Any MinPin owners out there? Update post 16

[horseshowmom]

Recently, my Chihuahua died (which broke our hearts ).

Our vet asked me if I would consider taking in a MinPin they had had for a month. He had been abandoned in their parking lot. They took him in, gave him his shots, and neutered him. He's 8 to 9 months old. Of course, I brought him home.

I'm curious as to other MinPin experiences. I'm having a dickens of a time with housetraining him (and I've trained many, many dogs over the years). How does one small dog use the bathroom so much? He also likes to chew on stuff (he could give my Lab lessons ). To say that he's high energy would be an understatement!

After doing a little online research, he sounds like he's pretty typical for the breed.

On the plus side though, he's got the sweetest face and absolutely loves me (still very skiddish around DH though). He's all legs and looks like a little deer jumping around. He adores the other dogs and cats!

Tell me, will he settle down once he's a little bit older?

 

[4Seasons]

I've had several Min Pins over last 20 years or so and just love them. At one time I had 7! Just imagine what it sounded like when someone rang the doorbell, LOL.

YES they are high energy, WELL into their older years. But they are so smart.
You will need to crate train the dog. He was probably never *formally* housebroken since someone abandoned him. He will learn though with patience and rewarding. I taught all my dogs a "buzzword" to go when they go out and immediately rewarded them when they did their business. They get the point pretty quick.

My first baby, she lived for a long and healthy 16 1/2 years. She was extremely active until about 12 or 13 then settled down. The one I have now will be 7 next week and he still can be quite psycho, even though he's much better than he was when we rescued him at age 1 1/2.

Here is the crazy little guy:

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Recently, my Chihuahua died (which broke our hearts ).

Our vet asked me if I would consider taking in a MinPin they had had for a month. He had been abandoned in their parking lot. They took him in, gave him his shots, and neutered him. He's 8 to 9 months old. Of course, I brought him home.

I'm curious as to other MinPin experiences. I'm having a dickens of a time with housetraining him (and I've trained many, many dogs over the years). How does one small dog use the bathroom so much? He also likes to chew on stuff (he could give my Lab lessons ). To say that he's high energy would be an understatement!

After doing a little online research, he sounds like he's pretty typical for the breed.

On the plus side though, he's got the sweetest face and absolutely loves me (still very skiddish around DH though). He's all legs and looks like a little deer jumping around. He adores the other dogs and cats!

Tell me, will he settle down once he's a little bit older?

 

[NeverlandClub23]

My Min Pin is a little over two years old. She's the first small dog I've ever had (always labs and a cocker spaniel before) and I will never go back! She is SO high energy but I take her for a 3 mile walk every day (well she has a 30 ft. retractable leash that she just runs from one end to the other so she probably does 20 miles in my 3 miles) and someone is almost always playing with her so she conks out fast at bed time. I have never in my life seen a breed of dog so obsessed with their toys and every time she gets a new toy it's like the greatest day of her life (also when anyone comes over it's the greatest day of her life) .

She's very loyal (which is a breed trait). She loves "her" people (my Dad, Mom, and brother) but no one else. She's ok with kids (she lets them hold her and do whatever but she's stiff as a board).

She's not a chewer and I had no trouble housebreaking her (I think she prefers to go outside, she's only had one accident in the house/crate since I got her). She is a barker which is what I'm trying to break her from now.

She loves to burrow in ANYTHING (blankets, towels, dirty laundry ).

She is the smartest, most entertaining dog but will try to dominate the house and get you to do whatever she wants if you let her.

Be prepared for 95% of people to tell you they love your chihuahua (hardly anyone ever knows she's a Min Pin). Oh, and I didn't get my Min Pin's ears done and she HATES to wear clothes (which everyone says probably saved me a ton of money ).

 

[mjkacmom]

I had one for 8 years - very sweet, but never fully potty trained, never learned to listen, and ended up getting hit by a car, because no matter how many times DH tried to secure the bottom of the fence with bricks, she would dig her way out. She barked at anything! I found 2 old friends on facebook, and found out they got minpins, and had the same exact issues. They were pulling their hair out! Don't use wee-wee pads - I think that was one of our mistakes.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

At one time I had 7! Just imagine what it sounded like when someone rang the doorbell, LOL.

I can't imagine!!

Oh, and one more thing, my Min Pin has SEVERE separation anxiety (but I've heard it's pretty common with the breed). I've tried just about everything but I can't get her to see that we will come back.

And sorry OP for your loss. I lost a lab about 6 months before I got her in a horrible way (I basically just watched her die, it was awful) and I still miss her incredibly.

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

I have a mixed min pin. Not exactly sure what she's mixed with, lol. She's a rescue dog and the sweetest thing ever. She was potty trained when we got her and has never had an accident. And while she's high energy, she was NOTHING compared to the yorkie I had when I was in high school!

