affenpinscher
GENERAL APPEARANCE : The Affenpinscher is a small, compact, hard-haired dog with a monkey-like expression.
Personality: Alert, faithful and persistent.
Energy Level : Very Active. This dog is active and energetic, and needs daily exercise.
Good with children: Yes.
Good with other dogs: With supervision.
Grooming: Seasonal.
Life Expectancy : 12-15 years old.
Bark level: Moderate.
HISTORICAL SUMMARY
Originally used as a companion dog in the southern region of Germany. Their ancestors were described by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) in his woodcuts (wood engravings). The first appearance of an Affenpinscher in an exhibition was in the year 1879. These toy dogs were very popular in this century. They are descendants of the German Hardhair Pinscher. The collar of coarse fur around the head emphasizes the monkey expression. Colors range from yellowish, reddish or gray to dark gray, gray black and pure black.
Country of Origin: Germany.
BEHAVIOR AND TEMPERAMENT: Fearless, alert, persistent and faithful, sometimes “impatient”. He is a delightful family dog in every way.
HEAD:
CRANIAL REGION
Skull: Rounder than elongated, on the whole not too heavy; vaulted in height, with a pronounced forehead.
Stop: Clearly defined.
FACIAL REGION
Nose: Round, full and black. Nostrils wide open.
Muzzle: Short and straight; not curved up. Straight nose bridge.
Lips: Well adherent to the jaws and black.
Jaws and Teeth: Complete set of teeth (42 teeth) of pure white teeth. The mandible extends beyond the upper jaw and is slightly curved upwards. In a healthy mouth, the incisors are inserted as evenly as possible in a slightly rounded row. The canines and incisors should not be visible when the mouth is closed, nor should you, in this situation, show your tongue. Missing two PM1, PM2 or PM3 or a combination of two of these teeth is tolerated.
Eyes: Dark, more round and full. Pigmented black, tight-fitting lids, framed by a circle of coarse hair.
Ears: Set high, carried flat, facing forward in a “V” shape; the inner edges fall close to the head. Erect ears should be small, equally erect and carried as vertically as possible.
NECK: Straight, strong, rather short and set on strongly. Throat skin should be tight and wrinkle-free.
BODY: Strong, square and compact.
Topline: Slightly sloping in an almost straight line from the withers to the rear.
Withers: Forming the highest point of the topline.
Back: Short, strong and firm.
Loin: Short and strong. The distance from the last rib to the croup is short to make the dog look compact.
Croup: Short, slightly rounded, imperceptibly merging at the tail set.
Chest: Slightly flattened.
MEMBERS
FOREQUARTERS: Strong front legs, straight, parallel and not close together.
Shoulders: Well muscled. The scapula is long, angled (at an angle of approximately 45°) and flat.
Arms: Close to the torso, strong and muscular.
Elbows: Correctly adjusted, turning neither out nor in.4
Forearms: Strongly developed. Straight when viewed from any side.
Carpal joint: Firm and strong.
Pasterns: Vertical, seen from the front; slightly inclined towards the ground when viewed in profile. Strongly developed and muscular.
Feet: Short and round. Compact, arched toes (cat feet), sturdy pads; short, strong and black nails.
HINDQUARTERS: Seen in profile, placed obliquely with moderate angulations. Viewed from behind, parallel.
Thigh: Strongly muscled and broad.
Knees: Turning neither in nor out.
Legs: Long and strong. Hocks: Moderately bent.
Metatarsals: Vertical to the ground.
Legs: A little longer than the forelegs. Compact and arched fingers. Short, black nails.
GAIT/MOVEMENT: Relaxed, fluent, affected with moderate drive from the hindquarters. Viewed from the front or rear, the hindquarters are straight and parallel.
SKIN: Well adherent over the whole body.
COAT
Coat: The coat over the body should be rough and dense. The head is typically adorned with bushy, bristly eyebrows and crown-shaped hair around the eyes; for an expressive beard, for the forelock and for the hair on the cheeks. The coat on the head should be as stiff, spread out and as straight as possible. This essentially contributes to the monkey expression.
COLOR: Pure black with black undercoat.
SIZE: Height at the withers: Males and Females: 25 to 30 cm.
WEIGHT: Males and Females: approximately 4 to 6 kg.
FAULTS
Any deviation from this standard should be considered a fault and penalized in exact proportion to its severity and its effects on the health and well-being of the dog.
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS
• Aggressiveness or excessive shyness.
• Any dog that shows any sign of physical or behavioral anomaly must be disqualified.
• Atypical dogs.