Source: Panogos Miniature Pinscher
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Most American Miniature Pinscher owners know that their breed got its start in Germany. But few may realize that the Miniature Pinscher in Germany, and most of Europe, is very different from what they know and love as the "Min Pin."
In Germany, where the breed dates back centuries, the Miniature Pinscher is under the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) standard, and is called a "reduced image" of the medium-sized German Pinscher. It ideally has a sturdy body, a prominent, elongated muzzle, and a trotting gait. A hackney-like gait--the defining characteristic of the breed's American cousin--is a fault. A light build is also a fault. The most descriptive word for the breed in the FCI standard is kräftig, meaning, strong.
In the U.S., the Miniature Pinscher has been developed with a different emphasis. The hackney-like gait is sought after, along with the svelte body to go with it. Although the AKC breed standard does promote a level of strength, the dog tends to have thinner bones than its European counterpart, and a smaller head.
One reason for the difference is the group classification. The AKC places the breed in the Toy Group, alongside Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, and all the smallest of the small dogs. By contrast, the FCI places the Miniature Pinscher in Group 2, the Pinscher-Schnauzer group, to compete against the larger dogs of that class.
Over time, a breed will tend to adapt to the group in which it is placed, no matter its breed standard. For the company they keep, it can truly be said today that the American Min Pin is a Toy, and the European Miniature Pinscher is a Pinscher.
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