History
Originating in Germany in the 19th century and refered to as "Duetscher Pinscher" meaning "German Terrier" the breed were specifically bred as stable dogs, used to control vermin and a guard and general hunting dog. A breed standard was established in 1884 and they became a recognised breed by the Kennel Klub in Germany. It is believed that they are descendants of the Rat Pinscher and the Great Ratter both now extinct. The breed are also related to the Schnauzer, originally there would have been both short haired (German Pinschers) and wire haired (Standard Schnauzers) born in a litter. They are also the foundation dogs for Dobermann Pinschers and Miniature Pinschers, the middle sized version of the Pinscher family! The breed started to decline during World War 2 and nearly disappeared completely. Werner Jung, a man closely associated with the breed in Germany made it his mission to reinstate them by setting up a breeding programme with one foundation bitch called "Kitti vom Bodestrand" (pictured below). It is as a direct result of his dedication to save the breed from extinction that we have our unique and rare breed today. German Pinschers eventually made their way to England from Europe and were officially a recognised breed by the UK Kennel Club in 1988. The first litter to be registered was in 1981 by Roy and Marion Collicott under thier kennel name of "Miaroi", who were the founder breeders and the original registered importers in the UK.
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A drawing dating back to the 1890's of a German and a Miniature Pinscher.
Picture and photograph courtesy of wikipedia. |
Within Europe and especially the Nordic countires of Finland and Sweden the breed has been developed and researched extensively. There are breeders that have had a significant influence on the breed we see today in the UK, Anja Nikkonen of Kennel Ceriinan, Finland being the most notable.
German Pinschers are classified as a working breed, of medium size with a short coat. Their personality is very active, highly intelligent and they require direction and training from an early age to ensure a happy, loyal and well socialised companion. They display "terrier" like characteristics so developing a bond, establishing boundaries and channeling their energy with activities such as Obedience, Ringcraft and Agility is both advantageous and great fun! For additional breed information click here, for further information on diet, exercise and more click here! |
Eyes - Hereditary Cataracts, identified as a regosnised disease within the breed and usually occurring in later life. Cataracts appear as cloudiness in the lens of the eye and vary from partial to complete opacity affecting vision. Testing is conducted by a veterinary ophthalmology specialist linked to or referred by your local veterinary practice. It is advised that the BVA (British Veterinary Association) Certificate of Eye Examination is completed annually.
Hips - Hip Dysplasia, a condition although rare in German Pinschers affects the hips resulting in instability or laxity of the hip joint. We would recommend (at approx 18 months of age) Southern Canine Imaging for testing. They complete the imaging for BVA (British Veterinary Association) Hip Scoring without a general anaesthetic. The sedation for the imaging is administered by Roger Meacock BVSc MRCVS who's website provides useful information. The ideal hip score should be low and equal on both hips.
vWD - Type 1 von Willebrands's Disease, a bleeding disorder similar to haemophilia in humans caused by a genetic mutataion. Excessive bleeding may result from an injury due to reduced or absent blod clotting in affected dogs. Tests can be purchased from Animal DNA Diagnostics to confirm Clear, Carrier of Effected. Clear to Clear matings are recommended.
Heart - Heart and Cardio, testing via auscultation with stethoscope (at over 12 months of age) and examined by a veterinary cardiology specialist. They will issue a Veterinary Certificate of Heart Testing and are often linked to or referred by your local veterinary practice. Further cardiac tests including blood tests, echocardiography or ultrasound scan may be indicated.
German Pinschers are at risk of Adverse Vaccine Reactions and it is important that both owners and their vets should be aware of this. Our personal belief, following research is that core vaccines (Distemper, Hepatitis & Parvovirus) should be administered as a puppy and to the age of one year in line with WSAVA (The World Small Animal Veterinary Association) (thereafter three yearly) however we now Titer Test prior to further vaccination.
There are veterinary practices throughout the country that stock VacciCheck, (Vaccicheck also have a website for further details) if your dog is comfortable with giving blood then we recommend selecting an in-practice Titer Test to ensure cover for core vaccines - DHP (Distemper, Hepatitis & Parvovirus). L - Lepto (Leptospirosis) is also considered a core vaccine, however there is no titer test as the duration of immunity is very short. Dr Karen Becker's video is very informative regarding Lepto and the vaccination.
For an in-practice Titer Test Veterinary Practice in Hampshire click here.
