The MPCA Judges' Education Committee recently reformated and updated the illustrated breed standard in an effort to improve the MPCA's judges' education material. The MPCA is dedicated to educating both judges and breeders alike.

The illustrated standard is divided into sections with a link to each section on the navigation bar on the left.

Head

AKC STANDARD: Head - in correct proportion to the body. Tapering narrow with well fitted but not too prominent foreface which balances with the skull. No indication of coarseness. EYES full, slightly oval, clear, bright and dark even to a true black, including eye rims, with the exception of chocolate; whose eye rims should be self-colored. EARS set high, standing erect from base to tip. May be cropped or uncropped. SKULL appears flat, tapering forward toward the muzzle. MUZZLE strong rather than fine and delicate, and in proportion to the head as a whole. Head well balanced with only a slight drop to the muzzle, which is parallel to the top of the skull. NOSE black only, with the exception of chocolates which should have a self-colored nose. LIPS and CHEEKS small, taut and closely adherent to each other. TEETH meet in a scissors bite.

DISCUSSION: A Min Pin's head should not appear too large or too small for his body. From the front, the head appears narrow rather than broad and tapers slightly to the muzzle. Viewed from the side, the skull appears flat, not rounded or domed. The foreface should be strong, showing definite underjaw, have a slight but definite stop and be parallel to the top of the skull.

A black nose is required in all colors except chocolates, where the nose is self-colored. Lack of under-jaw (snipey muzzle), "cheekiness", short muzzles and broad or round skulls are undesirable.

Teeth should meet in a scissors bite. Occasionally a judge sees crowded incisors in the bottom jaw giving the impression of a faulty bite. One or two teeth slightly out of line should not be penalized if the bite is otherwise correct. Even bites are a common deviation. Missing teeth should not be penalized as long as the bite is correct, and the jaws line up properly. Undershot or overshot bites are undesirable.

The eyes should be full and oval shaped, not round or bulging. Eye color is as dark as possible in red and black & rust-red Min Pins, even to a true black. This includes the pigmentation around the eye. Chocolate Min Pins however, have self-colored eyes and eye rims. Common deviations include eyes that are too round. Too light eyes and yellow eyes are not desirable. Some chiseling under the eyes is desirable. The Min Pin should have a keen and alert expression.

The ears are set high and may be cropped or uncropped, but must stand erect in either instance. Since ear cropping is man-made, an otherwise excellent specimen should not be penalized for a poor ear trim.

Ears that are cropped to long, may "wing out" slightly; again this should not be penalized. Lips and cheeks should be tight; loose flews and drooping lips spoil the clean outline of the head.

A good ear crop can compliment the appearance of the head.A poor ear crop may detract from the appearance of the same head, but the dog should NOT be penalized.