THE AFFENPINSCHER by Barry Leece
A bout fourteen years ago, we asked our good Professional Handler friends, Susie and Jorge Olivera, about branching out from our many years in Bouvier des Flandres into a Toy Breed. We had purchased a large motor home, and wanted to do a bit more traveling; both for show- ing dogs and for plain old “adventure.” They suggested a number of breeds that we decided were NOT suitable, but thought that Affenpinschers would fit right in. Over the last 35 years, we have had Old English Sheepdogs, St. Bernards, Cocker Spaniels, and Bouviers. But, as we headed into retirement, the thought of having a smaller, healthy, comical, fun-loving Toy dog seemed to be more manageable. As fate would have it, Susie and Jorge contacted us about adopting a two-year old Affen- pinscher named Tamarin Tequila. Have you ever seen an Affen’s face? Those dark round eyes have a way of drilling right into your heart. So, of course, there was no way we could say “no.” We were thrilled, and quickly adapted to having such an energetic, funny, and adorable new addition in the house. Weighing in at just under nine pounds, Tequila quickly took over the house and fit right in with our gentle giants, the Bouviers. Of course, there were moments when the choice spot on the bed became an item of con- tention, but beyond that, the addi- tion of our little “Monkey-dog” was fairly seamless. For her human dads, one of our big- gest concerns was that we would somehow “break” her; after all, she was so SMALL compared to our ninety-pound Bouviers! Living with
an Affen, you soon learn that they are tough little dogs that more than make up for their size in personality. Did I mention stubborn? That too! Cer- tainly not the easiest breed to teach housebreaking to, but with time and patience, she figured out what was ex- pected. We had bred other breeds for over twenty years, but were not totally prepared for the vast differences and difficulties faced with breeding Toy Dogs. For a variety of reasons, Affen- pinschers can present a whole new set of challenges. For starters, it’s some- times difficult to determine when the girls come in season. Not much mess and not much fuss until the boys start taking an interest. We soon learned that we had to be much more diligent about charting seasons so that we could anticipate future heat cycles. We also became much more attuned to luteinizing hormone and proges- terone levels to determine optimal breeding. To think that you can “just leave it up to nature” and let them “do their thing” can open Affenpinscher breeders to missed cycles, small lit- ters, and disappointing survival rates. It isn’t unusual for the faint of heart to opt for Caesarian section births, but even then, it takes an experienced vet and staff to bring the miniscule puppies into the world. With expe- rience, natural births can be just as successful as surgical options, and breeders canminimize complications due to anesthesia-related respira- tory failures or maternal rejection of newborns. Litter sizes can range any- where from one to eight puppies, but two to four is typical. The small litter sizes and difficulties in the first weeks of life contribute to the relatively
small number of Affenpinschers in the United States. Affenpinschers are considered a low-entry breed by the American Kennel Club (AKC) and are ranked 149th in breed popularity. Originally from Germany, Affenpin- schers have gained popularity in the United States and do well in the show ring, and in agility, nose work, barn hunt, and other performance com- petitions. However, in conformation, there are challenges for American- bred Affenpinschers to show com- petitively in other areas of the world. Why and why is this important? It’s important because the gene pool in- ternationally is relatively small com- pared to many other breeds. To show- case top examples of the breed and to search for suitable stock to improve the breed, Affenpinschers could be strengthened by international com- petition. However, there are notable differences between the standards of the United States and the European Federation Cynologique Internatio- nale (FCI) standard. These differ- ences can conceivably make showing American dogs in Europe (and vice versa) something of a challenge. While breed type and hallmarks of the Affenpinscher, such as the monkey-like facial expression, are
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