Improve the Miniature Pinscher Breed

If you’re considering breeding Miniature Pinschers, your primary reason should be to improve the breed.

The Miniature Pinscher Club of America (MPCA) highlights the importance of this primary motivator by making it the club’s top objective:

You need at least a basic understanding of something before you can improve on it. The same is true with breeding Miniature Pinschers.

If you want to breed your dog, gain a thorough knowledge of the breed, and of the approved breed standard. When you’re intimately familiar with the breed, research and study the ancestry of your bitch and prospective stud dog. This includes knowing the dogs’ temperament and health histories.

Don’t be like many breeders who have bred dogs with poor temperament and unknown health histories. Spare any future dogs from joining the countless number of abandoned and homeless dogs—including Miniature Pinschers.

For those of us who do breed, follow the objectives set out by the MPCA Constitution and By-Laws (from: http://www.minpin.org/breeder.htm):

Rescuing a puppy can be a heartwarming experience. After all, where would the puppy be without you? But it’s important to understand that abandoned, abused or ill puppies will need special care, intensive training and attention.

If you are interested in adopting a rescued dog, check out the Miniature Pinscher Service. This non-profit organization has locations across the U.S. and specializes in the transport, foster care and adoption of rescued Min Pins. Their dogs have been spayed or neutered, inspected by a veterinarian and evaluated for training needs.

Your decision to adopt a rescued Miniature Pinscher must be based on a healthy financial situation, plenty of time to spend with your new pet and a desire to work hard to help correct any physical, social and behavioral problems they may be left with.

The Min Pin is a generally fit, well proportioned, nicely groomed dog. Taking care to adhere to grooming standards ensures that yours will show well.

The ears may be cropped or uncropped (see section on Tail & Ears). The tail is set high and docked to suit the dog’s proportions. Dewclaws should be removed, with other nails appearing thick and strong.

The short, slick coat requires only twice weekly brushing to keep it shining and free of dead hair. Check ears and eyes daily to be sure they are free of dirt. Bathe only on an “as-needed” basis and never use human shampoo to avoid irritating his skin. Trim your Miniature Pinschers nails as needed to prevent painful in-grown nails and to keep their gait strong and comfortable. (You can find more information on grooming for shows in the chapter “Showing Your Miniature Pinscher”).

Health and natural beauty should come before artificial beauty.

Every type of animal has a set of looks that most expect them to go by. The style of hair, the shape of their body, and the way their ears and tail look all determine whether the dog is in good shape or not. If you have a miniature pinscher, you may be familiar with some of the expectations for your dog. If you are considering the standards to be set for your Min Pin, you also may want to know when to follow the expectations and when to let your dog go with an “all natural” look.

For miniature pinschers, the expectations begin with the ears. Often times, the ears will be longer than expected, making them flop over. Some dog owners want this to be changed so the ears on their Min Pin will stand straight up. The first thing you should know about this particular attribute for Min Pins is that it is a cosmetic preference, and doesn’t make a difference in how the Min Pins hear or live. Usually, cropping of the ears needs to take place when the Min Pins are about fourteen weeks of age. If it is done any later, it will cause health problems, as cartilage can be cut off causing pain and a possibility for the ears to flop over more than they would have otherwise.

I’m glad to see more Miniature Pinschers without their ears cropped. Mine came that way and I didn’t see the need for doggie plastic surgery. Some owners who rush to get body parts chopped off will miss out on how expressive the long ears are, and how much more character the long ears add to their little companions. The breeding standard in the United States calls for cropped ears. In Australia and the UK, however, you can show a Miniature Pinscher with natural (i.e., un-cropped) ears.

If you have a Min Pin whose ears haven’t been cropped, and if your dog’s ears stand up like ours, you might find a lot of people confuse your dog with a Chihuahua. Several years back, it wasn’t uncommon for me to hear one person or another say “hey! Yo quiero Taco Bell! Look, it’s a Chihuahua!” On the subject of whether or not to crop the ears, my position is that unless you’re required to do this, for example, to “show” your dog in certain countries, don’t do it—it’s just cosmetic surgery for dogs. You Min Pin will be perfectly fine with uncropped ears.

The second expectation for Miniature Pinschers is with their tails. Often times, the Min Pins will be born with longer tails than expected. Standards have been set to make the tails shorter by docking them, which means to cut off circulation to the tail so that it can fall off. If this hasn’t been done by the time the Min Pin is two days old, it shouldn’t be done. This is because at two days of age, the Min Pin has not yet developed enough bone to feel you cutting off the tail. After this period of time, the procedure will be painful to your dog and can cause complications. It is also purely cosmetic, meaning that it is not necessary to have a good and healthy pet.

Deciding to make changes for the ears and tails of your puppy Min Pin will be a determination made by your expectations for the puppy. If you want to show the Miniature Pinscher, you will have to apply the cosmetic rules. For most United States shows, it is a requirement that is made. This is mainly so the ears and tail will stay completely erect in a competition, allowing the judges to see the way that the Min Pin is shaped.

If you only plan on having your Min Pin as a companion, you should keep some other things in mind. The major point to consider is the pain that the dog will be going through. It has been stated that docking a tail and cropping ears is much like amputating a limb on a human. The dogs will be uncomfortable and in pain for a long period of time. You should also keep in mind that if something goes wrong, it can cause infections or other complications with your dog. If you are considering cutting the tail, you should also consider that this is one of the most important parts of communication for a Min Pin. When their tale is shorter, it makes it difficult for them to find the same levels of communication with you.