Austrian Pinscher
Encyclopedia
The Austrian Pinscher (Österreichischer Pinscher, FCI No. 64) is a medium large breed
Dog breed
Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock....
of pinscher
Pinscher
Pinscher is a type of dog developed originally as ratters on farms and for fighting or guarding, although today they are most often kept as pets.-Etymology:...
-type
Dog type
Dog types are broad categories of dogs based on function, with dogs identified primarily by specific function or style of work rather than by lineage or appearance....
dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, where dogs of the type were originally farm dogs
Working dog
A working dog refers to a canine working animal, i.e., a type of dog that is not merely a pet but learns and performs tasks to assist and/or entertain its human companions, or a breed of such origin...
, keeping barns free of rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s and acting as home guards, livestock guardians
Livestock guardian dog
A livestock guardian dog is a domesticated canine used to defend livestock against predators. LGDs are commonly referred to as "sheep dogs" since they most often have guarded flocks of sheep, but most are capable of guarding other species of livestock. They are classified as pastoral dogs...
, and drovers. The name originally given to the breed in 1928 was the Österreichischer Kurzhaarpinscher (Austrian Shorthaired Pinscher) to differentiate it from similarly named breeds, but today in its country of origin the breed is officially called the Österreichischer Pinscher, or Austrian Pinscher in English.
Appearance
Like other farm dogs raised for work rather than for pets or show, the appearance can vary a great deal, although there is a definite breed standard. In general, the Austrian Pinscher is a normally proportioned strong and sturdy dog, 33 – 48 cm (13 - 19 inches) at the withersWithers
The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In many species it is the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal's height .-Horses:The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the...
. The breed has button ears and a head described as being shaped like a pear. The double coat
Coat (dog)
The coat of the domestic dog refers to the hair that covers its body. A dog's coat may be a double coat, made up of a soft undercoat and a coarser topcoat, or a single coat, which lacks an undercoat...
is short to medium long, in a variety of yellow, red or black and tan colours, usually with white markings on the face, chest, feet and tip of the tail. The long tail is held high, and dogs of this breed should look lively and alert. They are heavier, more rugged and rectangular in appearance than the German Pinscher
German Pinscher
The German Pinscher is a medium-sized, breed of dog, a Pinscher type that originated in Germany. The breed is included in the origins of the Dobermann, the Miniature Pinscher, the Affenpinscher, the Standard Schnauzer...
.
History
The Austrian Shorthaired Pinscher was recognised as a breed for the first time in 1928, but the breed was developed from an old typeDog type
Dog types are broad categories of dogs based on function, with dogs identified primarily by specific function or style of work rather than by lineage or appearance....
of pinscher
Pinscher
Pinscher is a type of dog developed originally as ratters on farms and for fighting or guarding, although today they are most often kept as pets.-Etymology:...
found on farms in the Austrian countryside, a mixture of German Pinschers and the local dogs. Claims of great antiquity have been made for the old pinscher type. Since there are no records, it is not possible to tell how the old type is related to the modern-day breed, although they do look somewhat similar.
At the end of the 19th century, the farm dogs began to die out when the work they did was no longer needed. In the early 20th century Emil Hauck, looking for an aboriginal dog type identified in 1843 by H. von Meyer as Canis palustris or dog of the marshes (a type of dog, not an actual species), found what he believed were some examples of similar dogs in the Austrian countryside. In 1921 he began serious breeding to revive and define the type of the breed, to separate them from other landrace
Landrace
A landrace is a local variety of a domesticated animal or plant species which has developed largely by natural processes, by adaptation to the natural and cultural environment in which it lives. It differs from a formal breed which has been bred deliberately to conform to a particular standard...
pinschers of the area. The Austrian Kennel Club (Austrian Kynologenverband) first recognised the breed as the Österreichischer Kurzhaarpinscher (translates in English as Austrian Shorthaired Pinscher) in 1928. The name was given to the breed to identify its place of origin as Austria ( Österreich), and to differentiate it from the Schnauzer
Schnauzer
A Schnauzer is a German dog type that originated in Germany in the 15th and 16th centuries. The term comes from Schnauze , the German word for "snout", because of the dog's distinctively bearded snout. The word Schnauzer also means moustache in German; some authorities, such as Encyclopædia...
which at that time was called the Rough-haired Pinscher (rauhaariger Pinscher). After World War II, though, the breed almost vanished. In the 1970s only one registered dog of the breed remained, named Diokles of Angern. Breeding this dog with other dogs identified as of the old pinscher type in the area ("Landpinschern") has brought the breed back, although there are still only a small number of them.
