Miniature Pinscher Dog Breed - Facts and Information

APPEARANCE
This is a small, well balanced, compact and sturdy dog breed with average height between 25-32 cm which is 10-12 inches and weight is typically between 3-5 kgs, which is 7-11 pounds.

The ears are erect and set high, they have alert expression in their oval shaped dark eyes, strong muzzle and tight lips. Very often the ears are cropped and tail docked, but it is not necessary. The Min Pin is known for its high stepping gait.

The coat is short and smooth and the dog comes in three color variatons. The most famous is the black and tan, but you can find them in clear red and black tipped red as well.


TEMPERAMENT
The Miniature Pinscher is known as the King of Toys. So as you can probably imagine it is a very playful breed. And believe me, they can play for all day long, this is a highly active dog which is forever on move and needs a good exercise every day. Thanks to their small size they can burn off the energy inside by vigorous playtime, but they will always love to go outside for any kind of an adventure.

If you are an active person and family, than this might be an amazing companion for you, because the Miniature Pinscher can be characterized as spirited, lively, self assured, intelligent and affectionate dog.

They are also pretty independent and you should never forget about their vermin hunting heritage. Their prey drive is not extremely strong, but they still might have tendencies to follow smaller animals, so it is recommended to keep them on leash in unknown or unfenced areas if you are unsure about their recall ability.

I would not recommend the Miniature Pinscher to a total novice and unexperienced owner, because even though they are easily portable and managable thanks to their small size, they have, lets say, strong pack leader mentality. They just love to be the boss, which is a reason why they need firm and patient trainer. They can also be scrappy with other dogs and they might not enjoy company of other animals, especially, if they are not raised together from the puppyhood.


INTERESTING FACT
The Miniature Pinscher is very similar to some other breeds, especially to Doberman Pinscher and German Pinscher. But those are not varieties of the same breed. All three are completely separate breeds. If you are interested what are the main differences between them, i am giving you link in description to another Rocadog video about this topic.


HISTORY
It is believed that the first Miniature Pinscher ancestors are Italian Greyhounds, Dachshunds and German Pinschers. We are not sure when they were first bred, it is believed that this is fairly old dog breed, but factual documentation begins less than 200 years ago. The Miniature Pinscher comes from Germany.

Miniature Pinschers were first shown at the Stuttgart Dog Show in Germany in 1900 and since this time, their popularity rapidly grew in Germany. After the First World War they were imported in other European Countries and the USA as well and in the 1929, they were finally recognized by the AKC.


HEALTH AND GROOMING
As i already mentioned in the video this is a highly active breed and if you want to have a healthy and happy Min Pin in your home, regular daily exercise is a must. Other than that, the maintenance is not extremely hard, the coat is short and smooth and requieres only light brushing once a week. Other than that you should regularly check their eyes, ears and nails and clip them or clean them if needed.

Even though, they are acting like big dogs, you should never forget how fragile they are. They can get easily injured, for example by rough handling from small children who do not know yet how to act with dogs with respect.

Normally, this is a healthy dog breed with average lifespan around 15 years. Of course, just like all dogs they can suffer from some health issues, for example patellar luxation, Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease, cataracts, corneal dystrophy or skeletal deformities.