History of the breed's origin, progenitors, recreation and recognition of the Austrian Pinscher, name change and the current state of the breed. The Austrian pinscher or Austrian pinscher varies in appearance, although there is a standard. In general, the dog is well proportioned, strong and sturdy. The breed has drooping ears and a pear-shaped head. A short to medium double coat of yellow, red, black or brown basic shades, usually with white markings on the face, chest, legs and tip of the tail. The long tail is carried high. Dogs are heavier, stronger and more elongated than German Pinschers. They are lively and alert.
Place and history of the origin of the Austrian Pinscher
The Austrian Pinscher remained a not entirely pure breed until the 20th century. But, we can say that this is an old species of canines. Its origins can be traced back to centuries. Their images, which are almost identical to the modern Austrian Pinscher, are found in paintings from the 1700s, and are widely recognized by breed lovers. This is the earliest known evidence of this kind of dog. Since these animals already existed in almost their present, modern form, it is likely that this species has a much older history. Many experts believe that this breed has already existed in its homeland for several centuries, and possibly millennia.
The Austrian Pinscher belongs to the breed group of dogs known as the Pinscher and Schnauzer family. This family consists of a number of breeds originally found in the German-speaking lands. Although some of these canines were bred for companionship and companionship, the vast majority were originally multi-purpose farm dogs. Their primary work included the destruction of "robbers", driving cattle, warning the owner about the arrival of strangers in the house, as well as protecting the owner's personal property.
Along with the Austrian Pinscher, the breeds that are always in this group include: Affen Pinscher, Miniature Pinscher, German Pinscher, Doberman Pinscher, all three subspecies of Schnauzers, as well as a Danish-Swedish herding dog. Brussels Griffons, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Louchens and all four Swiss Mountain Shepherds are also sometimes included in this group, although their affiliation with it is much more controversial.
Together with the Spitz, the Pinscher is arguably the oldest of all German dogs. It is not entirely clear how or when these breeds were first bred. But, they, apparently, were originally found in the territories of the German-speaking lands. This is evidenced by more accurate written records and works of art dating back to the 13th and 15th centuries.
It is widely believed that such dogs are much older and probably accompanied the Germanic tribes when they first invaded the Roman Empire in the 5th century BC. Since these canines are so ancient, almost nothing can be said with certainty about their origin. But, there is an assumption that they descended from Scandinavian dogs, similar to the Danish-Swedish herding dogs.
The ancestors of the Austrian Pinscher and the appearance of the name
The origin of the name "pinscher" is also not entirely unclear. Although almost all experts agree that the name of these dogs is based on their style of attack, when the dog repeatedly bites and shakes its prey. Many sources claim that the word "pinscher" comes from the English word for pinch, while others believe that it originates from the archaic German word for bite or grip.
However, whenever the Pinschers were hatched, they spread throughout the German-speaking lands of the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire was a massive political conglomerate of thousands of independent states that varied enormously in size, population, economy, language, and government. For centuries, the largest and most powerful political body in the Holy Roman Empire was Austria, primarily a German-speaking country located in the far southeastern part of the empire (Osterreich, the German name for Austria, literally translates to Eastern Empire).
As with most German-speaking territories, Austria has had a significant number of pinschers since time immemorial, and these dogs were extremely common on Austrian farms. However, it is not clear why the Austrian Pinscher evolved into a unique breed of the species found elsewhere in Germany. It is possible that Austrian breeders, in the development of dogs suitable for local conditions, over the centuries, have created a species with somewhat uniform type and function.
It is also possible that the Austrian Pinscher was heavily influenced by other breeds from neighboring countries such as Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and the Czech Republic (now known as the Czech Republic). From the 1500s of the last century, Austria began a continuous expansion that would eventually lead to the creation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which in its heyday stretched from the Swiss Alps to the Russian expanses. As a result, the Austrian people with their pets, the Austrian Pinschers, moved to neighboring regions, and these dogs quickly spread to new territories.
Application of the ancestors of the Austrian pinscher
Austrian farmers bred their dogs almost exclusively for their ability to work. People did not care about the pedigrees and kept the lines clean as long as the dog was able to perform the necessary tasks. During the breeding process, the data of the animal were taken into account only in the most marginal way, although the temperament was very important, since it influenced the working ability. Austrian farmers deliberately selected pets with the strongest protective instincts, as well as those that were caring and gentle with their offspring.
Until the end of the last few centuries, hunting was exclusively the province of the Austrian nobility, and heavy punishments were imposed on poachers or all commoners who owned hunting dogs. In addition, Austrian farmers did not want their canines to be aggressive towards their livestock. As a result, the breed's hunting instincts and aggression towards large animals were significantly reduced, although the dog was still extremely aggressive towards small species such as rats and mice.
Because appearance did not matter to Austrian Pinscher breeders, these dogs were significantly more variable in appearance than most modern breeds. Although breeding, which pursued specific goals and meant that these dogs were, in general, a bit alike. The breed displayed a wide range of body shapes, ears, tails, muzzles, coat colors and patterns. Dogs from the same region usually looked more like dogs from different regions, and it is possible that several different species of the Austrian Pinscher emerged at some point.
During the 1800s, large numbers of canines from other countries were imported to Austria, especially from Germany. These imports have peaked as a result of Germany's standardization efforts to create the ultimate dog. It is unclear if Austria had other distinctive dog breeds other than the four main breeds and the Austrian Pinscher. But if this were so, then the infused blood of foreign breeds or their addition to the gene pool would lead to the loss of the uniqueness of this species.
