The Miniature Pinscher, also called the Reh Pinscher, the Zwergpinscher, Min Pin, and the Mini Pin, is a German breed. They belong to the toy group and it is suspected that they descended from a crossing of the German Pinscher, the Dachshund, and the Italian Greyhound, they are not actually a smaller version of the Doberman Pinscher as some people believe. This breed was developed as a ratter and as a watchdog. Today this little dog is used mostly as a family pet but still takes his job as a watchdog seriously.
The Miniature Pinscher stands between 10 and 12 inches tall and weighs between 8 and 10 pounds. Their coat is short, hard and smooth. They come in three basic coat colors, black, chocolate, and blue. This dog is best suited for families with older kids, as they don’t like to be pestered and rough housed with. They also get along well with other pets. Some of the health concerns that this breed has include eye problems and patella luxation.
This breed is prone to dominance so it is important that owners take a firm and consistent approach to training in order to avoid such problems as marking, excessive barking, and aggression.
History and Origin of the Mini Pinscher
The miniature pinscher resembles the Doberman pinscher but in fact is of quite different legacy. The Miniature Pinscher originates in Germany, and was originally bred for hunting rats and vermin, as well as keeping guard. It is believed that the Miniature Pinscher evolved from the ancient German Pinscher family of dogs, which ultimately produced a number of the breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club today.
Contrary to common beliefs, they are not bred down Doberman pinschers. In fact, the Miniature Pinscher is the older of these two breeds. “Pinscher” means “Terrier” in German. The Miniature Pinscher is reported to include the Dachshund and Italian Greyhound among its ancestors, along with the short haired German Pinscher.
Miniature Pinscher Appearance and Abilities
Known as the “King of the Toys”, the Miniature Pinscher is a tiny, compact, muscularly-built, sleek dog with square proportions and well-chiseled lines. They may be small and delicate-looking little dogs but they have constitutions of steel and a mischievous character.
They appear naturally well-groomed and self-possessed. The Miniature Pinscher is a smooth-coated dog with coat colors that include red, stag red (red with black hairs), black with rust markings, or chocolate with tan.
This perky little dog has a particularly distinctive gait, found in no other breed. It has a hackney gait like the one found in carriage horses.
Temperament and Tendencies of the Mini Pinscher
The Miniature Pinscher is an alert and fun loving dog, with courage, spirit, and enthusiasm for everything he does. Alert, spirited and fearless, they can be willful and too independent. This dog is small, but he doesn’t know it; valiantly challenging intruders with their bold, insistent bark.
You will find this breed to be fearless, animated, intensely curious and always full of vim and vigor. They are also great escape artists; mischief and fun is their specialty. They are great with children as long as they are raised around children who treat them in a gentle way and are taught responsible dog ownership
Miniature Pinscher Training and Care
It should be noted that this is not a beginner’s breed. For a small dog, it is quite a handful.
The Miniature Pinscher should be treated like a standard-sized dog and should never be pampered like a small child. With a knowledgeable and persistent training, the Miniature Pinscher can excel in obedience training.
Socialize your miniature pinscher at an early age. This dog does not do well with younger children, as it plays very rough. Children should be careful not to annoy this breed. Also, miniature pinschers can be hostile with other dogs if not socialized well.
Do not let this sweet little dog develop the Small Dog Syndrome. That is when problems start to arise. They will become demanding, headstrong and will begin to bark excessively. Do not allow them to become tyrants by showing natural authority over them. Owners should always assume pack leadership.
The Miniature Pinscher’s smooth, short-haired, rigid coat is easy to groom. You should comb, brush and shampoo only when necessary. Loose hair can be removed by wiping over with a warm, damp washcloth.
I am suppose to have min dobervan pincher mixed jack russel terrier. They born March 17th…I have two…..brown and back
We just got ours 1.5 months ago. Dalton is now 15 weeks old and what a handfull! Great little dog that does need lots of exercise and training. Plays great, although a little rough, with our 2 chi’s.
Hi,
I have a 2 month old mini pinscher. And I am just wondering why he is very silent, no barking, nothing. But he’s playful, sweet, energetic and has an overwhelming appetite. Is this normal?
thanks
A lot of young puppies are quiet. Do you want a barking, yapping dog? Most people complain about that.
I just adopted one and he’s sweet when he wants but barks a lot and is hard headed. I wish he would not bark as much but he’s workn on it. he’s very stubborn!
This doesn’t seem normal as min pins by nature are watchdogs and will bark… sometimes to excess if not trained properly. Being a min pin owner and having known many, I would say that there may be a problem if he doesn’t bark at all. Enjoy the quiet though, as they can be very loud if strangers suddenly approach. I’m just a little worried that maybe yours isn’t feeling well?
Min Pin puppies can be very quiet. Be patient, he will find his voice and you’ll hear more and more of it as he gets older.
I agree with you. Also, I’ve had lots of experience with Min-Pins, and there is always the rare one who decides to rarely or never bark. Most will bark excessively if allowed. Min-Pins have minds of their own. If you happen to get one that decides to never bark, you just have to go with the flow, providing the vet has given the dog a clean bill of health. My brother had a Min-Pin who refused to bark until my brother taught her how. When someone would come to the door, my brother would bark like a dog. In time, his Min-Pin began to join in, and eventually became a great watchdog. She only barked when someone arrived at my brother’s house. Min-Pins love to please, and are very smart.
My min pin. All he doed is poop in the house, he wont out side,I need some advice, and help
Not enough details.
Hi I have a over exited min pin that has grown to be very aggressive and racist, he is two years old now please tell me what I can do about it.
