Appearance:

 Miniature Pinschers, also known as Min Pins or Mini Pins, are the smallest in of the family of Pinschers. The others, Doberman and German, are much larger but look almost identical, except size. The Miniature Pinscher has a small, elegant body with a docked tail and normally the ears are cropped. They’re body is slim and muscular. They a have sleek and shiny coat that is very short and lies close to their body. Also, their face resembles that of a Chihuahua. Miniature Pinschers have large eyes and a long snout, in comparison to the rest of their body. They are black and tan. The majority of their body is black. But they have tan near their eyes, on their cheeks, chest and legs. But they can also be different colors, too. They can be red or chocolate and tan. They weigh about 8 to 10 pounds and are about 10 to 12 inches tall. Anything shorter than ten or taller than 12.5 suffers disqualification is the show ring.

 Personality:

The Miniature Pinscher is a feisty, rambunctious, tiny dog. They are defiantly not a lapdog. They are extremely curious and love to get into trouble. They are definitely not a good choice for any first time pet owner. They enormously nosy and need to be watch over a lot. They will find any way possible to escape a confined space. If put in an outdoor pen, make sure it has a lid. They can leap exceptionally high. They are very quick and if they get loose it is almost impossible to get them back. If you decide to take them into a yard or open space, make sure they are carried, put into a pen that it cannot escaped from or on a leash or harness. You must be very careful and not let you Miniature Pinscher think, at any time, that it he/she is more dominate than you. They will take advantage of any weakness. You must be strict with them and not ease up on punishment. But they can be worth all the trouble they can cause. They live about 15 years or more.

 Origin:

They were not originally bred to be a house dog. They were a working dog that was placed in barns and normally had very little human contact. They were bred to chase rats and other small animals away from farms.  They are thought to be bred between a dachshund, a German smooth haired pinscher and an Italian greyhound. They greyhound made them fast and quick, which was needed to chase down and kill mice and other animals. The dachshund was a very popular ratter at the time, which is why it was bred too.

picture from:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Miniature_Pinscher_Flickr.jpg