Affenpinscher

The Affenpinscher is a small German toy dog of pinscher type. It used to earn its keep on farms and in stables, catching rats and mice, and today it is mostly kept as a companion.

History

The name comes from Affe, the German word for ape or monkey, and the breed is sometimes called the Monkey Terrier in English, though it is a pinscher and not a terrier. Where the pinscher family began is not known. Dogs of this kind, with either rough or smooth hair, were traditional carriage and stable dogs and good ratters. Until the late nineteenth century both coat types were simply called Deutscher Pinscher, shared one lineage, and could turn up in the same litter.

The Pinscher was entered in the German stud book in 1880. The illustrator Jean Bungartz drew a “Zwergaffenpintscher” in books published in 1884 and 1890, and in 1895 Ludwig Beckmann listed the Affenpinscher as one of five pinscher varieties. That same year the Pinscher-Schnauzer-Klub was founded; the first volume of its stud book, in 1902, listed fourteen Affenpinschers.

The American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1936 and the Fédération Cynologique Internationale gave it full acceptance in 1955. It is now uncommon in its homeland: from 2010 to 2024 German registrations averaged just under 21 a year, 308 in all.

Appearance

Dogs and bitches are about the same size, standing some 25 to 30 cm at the withers and weighing 4 to 6 kg. The coat is harsh and wiry when kept properly, shaggier over the head and shoulders, where it forms a mane, and shorter over the back and hindquarters. A clipped coat can turn softer and fluffier. The face has the monkey-like expression that gave the breed its name.

The FCI and The Kennel Club standards call for a black coat. The American Kennel Club also accepts gray, silver, red, black and tan, and beige, a mix of red, brown, black and white hairs.

Although its looks remind some people of a terrier, the FCI places the Affenpinscher in Group 2 with the pinschers and schnauzers.

Care and health

A British study found an average lifespan of 9.3 years for the breed, against 12.5 years for dogs in general. Reports disagree on whether hip dysplasia is more common than usual. Luxating patella is something dogs may be tested for, and there may be an inherited tendency to cataracts. Syringomyelia linked to Chiari malformation and seasonal flank alopecia have both been seen in the breed.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.