The hackney-like action is a high-stepping, reaching, free and easy gait in which the front leg moves straight forward and in front of the body and the foot bends at the wrist. The Miniature Pinscher Club of America describe the movement like this: “The forelegs and hind legs move parallel with feet turning neither in nor out. That high-stepping gait derives from the movement of the Hackney horse, which could trot at high speeds. If you’ve ever seen one prancing around the room, you’ve seen what’s known as his hackney gait. One of the most distinguishing characteristics of the Min Pin is his gait. Other dogs in the pinscher family include the Affenpinscher and the Schnauzer.ĥ. They typically catch their prey by jumping on it and biting fiercely.
It’s a descriptive term, like “setter” or “retriever,” that describes the way dogs in the pinscher family work. The word “pinscher” may derive from the English word “pinch” or the French “pincer,” which means to pinch or catch. But once here, the breed’s popularity grew steadily.Ĥ. It wasn’t until 1925 that the first Min Pin was registered with the AKC. Until the early 1900s, the Miniature Pinscher was virtually unknown outside of Germany and Scandinavia. This dog, however, is also a distinct breed from the Min Pin.ģ. Another breed the Miniature Pinscher is often confused with is the Manchester Terrier.
Miniature Pinschers were used primarily as ratters.Ģ. Most historians agree that Min Pins, as they’re fondly called, are several centuries old and developed from a combination of the German Pinscher, the smooth Dachshund, and the Italian Greyhound. Both Doberman Pinschers and Miniature Pinschers include in their descendants the Old German Standard Pinscher, but that’s all the lineage they have in common. In fact, he is not a scaled-down version of any breed this is a breed unto itself. The Miniature Pinscher is NOT a miniature version of the Doberman Pinscher.