When you think of a miniature dog, you envision those cute, tiny, fragile, little dogs that do not do much except lay around on your lap, well, if this is what you imagine with a Miniature Pinscher you will surely be amazed.
The Miniature Pinscher often nicknamed Min Pin by those that love the breed is a toy breed. To understand the Miniature Pinscher you must first know that they were orginally bred to hunt vermin. The breed is a native to Germany where the dog is known as Zwergpinshcer. Pinshcer is the classification of any dog breed that were used as guardians or for hunting vermin such as rats. Zwer translates to mean dwarf or midget. Other commonly refer to the Miniature Pinshcer as the King of Toy Dogs.
Just because the Miniature Pinshcer is a toy breed does not mean he cannot jump off the sofa, jump out of a pen, or romp and play similar to larger dogs. However, because of his attitude many believe he can rough house with the kids. This is not true, he can be injuried is playing too rough. He does have a mind of his own and is quite a bit high-spirited, so he must be watched while outside or he will be gone in a flash.
He will need to be treated such as a toddler. He should have his own room in which to play when no one is around to keep an eye on him. He has characteristics of a young child such as climbing on anything he can such as cabinets and tables. He will grab small items to chew on like lip balm, pencils, potporri, coins, anything he can get ahold of, which he can become choked on, so it would be best to puppy proof your home for his entire life.
Appearance
The male Miniature Pinscher stands at a height of 10 inches to 12 and weighs between 8 to 10 pounds with females height being 10 to 11 inches and weighing 8 to 9 pounds.
Both male and female have small, compact bodies that are muscular, with square proportioned. The topline is normally level or with a tad slope toward the tail. The head is flat with a tapering to the muzzle. The muzzle is strong, lips are small, and teeth meet in a scissor bite. The Miniature Pinscher ears are set high and stand erect. Some owners do have the ears cropped. They have dark oval eyes with dark rims. The nose is normally black except with chocolate coats, which should have a self-colored nose.
The coat of the Miniature Pinscher is red with defined rust red (tan) markings on their cheeks, lips, throat, lips, lower jaw, and twin spots above the eyes and on the chest, lower area of the forelegs, inside the hind legs, and the lower areas of the hocks and feet. Other acceptable colors are stag-red, fawn, and black or chocolate with tan markings. A few Miniature Pinshcers have been known to have a silvery black coat which is commonly referred to as blue coat. The tail is set high and held erect at all times. In most cases, the tail is docked in proportion to the size of the dog.
Dewclaws should be removed. The feet of the Miniature Pinscher are small and catlike, toes are strong, arched, and closely knit with deep pads. The toenails are thick and dull.
Personality
When it comes to temperament, the Miniature Pinscher has one larger than his size. He is quite headstrong and demanding. He is a very proud dog that makes his presence known by barking.
The Miniature Pinscher is an active dog, loyal, brave, lively, intelligent, and high spirited, and has the energy to match. He can be aggressive with other dogs, but does get along well with other pets and children. They may be a bit leery of strangers according to how they are raised from puppyhood.
This is one breed you should not spoil, this means trouble. He will demand more and more, once you begin spoiling him. He does understand very well and will obey, however, you need to have him around other dogs and people so he will learn the proper way to behave.
Care
The Miniature Pinscher does very well living in an apartment and does not really even need a yard. He should not be left out in cold weather as his coat does not protect him and keep him warm.
This breed does not need very much exercise, but should receive time to run and play. Remember, he can jump very high and if left in the back yard alone, he will try to jump the fence.
Grooming a Miniature Pinscher is very easy since they have short hair. He will only need to be brushed with firm bristle brush and shampooed as needed. They only shed average and the loose hair can be removed with just a damp cloth rubbed over the coat.
They do very well with children, however, children need to be supervised so they do rough house with them. They can be injured even though they are sturdy.
You should puppy proof your home as the Miniature Pinscher will attack and play with just about anything. The problem is some of these small items are a choking hazard.
You will also have to watch their diet as they will overeat and become obese.
History
Unlike popular belief, the Miniature Pinscher is not related to the Doberman Pinscher. The Miniature Pinscher was developed in Germany from various terrier breeds such as the German pinscher and the Italian greyhound. In fact, the Miniature Pinscher is an older breed than the Doberman. The Miniature Pinscher was developed for hunting and killing vermin that plagued the stables throughout Germany.
If you glance through paintings and sculptures many centuries ago, you will recognize the Miniature Pinscher depicted these adorable dogs. However, many people disagree with this belief and believe the Miniature Pinscher can only be proven to exist from around 200 years ago.
It is believed that years after the development of the Doberman Pinscher by Louis Dobermann in 1890 and in 1895 when the Doberman Pinscher Klub was established that the standard was created. It is said that both Dobermans and the Miniature Pinscher do share some of the same ancestors such as the German Pinscher, Italian Greyhound, and the Dachshund. However, just because these two dogs do have some of the same bloodlines does not mean the Miniature Pinscher is in fact a miniature of the Doberman. Nowhere is the correlation made that the Doberman was crossbred to develop the Miniature Pinscher.
The Miniature Pinscher breed standard was created in 1929 and during this initial standard and description was stated they Miniature Pinscher should look like a Doberman pinscher only in miniature size, thus the confusion.
The Miniature Pinscher arrived in the United States in 1919 and was registered with the American Kennel Club in 1929.