Pinscher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Pinscher is a group of German dog breeds, developed originally as ratters on farms or as guard dogs. In the twenty-first century they are commonly kept as companion animals.
It is considered that the German Pinscher is a prototypical Pinscher and one of the oldest German breeds, more closely related to the Standard Schnauzer (once known as the Wire-Haired Pinscher) than the Dobermann and other Pinschers.[1] Since the mid-19th century, breeders stopped crossbreeding these coat types, and with the formation of the German Pinscher-Schnauzer-Club (PSK) in 1895, advanced them to distinct breed varieties.[2]
Etymology
There are several theories on the etymology of the word Pinscher; that it derives from French "pincer", meaning "to seize" and "to nip",[1] or "to bite" and "to grip" which are possibly related to their function of catching vermin on the farm,[3] that it derives from English "pinch" referring to their clipped ears,[4] "fox terrier" type of dog (considered that it was a descriptive term meaning "settler" or "terrier" dog method of working, and not heritage[2]),[5] or biter,[citation needed] although the verb "pinch" has the same early 13th century Old North French *pinchier derivation, which itself possibly originates from Vulgar Latin.[6]
