Home & Garden / Friday, April/19/2024 / 98

Do You Know What Breed Is Known As The "Monkey Dog?"

This little fellow is full of personality plus, and is a Toy breed descended from terriers that worked in stables keeping the rat population at bay. Although they've "shrunk" from their original size, the instinct to rat and the terrier swagger remains as big as ever.

The name Affenpinscher is German and could be loosely translated as "monkey-like terrier" for the fun face these dogs sport. The prominent chin, hair tuft, bushy eyebrows, large eyes and mustached appearance give the Affen a decidedly roguish and simian appearance.

The stiff wiry coat comes in black, gray, silver or black and tan; or brownish red to orangey tan. Some black Affen's have a "rusty" look to the coat, or have brown or white hairs mixed into the coat. Some of the dogs have a black mask. The ears and tail can be either natural, or cropped and docked, according to the standard. If you don't plan to show, there's no good reason to crop and dock your puppy--and frankly, since natural is legal, I'm a fan of keeping pups with natural ears and tail.

In France, the breed is described as "the mustached little devil" which describes both his appearance and temperament. He tends to be very serious and is smart but resistant to training, which must be firm and consistent. He's usually a quiet, inquisitive companion, but likes to dig and can become a noisy and fearless defender if threatened. He gets along well with older kids.