THE MINIATURE PINSCHER JUDGING
BY PAMELA DEHETRE
I t is an honor to be asked to write about Miniature Pinschers, as they are one of my favorite breeds. My love of this breed began in the late 1960s and continues to this day. Their spirit and pres- ence captured me. Hopefully, some of you judges who are newer to this breed will understand the Min Pin better after reading this article. I’m hoping that some of you breeders out there will also benefit from my “words of wisdom.” However, my opinions are just that— my opinions. Judging the Miniature Pinscher can be challeng- ing as they are not shown stacked motionless like most other breeds. They are very animated, with complete self-possession and a spirited presence. If you have one in the ring without these characteristic traits, please do not reward it. I bought my first Miniature Pinscher in 1968. What an experience that was! She was fearless in my arms and fearless on the ground, but a real wimp on the table. Not being an experienced handler, I would get so embar- rassed every time my wonderful Min Pin would shrink from examination. I was told by those with more longev- ity in the breed to simply exclaim, “Oh my, I don’t know why she is doing that, she has never done that before!” Well, that worked fine until the day she won the Breed and then wimped on the table to the Group judge (same judge). Before I knew what I was saying, I declared, “Oh my, I don’t know why she is doing that, she has never done that before!” Well, needless to say, I learned my lesson to keep my mouth shut. So, in a further effort to learn about this breed, I actu- ally talked to people who really knew them. Mr. John McNamara of Jay-Mac fame was one. I spent quite a bit of time listening to him at the shows, and he graciously let me come to his home for more Min Pin education. Most are now better trained for the table than the dogs of old. New techniques and a concentrated effort can pro- duce stability on the table. However, they are big little dogs and should be examined on a table—and judged on the ground.
“JUDGING THE MINIATURE PINSCHER CAN BE CHALLENGING AS THEY ARE NOT SHOWN STACKED MOTIONLESS LIKE MOST OTHER BREEDS. THEY ARE VERY ANIMATED, WITH COMPLETE SELF- POSSESSION AND A SPIRITED PRESENCE. IF YOU HAVE ONE IN THE RING WITHOUT THESE CHARACTERISTIC
TRAITS, PLEASE DO NOT REWARD IT.”
222 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, AUGUST 2021
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