The Affenpinscher’s German name means Monkey-Terrier and refers to the breed’s comical, bewhiskered face and slightly undershot jaw. Another name for this dog is Monkey Pinscher. In France the Affenpinscher is known as Diablotin Moustachu, which translates to Moustached Little Devil.

Germany claims origin of the Affenpinscher. It is felt the little dog was bred elsewhere in Europe as well. The Affenpinscher originated in the seventeenth century and descended from terriers that inhabited farms and shops of central Europe. In his neck of the woods, the Affenpinscher was a confident sharp-witted little hunter.

Some writers believe the Affenpinscher is a descendant of the Miniature Pinscher, possibly crossed with some of the German wirehaired breeds or the Skye Terrier. It may be related to the Brussels Griffon and the Miniature Schnauzer.

The original purpose of the Affenpinscher was a vermin hunter, alarm dog and companion. He first came to America in the 1930s and was entered in the AKC studbook in 1936. He first appeared in the American show rings in Chicago and New York.

Personality

The Affenpinscher is naturally alert and vigilant, which helps him to be an excellent alarm dog. He is lively, cheerful and entertaining. He bonds quickly with his family and is affectionate. He may challenge strangers who come to your door, but will make friends easily if properly introduced as a friend.

The Affenpinscher needs consistent training. He learns commands quickly. He is anxious to please his handler but may become bored easily. Training sessions for the Affenpinscher should be kept short and varied. The Affenpinscher is intelligent and curious. He likes to learn new tasks. You will need to be creative when training the Affenpinscher.

Appearance

The Affenpinscher stands 9 to 12 inches tall and weights between 7 and 8 pounds. He is not a delicate toy dog. He is sturdy and has medium bone structure. He has a domed skull which gives him a curious, sort of comical looking facial expression. His unkempt hairstyle adds to his clown like appearance. Ears are cropped or uncropped, erect or dropped. He has a straight, blunt muzzle. His bite is slightly undershot with the lower incisors touching the upper incisors.

The coat of an Affenpinscher is harsh, dense and about one inch long. It may be even shorter on the rear and tail, yet shaggier on the head, neck, chest, stomach and legs. His tail is either docked to approximately one inch or left natural to curve up and over the back when moving.

Colors of an Affenpinscher are usually black but it is sometime seen in gray, silver or black and tan. A small white patch on the chest is allowable, but large white patches are undesirable.

Exercise

This sturdy and hearty little guy will get by on a minimal amount of exercise. He does enjoy regular romps in the yard and playtime with his owners. Leashed walks are also enjoyable for the Affenpinscher.

Grooming

The Affenpinscher requires little combing and brushing. After a bath, this little dog shakes off and looks about the same as he did before his bath. Regular combing will keep the coat in good condition.

You will need a medium-toothed comb for general use and a small, fine comb for the hair on the face, particularly around the eyes. A small good-quality bristle nylon hairbrush (for ladies) works well for the Affenpinscher. Do not attempt to make this little dog too neat and tidy – a shaggy appearance is required.

Combing with a medium or fine-toothed comb and then brushing with a nylon or bristle cushion hairbrush will remove loose hairs and keep the coat tidy. The face is scissored to give a round shape when viewed from the front. The beard is left long for show purposes. This pet dog can be left natural or trimmed to appear neat and smart.

Author: Connie Limon. Visit us at http://www.abouttoydogs.com/ About Toy Dogs is a guide to the selection and care of toy dog breeds. We feature articles, dog training resources, dog books, dog supplies and a toy dog breeder directory. Purchase a full page ad with up to 3 pictures, a video of your dogs with up to 12 pictures and ads in our newsletters at the price of $25 per year.
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The Affenpinscher develops a very strong attachment to his owner or owners. How the Affenpinscher puppy develops depends a great deal upon the care he receives as a young puppy. One of the first things you should do for your new Affenpinscher puppy is make him feel secure and comfortable with his new family.

Your breeder probably provided you with a health record showing all immunization vaccinations given to the Affenpinscher puppy prior to the sale. Some states such as California, Florida and Texas require breeders to provide a veterinarian proof of health on sale of a dog.

As soon as possible after bringing your new Affenpinscher puppy home you should take him to be examined by a veterinarian and finish the series of shots began by the breeder. These shots usually consist of vaccines for infectious hepatitis, distemper, leptospirosis, paraintiuenza and parvovirus. The frequency and combination of vaccines differs from vet to vet. If the Affenpinscher is to be entered into shows the vet may want to give him immunization against bordatella (kennel cough) and corona. Follow the advice of your own personal veterinarian.

Take a stool sample with you for the first visit. If you live in a climate where heartworm is a concern ask your vet about heartworm preventative. Most often the monthly heartworm preventative will also prevent other parasite infestations.

