Dog Breeds > Affenpinscher

The Affenpinscher

Having a nice and cute dog especially a toy breed in the family is an exhilarating experience. The Affenpinscher, although small and hairy is an active dog that would make your company alive and going. This dog would certainly gather attention in your direction every time you take a walk with it. 

Energy Playfulness Intelligence Grooming Popularity

Fascinating Facts

The Affenpinscher, also known as the Monkey Dog is considered as one of the very old toy breeds. As a matter-of-fact, this breed has been known to exist since the ancient times. Because of the Affenpinscher’s facial expression, they are called Monkey Dog. Many breeders believe that the Affenpinscher originated from Germany and that the name translates to “Monkey Terrier”.

The first group of Affenpinscher was believed to be of larger size and worked alongside with farmers. This breed was downsized between 18th and 19th century and became household pets. Although this breed’s height was greatly reduced to become a toy breed, its hunting instincts still remains to be powerful. This dog is an effective mouse hunter.

Physical Appearance

The Affenpinscher is considered one of the smallest existing dog breeds. A fully-grown Affenpinscher measures and weighs 10 – 12 inches and 7 – 8 pounds respectively. You will instantly recognize the Affenpinscher because of its overflowing hair on its face. The hair on the face is relatively longer than the hair with the rest of the body. The head is round with almost no or little muzzle. The eyes are large and very black.

The body is square and has deep chest. In the United States, the Affenpinscher’s tail is normally docked to almost 2/3 of its original size. The coat is long and wiry in texture. The color of the coat is normally black but there are Affenpinschers that exhibit black and tan, dark gray, red and silver.

Grooming

Because of the Affenpinscher’s long, harsh and wiry coat, careful treatment should always be exercised so that the coat would be on top condition. Daily brushing (and plucking if necessary) of the coat is needed to prevent it from tangling. After bathing, run the coat with rubber glove to render a nice and shiny look. Also, regularly check for burrs and ticks to keep the Affenpinscher from getting skin problems.

Mood

The Affenpinscher is a lively and affectionate toy breed. They also like adventure because they are curious that could sometimes lead to being stubborn. They are sensitive that’s why the owner/trainer/handler should have a nice and gentle way of treatment to the Affenpinscher.

This breed is brave and very hard to house break. They make a good guard dog and nice jogging or walking companion. The Affenpinschers are afraid of heights so don’t be surprised if they jump if you picked them up from the ground.

With Children

This toy breed is excellent with children. Although this breed does not have a great stamina, it will try its best to keep up with children’s energy level.

Training & Exercise

Daily walk is the recommended exercise for the Affenpinscher. This breed exhibits foul temper such as excessive barking, biting furniture and even biting strangers if did not get enough exercise for the day.

Because of this breed’s adventurous nature, training it could become a little difficult. The trainer/owner/handler should always bear in mind that the Affenpinscher is sensitive and therefore it would not respond positively to harsh and rude training methods. Food reward training technique would help you improve its focus especially if it gets bored with the training.

Health & Life Expectancy

The Affenpinscher’s lifespan is about 12 – 14 years depending on how you take care of it. Although this breed normally lives a healthy life, there are few health problems that should be watched out for. Kidney problems, murmuring heart and luxating patella are just some of the common diseases of the Affenpinscher.

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