How to Outfit Your Min Pin in Style

Your puppy's crate will become its most important possession. The crate will be your puppy's den, hideout, bed, and a haven of safety. It should contain soft, warm bedding. Your little puppy will be frightened and homesick for a few days, and a nice, comfy carrier may make the adjustment easier. In fact, you could even bring a towel or blanket destined for your puppy's crate with you when you pick up your pup. Then, you could ask the breeder to rub it on the puppy's mother. The scent will be comforting.

If you ever take your dog for a car ride-even once-you need a way to strap it into the seat belt system. This is a must. Zeus and I were once in a rollover accident, and the worst injury either of us sustained was a bad fright. As I walked through the wreckage, I saw a water bottle about the size of Zeus that had been in my car. The car had landed on it, and it was thoroughly squished. I cannot imagine the grief I would have gone through if that had been Zeus.

You will, of course, need a collar. This is what will hold you're puppy's vaccination tag as well as a tag engraved with your contact information. Our dogs act like they "feel naked" without their collars, and they want their collars back!

However, you will not want to attach a leash to the collar for walks. This is because of a problem called collapsing trachea, which is particularly problematic for small dogs. Their little trachea is about the size of a drinking straw, and putting pressure on it, as will happen with a leash attached to the collar, will cause breathing problems after only a short time. Use a harness for walks. Pinch and choke collars should also be avoided to prevent collapsing trachea.

Walking is an important part of your dog's life, especially with high energy dogs like Min Pins. After they expend their energy walking, they are calmer and more able to pay attention to training.

A harness should be used for walks. As discussed above, a leash should never be attached to the collar of a small dog because of a problem called collapsing trachea. Many types of harnesses are available, but my favorite is the step-in harness. This gives an added measure of safety because if the plastic clasp fails, the harness will still be held by the two metal rings on top.

Since walking is such a big part of life for your dog, a well-fitted harness is a must.

Walking is vital to you're Min Pin's health. Not only does it provide exercise, but it also provides mental stimulation and entertainment. No matter how trustworthy you think your dog is, taking it off leash is dangerous. This is especially true for min pins, who tend to think for themselves. You may think your dog won't run off, but your dog's safety is not worth the risk.

You will want to begin walking your puppy as soon as you bring it home, and therefore, a leash is a must-have. There are countless styles of leashes available, and many good choices. If you choose to get a retractable one, be sure to practice with it before you leave your yard so that pulling your puppy back from danger is second nature.

Miniature pinschers take little grooming. In fact, min pins have particularly sensitive skin, and regular baths can irritate and dry it. They do, however, need to have their nails trimmed. I prefer to trim their nails myself because I have found that not all groomers are particularly gentle and sometimes trim too far back, which causes pain, bleeding, and trust issues. However, if there is a groomer that you know and trust, you can let him or her take this task off your hands.

Chews and toys are some of the most fun items to buy for your little dog. They are also essential if you want to keep your household items intact. Of course, dogs, and especially puppies, must have a place to direct their chewing energy, and so having appropriate chews available at all times will save you a lot of money and frustration.

Toys should be large enough that they don't present a choking hazard, but small enough that your dog can get its little jaws around it. I suggest using only toys meant for dogs. Toys for human children (e.g., stuffed animals) often contain objects, such as buttons or eyes, which can be a choking hazard. Another caution is that the stitching may not be sturdy enough to hold up to a dog's play, which would expose the stuffing. Your dog could choke on the stuffing inside.

Special treats are a big part of a dog's life, and should be planned into their diet. Special treats can be as simple as a few kernels of kibble or as elaborate as homemade dog biscuits. Two treats that we give our dogs regularly are Greenies are Dentahex. Both are good for a dog's teeth.

Both Greenies and Dentahex chews were recommended to me by a veterinarian, and thus, I feel perfectly comfortable giving them to my dogs. Greenies have, in the past, had a problem in that they contained large amounts of undigestible material. The makers of the Greenies have since resolved that issue.

The veternarian who recommended Dentahex to me relayed a story that the teeth of one of the dogs he sees went from "terrible" to "sparkling" in one month's time.

There are many other types of treats that are appropriate for your dog, and you should also factor in your dog's taste preference. (However, I have never noticed a preference with my dogs. They like it ALL!)

Be careful to avoid treats that cause choking hazards. Raw hide treats are very prevalent in pet stores, but raw hide, when wetted by chewing, can become sticky and stick to your dog's throat, which is then a choking hazard. Also avoid anything that may break into hard pieces that could be choked upon.