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German Pinscher

German Pinscher

The sleek, no-frills German Pinscher is among Germany’s oldest breeds and the prototype of other pinscher breeds. This energetic, super-intelligent dog was at first used as a rat catcher but can be trained for all types of canine work.

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Breed Traits

Size

Grooming

Energy

Trainability

Disposition

Pet traits are ranked on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest.

Group

Working

About

Sleek, shiny, and streamlined, GPs are a true dog lover’s delight. They’re eye-catching and elegant but in all ways honestly doggy—nothing fussy or exaggerated. They’ll stand about knee-high to the average adult. Muscles ripple beneath a shimmering coat of red or black-and-blue with red accents. There’s nobility in the elongated, wedge-shaped head, and the dark eyes are alert and eager. GPs move with the kind of strong, free-and-easy gait that tells you this is a confident companion, up for anything the day might bring.

History

The German Pinscher is among its homeland’s oldest breeds. As the progenitor of the Miniature Pinscher and the ever-popular Doberman, among other German breeds, it can be said to be the prototypical pinscher. (A helpful historian tells us that “ ‘pinscher’ appears to be a Germanic form of the French word ‘pincer,’ meaning to seize or to nip.”) And seizing and nipping are apt descriptions of how GPs originally earned a living: rat killing. Today’s GPs are excellent watchdogs and vigilant family guardians.

Standard

The German Pinscher is a medium size, short coated dog, elegant in appearance with a strong square build and moderate body structure, muscular and powerful for endurance and agility. Energetic, watchful, alert, agile, fearless, determined, intelligent and loyal, the German Pinscher has the prerequisites to be an excellent watchdog and companion. The German Pinscher is examined on the ground.

Nutrition

The German Pinscher should be fed a high-quality dog food appropriate to the dog’s age (puppy, adult, or senior) and activity level. Treats can be an important aid in training, but giving too many can cause obesity. Learn about which human foods are safe for dogs, and which are not. Check with your vet or the dog’s breeder if you have any questions or concerns about your dog’s weight or diet. Clean, fresh water should always be available.

Grooming

The German Pinscher’s short, dense coat needs little maintenance. Weekly grooming with a brush and an occasional bath will keep him shiny and looking his best. As with all breeds, his nails should be trimmed monthly if not worn down naturally, as overly long nails can be painful and cause problems walking and running. His ears should be checked weekly and cleaned if needed of any dirt or excess wax.

Exercise

The German Pinscher is an agile and athletic, high-energy breed who requires ample daily exercise for his physical and mental well-being. The breed is medium sized and robust, with a strong prey drive. Alert and intelligent, they are outstanding performance dogs as well as companions. They excel at anything that challenges their considerable physical and mental abilities, including canine sports such as obedience, agility, rally, tracking, and barn hunts.

Training

German Pinschers are highly intelligent—so much so that they can be manipulative. They require a firm and knowledgeable owner, preferably with previous experience with other working dogs. This willful, mischievous breed requires lots of early socialization and obedience training. The main challenge is to keep the German Pinscher interested and engaged. He is a high-energy dog who is alert to his surroundings; he is inquisitive and will explore whatever is new and interesting. They are not ideal as a first breed for inexperienced dog owners.

Health

German Pinschers are typically robust, healthy dogs, although there are a few conditions that the breed can be prone to. These include hip dysplasia, eye disease, and von Willebrand’s disease. There is a small incidence of heart problems, and some delayed post-vaccine complications have also been reported within the breed. Responsible breeders test all breeding stock for conditions that can affect the breed. The teeth should be brushed often, using a toothpaste designed for dogs. Regular visits to the vet for checkups and parasite control help to ensure the dog a long, healthy life.

General Appearance

Size, Proportion, Substance

Size - the ideal height at the highest point of the withers for a dog or bitch is 17 to 20 inches. Size should be penalized in accordance with the degree it deviates from the ideal. Quality should always take precedence over size. Faults - under 17 inches or over 20 inches. Proportion - squarely built in proportion of body length to height. The height at the highest point of the withers equals the length of the body from the prosternum to the rump. Substance - muscular with moderate bone.

