I am going to start here. We are the
keepers of our Breeds standards. Our forefathers (and mothers<g>) had
their reasons for putting disqualifications into the standards when they
were originally made and through revisions. Min Pins are a toy breed. Any
Min Pin under 10" or over 12 1/2" MUST be disqualified. You must measure
if there is any doubt. To look like a toy they must be within that range.
Any dog having a thumb mark MUST be disqualified. A thumb mark looks
like it sounds. It is a group of black (or chocolate in Chocolate/Rust
dogs) hairs completely surrounded by the rust markings on the foreleg between
the foot and the wrist. This can sometimes look like a smudged or smeared
thumbprint but a rose is a rose is a rose. Sometimes you will have extended
black markings running into the rust, which are a fault but not a disqualification.
My feelings are that the early breeders wanted to make sure the breedings
were pure and that there were no signs of the Manchester Terrier in this
breed and no mistaking one for the other. Any white on any part of the
dog which exceeds 1/2" is to be disqualified. The white that I see
the most now is between the front legs, deep on the chest. It is a disqualification.
Look for it. Carry something on you that measures 1/2" so you don’t make
a mistake. So now that we have taken care of the disqualifications, we
can judge the dog.