Harlequin Pinscher - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin
The Harlequin Pinscher is the merle, piebald or brindle variety of the classic Miniature Pinscher and it is not a new variety. Actually, the first mentions about Harlequin Pinschers are from 1800s. We do not know how this coloration was achieved, but it was most likely achieved by crossing Miniature Pinschers with some kind of merle hound or merle herding dog. But we will never know this for sure, because the original strain of Harlequin Pinscher is already extinct.
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2) Breeding
One of the reasons, why the original strain of Harlequin Pinscher is non existing today is merle to merle breeding. When you breed two merle dogs of any breed together, they always have a higher chance to suffer from some serious health issues, mainly to blindness and deafness. And when breeders bred two merle Harlequin Pinschers together, they had much higher chance to suffer from serious and even lethal defects, which caused them to fall out of favor and dwindle away.

3) Recreation
Since the 1950s, there were no new officially registered Harlequin Pinschers. That changed at the beginning of the 21st century. Nancy Anderson wanted to re-develop the Harlequin Pinscher by crossing Min Pins with Rat Terriers. And she succeded in 2006 when her first Harlequin Pinscher was born. The merle to merle breeding is out of the table today in order to remain the Harlequin Pinscher healthy and they must only be bred back to classic Miniature Pinschers or to non-merle Harlequin Pinschers.

4) Color and patterns
The Harlequin Pinschers come in variety of colors and patterns. Officially there are seven color combinations and you can see all of them on the screen right now. There are also several patterns, namely there is the merle, brindle and piebald pattern and combinations of those. There are also other forms of those colorations, such as tricolor, tweed or tuxedo.

5) Companions
The temperament and personality of Harlequin Pinscher is pretty much the same as the temperament of Miniature Pinscher. The Min Pin is sometimes nicknamed as the King of Toys and indeed, even the Harlequin Pinscher is very lively, active and playful dog. This is also very alert dog with great loyalty towards its own people. They can make great playful partners for kids, but of course, you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised. Overall, the Harlequin Pinscher makes amazing companion pet that will be always ready for any playtime or outdoor adventure.

6) Exercise
But even though the Harlequin Pinscher will definitely love daily walks, jogs, hikes, playtime and fun training sessions, it is not extremely hard to deal with their energy. It is true that you must exercise these dogs daily, so they stay healthy and happy, but few daily walks accompanied with some playtime is normally enough. When their exercise needs are met, they are typically pretty calm indoors.

7) Recognition
Today, the Harlequin Pinscher is not recognized by any major kennel club and the color is not accepted as official color of Miniature Pinscher. But, you can still register this breed in several organizations, such as Dog Registry of America or American Canine Association. There are also some Harlequin Pinscher clubs and associations, such as American Harlequin Pinscher Club or Harlequin Pinscher Association.

8) Coat
You already know what the pattern and color of Harlequin Pinscher is. Now lets talk about the structure of the coat. The coat is pretty short, lying close to the body and it is very smooth and the coat structure is the same as the coat structure of Miniature Pinscher.

9) Maintenance
Speaking of the coat it is important to mention the maintenance and grooming as well and luckily it is very easy with this dog. They do shed some deal of fur, which is why regular brushing is beneficial to remove any dirt and loose hair from the coat. But no other grooming is required, that is all you need to do with the coat. Just like with any other dog breed, you should also regularly check their eyes, ears, nails and teeth and clip them or clean them if needed.

10) Health
The Harlequin Pinscher is relatively healthy dog breed with average lifespan of 15 years. Of course, just like any other breed in the world, even the Harlequin Pinscher can suffer from some health issues, which includes patellar luxation, hypoglycemia, degenerative myelopathy or some allergies and infections.