Attention other MinPin owners! Questions

Hi everyone, I have an 18 month old MinPin/MinPin Cross (Molly) whom I rescued about 2/3 months ago from a shelter.

I've recently noticed that she is still very 'immature' in her behaviour e.g. she still does the funny little 'bow' that puppies do before playing, she is very excitable, does 'zoomies' all day everyday, chews shoes, cardboard, anything she can get her little paws on and all the other things you'd generally associate with puppies.

I understood when I adopted her that she was still very young & had probably had very little socialization & training. However, I'm very interested to see whether this sort of behaviour is the 'norm' with young adult MinPins or whether she is just a weirdo I'm wondering if maybe it is the cross in her coming out or whether it's just down to her still being quite young & having had little training/socialization etc.

I should make it clear here that I'm not complaining about her puppy-like behaviour, I love her to bits, She's the perfect dog for me & I wouldn't change her for all the world (Okay, maybe I'd make her slightly more obedient..). I'd just like to hear any experiences from other MinPin owners

I'm not a minpin owner, but I'm a dog owner and I think what you are describing is fabulous! I love when dogs stay puppyish! My girl is nearing 11 years old and she still play bows and has mad moments. (not a chewer though). I love it! I enjoy every playful moment with her. I know it won't last forever and I'm just grateful its lasted this long.

So I don't think its weird. Lots of dogs remain puppyish well into their late adult years!

Same here.Fudge play bows to flies to try and get them to play with her! She zoomies all the time and she is queen of the tennis ball obsession.....She has never really been a chewer but pinches things she knows she is not supposed to have and brings them to try to get us to chase her!

She does have more calmer moments but I love the fact that she is a playful dog. I am sure it keeps her brain sharp!

Enjoy the play with your Minpin.....I guess we just have some of the Peter Pans from the doggy world!

I'm not a min pin owner but i do have a Dobie and although two and a half!!!! you just described my dog maybe it's a pinscher thing!!! Mine does dog scholl and all that stuff but still does "zoomies" everytime i get home what caqn ya do but love em.

LOL I do not own Min Pins but there are quite a few of different ages that go to the Ringcraft I go to. They are totally nuts lol hardly ever walk on 4 legs and when let of lead at break time they go whoopy, running up and down hall at full speed. Lovely dogs though lol

Lol welcome to the world of being owned by a Min Pin.... Oh how I laughed when you said you wanted to make molly a little more obediant
Min Pins may be small dogs, but what they lack in size they make up for in independance and attitude!
You can train them to know their commands... but whether they actually do as you ask, or look at you and laugh is another matter

Bugzy is 2 and a half and he's the more obediant of the 2. Beth spent a lot of time from when he was a puppy teaching him to listen to her, to stand, be gone over etc, and to be fair when she put's his show lead on he does actually do as she wants ( most of the time ).
He still has his independant streak though, as Beth would tell you when she had to chase Bugzy over a field to catch the little b*gga when he decided to leg it the other week!

Meeka will be 2 in August, well she is a spoilt little madam, Little miss attitude is her nickname... She will do as she's told if I ask her.. If Pete or the girls ask her she just looks at them and carrys on doing whatever she was doing.

As for the zoomies...in this house when the Min pins start Zoomies it's bedlam... they do like the wall of death around the living room, bouncing off the furniture, jumping all over Aura who just lay's there and takes it all bless her.

Little dogs, with huge characters they are

Enjoy deff not just a min pin thing - my pair are still daft pups - ben is 3 now so I dont see him growing up any time soon

I see it as a great sign of a happy confident dog

Haha thanks for the replies everyone! Glad to see Molly isn't the only Peter Pan dog around and that lots of you have zoomy nutters too!

Haha loved your post Bugzy, I can definitely relate! Especially to Beth having to chase Bugzy across a field, I got a bit of Deja Vu there! Molly has learned 'Lie down' since I got her, will stop barking (most of the time...) if told and will come back if there is food involved but 'off' 'sit' and 'no' do not appear to be in her vocabulary! If you would have told me 3 months ago that such a little dog could get into so much trouble I would have laughed it off... not any more, I definitely see what you mean about independence & attitude

As I type MollyMole is sulking under my duvet because today I have been a nasty mum & have confiscated:
- 1 dead frog
- 2 sheets of paper
- Bits of insole (I was trying to rescue the whole insole but alas, I was too late.. )
- A shoe that she had hidden in her bed
- 1 pair of tights
- 1 demolished toy
EDIT: Oh and a tissue. She just emerged from under the duvet with that in her mouth

I have a minpin and he has mad zoomies all the time it is great to watch as he charges all through the house and garden tongue out and legs everywhere!. Your minpin sounds as though she is having a great time

Haha it is great to watch isn't? Especially with their tongue lolling everywhere!

