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16
Nov 11

How To Avoid Dog Dandruff

How To Avoid Dandruff On Your MinPin

First of all, do NOT use people products on your dog. The soap in these products can worsen dandruff and other skin problems for your min pin. This means that even the very mild baby soaps are not going to be good for your dog. If you use the natural and organic baby shampoo when your giving your miniature pinscher a bath, the dog is likely to get flaky skin.

ONLY use a shampoo that has been specifically made for dogs. The shampoos made for people have acids and harsh detergents that will ruin your pet’s skin.

First, bathe your Miniature Pinscher with a dog shampoo that is moisturizing and free from artificial fragrances. Another thing to keep in mind – is your water hard or soft? Hard water will be tough on the skin, so consider using a water softener. Both people skin and pet skin will benefit from that.

Use enough water to wet your dog thoroughly, then add the dog shampoo, and massage the pet from head to tail for a few minutes. This will make the shampoo to get deep down into the fur and it will also loosen up dead skin cells.

Lastly, rinse thoroughly with water – it is best to use a detachable shower handle that also provides a soft flow of water. Make sure you get all the shampoo and dirt out, otherwise the skin will quickly become irritated.

Please remember – too much bathing can dry out your MinPin’s skin and be the main reason for dandruff. Only give the dog a bath if it smells bad and/or has obvious dirt in the fur. For general cleaning, just brush the dog on a regular basis. Another thing you can also do on a regular basis is to wipe the dog down with a wet cloth. This will remove a majority of the fur’s dirt, and with regular brushing, that will take care of general cleaning maintenance. Cleanliness without drying out the skin is the key to avoid dandruff.

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13
Sep 11

Don’t overfeed your miniature pinscher!

Even though they are full of energy, the Min Pin is a small dog and as such, you  should not give it too much food. It is important to stick to a feeding program where the calorie intake is appropriate. You must of course take good care in choosing the food your dog will eat. Stick to a quality brand with less fillers and more protein. The more natural the product, the better.

The recommended amount of food for the adult Min Pin is about one half ounce of food for each one pound of weight.

Your dog will gain weight if you feed it more than it should have, but there are more issues than that. The bone structure of a Min Pin is quite light. The dog can develop problems from carrying extra weight, because their frame is not built for it. Hip problems and joint issues especially, can occur in overweight Miniature Pinschers.

Another common problem with overweight Min Pins is diabetes. It can become very expensive for the dog owner to deal with a dog with diabetes, because of the veterinary bills that rack up. Thyroid problems is another issue to be aware of.

To keep your Min Pin in shape, take it for daily exercise, and feed it no more than half an ounce of dry dog food for every pound of  body weight. Do NOT feed the dog people foods (table scraps), because of the high sodium and sugar contents.

Small dogs quickly build up toxins from inappropriate food, and it can lead to kidney problems as well as issues with other internal organs.

Do your dog a favor, and do not overfeed it, and only stick to quality foods for your Miniature Pinscher.

Recommended Food

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26
Apr 11

How much should your Min-Pin eat?

Feeding your Miniature Pinscher

Be careful to not overfeed your Miniature Pinscher. An adult Miniature Pinscher typically eats two smaller meals daily. If the dog is fed more than it requires per day, it is going to get fat. If weight gain happens, its likely that the dog may get sick. An overweight small dog usually leads to significant joint problems for the dog, and it can have an increased risk for diabetes and breathing problems.

Feed your miniature pinscher high-grade dog food. The first ingredient should be meat, and the amount of crude protein should be no less than 30 percent. Crude fat should be no less than 20 percent. There is not a need for a high amount of fiber content – about 5 percent or less.

You can also get natural health supplements for dogs here.

Owners should be aware that, if their Miniature Pinscher is overweight, it is not only likely to develop joint problems, but also other medical issues. For example, if a thyroid problem develops, it can usually be treated with medicine and a strict diet. In face, often many medical problems can be avoided by using good nutritional management by the dog’s owner.

As a common estimate of the amount of food your Miniature Pinscher should have daily – about one half ounce of food for each one pound of weight. You probably know that there is some debate as to whether or not a dog should be eating the same food as people do. In most cases, do not feed your dog people food, because the food we eat usually has more sugar and salt that what the dog needs. If a small dog eats such foods, it can gain weight rapidly, and over time, there is a high chance that sugars and sodium can build up and become toxic.

