Affenpinscher

Description:
An adult Affenpinscher has a distinguished look due to its monkey like expression. It has a big moustache, hairy eyebrows and locks of hair. This breed should be well balanced and compact. The ideal size of this dog is between 25 to 30 centimeters and it sort of has a square look to it. The females are slightly longer than the males. The head of this dog should not be too big in proportion to its head. Its eyes should be dark, full and round and they should also be in proportion with the head and not stick out. Their teeth should be even and you should not be able to see the lower ones or it's tongue and its mouth should close well. Affenpinschers come in a variety of colors such as black, grey, silver, reddish black and red. The longer hair on this breed is generally a little lighter then the actual coat. The coat of this dog should be thick and hard and should be approximately 2 and half centimeters long.

Ideal owner:
This wonderful breed is very playful. They sort of look like little monkeys, and it seems like prefer playing with older children, however it is always recommended to keep a close eye on children when letting them play with the dog. Make sure you let your children know how to treat the dog because these dogs are too delicate for rough handling. Make sure to not allow the dog to jump around too much because their legs are fragile. Affenpinschers are small and happy dogs and they are very brave and are not shy at all about defending what is theirs. They bark a lot and are good as watchdogs and they enjoy home life. They can be trained to not bark so much if you do this when they are still puppies. 

Growth:
Puppy Affenpinschers should weigh between 85 to 140 grams when they are born and they should weigh around 3 and a half to 4 kilos when they reach adulthood. Their tail should be cut on the fifth day of birth and this should be left to about a centimeter long. Trimming their ears is optional and this is usually done when they are around sixteen weeks old. There are some countries in which this practice is not allowed so you will need to find out about the rules depending on where you live. When choosing this breed avoid getting one that looks too fragile or that is too small. Dog breeders consider them to be adolescents when they are around twelve weeks of age and this stage ends when they are twelve months old. They tend to eat a lot so you will need to keep them controlled in this aspect. Their permanent teeth start to come in when they are around the fifth or sixth month of age. Their ears tend to stick up if they are not cut and then fall during their teething stage. If their coats are not fixed the change of adult hair begins in between the sixth or eight month and is completed around eighteen months of age. The testicles should have lowered at around four months of age, in some cases though one of the testicles still remains higher than the other for a longer amount of time. Females should go into heat for the first time at eight to fourteen months of age.

General health:
One of the biggest problems in this breed can be broken bones since they are so small and because of their very playful personalities. Let dislocation is also a very common problem and dog breeders are able to discard this problem by doing radiographs. One of the things that is a concern to dog breeders is LeggPerthes which is a degeneracy of the head of the femur in absence of bacteria or other agents causing the disease. Just as with other toy dogs there is a possibility for puppies to become hydrocephalic and have heart problems. There is also a possibility for fontanels to form in the center of their heads. Affenpinschers are very active and since they are so small so the amount of exercise they get should be controlled and watched. Their hair should be stripped or pulled by the dog barber and this should be done from the moment they are young so they get used to it. It's recommended for this to be done by a professional dog barber or for the dog breeder to teach the owner in several sessions how to go about it. Their diets are pretty normal and regular however there are some exceptions if the dog is more delicate. Their life span is anywhere from ten to eleven years.