German Pinscher

About the German Pinscher

The German Pinscher is the medium-sized original from which the Miniature Pinscher and, in part, the Dobermann descend, a German stable and farm dog that killed vermin and guarded the yard. It was down to almost nothing after the Second World War and was rebuilt in the 1950s by Werner Jung, working from a single bitch and some oversized Miniature Pinschers.

Dogs stand 45 to 50 cm, square and clean-cut, with a short glossy coat in solid red or in black with red markings. The breed is spirited, quick to react and needs a firm hand and real exercise; it is not a scaled-down Dobermann in temperament so much as a livelier one. A stud should be bold and settled rather than jumpy, since reactivity is the fault most likely to be inherited.

The DNA test for von Willebrand's disease type I is well established in German Pinschers and a stud owner should have the result. Ask for a current eye certificate, since hereditary cataract has been recorded, and for hip scores. A cardiac examination is worth having in a breed so closely related to the Dobermann. Given how narrow the post-war rebuilding was, ask about the coefficient of inbreeding for the mating.

Health & breeding

We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.