Miniature Pinscher puppies

About the Miniature Pinscher

The Miniature Pinscher is a German breed, older than the Dobermann and developed from the German Pinscher with terrier and dachshund influence to keep stables and homes clear of vermin. This is a small smooth coated dog of 25 to 32 cm and 3.6 to 4.5 kg, best known for the high stepping hackney gait. Living with one feels like living with a much larger dog in a small body: bold, busy, nosy about everything, and quick to sound off at anything unfamiliar.

The energy level is very high for a toy breed. Two brisk walks a day plus games indoors keep them steady, and a secure fence matters because they will push through any gap. Coat care is a weekly rub with a hound glove and regular nail trims. Barking is the loudest complaint from neighbours, so reward quiet early. Ratings with children are middling, and a dog this light is easily hurt, so supervise and teach gentle handling. Their size is no reason to go light on training.

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. They can be hurt by a jump off a sofa and by being stepped on, and toy breeds are prone to low blood sugar, so they need frequent small meals rather than two big ones. This is a very high energy breed. The mistake owners make is trying to tire them 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 they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their 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, diagnosed on neurological examination and imaging
• Thyroid disease and heart defects, found on veterinary examination
• Inherited eye disease, screened by an ophthalmologist evaluation

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.

Kit sizes: crate 22 inch (22 x 14 x 16 in, 56 x 36 x 41 cm) for an adult of up to 4.5 kg; chew toys made for small breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Puppy pads: are they a good idea, and how to pick ones that do not leak
• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other toy breeds

More on the Miniature Pinscher

Previous: Miniature Fox Terrier · Next: Miniature Schnauzer

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Miniature Pinscher breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/miniature-pinscher/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Myminpins 12:11, 27 April 2008 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.