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Dogs 101 MINIATURE PINSCHER Top Dog Facts About the MINIATURE PINSCHER

The Miniature Pinscher, often just called the Min Pin, is a breed of small dogs originally from Germany. Unlike some other ‘miniature’ breeds, the Min Pin is not the miniaturized version of another breed, in this case the Doberman Pinscher, and is in fact an older breed. While it could be a breed even older, a catlike redcolored dog resembling the modern Min Pin is clearly depicted in a painting from the 17th century. It is widely accepted that the breed came about by crossing the shorthaired German Pinscher with Italian Greyhounds and Dachshunds, and was used as an efficient barnyard ratter. In the 1800s, the emphasis was also to obtain the smallest dogs possible, resulting in small ugly Pinschers. The trend was reversed in the 1900s, and elegance and soundness became the prime breeding requirements, making it a very popular show dog in preWorld War I Germany, and even in Scandinavia. Its numbers declined after the war in its native land, but thankfully enough specimens had been exported to the US by then that the breed continued to enjoy reasonably high popularity.

Time for some Ruff Trivia:
The Miniature Pinscher is known as Zwergpinscher in German. What does ‘Zwerg’ mean?
o A: Toy
o B: Dwarf
o C: Red
What do you think, give it your best guess in the comments below before we get to the answer! Hang on tight and we’ll get back to this Ruff Trivia Question toward the end of the video.

The height of the adult Miniature Pinscher is typically between 10 and 12.5 inches, and weight between 8 and 10 pounds. This is a wellbalanced, sturdy and compact dog. The head is tapering and narrow, with a slightly prominent foreface, slightly oval eyes and ears that are set high. Ears stand erect if cropped or are bent forward if not cropped. The tail is also often docked. The coat is smooth, short, straight and lustrous, covering the body uniformly.Available colors include solid red, stag red, blue stag red, chocolate stag red, fawn stag red, as well as black, chocolate, blue, and fawn with tan points or rust points. Only some of these colors are permitted in the show variety.

Grooming:The coat requires minimal care, with a weekly brush and an occasional bath sufficient to keep the dog clean. Cleaning of ears, trimming of nails and brushing of teeth has to be regular.

Temperament:The Min Pin is said to combine the feistiness of the German Pinscher, the playfulness of the Italian Greyhound and the fearlessness of the Dachshund. The most energetic of toy dogs, it is curious, always active and loves to goof around with its family. It prefers being treated like a standardsized dog, and boldly faces intruders with its insistent bark. It can get aggressive with other dogs and smaller pets. It is very friendly with people familiar to it, but because of its small size, its interactions with boisterous young children should be supervised.

Training:The breed’s high energy makes it excellent for agility trials. It also enjoys learning tricks, but requires a patient and firm hand because of its independent and stubborn nature. Its small size makes it great even for apartments. It needs a lot of activity to use up all of its energy, which includes multiple play sessions and at least one good walk.

Health:The life expectancy for the Miniature Pinscher is 12 to 14 years. It is a fairly healthy breed, but some concerns that are reported are patellar luxation, LeggCalveParthes and mange. Genetic testing can help control even these issues.

Bringing together the best of many breeds, the Miniature Pinscher is a bold, active and funloving dog. Healthy, easy to care for and adaptable to most living quarters, it asks for an owner who can be patient with this perpetual motion machine.

Find out if the Miniature Pinscher would be a good addition to your home. Now you can visit Brooklyn’s Corner.com to take our quiz and find out which dog would be the best match for you.


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