German Pinscher

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German Pinscher Profile

The German Pinscher is a well balanced, smooth coated, medium sized dog with elegant and flowing outlines, but strong and well muscled. They are tall terriers, with longer than usual legs. They are smooth coated, and one hundred years ago they came in the same litter as Schnauzers. They were simply distinguished by "rough-haired", or in German "rauhaariger Pinscher", and "waveless-haired Pinscher", or "glatthaariger Pinscher". German Pinschers have drop ears, or they can be cropped. They have dark eyes and can be any solid color from fawn to stag red, as well as black with tan markings or blue with red or tan markings. They are smooth in coat, glossy and coarse. They require little maintenance, and fairly intelligent. They have docile, versatile personalities, but are unafraid of a fight, like most terriers. They are small, but will take on larger dogs. They can be territorial and possessive of their toys, territory, and owner. When relaxed, they are playful and exuberant. They enjoy being with their humans. German Pinschers are assertive, fearless and can sometimes outsmart their owners. They are good as watchdogs and guard dogs, making use of their voice. They do well with obedience training, needing firm but gentle training. German Pinschers are a big dog in a small package, able to guard when you need them to and play when you want them to.

Other Names: Standard Pinscher, Glatthaariger Pinscher, Pinscher, Smooth-haired Pinscher

Height: 16 - 20 inches.
Weight: 23 - 35 lb.

Color: All solid colors from fawn (Isabella) to stag red, in various shades. Black with reddish/tan markings. Blue with reddish/tan markings. Sharply marked red/tan markings are desirable.
Coat: A German Pinscher coat is short and dense. Smoothly fitting. Glossy, without bald spots.

Temperament: The German Pinscher is alert, good-natured, playful, high-spirited, loyal, watchful, fearless, and self possessed. They are youthful well into their older years, being playful and exuberant. They can sometimes be manipulative. The German Pinschers are loyal and vigilant. They can be territorial and possessive of their toys, space or family.
With Children: Good with older children, but should be supervised with younger children.
With Pets: Yes, generally does well with other pets, but may be territorial.

Watch-dog: High. German Pinschers are very alert to their surroundings, and keep an eye on anything threatening, as well as alerting their owners.
Guard-dog: Medium. They will not avoid a fight, but are a rather small dog.

German Pinscher Care and Exercise: German Pinschers require minimal care with their coat. They should be rubbed down with a silk cloth to give their coat shine. They should be brushed when needed. They do need exercise, however, to keep in shape. They will love a free romp off the leash.
Training: German Pinschers should be trained in a loving, but firm way. They respond well to training, and should be disciplined when mischievous, as they have a tendency to manipulate their owners.
Learning Rate: High. Obedience - Medium. Problem Solving - High.

Activity: High.
Special Needs: Exercise, socialization, supervision with children, firm but gentle discipline as well as training.
Living Environment: German Pinschers will do fine in an apartment, as long as exercise is provided. They need training and socialization to avoid possessive and territorial qualities. The best owner for this breed would be a firm but gentle owner living in a suburban, rural or city environment who can give the breed enough exercise, training and socialization.

German Pinscher Health Issues: German Pinschers sometimes have eye problems and hip dysplasia.

Life Span: 12 - 14 years.
Litter Size: 6 - 8 puppies.

Country of Origin: Germany
History of the German Pinscher: The German Pinscher dates back to the 1700s. The German Pinscher has been recognized in Germany since 1879, and protected and promoted by the German Pinscher-Schnauzer Club since 1894. German farmers often used the breed to track down and kill vermin, as well as a guard dog. Though small, they did not back down from fights, and their name proved them reliable: Pinscher in German means "biter". They are thought to have come partly from the Black and Tan Terrier. German Pinschers are actually closely related to the Schnauzer, both being born in the same litters up until the 20th century. Litters contained smooth haired pups, or pinschers, as well as course haired pups, schnauzers. Soon the club declared that they must be separately bred, and required proof of three generations of smooth haired coats for registration. As the breed grew in their smooth-haired fashion and made its way to other countries, the Doberman Pinscher was developed in part by the German Pinscher, as well as the Miniature Pinscher. The breed's numbers dwindled in the World Wars. It was brought back from near extinction by Herr Werner Jung after the Second World War. They redeveloped the breed to standard by using an older purebred female, Kitti v. Bodestrand, initially using larger Miniature Pinschers. All present-day German Pinschers stem from this "founding mother". In 1985 in their home country only 10 registered litters existed in Germany, but efforts since then have proved to continue the breed, though rare. In 1988 the breed standard was written by the British Kennel Club. The German Pinscher was recognized by the United Kennel Club in March, 1991. They are sometimes used as hunting dogs today, but are mostly used as companions.

First Registered by the AKC: 2003
AKC Group: Working
Class: Working
Registries: KC (UK), FCI (Group 2), ANKC (Group 6), AKC, CKC (Group 6), NZKC, UKC

German Pinschers

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