Miniature Pinscher puppies

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Miniature Pinscher puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A toy breed puppy at eight weeks is small enough to be genuinely fragile. It can be hurt by a jump off a sofa and by being stepped on, and toy breeds are prone to low blood sugar, so it needs frequent small meals rather than two big ones. This is a very high energy breed. The mistake owners make is trying to tire it out physically. Training, scentwork and puzzles will do more than distance ever will. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Patellar luxation, graded by a veterinary orthopaedic exam
• Legg Calve Perthes disease, a malformation of the hip joint seen in young dogs
• Cervical dry disc disease affecting the neck
• Thyroid disease and heart defects, found on veterinary examination
• Inherited eye disease, screened by an ophthalmologist evaluation

From Miniature Pinscher breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/miniature-pinscher/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Your Miniature Pinscher puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Toy for a Miniature Pinscher.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 3.6 to 4.5 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Other toy breeds

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