My daughter has a Min Pin cross. At 8 years old, he is still a crazy little fellow. This weekend he had 3 Labs to try to keep straight. He also hates Lab slobber in the water dish. Once when I filled the water dish today, I made the Labs let him drink first.

Perhaps their toddler is helping him when he turns the water dish over.

You have a wonderful little girl Mini pins are so full of personillity ..I think they make one of the best dogs, that will entertain us my girl loves to dance and just plain show off.. we just can't leave the front door open she will take off and RUN !!! and will not listen to us.. but she does no not to go out the door but if you turn your back for 2 mins well she will go on out and then it's chase me time my little Clyde he will run with me to get her..that boy does not need a leash he always stays right at my feet he is a chihuahua such a grand boy I just wish she would stay by me with out a leash, oh well thats a mini pin they are just hiper ..she is also a great watch dog it is funny my Clyde never barked until she came and showed him how to lolol and you know chihuahuas are usually barkers..well he is now, and louder than Bonnies bark
Bonnie is 3 years old and Clyde is 6 years old

Aw your dogs sound adorable, and what wonderful names they have too!

I have the same problem with my Molly running out the door & not coming back when called too! Usually she is kept shut in the living room if we have to open the front door but my mum has forgotten once or twice so like, you I have to run after her and try to round her up! Does Bonnie recall on walks? I've had some trouble teaching Molly to come back but she is starting to get the hang of it now thankfully. I know how furstrating it can be, MinPins definitely have minds of their own sometimes!

I know what you mean about the guarding thing too! I live next door to a park so we have kids running past our house all day & every time Molly sees someone she will rush to the window & bark, bark bark until she is sure that they have gone Your house must be pretty loud with a Chi & a MinPin barking simultaneously!

Do you have any pictures of Bonnie & Clyde? I'd love to see them

Oops, sorry Labman I don't know how I missed your post! Your daughter's MinPin sounds like a lovely little guy, even if he is prone to pushing over water dishes!

I don't believe it someone else has got a Mn Pin I have asked on lots of different forums and there doesnt seem to be any My Bobby is also a rescue and very zoomy loves playing with toys will play fetch all day. he is also very intelligent and is a great working dog he picks things up as quick as any collie I love teaching him new things

Great to hear from another MinPin owner, I've actually just replied to you in another thread

Molly also picks things up really quickly, do you do training classes with Bobby? He sounds adorable, have you got any pics?

I will put some pics on as soon as I get them I have just ordered a new lead to do it then I have got to work out how to do it. I don't do classes I used to to canine freestyle with a collie so I just train on my own I must admit he is a brilliant little dog and he is so keen to learn he has learnt about 15 different commands since I have had him most of them on the verbal command with no signals I can't believe my luck to have such a keen little dog it is so nice to have a fellow Min Pin person on here I would love to compare notes Does Molly keep wanting to work Bob can't get enough I tend to go through his moves and start to teach him something new and then finish leaving him wanting more. His new trick that he is learning is resting his chin on my hand eventually I will transfer it to the floor to look sad. his favourite trick at the moment is cross paws

Fellow Min Pin 'owner' here!
Mine is still a puppy really at 9 months old. Bella (I call her Bella the Belligerent!) I was warned by my vet that they are the TYRANTS of the small dog world!
I on the other hand am the laughing stock of the neighbourhood (relating here to the comment that they rarely walk on all 4 legs) when I take her out and she puts on a pirhouetting show whenever she has an audience!
She is the funniest dog I have ever owned. Very smart, very cute and very naughty!
Understands ALL the commands but only instantly responds to two - SIT (because it usually precedes FOOD) and DOWN (because it usually precedes me putting her lead on her to take her out).
I abandoned teaching her to give me her paw. Now, if I am ignoring her because she is being demanding or noisy, she will voluntarily offer her paw as if to say 'look - I will even give you my paw!'
If I ignore her barking she will make her way to the bathroom where she seems to have cottoned on that her barking sounds ten times louder due to the acoustics!
A totally different dog than my last beloved KC Spaniel (died 2 yrs ago).
She requires a lot of attention and stimulation but who wants a dog that curls up in the corner and ignores you?

This is great lots of min pin fans

Have you got any pics