Miniature Pinscher

The constant desire to improve species of livestock has resulted in the development of a number of manufactured breeds in the dog family. Most of these experiments have been carefully planned toward a certain goal and most of them have eventually proved satisfactory. Once a breed has been established there has been an occasional desire to increase or decrease its size. Usually this desire has been on the part of breeders who fancy toy dogs.

The Doberman Pinscher may well be termed a manufactured breed. The Miniature Pinscher is the result of the desire of some Doberman Pinscher fanciers to produce a small edition of their favorite breed. As soon as the Doberman came to be an established breed, fanciers of the small dog began their efforts to breed down. Their goal was to create a separate breed that would retain the Doberman Pinscher's general characteristics and appearance yet mature into much smaller dogs in height and weight. Their efforts were quickly rewarded, and the Miniature Pinscher made his appearance as a breed which ran true to type even before the Doberman Pinscher was officially recognized as a distinct breed.

The Miniature Pinscher was first recognized by what is now called the Pinscher Schnauzer Klub, originally organized in Germany in 1895 as the Pinscher Klub. Ten years later the small dog began to attract much attention, and this interest maintained until World War I interfered with serious dog breeding activities all over Europe. Soon after hostilities ceased, breeding activities resumed and several of these little fellows were imported to this country.

A few were exhibited in the miscellaneous class during the next ten years. In 1929 the Miniature Pinscher Club of America was organized, bringing about an upswing in breeding activities. The breed now enjoys considerable popularity in this country.

The Miniature Pinscher is ideal for the fancier who wants a lively, alert, bold little house dog that always presents a neat, clean appearance and possesses an affectionate disposition, particularly toward his master or family. He is fearless and spirited in nature.

The general appearance of a Miniature Pinscher is sturdy though slim, pert, lively, and attentive, with well-distributed muscle formation and a carriage suggestive of an active and lively temperament. The coat is a thick, hard, short, and adhering to and uniformly covering the body. The height is approximately 11-1/2 inches at the shoulder and weighing between six to ten pounds.