As they are seen here, the German Pinscher (at the left and seen with uncropped ears), the red deer stag, and the Miniature Pincher have something in common.
They are all mammals, of course. Each is a stunning animal, and we daresay that given the right moment, each is probably opinionated. But just from looking at them, you’ve probably deduced that what they have in common is their color.
For obvious reasons, the color is called “red stag red,” and as of this writing, only two AKC recognized breeds mention it in their respective standards. You’re looking at them in the images here.
From the German Pinscher standard: “Color: Isabella (fawn), to red in various shades to stag red (red with intermingling of black hairs), black and blues with red/tan markings. In the reds, a rich vibrant medium to dark shade is preferred.” As an aside, of these colors, the fawn (Isabella) color is considered the least common because of the specific genetic combination required to produce it, making it less frequently seen compared to the more dominant colors like Black and Rust or Red.
From the Miniature Pinscher standard: Color: Solid clear red. Stag red (red with intermingling of black hairs). Black with sharply defined rust-red markings on cheeks, lips, lower jaw, throat, twin spots above eyes and chest, lower half of forelegs, inside of hind legs and vent region, lower portion of hocks and feet. Black pencil stripes on toes. Chocolate with rust-red markings the same as specified for blacks, except brown pencil stripes on toes. In the solid red and stag red a rich vibrant medium to dark shade is preferred. You can see the genetics of the Min Pin colors here. Like the German Pinscher, the least common acceptable color in the breed is the fawn (Isabella) and rust because again, they are recessive and less frequently seen compared to the more dominant colors.
And for those just joining us, the German Pinscher and Miniature Pinscher are two distinct breeds with separate origins, but some cynologists think both may have shared a common ancestor in the old German Pinscher. The German Pinscher Club of America states that the German Pinscher was one of the foundation breeds in the origins of the Doberman Pinscher and the Miniature Pinscher, while the AKC writes that when the German Pinscher was nearly lost after World War II, breeder, Werner Jung used oversized Miniature Pinschers along with other pinschers to help revive the German Pinscher breed in the 1950s (there were no litters registered in West Germany from 1949 to 1958).
We regard every breed as special and unique, but we especially like sharing “factoids” underscoring a breed’s singularity when only one other breed mentions the same color in its standard.