history

Origins

Originating in Germany about 400 years ago The German Pinscher is included in the origins of the Doberman pinscher, the Miniature Pinscher, and Affenpinscher, amongst other breeds. Originally, there were two varieties, the Wire Haired and Smooth Haired Pinschers, the Wire Haired Pinscher later became the Standard Schnauzer.

Originally, the German Pinscher Litters had both smooth & wirehaired puppies. When the Pinscher-Schnauzer Club (PSK) was founded in Germany in 1895, it was agreed that only smooth coated German Pinschers would be bred, which became the main goal for the breeders at that time. By separating the long & short-haired specimens in the same litters, and by selective breeding, the "PSK" produced a very remarkable dog.

After World War 2 the German Pinscher began to lose popularity in his homeland. In the mid-1950's, Werner Jung saved this breed from near extinction. Jung was able to find a few of these dogs left in Germany and started a serious breeding program.

The German Pinscher was originally a stable dog living with and around horses; as such he has developed an affinity with this animal. His vermin killing abilities were legendary and even today he is the staunch enemy of many creatures such as rabbits, rats and moles. Additionally, the German Pinscher was and is an excellent guard dog. A reputation for extreme sharpness preceded him without fail as recently as twenty years ago.  The Pinscher is not the best breed to keep if one also owns small animals such as Cats or Guinea Pigs and the like.

The German Pinscher is a fairly new introduction to the UK, only arriving here in 1980, though the first standard was produced in Germany, its country of origin, in 1881.  It is believed to date back to before 1835, and the litters contained smooth and rough coated dogs.  The current standard requires a short and smooth coat.  "Pinscher" is German for "Terrier", though the German terriers were much larger than British terriers and were certainly too long in the leg to go to ground.  However, they do make excellent guards and were used as such in farms.

For an individual or couple, the German Pinscher seems a reasonable choice of breed. They are protective, have a loud bark and are an ideal medium size to fit into most modern premises. The breed can be stubborn and alpha tendencies mean that this a dog requiring discipline from an early age. In spite of the latter this breed can be very faithful, a characteristic it shares with its more popular cousin the Doberman. There are also Pinschers that have excelled at obedience and tracking work.