Affenpinscher Facts

When you see an affenpinscher for the first time you would rather say it's more like a cat than a dog. It's weight varies from 6 to 9-10 pounds(that's 3-4 kg) and it's height is aproximately 10-11 inches (which is 25-30 cm), and the Affenpinscher has a rough and thick coat and monkey-like expresiveness(you could've guessed even from the first part of the name because Affe means monkey in the German language)

Considering the Affenpinscher's colour, black seems to be the all-around acceptance for it but there are plenty of clubs that accept red gray with the black hair mixed or even silver/tan as breed colours.

The Affenpinscher's activity level is way up high so it may require a lot of training in order to teach him the rules of the house and of the family. This is mainly because he may get bored fast if you don't ensure he has a varied training session. This may lead to the owner saying the dog is stubborn but in fact the affenpinschers tend to think independently like their terrier forebears.

It is not recommended as a guard dog but they excel at being watch dogs. Unfortunatelly this means they are also very teritorial when it comes to their toys or food so if you have small children in the family it is best to consider another breed from the pinscher-schnauzer family.

The history of the affenpinscher is very interesting dating back to the first man who bred one in Lubeck, Germany in the 1600's. As their size grew smaller they became pets for the ladies who had problems with mice in their homes and also for families who liked a show once in a while (because of their active personality affens tend to offer such a show to anyone giving them any kind of interest...they throw toys in the air for long periods of time or sit on their hind legs with the front paws lifted in the air just like any monkey you see in the zoo).

Grooming one of these dogs is really easy since it doesn't take a lot of your time and if you are patient and persistent then your little monkey dog can attend shows and competitions in no time and with the minimum amount of effort on your part.

So if you would like a dog who is alert, inquisitive and with great loyalty towards it's master, small but fearless toward any agressor even if it's a bigger one than itself then the affenpinscher is the best adition to your family.