 

[horseshowmom]

I've had several Min Pins over last 20 years or so and just love them. At one time I had 7! Just imagine what it sounded like when someone rang the doorbell, LOL.

Seven?

YES they are high energy, WELL into their older years. But they are so smart. You will need to crate train the dog. He was probably never *formally* housebroken since someone abandoned him. He will learn though with patience and rewarding. I taught all my dogs a "buzzword" to go when they go out and immediately rewarded them when they did their business. They get the point pretty quick.

I had thought the crate training wouldn't be a problem because he had been at the vet's for a month (I assume in one of the cages). I was wrong. He just went nuts. The only time I could put him in a crate without a problem was at night (he did sleep in there okay).

I tried putting him in a larger wire kennel that I had (like this - http://comfortfirst.com/p-36017-pet...ennel-fold-down-wire-portable-dog-kennel.aspx), but he hurt his front leg trying to get out.

Also, I worry about keeping him in a crate while I'm gone to work. I'm gone from 7:15 until 3:15. I've never had to crate one before, and that seems like a long time. How long is is reasonable ot keep one confined? I think I need to do some additional reading on training this little fellow.

He has definitely NOT been housebroken. Even though I take him out frequently (and he does go), he will still sneak and do it in between times. Of course, he has several spots when I leave him out when I'm gone to work (he's lucky, I have H1N1 this week ).

Here is the crazy little guy:

[/URL][/IMG]

How cute! Mine's black and tan with a little white on his chest. His tail isn't docked, and his ears haven't been done, but there's no doubt that he's a MinPin.

My Min Pin is a little over two years old.

she conks out fast at bed time. I have never in my life seen a breed of dog so obsessed with their toys and every time she gets a new toy it's like the greatest day of her life (also when anyone comes over it's the greatest day of her life) .

She's very loyal (which is a breed trait). She loves "her" people (my Dad, Mom, and brother) but no one else. She's ok with kids (she lets them hold her and do whatever but she's stiff as a board).

Mine is very nervous around anybody but me (he may have been mistreated in the past). Fortunately, he doesn't get nervous and wet. I think that he will warm up to DH as time goes on, but I don't think he'll ever be friendly to strangers (my Chihuahua loved everybody). He doesn't seem to have an aggressive bone in his body though (shows no inclination to snap at all).

I agree about the toys. He LOVES them (once he figured out what they were ).

He sleeps with me now and is very well behaved. In the mornings after I take him out, he'll got get back in bed on his own, and he loves to take an afternoon nap. Very little issues with barking (no more than an average dog).

Don't use wee-wee pads - I think that was one of our mistakes.

I was getting ready to resort to that (even though I've never used them in the past).

And sorry OP for your loss. I lost a lab about 6 months before I got her in a horrible way (I basically just watched her die, it was awful) and I still miss her incredibly.

Thanks very much. He was a sweetheart. No doubt about it - he thought he was the biggest dog we had (and our Lab is huge! ). He loved everybody. He never met a stranger and had a big personality.

Living in a rural area, I tend to wind up with a lot of abandoned animals (currently, 4 dogs and 10 cats - all spayed or neutered after they got here ). We also have 5 horses (lost 2 others to old age in the last couple of years). Sadly, it's inevitable that over time you lose them (sickness, accidents, old age, etc.). It never gets easier.

However, on the bright side, Charlie is keeping me busy!

 

[horseshowmom]

I have a mixed min pin. Not exactly sure what she's mixed with, lol. She's a rescue dog and the sweetest thing ever. She was potty trained when we got her and has never had an accident. And while she's high energy, she was NOTHING compared to the yorkie I had when I was in high school!

Want to trade?

I'm just kidding! Charlie's a sweetie, and I'm hoping our issues will be resolved before too long. Since he's around 9 months old though, he may be a little more difficult.

The Chihuahua was also a rescue. I had been told that he was house trained. Come to find out, his original owner never took him outside (she wasn't supposed to have pets in her apt.), and he went wherever he wanted to in the apartment.

When I got him, he was two years old. He would still have a rare accident as he got older (except I don't think they were always accidents. He and my (then) college aged daughter had personality conflicts, and he would "go" in her room if she left her door open!

 

[horseshowmom]

A question for those of you who use crate training - Since Charlie doesn't stay in his crate at night, is it reasonable for me to keep him in it while I'm at work? As I said earlier, I leave at 7:15 and get home at 3:15.

If I understand correctly, he can stay in the crate I have that is big enough for him to stand up in and walk around in (it's smaller than the wire crate that he didn't do so well in)?