Additional testing is available utilising DNA (for profiling of an individual and/or parentage to confirm Sire and Dam) and D/D (to confirm that the dilute coat colour is not reproduced). These tests can be purchased from Animal Genetics UK. Some genetic conditions are very difficult to categorise (i.e autoimmune disease) due to the numerous genetic variants. There are tests available outside of the UK, however the complexity of the condition means that the results are not a guarantee that your dog will not be at risk of the disease.
Dr Nick Thompson, Holisticvet is a veterinary consultant with special interest in canine nutrition, botanical medicine and homeopathy. The Holisticvet website is very informative regarding nutrician and vaccinations. Nick, who's practice is based in Wiltshire presents seminars on canine nutrition and is enlightening to listen to if you get the opportunity to attend. We would recommend Susan Andresier of Acupaws - for referrals in veterinary acupuncture, herbal medicine and homeopathy based in Hampshire. We are really fortunate to have Professor Noel Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick Referrals - "The Supervet" based in Surrey. His referral services include Orthodedic, Neurology and Oncology at the two centres at Eshing and Guildford. We have attended many of his events including The Supervet Tour where he presented his inspirational and innovative lifes work.
Hips - Hip Dysplasia, a condition although rare in German Pinschers affects the hips resulting in instability or laxity of the hip joint. We would recommend (at approx 18 months of age) Southern Canine Imaging for testing. They complete the imaging for BVA (British Veterinary Association) Hip Scoring without a general anaesthetic. The sedation for the imaging is administered by Roger Meacock BVSc MRCVS who's website provides useful information. The ideal hip score should be low and equal on both hips.
vWD - Type 1 von Willebrands's Disease, a bleeding disorder similar to haemophilia in humans caused by a genetic mutataion. Excessive bleeding may result from an injury due to reduced or absent blod clotting in affected dogs. Tests can be purchased from Animal DNA Diagnostics to confirm Clear, Carrier of Effected. Clear to Clear matings are recommended.
Heart - Heart and Cardio, testing via auscultation with stethoscope (at over 12 months of age) and examined by a veterinary cardiology specialist. They will issue a Veterinary Certificate of Heart Testing and are often linked to or referred by your local veterinary practice. Further cardiac tests including blood tests, echocardiography or ultrasound scan may be indicated.
German Pinschers are at risk of Adverse Vaccine Reactions and it is important that both owners and their vets should be aware of this. Our personal belief, following research is that core vaccines (Distemper, Hepatitis & Parvovirus) should be administered as a puppy and to the age of one year in line with WSAVA (The World Small Animal Veterinary Association) (thereafter three yearly) however we now Titer Test prior to further vaccination.
There are veterinary practices throughout the country that stock VacciCheck, (Vaccicheck also have a website for further details) if your dog is comfortable with giving blood then we recommend selecting an in-practice Titer Test to ensure cover for core vaccines - DHP (Distemper, Hepatitis & Parvovirus). L - Lepto (Leptospirosis) is also considered a core vaccine, however there is no titer test as the duration of immunity is very short. Dr Karen Becker's video is very informative regarding Lepto and the vaccination.
For an in-practice Titer Test Veterinary Practice in Hampshire click here.
Additional testing is available utilising DNA (for profiling of an individual and/or parentage to confirm Sire and Dam) and D/D (to confirm that the dilute coat colour is not reproduced). These tests can be purchased from Animal Genetics UK. Some genetic conditions are very difficult to categorise (i.e autoimmune disease) due to the numerous genetic variants. There are tests available outside of the UK, however the complexity of the condition means that the results are not a guarantee that your dog will not be at risk of the disease.
Dr Nick Thompson, Holisticvet is a veterinary consultant with special interest in canine nutrition, botanical medicine and homeopathy. The Holisticvet website is very informative regarding nutrician and vaccinations. Nick, who's practice is based in Wiltshire presents seminars on canine nutrition and is enlightening to listen to if you get the opportunity to attend. We would recommend Susan Andresier of Acupaws - for referrals in veterinary acupuncture, herbal medicine and homeopathy based in Hampshire. We are really fortunate to have Professor Noel Fitzpatrick of Fitzpatrick Referrals - "The Supervet" based in Surrey. His referral services include Orthodedic, Neurology and Oncology at the two centres at Eshing and Guildford. We have attended many of his events including The Supervet Tour where he presented his inspirational and innovative lifes work.