Monthly Archive: July 2012

Jul 29

Top Five Safety Tips for Dog Owners

Bailey, the Miniature Pinscher here, was displaced by the Joplin, MO tornado in 2012. Photo credit: Joplin Tornado Lost and Found Pets on Flickr. We love our dogs and don’t want anything bad to happen to them. However, the reality is that dogs will get into things, and many times, there is nothing we can …

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Jul 29

Potty Training My Min PIn–Again

After our Min Pin, Athena, was potty trained in 2008, I didn’t think I would have to do it again, but I was mistaken. I have taken her to my parents’ house, and she doesn’t consider their house her den like she does at our house. Why? I have no idea. If you have any …

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Jul 29

Riding in Cars with Dogs: Doggie Seat Belts?

I thought car restraint systems for dogs were silly and only used by people fanatical about their dogs until one day when I was driving with my Miniature Pinscher, Zeus. Because I was driving by myself that day, he was in his carrier instead of his usual place in the passenger seat on my lap. …

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Jul 27

Crate Training a Miniature Pinscher: Should You Try It?

Photo Credit: Jinx McCombs on Flickr Why Crate Train? Crate training can be a useful tool for the owner of any breed of dog, but it is especially useful for Min Pin owners. Not only does crate training a dog reduce the number of messes on the floor, it also provides a safety for the …

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Jul 24

Color Dilution Alopecia in Miniature Pinschers: Should Blue and Fawn Min Pins Be Bred?

Border Collie with Colour dilution alopoecia Photo Credit: At the VETS Veterinary Clinic What is color-dilution alopecia? Color-dilution alopecia is a hereditary skin disease found in “color-diluted” dogs caused by the d1 allele of the color dilution gene (Kim et al, 2005). The Miniature Pinscher is one dog breed affected by this disease. Color-diluted Min …

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Jul 19

Raw Meat Diet: Healthful or Harmful?

dog with bone

Photo Credit: Amanda Hirsch on Flickr What does the cooking process do to meat? Cooking unfolds (denatures) the proteins in meat. Imagine a string of beads wadded up in your hand. Now, imagine letting that string dangle from your finger. This is the exact same way that cooking changes the meat. It does not change …

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Jul 16

Alkaline Batteries: Household Hazard

sick miniature pinscher

At one time or another, everyone with a Min Pin has thought, “What will it get into next?” One thing I never worried about was alkaline batteries. However, one day I found my Miniature Pinscher, Athena, chewing on one. Luckily, she hadn’t gotten inside the battery yet, but had I not caught her in time, …

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Jul 12

How to Teach Your Min Pin Almost Anything

To say that Miniature Pinschers can be a handful is an understatement, as any Min Pin owner knows. Miniature Pinschers are headstrong, energetic, and think for themselves. However, Miniature Pinschers can be trained to be calm, well-disciplined dogs. Here, I discuss training Min Pins, but the same strategy can be applied to all dog breeds …

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Jul 08

Zeus 1999-2012

Zeus

Zeus, our black and tan Miniature Pinscher, passed away Saturday, June 30, 2012. Although he was (literally) in the hands of our very capable veterinarian, his little heart just gave out. He lived a full life. He was 12 years old when he passed away. He brought energy, joy, and love into our home. Gene, …

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Jul 08

Train Your Min Pin in Three Steps

Three basic principles are key when training a dog: consistency, reinforcement (positive or negative), and repetition. Used correctly, these three principles can get your willful canine under control. The Three (but not Necessarily Easy) Steps Step 1: Consistency. Consistency teaches the dog what you want it to do with a given command. Consistency requires a …

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