And I live in South Africa so that’s a problem, also is it fine if they are just brown and haven’t got any black
I have a dog who is half min pin and jack russel although his min pin traits are more dominant. She is 3 mons old and lives to the characteristics of her dominant breed such as being overactive, aggressive, stubborn and bold to name a few. She is undergoing basic obedient training and may probably move on to advance. With the trainer she seems to behave however once we get hold of her after, she goes back to her old antics (eg nips & barks). We are now beginning to give up on her already. Any advice on how to stop her aggression towards us? Thank you.
First off, this isn’t aggression. Aggression in a three month old dog is almost unheard of. What does the trainer do that gets results? Where are you finding difficulty in emulating the trainer?
Just got my little Guy. Whyett who is now two and his very sweet kind and loving. Bark only when. Here ppl at the door because he came from SF where his used to all the noise.his 5 pounds and needs to gain 2 to 3 pounds.he refuses to eat his wet/ dry food even when mixed together.I was told by the previous owners he eats human food wtf!? Besides that little glitch his very well behaved and can se him in my life year to come! Thanks, any tips?
We just got a min pin yesterday. He is 8 weeks old and we named him Little Willie Bud. We are in a temporary place waiting on our house to be finished to move in. We bought him wee wee pads, chew toys, small crate and other necessities. Trying to be consistent in our training him to go outside can be difficult. We take him outside he may pee immediately or want to walk us around and chew on sticks. After trying to give him much needed time to do all his business, we take him back in and put him down, he does the rest on the carpet. I pick him up to go on the wee wee pad, he moves back to carpet to do more. Not sure what more I need to do. I know much patience is needed with puppies. Just not sure why he waits to do more or finish in house. Can you give me any suggestions?
On a different aspect, he seems to be wanting to hump things. Is he not too young to do this?
I recommend to my clients to never, ever, ever, ever, never, ever use wee pads. These are an awful idea and will screw up training in nearly 100% of the cases where they are used.
For your dog there is zero difference between a wee pad and the carpet. So by you training him to pee on a pad you are essentially training him that it’s okay to go to the bathroom indoors.
I’d recommend ditching the pads right now and never going back to them again. Dogs should go to the bathroom outside and never be taught to go potty inside.
Our Dalton, now 9 months old, will not use a potty pad but rather uses the doggy door we installed. IF one is left out for the other dog, he destroys it.
The biggest issue we have with Dalton is 1) walking on a leash. He will not heel, but prefers to pull you. If scared, we will slow down. 2) he does like to play rough and we do wrestle around on the floor. If he gets too rough he will sit, if told to, and will shake hands and then sit until I say it is OK to resume playing. He will actually almost play dead when told. Still working on that one.
What advice to you have for lease training and 2, is it ok to rough house like I am? Thanks.
This is the method I use for leash walking- http://www.dogbehavioronline.com/crazy-man-method-for-leash-walking/
Oh yea, to Arod, my dog is picky too but we will not allow him people food at all. We found, for some reason, that if we sprinkle some hot water on his dry food and mix it, he eats pretty well! He now weighs in a 17 pounds! (but solid and no fat!)
I have to mini pins and they do well with small kids. They never play rough with them. They also never get rough with other dogs. I think there wonderful dogs.
I have a 9 week mini doberman pincher and he won’t stop using the restroom inside we take her out but she holds it till she’s in inside the house
Are you supervising her 100% while indoors?
Miniature Pinschers are NOT mini Dobermans! They are not even related to the Doberman Pinscher. I get mildly annoyed when people call them mini Dobermans. I think if people are going to own Miniature Pinschers, they should know what breed they are, and what they are called: MINIATURE PINSCHER !!!!
Although this article is explicitly repetitive and contains minor incorrect facts, overall it sufficiently describes the miniature pinscher. However, like any breed there are exceptions and unique instances. For the most part they are fiesty, fearless,playful, intelligent, and had strong. That being said, my min pin expresses all of the common traits, but he also displays other less typical behaviors. He has always been obsessed with food, which is what dictates the majority of his actions. In this I have found food to be a huge motivator to lead him to more desirable behavior. He is intact, but doesn’t display abnormal aggression or any sexual behaviors aside from lifting his leg. He loves most people, especially women and children. Although he seems to have preferences, and can be more or less tolerant of certain kids. He will bite if pushed past his limit, but more with adults.
His second obsession is attention.
Min pin age seven, female. Raised by sister alone in apartment. Sister moved in our house and we thought the littlle dog so cute, so small and adorable wouldn’t be an issue …Wrong! Make along story short after my research on the net. Not the dogs character or personality, thinking my sister didn’t train her dog???? It is the breed itself, not meant to be a domestic animal. They were breed for charge and kill out on farms. No wonder the dog had a problem with grand babies here on Easter Sunday. My sister owner of the dog acted like the kids were the ones that caused her min pins behavior . Really? Omg dog over human life!
What does it mean that my comment is waiting moderation?
I have a 3 year old min pin. She was so sweet when I was single and she was the only dog. I married someone with three big dogs and she can’t even go outside with them. We are having a baby in July and I don’t want to get rid of her. What can I do to help her be able to socialize with these dogs and not be hostile?
Having that many dogs requires a heavy commitment to daily training, exercise, care, etc.
Without more info it’s tough to get detailed into a solution. I would say that the most important thing, bar none, is that the relationship is clear between all dogs and you, the owners. The dogs need to understand respectful, calm leadership and from that you can see miracles.
I have a 7 month old mini pinscher. Male. Brown with tan. We have had him a week and he seems fine around our three year old son. He is really sweet to us but tends to bark a lot and agressive towards strangers out side and when I try to tell him to sit or sniff their hands he snips and barks and the hairs on his back stand up. Any advice? Also, when he has to go in his cage
He will not stop barking. Please advise. We have grown to love him already, I do not want to have to get rid of him. This is our first serious pet. We do give him a lot of attention but feel arent stroct enough with him.