Discovering the Unique Affenpinscher Dog Breed

This is a very nice dog breed, however, it is not a very popular breed even if one does not understand the reason for it. It is a fairly child-friendly dog, very affectionate, loyal and faithful. It is not particularly prone to obedience but nevertheless falls within the normal parameters of a companion dog.

History Affenpinscher

This breed originated in Germany where it was quite widespread in the 20th century. It has always been selected from hard-coated companion dogs. The arrangement of the hair and the shape of the muzzle recalls the appearance of a monkey, in fact the name means ground dog with a monkey face.

Character Affenpinscher

This breed has a character very similar to terriers, with these dogs it shares a predisposition for movement and gentleness. It has a tendency to become very attached to its owner, whom it follows wherever he goes. Being a purely companion breed, it suffers greatly from loneliness and should therefore never be left alone at home for whole days.

With terriers it also has in common the integrated alarm system. That is, it snaps at any strange noise and alerts the entire neighbourhood. This characteristic makes him a very popular alarm dog with his owners and somewhat less so with his neighbours.

In addition, it is a very effective hunter; in the beginning, when house hygiene was not what it is today, it spotted small rodents and made sure they did not infect the farms too much. Another trait in common with terriers is that it is a stubborn, swaggering and pandering dog.

Affenpinscher intelligence

There is no single yardstick to measure intelligence, which is undoubtedly partly the result of selection but also of subjectivity and stimulation that the dog has throughout its life, especially as a puppy. We do not like statistics and it is certainly not the purpose of this article to correlate the intelligence of a particular breed. Scientists from many parts of the world have done so, however, but we will discuss this in another article.

It is, however, a dog that is intelligent enough to be educated by an experienced hand but is unlikely to transcend its nature. In a nutshell, it is a companion dog that is perfectly able to adapt to the family but must be socialised a lot especially with other dogs.

Children and Affenpinscher

With an affenpinscher in the home, there is no need to worry if you have children as long as they are not too young and as long as there is an adult to watch over them. It is not a very patient dog. The discourse changes with the various objects it may find lying around that it might destroy, especially as a puppy.

Normally, being a companion breed, many people adopt it thinking that they can leave it alone in the house all the time. This is never true in any case and for any dog. The affenpinscher also has an imperative need to move and play, perhaps together with children.

Predispositions Affenpinscher

As we specified above, since this breed was most probably originally derived from hunting terrier-like dogs with rough coat, it retains its predisposition for hunting compatible with its size. It is very family-friendly if followed from puppyhood by an experienced trainer.

Affenpinscher grooming

Grooming is very important for all dogs and especially for pet dogs. The coat of this breed is rather demanding and the intervention of a professional groomer will be necessary from time to time.

For those who decide to keep this dog at home, we recommend even more thorough grooming due to the fact that it is always a dog that will have to come into contact with all family members, including the youngest. We recommend at least daily grooming and much more frequent grooming during the moulting period.

Feeding the Affenpinscher

Although it is a molossoid, it is still a small dog and it is therefore sufficient to feed it three times a day as a puppy and twice a day as an adult.

We advise you to feed him at times other than your own otherwise he will acquire the bad habit of begging for food. It is sufficient to resist the temptation to feed him while you are having lunch to prevent him from demanding it later as an adult. During the moulting period, mineral supplementation is recommended, subject to the vet's instructions.

Health Affenpinscher

Like any pet dog, we recommend periodic intimate hygiene using specially moistened tissues and thorough dental hygiene. In fact, due to the particular conformation of his teeth he may develop tartar. Furthermore, he is a very delicate dog from an intestinal point of view, which is why we recommend special food for small dogs.