Ark Austria (Arche Austria), an association for the preservation of endangered indigenous breeds, lists the Austrian Pinscher and states that it is highly vulnerable, with only 6 to 12 breeding animals, who are being carefully bred to preserve health and breed type
Breed type
Breed type is the whole of the characteristics that are typical of a breed of domesticated animals. Breed type may include details of form or color that are not directly related to the economic value of the animal, and are usually defined in breed standards....
.
The breed is recognised in its country of origin by the Austrian Kynologenverband (ÖKV, Austrian Kennel Club) and internationally by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale
Fédération Cynologique Internationale
Fédération Cynologique Internationale is an international federation of kennel clubs based in Thuin, Belgium. The English language translation, World Canine Organisation, is not often used.Its goals are described in Article 2 of their regulations:...
in the Pinscher section of Group 2. It is also recognised by the United Kennel Club in the United States as the Austrian Pinscher as of 2006, in the Terrier Group
Terrier Group
Terrier Group is the name of a breed Group of dogs, used by kennel clubs to classify a defined collection of dog breeds. In general, a Terrier Group includes one particular type of dog, the Terrier, although other types may be included in a kennel club's Terrier Group...
, for its background as a rat hunter. In addition it is recognised by a number of minor kennel clubs and internet based dog registry businesses under a variety of translations of the name, who may rewrite the standard to suit producers of dogs for the rare breed
Rare breed (dog)
Rare breed is any breed of dog that is small in number. Since dogs have greater genetic variability than other domesticated animals the number of possible breeds is vast...
pet market. Purchasers of puppies and dogs from groups outside the Austrian breed restoration program should read the original standard (obtainable in translation from the FCI) and their dog's pedigree to make sure they are buying an Austrian Pinscher and not an excessively inbred or a random-bred dog.
Health
No data has been collected on the breed's health, but good health is a stated objective of the breed restoration breeding in Austria.Temperament
The breed is described as "a pleasant companion" for rural and suburban areas. The breed standard describes the ideal Austrian Pinscher's temperament and character as playful, not inclined to be a hunter, and being an "incorruptible guard".See also
- Preservation breedingPreservation breedingPreservation breeding is an attempt by many animal breeders to preserve bloodlines of animals, either of a rare breed, or of rare pedigrees within a breed. One purpose of preservation breeding is to protect genetic diversity within a species, another is to preserve valuable genetic traits that may...
- LandraceLandraceA landrace is a local variety of a domesticated animal or plant species which has developed largely by natural processes, by adaptation to the natural and cultural environment in which it lives. It differs from a formal breed which has been bred deliberately to conform to a particular standard...
- German PinscherGerman PinscherThe German Pinscher is a medium-sized, breed of dog, a Pinscher type that originated in Germany. The breed is included in the origins of the Dobermann, the Miniature Pinscher, the Affenpinscher, the Standard Schnauzer...
- Mixed breed dog
- PinscherPinscherPinscher is a type of dog developed originally as ratters on farms and for fighting or guarding, although today they are most often kept as pets.-Etymology:...
- Breed Groups
- Terrier GroupTerrier GroupTerrier Group is the name of a breed Group of dogs, used by kennel clubs to classify a defined collection of dog breeds. In general, a Terrier Group includes one particular type of dog, the Terrier, although other types may be included in a kennel club's Terrier Group...
- Standard SchnauzerStandard SchnauzerThe Standard Schnauzer is the original breed of the three breeds of Schnauzer, and despite its wiry coat and general appearance, is not related to the British terriers. Rather, its origins are in old herding and guard breeds of Europe. Generally classified as a working or utility dog, this...