Once you have established care with a trusted veterinarian and your Affenpinscher puppy seems content in his new home work on a regular schedule of diet, housebreaking and other rules of your own particular household. Allow the Affenpinscher puppy to settle in properly. Do not make any sudden changes in his diet. If you do not want to feed what the breeder fed your Affenpinscher puppy make changes gradually. Sudden changes in diet sometimes results in diarrhea or the Affenpinscher puppy may refuse to eat the new food.

If you choose to show your Affenpinscher with cropped ears you should have the cropping performed by a qualified veterinarian or an individual recommended by your breeder. The ears are usually cropped when the Affenpinscher is anywhere from eight weeks to four or five months.

Crate training is recommended for Affenpinscher puppies. You will need to purchase a small airline kennel or a small housebreaking crate. Provide your Affenpinscher puppy with soft clean bedding in the crate and fresh drinking water preferably from a water bottle. Training you Affenpinscher puppy should start early. Do not feel that crating your Affenpinscher puppy is cruel. Dogs by nature are den animals and many find refuge in their crates, a special place of their own to rest and sleep. An Affenpinscher puppy that has been crated will travel easier and more happily.

Written by: Connie Limon. Visit us at www.abouttoydogs.com About Toy Dogs is a toy dog breeder and article directory. Purchase ad space for your toy dog business at $25 per year.

The curly coat of an Affenpinscher is harsh and rough-textured. His category is short-haired breed. His hair is about one inch in length on the shoulder and body, may be shorter on the rear and tail. The head, neck, chest, stomach and legs have longer, less harsh coat. The mature Affenpinshcer has a mane or cape of strong hair which blends into the back coat at the withers area. The monkey-like expression of the Affenpinscher is created by the longer hair on the head, eyebrows and beard, which stands off and frames the face.

The Affenpinscher with a correct coat needs little attention and no trimming. He should be combed on a regular basis to keep the coat in good condition. You will need a medium- or fine-toothed comb. Brush your Affenpinscher with a nylon or bristle cushion hairbrush to remove loose hairs. One of the best kinds of brushes to use for Affenpinscher brushing is a small good-quality bristle nylon ladies hairbrush. Brushing also helps to keep the coat looking tidy. You want your Affenpinsher to have a “shaggy,” but neat and smart look. Don’t attempt to make an Affenpinscher too neat and tidy.

The face is scissored to give a round shape when looking at him from the front. The beard is left long for the show dogs. Pet owners, however, sometimes prefer the beard cut shorter. Use a small, fine comb for the air on the face, particularly around the eyes.

Your Affenpinscher needs little bathing. In particular, do not bath your Affenpinscher before being shown because it softens the coat. You want his coat to be rough and harsh in texture, shaggy but neat.

Affenpinscher natural coats will vary as any of the breeds. The differences can be from too short or too long, from very harsh to quite soft, and from straight to varying degrees of wavy. While grooming your Affenpinscher always keep in mind the end result is to enhance the monkeylike look. Coats that show evidence of trimming other than ears and tail are penalized as “incorrect” in the show ring.

As with all breeds you need to introduce grooming to your Affenpinscher puppy from a young age. You want to teach your Affenpinscher that grooming is a pleasant experience. As part of your grooming routine, check his teeth, nails and ears. Pull out any hair that grows down inside the ears. This will help keep the ears clean and free of infection.

Affenpinscher grooming tips:

• First brush the coat with a slicker rush to remove dead hair.
• Comb thoroughly.
• You can us a finger and thumb to pluck out dead and loose hair. The back half of the body should be smoothed out.
• Shoulders should have longer hair to form the mane. The longer hair should blend in to the smoother rump.
• Brush frequently using your nylon or bristle cushion brush to keep your Affenpinscher looking perfect all the time.
• Try bathing your Affenpinscher in a natural shampoo and be sure to rinse thoroughly.
• Use a general coat-care conditioner for a glossy shine.
• Towel-dry and blow dry or cage dry.
• Use small, straight scissors or thinning scissors to trim the hair outside the ear leathers, from the base of the ear to the tip.
• The face is left natural.
• Hair on the ears should be smooth and trimmed close to the edges.
• Keep your Affenpinscher’s feet looking neat. If the feet get too hair, they can look to big and flat. Neatly trim the excess hair from around the outside of the foot.

As for the tail of an Affenpinscher, if left natural, it resembles a Christmas tree. For the show ring, the tail should resemble a cigar. To achieve the cigar look:

• Hold the tail up and comb the hair backwards before shaping.
• The tip should be slightly rounded and all the straggly ends cut off the tail hair with the scissors pointing downward.

The monkey face of the Affenpinscher is one of its most endearing characteristics. It can be enhanced by a wreath-like of loose, shaggy hair standing away from the skull and framing the eyes, nose and chin. If you prefer a slightly less shaggy look you can comb the hair forward all around the head from behind the ears, and then trim into a circle before brushing back.

Connie Limon. Visit us at http://www.abouttoydogs.com/ and sign up for our FREE newsletters. About Toy Dogs is a toy dog breeder and article directory. Purchase ad space at $25 per year.