Kennel Club Breed Standard for the Miniature Pinscher
| GENERAL APPEARANCE
Well balanced, sturdy, compact, elegant, short-coupled, smooth-coated toy dog. Naturally well groomed, proud, vigorous and alert CHARACTERISTICS Precise hackney gait, fearless animation, complete self-possession and spirited presence. TEMPERAMENT Fearless and alert. HEAD AND SKULL More elongated than short and round. Narrow, without conspicuous cheek formation. In proportion to body. Skull flat when viewed from front. Muzzle rather strong and proportionate to skull. Nostrils well formed. Nose black with the exception of chocolate and blue in which it may be self-coloured. EYES Fitting well into face. Neither too full nor round, nor too small or slanting. Black or nearly black. |
Black & Tan
|
EARS
Set on high, as small as possible, erect or dropped.
MOUTH
Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
| NECK
Strong yet graceful, slightly arched. Well fitted into shoulders. Free from throatiness. FOREQUARTERS Forechest well developed and full, moderately broad; shoulders clean, sloping with moderate angulation. Legs straight, medium bone, elbows close to body. BODY Square, back line straight, sloping towards rear. Belly moderately tucked-up. Ribs well sprung, deep rather than barrelled. Viewed from top slightly wedge-shaped. HINDQUARTERS Parallel and wide enough apart to fit in with a properly built body. Hindquarters well developed, muscular with good sweep of stifle, and hocks turning neither in nor out. Legs straight, medium bone. FEET Cat-like; nails dark. |
Chocolate & Tan
|
| TAIL Customarily docked.
Docked: Short. Continuation of topline. Carried a little high. Undocked: Continuation of topline. Set and carried a little high. Length to give an overall balanced appearance. ( As of April 2007 there is now a ban on docking in the UK) GAIT/MOVEMENT Co-ordinated to permit a true hackneyed action. |
Undocked dog
|
| COAT
Smooth, hard and short. Straight and lustrous. Closely adhering to and uniformly covering body. Hair forming ridge on any part of head, body or legs highly undesirable. COLOUR Black, blue, chocolate with sharply defined tan markings on cheeks, lips, lower jaw, throat, twin spots above eyes and chest, lower half of forelegs, inside of hindlegs and vent region, lower portion of hocks and feet. All above colours have black pencilling on toes without thumb marks except chocolates which have brown pencilling. Solid red of various shades. Slight white on chest permissible but undesirable. |
Red |
SIZE
Height from 25.5 – 30cm (10 – 12in) at withers.
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.
NOTE
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
(reproduced by kind permission of the Kennel Club)