Recommended Food

Miniature pinschers are known to develop certain health conditions such as demodectic mange (a skin disease caused by a microscopic parasitic mite), epilepsy (seizures), patellar luxation (dislocation of the kneecap) and Legg’s Perthes disease (hip joint arthritis).

So to summarize:

  • overfeeding and feeding inappropriate foods can cause pain and a number of medical problems that will shorten the life span of the Min Pin.
  • use quality dog food, and not “people food”
  • feed the dog about one half ounce of food for each one pound of weight, per day

To learn more about the Miniature Pinscher, here is a highly regarded book about Miniature Pinschers:

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29
Oct 10

Dog training – Sit means Sit!

Training a dog is not that easy, let’s be honest. Persistence and patience is needed. If you are interested in getting training in how to train your dog, Las Vegas Nevada based ‘Sit Means Sit’, is an interesting dog training busines. With over 20 new locations over 13 states including California, New Jersey and Illinois in the U.S. and a location in Canada, ‘Sit Means Sit’ has the momentum to successfully achieve their goal of providing comprehensive dog training for everyone.

“We are so excited by the growth of our company and the success our licensed ‘Sit Means Sit’ trainers are experiencing. We believe in our dog training methodology, which is why we started our company nearly 10 years ago and to see this growth and success is incredibly gratifying,” said Fred Hassen, owner of both ‘Sit Means Sit’ and its sister company ‘No Limitations.’

The methodology used by ‘Sit Means Sit’ encompasses traditional tenets of dog obedience training and the best of today’s technology. Instead of traditional collars and leashes, remote collars are used as a virtual touch to queue the dog to the command. These remote collars can be adjusted to the size and temperament of the dog, merely acting as a behavioral modification tool. Because of consistency and good training, for both dog and handler, dogs that recevied‘Sit Means Sit’ training are trustworthy off leash and in pretty much any situation.

Some graduates of ‘Sit Means Sit’ have gone on to become K9 police dogs, therapy dog,s agility dogs, and of course, calm and content family companions.

“We believe in empowering dogs and their owners. First, we help dogs and owners with their own relationships and this opens up opportunities for the dog and ultimately for their trainers as well. Who better to teach others the Sit Means Sit dog training techniques than a believer and graduate themselves?” said Hassen.

With over a half a million dogs going home with American’s households every month, dog obedience training beyond the simple puppy kindergarten at your local pet store is in high demand. Americans are passionate about their dogs.

Sit Means Sit is worth looking into, if there is one close to where you are located.

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8
Sep 10

Min-Pin Playing

Miniature Pinschers love to play and run around. I was walking our Min-Pin in the park one summer evening, and I brought my video camera with me. It was such a nice evening, even though there was also a lot of mosquitos!

If you are able to let your min-pin run around free outside somewhere, I encourage you to do so. They love to run around freely. Just keep a close eye on the dog, because often like to keep going and going and going and… well you get the idea.

Here is a video I made this summer evening. We had a great time together.

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14
Aug 10

Blanket for your min-pin dog

Have you heard of the Snuggie For Dogs yet? This is a great and useful dog blanket, and it fastens with velcro. Keep your pet warm from head to paw with the Snuggie™ fleece throw.

The Snuggie is a blanket coat with sleeves for your dog. Snuggie keeps them warm and their paws free! Perfect for every dog. Warm, Ultra soft fleece for indoor or outdoor use. It also has adjustable hook and loop fastener tabs for the perfect fit. This dog blanket is of course machine washable. A must have for all you dog lovers!

The best thing is the price – you can get TWO for only $14.95. Order your Snuggie today!

As you know, Miniature Pinschers do not like to be cold. The Snuggie blanket is a valuable and small investment to help keep your Min-Pin warm.

This Snuggie is made of soft, thick, luxurious fleece with oversized loose fitting sleeves, and it has adjustable tabs for the perfect fit. The Snuggie™ won’t slip and slide like a regular blanket and allows freedom of movement. 100% polyester. Machine wash.

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28
Feb 10

Does your MinPin need some Dog Training?

Miniature Pinschers are lovely little dogs, but every owner know they can be hard to train. The truth is that any dog can be trained, if you know how to do it.