Another idea - I actually have a large chain link kennel in my backyard. I could put him in it and put one of the other dogs in there to keep him company (after a trial run where I see he won't scratch out). There are two dog houses in it, but I've been a little concerned about a storm coming up while I'm gone or him scratching out even though he doesn't try on the trial run.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I would build up the amount of time you keep him in the crate if you can (I know it's hard to do when no one is at home and you have to work). Also, make it a rewarding thing when he goes in there. And yes they should just be able to turn around inside of it (my brother just got a King Charles Spaniel puppy and it goes to the bathroom on itself constantly in it's crate so he may still go to the bathroom in there). My Min Pin sleeps with me as well (and through most of the day, she is not a morning dog). For the first year I kept her in the crate but after awhile I started giving her more freedom (mainly because she never had accidents in the crate and doesn't chew anything except her toys). Now she has free roam of two rooms for 8 hours a day and never has a problem. I think she just sleeps the whole time to be extra crazy when I get home. I only let her have access to indestructible toys though while I'm not there to supervise but I don't even think she plays with them.

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

Want to trade?

I'm just kidding! Charlie's a sweetie, and I'm hoping our issues will be resolved before too long. Since he's around 9 months old though, he may be a little more difficult.

The Chihuahua was also a rescue. I had been told that he was house trained. Come to find out, his original owner never took him outside (she wasn't supposed to have pets in her apt.), and he went wherever he wanted to in the apartment.

When I got him, he was two years old. He would still have a rare accident as he got older (except I don't think they were always accidents. He and my (then) college aged daughter had personality conflicts, and he would "go" in her room if she left her door open!

Lol, yeah, we really lucked out on her. Good thing, too, because my DH really didn't want a dog! Of course, now we don't even think of her as a dog. She's our third child! I'm sure a puppy would be more difficult to potty train. Our dog, Katie, was an adult when we got her. Good luck and have fun!

 

[sbsteel]

Our min pin just turned 11 and I swear her legs are still made of springs! She sleeps more than she used to and gets cranky at night, but she's still a ball of energy.

My DF got her when she was a pup and told me that she was a PITA to potty train, but I guess that's par for the course regarding min pins. Now that she's getting older, she's having more accidents - I swear her bladder is the size of a pea.

She HATES wearing clothes and if you can successfully get something on her - without losing a finger - she'll just sit in the corner and sulk.

She's very loyal to her daddy, but she's warmed up to me quite a bit. The moment her comes home from work, she totally forgets about me and repeatedly jumps around him until he gives her attention.

She's definitely the alpha dog in our house, she will try to attack our lab (my dog) and thinks she's just as big as he is. They definitely have a Napoleon complex.

Enjoy your new dog - quirks and all. I never thought I'd be a little dog person, but there's not a day goes by that she doesn't make me laugh.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

They definitely have a Napoleon complex.

YES they do!!

 

[Luv2Scrap]

I was raised with Min Pins, and I just love them. If I didn't already have two dogs...

Watch out for chain-link fences - Min Pins may be able to climb them!

 

[horseshowmom]

I never had a problem with him wetting in his crate when he was sleeping in it at night. And the lenngth of time isn't a problem for him. Some of the nights that I've been home sick with H1N1, I slept for 12 hours overnight. He didn't have a problem with that at all. When I would get up to go in the bathroom, he would just look at me until I got back in bed. When he was ready to get up to go out, he would start jumping around me when I woke up. I told my husband that I should have named him Monkey instead of Charlie.

I'll work on the crate thing some more for during the day. I know my cats would appreciate it (he drives them crazy). I would be more comfortable with that than putting him in the outside kennel. I don't think he could get out of it (my husband fixed it especially for a digger that we had), but you never know. He's good at climbing up the baby gate, so I worry about him learning to climb the fence.

Thanks again for the comments. He's a sweetie pie, and we'll work through these issues. One thing about it, he doesn't have to worry about leaving here. When the vet asked me about taking him on a trial basis, I just laughed. No way I'm going to bring him home and then take him back.

 

[horseshowmom]

Update for fellow MinPin owners:

We have actually made quite a bit of progress with the house training. He hasn't had an accident in a long time now. I wasn't too sure how he was going to do at first, but it's going great now (the crate didn't go quite so well though).

He's a very intelligent little dog, but I don't know that he's ever going to be friendly to other people (which is a shame because he has a wonderful personality and is very happy and playful). He immediately goes on guard around others (is ssslllooooooowwwlllyyy getting less fearful of my husband.

Anyway, I think he's adorable, and I'm very proud of the progress that he's made.

 

[Aisling]

Watch out for chain-link fences - Min Pins may be able to climb them!

I think I'd die laughing if I saw a little dog climbing a fence.