bite.

 Neck, Topline, Body
Neck proportioned to head and body, slightly arched, gracefully curved, blending into shoulders, muscular and free from suggestion of dewlap or throatiness. Topline -Back level or slightly sloping toward the rear both when standing and gaiting. Body compact, slightly wedge-shaped, muscular. Forechest well developed. Well-sprung ribs . Depth of brisket, the base line of which is level with points of the elbows. Belly moderately tucked up to denote grace of structural form. Short and strong in loin. Croup level with topline. Tail set high, held erect, docked in proportion to size of dog. 

 Forequarters
Shoulders clean and sloping with moderate angulation coordinated to permit the hackney-like action. Elbows close to the body. Legs -Strong bone development and small clean joints. As viewed from the front, straight and upstanding. Pasterns strong, perpendicular. Dewclaws should be removed. Feet small, catlike, toes strong, well arched and closely knit with deep pads. Nails thick, blunt.

Hindquarters
Well muscled quarters set wide enough apart to fit into a properly balanced body. As viewed from the rear, the legs are straight and parallel. From the side, well angulated. Thighs well muscled. Stifles well defined. Hocks short, set well apart. Dewclaws should be removed. Feet small, catlike, toes strong, well arched and closely knit with deep pads. Nails thick, blunt.

Coat
Smooth, hard and short, straight and lustrous, closely adhering to and uniformly covering the body.

Color
Solid clear red. Stag red (red with intermingling of black hairs). Black with sharply defined rust-red markings on cheeks, lips, lower jaw, throat, twin spots above eyes and chest, lower half of forelegs, inside of hind legs and vent region, lower portion of hocks and feet. Black pencil stripes on toes. Chocolate with rust-red markings the same as specified for blacks, except brown pencil stripes on toes. In the solid red and stag red a rich vibrant medium to dark shade is preferred. Disqualifications -Any color other than listed. Thumb mark (patch of black hair surrounded by rust on the front of the foreleg between the foot and the wrist; on chocolates, the patch is chocolate hair). White on any part of dog which exceeds one-half inch in its longest dimension.

Gait
The forelegs and hind legs move parallel, with feet turning neither in nor out. The hackney-like action is a high-stepping, reaching, free and easy gait in which the front leg moves straight forward and in front of the body and the foot bends at the wrist. The dog drives smoothly and strongly from the rear. The head and tail are carried high.

Temperament
Fearless animation, complete self-possession, and spirited presence.

 Disqualifications
Under 10 inches or over 12½ inches in height.
Any color other than listed. Thumb mark (patch of black hair surrounded by rust on the front of the foreleg between the foot and the wrist; on chocolates, the patch is chocolate hair). White on any part of dog which exceeds one-half (½) inch in its longest dimension.

Approved July 8, 1980
Reformatted February 21, 1990

Miniature Pinscher small dog breed

The Miniature Pinscher (Zwergpinscher, Min Pin) is a small breed of dog of the Pinscher  type, developed in Germany. Miniature Pinschers were the first bred to hunt vermin, especially rats. Pinscher, is a German word related to the English word "pincher", which is thought to refer to the ears of the breed which used to be 'pinched' or 'cropped'. Zwerg means Dwarf. The Miniature Pinscher is also known as the "King of the Toy Dogs". The international kennel club, the Fédération Cynologique Internationale, lists the Miniature Pinscher in Group 2, Section 1.1 Pinscher, along with the Dobermann, the German Pinscher, the Austrian Pinscher, and the other toy pinscher, the Affenpinscher. Other kennel clubs list the Miniature Pinscher in the Toy Group or Companion Group.

Appearance
The original true Miniature Pinscher was more stout in appearance than today's refined dog. Its coat was more coarse and the dog in general was less refined. The refined look of today's dog was a result primarily of many who neglected to realize that the breed was a working breed and not a toy breed. Much of the natural look went away with years of breeding for the refined small dog now seen as today's Miniature Pinscher. Buyers should also be aware that there is no such dog as a "teacup" or "pocket" Min Pin: These are simply terms that certain breeders use to increase interest in their dogs (and sometimes the price).The miniature Pinscher also tends to have very long legs, and a small body, which can sometimes make it look quite comical. As a result of the flexible, agile body of a Miniature Pinscher, they are able to curl up in almost any position and almost always be comfortable.