Reconstruction and recognition of the Austrian Pinscher breed
The Austrian Pinscher was not replaced, most likely because it was extremely capable of performing its assigned tasks. The breed also undoubtedly benefited from the fact that the poor farmers who owned it could not afford the expensive foreign dog. The First World War was devastating for Austria, which was defeated and lost almost all of its territory. Accordingly, the population of the Austrian Pinscher declined sharply, although the variety was able to overcome such a difficult period in much better shape than many other breeds. Quite possibly because these canines were quite common and mostly concentrated in rural areas.
After World War I, the Austrian Earl Hawke became interested in an ancient dog breed known from historical records and archaeological excavations as the Marsh Dog or Canis Palustris, which was identified in 1843 by H. von Mayer. Hauck's conviction was based on the fact that Canis Palustris belonged to the native dogs of the German people, and he strove to recreate this breed. Hauck found evidence that the Austrian Pinscher, which was not considered a unique breed at the time, was the closest surviving dog to Canis Palustris.
In 1921, he began to acquire those specimens that, in his opinion, met the most necessary parameters, similar to Canis Palustris, and organized a breeding program. Hauck quickly discovered that there were many other hobbyists interested in developing a new pure pedigree line of dogs - the traditional farming pinscher of Austria. He attracted many breeders who began to help with this work. In 1928, both the Austrian Kennel Club and the FCI recognized the Austrian Pinscher as a unique breed.
The original English name "Osterreichischer Kurzhaarpinscher" (meaning Austrian Shorthaired Pinscher) was chosen to distinguish the breed from the Schnauzer, which was not completely separated from the German Pinscher at the time. Prior to this time period, the only formally recognized Austrian dog breeds were four different types of cops bred for hunting. Until now, the Austrian Pinscher remains the only officially recognized Austrian breed not bred for its original hunting functions.
Although the Austrian Pinscher was standardized and developed into a purebred dog, farmers throughout Austria and neighboring countries continued to breed their own working dogs. These dogs were never recorded in the books of pedigree kennels, but remained purebred. Meanwhile, the number of purebred Austrian Pinschers continued to grow throughout the 1920s.
Reducing the number of Austrian Pinscher
During the 1930s, there were major economic difficulties in Austria, which greatly impeded normal breeding work. In 1938, the Austrian Nazi Party took control of the government and the entire country was officially annexed to Germany by Adolf Hitler, a native of Austria. Austria was badly hit by the Second World War and breeding of purebred Austrian Pinschers became very difficult. The breed continued to survive in agricultural regions, but not entirely in a pure state. Although the nation of Austria will eventually recover in the post-war years, the breeding of the Austrian Pinscher will not start at the required level.
By the 1970s, the situation with the purebred Austrian Pinscher was dire. There was only one fertile registered dog left, a bitch named "Diocles" from the commune of Angerna. Due to lack of interest in the breed, there was insufficient awareness of its condition. Many Austrians did not even know that this species existed, and even less were interested in having such pets. Several dedicated breeders began to collect working lines of pinschers without pedigrees on farms throughout Austria, with particular attention to those individuals that most closely matched the breed's standards.
Then, these dogs mated between themselves and the bitch "Diocles" from Angern. Unfortunately, Austrian pinscher lovers could not find sufficient quality dogs, and the main gene pool remained scarce. The Austrian public was also unaware of the breed, and many dog owners who were asked to add their animal to breeding were unaware of the Pinscher blood flowing in their mixed breed dog. Hobbyists found that traditional Austrian pinschers were able to survive in neighboring countries. In recent years, these dogs have had a great impact on breed recovery, even more so than those found in Austria itself. In this area, traditional Austrian pinschers are known as Landpinschern or Land Pinschers.
Name change and current state of the Austrian Pinscher
In 2000, the FCI officially changed the breed's name to Osterreichischer Pinscher or Austrian Pinscher. In 2002, a group of Austrian pinscher lovers decided to form the Klub fur Osterreichishe Pinscher (KOP). The main goal of the club was to protect and promote the breed, as well as to find as many new individuals as possible to enter the studbook and to breed. KOB is dedicated to keeping the Austrian Pinscher as healthy as possible given the limited gene pool of dogs. The club is trying to breed as many dogs as possible, and also try to avoid closely related breeding between these animals. KOB continues to work in Austria and the surrounding countries to find suitable dogs to add to the club's registration books and is working to attract more and more breeders.
Despite the best efforts of KOB and other hobbyists throughout the 20th century, the Austrian Pinscher remains a very rare breed. In recent years, several new fans of the species have been found in other countries, but the vast majority of Austrian Pinschers are in their home country. Even in their homeland, the Austrian Pinscher is a rather rare species that remains on the verge of extinction. In Austria, there are about 200 breed members with 20 to 40 additional registrations each year. Roughly the same number of members of the breed are found outside Austria in at least 8 different countries.
It is unclear if the Austrian Pinschers made it to America, but the breed is currently recognized in the United States by the United Kennel Club (UKC), the American Rare Breed Association (ARBA) and several other rare species clubs. Registered Austrian Pinschers are now mostly kept as companion pets, companions and protective dogs. However, a few of the individuals on the register were farm dogs or were recently descended from working farm dogs.
As a result, the breed has probably not yet lost a significant number of working functions. If the number of Austrian Pinschers can be increased enough to preserve the variety, it is likely that in the future the breed will be mainly used as a companion dog, and possibly a personal protective animal, although it is believed that dogs can be talented competitors in agility, obedience competitions as well as dog sled racing.
