Miniature Pinscher

		Miniature Pinscher
		FCI standard Nº 185

Origin		Germany
Translation		Mrs C. Seidler
Group		Group 2 Pinscher and Schnauzer- Molossian breeds - Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs
Section		Section 1 Pinscher and Schnauzer type
Working		Without working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI		Thursday 14 July 1955
Publication of the official valid standard		Tuesday 06 March 2007
Last update		Wednesday 18 April 2007
En français, cette race se dit		Pinscher nain
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar		Zwergpinscher
En español, esta raza se dice		Pinscher miniatura
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd		Duitse Dwergpinscher

Usage

House and Companion Dog.

Brief historical summary

Miniature Pinschers were kept in large numbers around the turn of the century already and the Stud Book for 1925 records no less than 1300 entries. Like with the German Pinscher, from the numerous colour variations, only the colours black with lighter markings and solid red to red-brown were thorough-bred.

General appearance

The Miniature Pinscher is a reduced image of the German Pinscher without the draw-backs of a dwarfed appearance. His elegant square build is clearly visible due to his short smooth coat.

Important proportions

· The ratio from length to height shall make his build appear as square as possible.
· The length of the head (measured fom the tip of the nose to the occiput) corresponds to half the length of the topline (measured from the withers to the set on of the tail).

Behaviour / temperament

Lively, spirited, self assured and evenly tempered. These qualities make him an agreeable family and companion dog.

Head
Cranial region
Skull		Strong, elongated without markedly protruding occiput. The forehead is flat without wrinkles, running parallel to the bridge of nose.
Stop		Slight, yet clearly defined.

Facial region
Nose		Noseleather well developed and black.
Muzzle		Ending in a blunt wedge. Bridge of nose straight.
Lips		Black, smooth and tight-fitting to the jaw. Corners of lips closed.
Jaws and teeth		Strong upper and lower jaw. The complete scissor bite (42 pure white teeth according to the dentition formula), is strong and firmly closing. The chewing muscles are strongly developed without pronounced cheeks interfering with the smooth outline.
Eyes		Dark, oval, with black pigmented close fitting eyelids.
Ears		Prick ears ; drop ears, set high, V-shaped with the inner edges lying close to the cheeks, turned forward towards temples. Folds parallel, should not be above the top of the skull.

Neck

Nobly curved, not too short. Blending smoothly into the withers without any marked set on. Dry without dewlap or throatiness. Throat skin tight-fitting without folds.

Body
Topline		Slightly sloping from withers towards rear.
Withers		Forming the highest point in topline.
Back		Strong, short and taut.
Loin		Strong. The distance from last rib to hip is short to make the dog appear compact.
Croup		Slightly rounded, imperceptibly blending into tail set on.
Chest		Moderately broad, oval in diameter, reaching to elbows. The forechest is distinctly marked by the point of the sternum.
Underline and belly		Flanks not too tucked up, forming a nicely curved line with the underside of the brisket.

Tail

Natural; a sabre or sickle carriage is sought after.

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality		Seen from the front, the front legs are strong, straight and not close together. Seen from the side, the forearms are straight.
Shoulders		The shoulder blade lies close against the ribcage and is well muscled on both sides of the shoulder bone, protruding over the points of the thoracic vertebrae. As sloping as possible and well laid back, forming an angle of appr. 50° to the horizontal.
Upper arm		Lying close to the body, strong and well muscled, forming an angle of 95° to 100° to the shoulder blade.
Elbows		Correctly fitting, turning neither in nor out.
Forearm		Strongly developed and well muscled. Completely straight seen from the front and the side.
Carpal		Strong and firm.
Pastern		Strong and springy. Seen from the front,vertical, seen from the side, slightly sloping towards the ground.
Forefeet		Short and round, toes well-knit and arched (cat feet), pads resistant, nails short, black and strong.

Hindquarters
Generality		Standing obliquely, when seen from the side, standing parallel but not close together seen from the rear.
Upper thigh		Moderately long, broad, strongly muscled.
Lower thigh		Long and strong, sinewy, running into a strong hock.
Stifle		Turning neither in nor out.
Metatarsus		Vertical to the ground.
Hock		Markedly angulated, strong, firm, turning neither in nor out.
Hind feet		Somewhat longer than forefeet. Toes well-knit and arched. Nails short and black.

Gait and movement

The Miniature Pinscher is a trotter. His back remains firm and rather steady in movement. The movement is harmonious, sure, powerful and uninhibited with good length of stride. Typical of the trot is a ground covering, relaxed, fluent movement with strong drive and free front extension.

Skin

Tight fitting over the whole body.

Coat
Hair		Short and dense, smooth, close and shiny without bald patches.
Colour		· Self coloured : Deer red, reddish-brown to dark red brown. · Black and Tan : Lacquer black with red or brown markings. The aim is for markings as dark, as rich and as clearly defined as possible. The markings are distributed as follows: Above the eyes, at the underside of the throat, on the pasterns, on the feet, at the inside of the hind legs and under the root of the tail. Two even, clearly separated triangles on the chest.

Size and weight
Height at withers		Dogs and bitches: 25 to 30 cm.
Weight		Dogs and bitches: 4 to 6 kg.

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 and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

General faults

Clumsy or light in build.

Too low or too high on leg.

Heavy or round skull.

Wrinkles on forehead.

Short, pointed or narrow muzzle.

Pincer bite.

Light, too small or too large eyes.

Ears set low or very long, unevenly carried.

Throatiness.

Too long, tucked up or soft back.

Roach back.

Croup falling away.

Long feet.

Pacing movement.

Hackney gait.

Thin coat.

Roans; black trace on the back, dark saddle and lightened or pale coat.

Over- or undersize up to 1 cm.

Serious faults

Lack of sexual type (ie doggy bitch).

Light appearance.

Apple head.

Lines of head not parallel.

Elbows turning out.

Hindlegs standing under the body.

Straight or open hocked hindlegs.

Hocks turning out.

Over- or undersize by more than 1 cm but less than 2 cm.

Disqualifying faults

Aggressive or overly shy dogs.

Malformation of any kind.

Lack of breed type.

Faults in mouth, such as over- or undershot or wry mouth.

Severe faults in individual parts, such as faults in structure, coat or colour.

Over- or undersize by more than 2 cm.

NB :

• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography

https://www.fci.be/

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Miniature Pinscher