Who enjoys dogs that pee and poop inside? I don’t. So, I found this powerful audio course, where you spend 15 minutes a day training your dog. It’s easy to follow and very helpful. It’s also presented in a very clear manner, so it easy to follow along.

Discover How To Easily Solve Your Dogs Behavior Problems Once And For All!

Some of the things you will learn:

  • How to speed-train your dog by taking advantage of his natural desire to obey you.
  • An amazingly simple way to get fast results using your dog’s “den instinct”.
  • How to use treats the right way (hint: don’t use treats as a bribe!)
  • Three quick and easy ways to get your dog to walk on a leash at your side.
  • The absolute best way for you to communicate with your dog. (Hint: It’s closer to “normal conversation” than you might think!)
  • How to quickly housetrain your dog in one easy setting. (This has worked for *hundreds* of dogs training clients, and it’s guaranteed to work for your dog.)

And much more.  This course is highly recommended for any dog owner who need to train their dog (it sure helped me personally with my MinPin).

This breakthrough training system is guaranteed to eliminate dog problems forever …in only 15 minutes a day. Give it a whirl and see what you think!

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11
Jan 10

Destructive Miniature Pinscher?

Our Miniature Pinscher sometimes pees on the furniture, but not very often. A Min Pin who has become too dependent on his owner has a tendency to act insecure in the owner’s absence. It’s not unusual for a MinPin to become destructive – perhaps chewing furniture and shredding paper. A common idea about the source of this kind of behavior is that they are feeling confused and upset.

If you come home and notice your MinPin has been destructive while you were away, do not reprimand the dog when you come home. This will likely just make the dog more confused and scared. What you should do instead is to focus on preventing this from happening again.

One of the best methods for this is to use a crate when you are not home. By putting the dog in a crate, you are creating as a safe place for your MinPin while you are away.

Another option is to train your MinPin to stay in one room while you are away. Obviously, you need to make sure this room is free of valuable items you don’t want to see destroyed. The point here is to make the dog feel this is their safe home or den while you are away.

Marking the spot...

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28
Dec 09

Miniature Pinschers sleeping in bed

Miniature Pinschers like to sleep in their owners bed. If you let the dog sleep in your bed once, you instantly have a new sleeping pal for life. What you will need to do if you don’t want the Min Pin to sleep in your bed, is to keep your bedroom door closed from the day you get the dog. The dog might scratch on your door repeatedly if it thinks it is allowed into your bedroom and in your bed.

What are the drawbacks about letting the Miniature Pinscher sleep in your bed? Well, for one thing, you get short, black hair all over your sheets. This breed doesn’t shed enormously, but if the dog sleeps with you every night, changing the sheets every few days will be necessary.

Another thing is that it can affect the “pack structure” and lead to bad behavior. Humans are the pack leaders, and a dog must follow what the leader says. If the dog think it’s the boss, there will be problems, so make it clear for the dog what the rules are.

Bed Pal

Miniature Pinschers love to sleep in their owner's bed.

Personally, I don’t like the Miniature Pinscher sleeping in my bed, because he stretches out during the night, and those little feet all over my feet and legs wake me up! A snoring dog in your bed can also be annoying.

If you want a warm, hairy little companion in your bed to keep you warm, you might enjoy to have the Miniature Pinscher in your bed. Just be aware of the drawbacks.

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20
Dec 09

Min-pins don’t like to be cold

No, Miniature Pinschers certainly don’t enjoy the winter. They have short hair, and they start shivering as soon as they are outside in cold weather.

The Snuggie For Dogs blanket is a great, small investment. Get yours today – you can get 2 of them for 15 bucks!

Snuggie

We have recently had some very cold weather here in Canada, and our MinPin still had to go outside for doing his bathroom business. I felt sorry for the little guy! We usually make him wear a little dog coat if it is very cold, which certainly helps a bit. A MinPin needs to wear a dog coat if the dog is to be outside for more than a minute, if it is very cold out.

The Miniature Pinscher will lift up one leg, if the ground is cold. That’s a hint that the dog is going to ask to come in soon. Same idea here – you can get little dog shoes to make this more comfortable for your Miniature Pinscher.

Brr... cold for the feet!