German Pinscher Breed Standard Working Group   General Appearance The German Pinscher is a medium size, short coated dog, elegant in appearance with a strong square build and moderate body structure, muscular and powerful for endurance and agility. Energetic, watchful, alert, agile, fearless, determined, intelligent and loyal, the German Pinscher has the prerequisites to be an excellent watchdog and companion. The German Pinscher is examined on the ground. Size, Proportion, Substance Size- the ideal height at the highest point of the withers for a dog or bitch is 17 - 20 inches. Size should be penalized in accordance with the degree it deviates from the ideal. Quality should always take precedence over size. Faults- under 17 inches or over 20 inches. Proportion- squarely built in proportion of body length to height. The height at the highest point of the withers equals the length of the body from the point of the shoulder to the rump. Substance- muscular with moderate bone. Coat Short and dense, smooth and close lying. Shiny and covers the body without bald spots. A hard coat should not be penalized. Color Isabella (fawn), to red in various shades to stag red (red with intermingling of black hairs), black and blues with red/tan markings. In the reds, a rich vibrant medium to dark shade is preferred. In bi-colored dogs, sharply marked dark and rich red/tan markings are desirable. Markings distributed as follows; at cheeks, lips, lower jaw, above eyes, at throat, on forechest as two triangles distinctly separated from each other, at metatarus or pasterns, forelegs, feet, inner side of hind legs and vent region. Pencil marks on the toes are acceptable. Any white markings on the dog are undesirable. A few white hairs do not constitute a marking. Temperament The German Pinscher has highly developed senses, intelligence, aptitude for training, fearlessness, endurance and resistance to illness. He is alert, vigilant, deliberate and watchful of strangers. He has fearless courage and tenacity if threatened. A very vivacious dog but not an excessive barker. He should not show viciousness by unwarranted or provoked attack. Note- Great consideration should be given to a dog giving the desired alert, highly intelligent, vivacious character of the German Pinscher. Aggressive behavior toward another dog is not deemed viciousness. Faults- shy. The foregoing description is that of the ideal German Pinscher. Any deviation from this is to be penalized to the extent of the deviation.