Size
Miniature Pinscher breed standard calls for 10 to 12.5 inches at the withers (shoulders) with any dog under 10 or over 12.5 not eligible to be shown. The original Miniature Pinscher actually had more variance as being a cross between a smooth coated Dachshund and a Miniature Greyhound (known today as the Italian Greyhound, led to some carrying the Dachshund legs while others carried the Italian Greyhound leg creating some short and some tall. After many years of German breeding an average was maintained. Though today's standard is smaller than the original.

Coat and color
The coat is short and smooth, with colors, according to most breed standards, of red, stag-red, and black or chocolate with tan or rust markings, in addition to the blue and fawn. Blue coats, while admitted into the UK Kennel Club, can be registered in the American Kennel Club but cannot compete in show. They still benefit from all other aspects of the AKC. The Miniature Pinscher frequently has a docked tail and cropped ears, though the AKC no longer requires ear cropping for shows. The AKC standard specifies a characteristic hackney-like action: "a high-stepping, reaching, free and easy gait in which the front leg moves straight forward and in front of the body and the foot bends at the wrist. The dog drives smoothly and strongly from the rear. The head and tail are carried high." The standard in Europe does not require the high stepping gait as the original Miniature Pinscher (zwergpinscher) did not walk in such a fashion. In Europe and Germany this high stepping gait is considered a fault.

The miniature pinscher will on occasion carry a small white patch generally located on neck or breast area. This links directly back to the original breed coloring. The Miniature Pinscher did come in Merle coloring which in the Dachshund is referred to as Dapple and in Harlequin like that found in the Great Dane. The white gene is part of the makeup of this breed; though breeders for years have fought to eliminate this gene, it is accepted by AKC in conformation and show so long as the area of white is limited to no more than 1/2 inch in direction.

Temperament
The miniature pinscher is an energetic dog that thrives on owner interaction. They are very loyal dogs and are typically categorized as "one, or two person dogs", but with socialization, they can be integrated into families, and get along moderately with other dogs, pets, and children. Children, especially younger ones, must be encouraged to act gently to avoid being bit as these dogs are known to snap without any provocation. Teething can be one provocation. Socialization as puppies will help ensure they can co-exist and interact with other dogs as adults. Min Pins are known for biting people when being simply introduced as a stranger and are extremely protective of their owners. This protective instinct will manifest as nonstop barking and challenging postures. Although originally bred for ratting, they are also excellent watch dogs, barking at all things they deem a threat. These dogs can jump very high, some can jump five and a half feet in the air.

These little dogs will need lots of exercise per day. A backyard would be preferable so they can have an outdoor area to run around in, but it will need to be securely fenced in as this breed is the "Houdini" of the dog world when it comes to escaping. The breed is a toy breed (AKC), these dogs' energy level exceeds the traditional concept or idea of the standard toy breed. Daily walks are not sufficient for this breed to wear off their excess energy. Though dog parks can be a solution, the true Miniature Pinscher, being a terrier, can go on the hunt at any moment, so an off-lead dog is a serious challenge with this breed. This dog truly does not see itself as small and therefore will challenge anything, including larger breeds. The breed is rated the 3rd worst breed for apartments due to overall lack of exercise as well as natural guarding instincts which lends the dog to barking and leads to many noise complaints. In addition, the dog can be quite destructive to homes and fixtures if the dog is not allowed ample time to expel its natural energy. Reports of damage to furniture, carpet, interior walls, doors, and other household products have been often reported. These dogs are only suitable for houses and apartments if they have regular exercise. A daily 45 minute+ exercise regimen is a must in order to have this dog in an apartment.