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Breed guide · Dogs
He's found every gap in the garden fence. I've fixed every one.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
They find the gap under the gate, slip out as the door opens and test the space between the balcony railings.
What's going onThey were bred to get into small spaces after rats, and they will test every one. Close the gaps before they find them, and teach them to wait at the door before you open it.
At home
A high-stepping walk, like a tiny hackney pony, down every corridor.
What's going onThe high-stepping walk is the breed. A skip on a back leg is something else: Patellar Luxation (a slipping kneecap) is the first health risk for the breed. Learn their normal walk so you notice a change.
At home
They square up to dogs three times their size, and take offence at dogs that stare.
What's going onThey were bred to face a rat without backing down, and they do not judge size. Keep greetings with big dogs short, and let them have a few calm friends.
At home
Fixed on the cats in the car park, the pigeons on the balcony and the geckos on the wall.
What's going onA stable-yard ratter still lives in there. Keep them on a lead wherever cats and birds are, and give them a chase game at home every day.
At home
Burrowing under a blanket the moment the air conditioning comes on.
What's going onTheir coat is short and thin, with little underneath. Outside, the heat gets to them, and inside, the cold can too. A covered bed and a blanket help.
At home
A leap off the back of the sofa, and a hard landing on marble.
What's going onWith their knees and hips, a step up to the sofa and a rug at the bottom are worth it. If a young Min Pin skips, lifts a back leg or chews at a hip, tell your vet rather than resting it for a week.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: Racing round German stables after rats.
In Dubai: A flat, and walks before sunrise.
Their gaps
Built for: Squeezing into every gap they found.
In Dubai: Railings to test, and marble to land on.
Their quarry
Built for: A stable full of rats.
In Dubai: Cats they have to leave alone.
The escapes, the barking and the bossiness with big dogs mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them a stable full of rats. You can give them a job, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the health risks for a Miniature Pinscher at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
They will dig at the cushions either way.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They will dig at the cushions either way.
What to do
Give them one place where digging is allowed: a snuffle mat, a box of old towels or a tub of play sand on the balcony. Hide part of their food in it while they watch, and let them dig it out.
Once they see a cat, they stop hearing you, and they are fast.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Once they see a cat, they stop hearing you, and they are fast.
What to do
Keep them on a lead near cats and roads. Check gates, fences and railings at their height. Teach them to sit and wait before any door opens, and practise recall on a long line in a quiet, fenced place.
The ratter's chase has to go somewhere.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
The ratter's chase has to go somewhere.
What to do
A flirt pole or a small tug toy on a rug. Let them catch it and win sometimes. Teach "drop" with a treat swap. Keep games short and gentle on a soft floor while a puppy's joints are forming.
They take the doorbell personally.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They take the doorbell personally.
What to do
Let them bark twice, say "thank you" calmly, call them to you and reward them. Do not shout back. Close the curtains on the view they bark at most.
They will start something they cannot finish.
Every age, most of all under 2 years
Why
They will start something they cannot finish.
What to do
Plenty of calm, friendly dogs of every size before sixteen weeks. After that, three seconds with strange dogs, then walk on. Skip the busy dog park, and meet the same calm dogs often.
They are bright and busy, and a few clear, kind rules keep all that confidence charming.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They are bright and busy, and a few clear, kind rules keep all that confidence charming.
What to do
Three to five minutes, two or three times a day, paid with part of their daily food. Stop while they are still keen. Same rules from everyone in the house.
A thin coat means the pavement and the sun get to them, and so does the air conditioning.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
A thin coat means the pavement and the sun get to them, and so does the air conditioning.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Give them a covered bed indoors. A soft brush once a week keeps the short coat in order.
Dental disease is a risk for the breed at every stage.
Every age, start as a puppy
Why
Dental disease is a risk for the breed at every stage.
What to do
Brush once a day with a small, soft brush and dog toothpaste. Start with a few seconds and a reward, and build up. Watch for baby teeth that stay put once the adult ones come in. Dental cleaning is in your plan from six months to four years.
Patellar Luxation (a slipping kneecap) and Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease (loss of blood supply to the top of the thigh bone) are their first health risks as a puppy and young dog.
Every age, most of all under 2 years
Why
Patellar Luxation (a slipping kneecap) and Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease (loss of blood supply to the top of the thigh bone) are their first health risks as a puppy and young dog.
What to do
Rugs where they land on marble, and a step up to the sofa and bed. Keep them lean. If they skip or lift a back leg, tell your vet. An orthopaedic evaluation (a joint and bone exam) is in your plan from six months to four years.
They will not slow down to tell you something is wrong.
Every age, most of all from 7 years
Why
They will not slow down to tell you something is wrong.
What to do
Run your hands over them, look at their skin and between their toes, and weigh them once a month. Notice if they tire earlier on walks than they used to, and tell your vet about any new lump the same week you find it.
Three of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Their own breed
You will see them sold as mini Dobermans. They are their own breed, and the older one, bred to catch rats in German stables. Whatever the advert says, they grow to 3.5 to 4.5 kg.
Colours
Most Min Pins are a clear red, a stag red (red with a sprinkling of black hairs), or black or chocolate with rust markings. Whichever one steals your heart, the coat is short and shiny.
The first six months
Core vaccinations come first, with a microchip and Dubai Municipality registration. A baseline look at their knees, soft landings while their joints form, and getting them used to having their mouth handled matter most now.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Check balcony railings and gates at their height before they arrive. Put rugs where they will land on marble, a step up to the sofa, and a covered bed with a blanket for when the air conditioning is on.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder whether the parents' knees have been looked at and their hearts listened to, because a slipping kneecap and a heart murmur are both risks for the breed from puppyhood. Then meet the mother. A confident, friendly mother is a good sign.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep finding the gaps. If they stop looking for them, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
Before the 1800s
Small, smooth-coated pinschers were kept in Germany to kill rats in stables and barns. There the breed is still called Zwergpinscher, the dwarf pinscher.
What they still carryThe speed, the nerve, and a need to investigate every gap and hole.
1880s to 1895
Miniature Pinschers appear in German registrations in the 1880s, and the German Pinscher-Schnauzer Club was formed in 1895.
What they still carryThe prancing, high-stepping walk the breed is known for.
1919 to 1925
The breed reached America around 1919, where it became known as the King of Toys, and the American Kennel Club recognised it in 1925. The German Kennel Club stated that it had nothing to do with the Doberman, which is a later breed.
What they still carryThe swagger of the King of Toys.
Today
In the UAE a Min Pin lives in a flat or a villa, still prancing, still testing every gap in the fence.
What they still carryA stable-yard ratter in a home with balcony railings, marble floors and chilly air conditioning.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Min Pin suits you, so might these.
Jack Russell TerrierThe same kind of dog: a small, bold terrier with an easy short coat, a little bigger and friendlier with strangers.
West Highland White TerrierAnother small, lively terrier with plenty to say, in a white coat that needs more grooming.
Miniature SchnauzerThe same alert, vocal temperament, from Germany too, in a calmer dog with a wiry coat to groom.
PapillonA similar tiny size and easy coat care, in a toy spaniel that is far friendlier with strangers.
