Austrian Shorthaired Pinscher / Austrian Pinscher, Osterreichischer Kurzhaarpinscher, Österreichischer, Österreichischer Pinscher

Breed history:

It is a native Austrian breed. The Austrian Shorthaired Pinscher is heavier than its cousin, the German Pinscher. This traditional Austrian farmer’s dog, was raised to herd the flocks back home. Paintings from the 1700s show a dog similar to the present-day one.

Description:

It is a medium-sized dog, with a short, sturdy and brawny body. The head is conical with a short and strong muzzle. The eyes are round, big and dark. The ears are medium-sized and drooping. The neck is short and strong. The tail is relatively short and kept curved towards the back or can be docked short and kept high. The fur has short, dense hair, close to the body and can be yellow and with various shades of black or striped-brown.

Personality:

It is an intelligent, cheerful, very active and always alert dog. It is devoted and attached to the family, but reserved with and suspicious of strangers. It must be socialized from an early age in order to get along with other animals and other dogs. Sometimes it has a dominant attitude towards other dogs.

Grooming:

 This dog's coat doesn’t require much care. An occasional brushing is enough.

Living conditions:

 It is a dog resistant to weather changes, which loves outdoor life where it can move freely with an active master. Requires training and socialization.

Training:

It needs a firm, correct and consistent training, done by someone with experience, otherwise they will try to enforce their opinion by biting. They learn easily and do well in agility and even in training exercises.

Usefulness:

It was used to catch rodents, but today it is used as a watchdog for the house. It can also be used to hunt rabbits and foxes, having some terrier qualities. It is a good companion dog.