Head and Skull

Powerful, elongated without the occiput being too pronounced and resembles a blunt wedge in both frontal and profile views. The total length of the head from the tip of the nose to the occiput is one half the length from the withers to the base of the tail resulting in a ratio of approximately 1:2. Expression – sharp, alert and responsive. Eyes - medium size, dark, oval in shape without the appearance of bulging. The eyelid should be tight and the eyeball nonprotruding. Ears - set high, symmetrical, and carried erect when cropped. If uncropped, they are V-shaped with a folding pleat, or small standing ears carried evenly upright. Skull - flat, unwrinkled from occiput to stop when in repose. The stop is slight but distinct. Muzzle - parallel and equal in length to the topskull and ends in a blunt wedge. The cheeks are muscled and flat. Nose - full, and black. Lips - black, close fitting. Bite - strong, scissors bite with complete dentition and white teeth. Faults - overshot or undershot bites, absence of primary molars.

Neck, Topline, Body

Neck - elegant and strong, of moderate thickness and length, nape elegantly arched. The skin is tight, closely fitting to the dry throat without wrinkles, sagging, or dewlaps. Topline - the withers form the highest point of the topline, which slopes slightly toward the rear, extending in a straight line from behind the withers, through the well-muscled loin to the faintly curved croup. Back – short, firm, and level, muscular at the loins. Faults - long back, not giving the appearance of squarely built, roach back, sway back. Body - compact and strong, so as to permit greater flexibility and agility, with the length of leg being equal to the depth of body. Loin - is well muscled. The distance from the last rib to the hip is short. Chest - moderately wide with well-sprung ribs, and when viewed from the front, appears to be oval. The forechest is distinctly marked by the prosternum. The brisket descends to the elbows and ascends gradually to the rear with the belly moderately drawn up. Fault - excessive tuck up. Tail - moderately set and carried above the horizontal. Customarily docked between the second and third joints.

Forequarters

The sloping shoulder blades are strongly muscled, yet flat and well laid back, forming an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the horizontal. They are well angled and slope forward, forming an approximately 90 degree angle to the upper arm, which is equal in length to the shoulder blade. Such angulation permits the maximum forward extension of the forelegs without binding or effort. Forelegs - straight and well boned, perfectly vertical when viewed from all sides, set moderately apart with elbows set close to the body. Dewclaws on the forelegs may be removed. Pasterns - firm and almost perpendicular to the ground. Feet - short, round, compact with firm dark pads and dark nails. The toes are well closed and arched like cat feet.

Hindquarters

The thighs are strongly muscled and in balance with forequarters. The stifles are well bent and well boned, with good angulation. When viewed from the rear, the hocks are parallel to each other.

Coat

Short and dense, smooth and close lying. Shiny and covers the body without bald spots. A hard coat should not be penalized.

Color

Isabella (fawn), to red in various shades to stag red (red with intermingling of black hairs), black and blues with red/tan markings. In the reds, a rich vibrant medium to dark shade is preferred. In bi-colored dogs, sharply marked dark and rich red/tan markings are desirable. Markings distributed as follows: at cheeks, lips, lower jaw, above eyes, at throat, on forechest as two triangles distinctly separated from each other, at metatarsus or pasterns, forelegs, feet, inner side of hind legs and below tail. Pencil marks on the toes are acceptable. Any white markings on the dog are undesirable. A few white hairs do not constitute a marking. Disqualification - Dogs not of an allowable color.

Gait

The ground covering trot is relaxed, well balanced, powerful and uninhibited with good length of stride, strong drive and free front extension. At the trot the back remains firm and level, without swaying, rolling or roaching. When viewed from the front and rear, the feet must not cross or strike each other. Fault - hackney gait.