Mr. McNamara used to pay the kids a dollar a dog to take his extra dogs in the ring. My daughter, Angela, was so thrilledwhen she became one of them. At one of her first shows as a “handler” for Mr. McNamara, she came out of the ring with a reserve ribbon—so proud of her accomplishment! She actually got the dog to stand still. However, when I casually mentioned that she got the Reserve because there were only two in the ring (of course, the one Mr. McNamara took in got WD) her reply was, “The judge didn’t have to give it to me.” Nothing was going to disturb her happiness with that Reserve and, of course, her dol- lar. Back in the early ‘70s, you could actually purchase something with a dollar. She was correct, the judge did not have to give her the Reserve. Since that time, I have bred some championMiniature Pinschers. How- ever, most of my accomplishments with them came as a handler. I fin- ishedmany andwon someGroups. My grandson, Seth, traveledwithme quite a bit. When he was about 8 or 9 years old, we were showing a Min Pin bitch that did not take to strangers too eas- ily. I was awarded WB with her. I had a special, however, so I made a snap decision to let my grandson take her back in for Breed. Even though he was not an experienced handler, the bitch knew and loved him. So, I thought she would look better for him than with a stranger. I was right. He won Best of Breed! One of the things to realize when judging this breed is that they are totally devoted to their people. They are great show dogs whenever they are comfortable with the person on the other end of their leash. Many years ago, we were training sev- eral puppy Min Pins for a client and decided to take them to a fun match. I got a youngster to practice with them and take them in the ring. They, of course, walked quite nicely outside the ring, but in the ring… walk a step, spin, walk another step, spin twice, walk another step, jump, another
step, jump twice. Get the picture? The judge said, “Why don’t you train your dogs?” My little handler’s response was, “They are Min Pins.” That ex- plains it! So, in judging them, there are times when you will need patience and the ability to look beyond the spinning and jumping. They can be walking along perfectly and, quick as a blink, they can do a total spin around and then walk perfectly again. When examining the breed on the table, just walk right up to them. You can have the handler show the bite or you can gently do it yourself. As a judge, I do prefer to do it myself be- cause, sometimes, the handlers are inexperienced and they let go of the dog to show the bite. This causes the dog to move, and time is lost waiting for the handler to get the dog back under control so that you can finish the examination. It is more benefi- cial to use the time watching the dog move than waiting for the handler to restack it. Min Pins should be shown on a loose lead. They should not be stacked on the ground, but should stand and ei- ther focus on something off in the dis- tance (only they knowwhat fascinates them so much), be baited, or they can stand and look at each other. They can flit from one position to another from one second to the next. Please don’t penalize this type of behavior, for to do so would be overlooking the very essence of this breed. The trick is to catch them being still enough to look at them. Of course, I understand you can’t put up a dog that doesn’t stand still long enough for you to see it, but don’t expect them to be still the entire time they are in the ring. As an interesting aside, since I have lived with many Min Pins, they are great pets. My first went to dog shows withme all her life, and she lived to the wonderful old age of 17-1/2. Min Pins love their owners and friends. The flighty attitude that you see at the dog shows is not there at home. They are totally devoted and focused on you at
home, but at the shows they see imagi- nary objects that demand their atten- tion, causing themtoflit fromone posi- tion to the other rather quickly. One of the most important attributes to look for in judging the Min Pin is its hackney-like action. Without its hackney-like gait, it isNOTaMinPin. From the standard: “The hackney-like action is a high-stepping, reaching, free and easy gait in which the front leg moves straight forward and in front of the body and the foot bends at the wrist.” This gait, combined with “correct temperament of fearless ani- mation, complete self-possession and spirited presence,” is very important. These characteristics set this breed apart from all others. I would like to go a bit further to ex- plain that the true hackney-like ac- tion is one of reach and break. This is very hard to get, but should definitely be rewarded when found. Many will break in front of their nose, but will not reach out at all. And then you have those with plenty of reach, but abso- lutely no break whatsoever. If faced with two exhibits that are equal in all other aspects, I would choose the one that does have break, thus making it a Min Pin. No hackney? It’s not a Min Pin!! Simple as that. Also, this is a powerful, confident breed that struts its stuff—the tail should be up. After examination and after your ex- hibits have been moved, you may have a few dogs that, in your opinion, look equal. Move these around the ring (not down and back) and look for the true hackney as a decision maker. Re- member, head and tail carried high, high-stepping, reaching, free and easy, with a bend at the wrist. The Miniature Pinscher is a compact dog with a level or slightly sloping topline, and a tail set high and held erect. The whole package is one of confidence, authority, and presence. The breed has an unmistakable, take- charge attitude. He’s a remarkable little guy, full of energy and drive. This breed is the “King of Toys.”
52 • T op N otch T oys , J anuary 2022
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