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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.

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.

Tail
Previously 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.

Gait/Movement
Coordinated to permit a true hackneyed action.

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.

Size
Height from 25-30 cms (10-12 ins) 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.

Last Updated - September 2007

Glossary of Canine Terms

Health Information

The Kennel Club operates health screening schemes with other organisations.  Some are clinical veterinary screening schemes and some are DNA screening schemes, which may be relevant to this breed.

The current health screening requirements and recommendations for Kennel Club Accredited Breeders of this breed show what is required and recommended for the sire and dam of any litter of this breed bred by an Accredited Breeder.

Breed specific summary results from the Purebred Dog Health Survey in 2004 are available.  Individual summaries are only available where the breed response rate was greater than 15%.

Recommended Reading

All the below publications are available to order from the Online Shop.

Kennel Club Breed Standards Kennel Club Breed Standards are available for most breeds indicating the qualities which competition judges normally take into account and the standard or model which breeders endeavour to achieve. The Breed Standards can be purchased by group.

The Kennel Club Illustrated Breed Standards Containing full descriptive standards for 192 breeds, as well as representation for the six Kennel Club recognised breeds that are currently without standards, this beautifully illustrated volume is a must for all dog enthusiasts. This third edition has been completely revised and updated by a panel of experts and incorporates the very latest standards for breeds in each group.

Breed Clubs and Societies

• MINIATURE PINSCHER CLUB. Sec. Mrs McLean. Tel No: 01555 892683

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