German Pinschers in Finland

The Finnish GP Club is has compiled a breeding programme for the German Pinscher for years 2007-2012. The programme covers the current status and objectives for population, health, temperament and conformation. The programme has been approved by the Finnish Kennel Club in 2006.

As a summary of the current situtation analysis, it can be said that the biggest challenge for our breed is the small population, as only around 60 puppies are born annually. The size of the population is approximately 600, of which one third is used for breeding. Most of the breeding stock are related to each other, although the inbreeding level of the population is not alarming (below 4% by five generations).

The most severe health problem is hereditary cataracta (HC), as 15% of tested dogs are affected. This means that most of the population are carriers. The Finnish GPs' bloodlines are international, so the problem is not typically a Finnish one. Breeders in most other countries do not test their material as systematically as we do in Finland. The HD situation is quite good, only 8% of tested dogs have had C and 1% D.

The Finnish German Pinscher Club has specific qualifications for breeding stock. These have been revised to correspond with the new breeding programme.

For current statistics on health, registrations, show results and breeder specific information, please refer to the Finnish Kennel Club's breeding database. Most of the information is available in English.