Beautiful Min Pin, My New Girl Options

[Ann H]

I just had to let everyone know my daughter called me this afternoon. She said she had a min pin for me that someone no longer wanted. Our daughter said she is black and tan, and a female, her name is Summer, she is a year old.

The people did not like how big she was or the dog noses (prints) she left on windows. I love that kind of thing it doesn't bother me in the least. I still have not washed Snookie's off the window of my car. My heart was wildly racing I have always loved the black and tan min pin.

Clair and I went rushing like crazy to go see her. She is a beautiful girl, and she is so friendly. When we got there the first thing she did was come running and gave me kisses. Well I was hooked right then, any who gives strangers kisses has to be good.

We brought her home and there were no fights between her, Schnitzel and Gypsy Rose. She did not bother the kitties Amber or Cinny. So far she has not bothered Clair's parrot Chico. So all seems to be well.

Clair said he believes God had it all planned and it will help to ease the sorrow of Chili Bean's passing that falls on the 11th. I just feel so excited although she will in no way take the place of my precious Snookie or Chili Bean. But we will love the little girl and give her the best life we can.
Ann

[Ann H]

Here is another picture of my new girl Summer. Both pictures were taken as soon as we got in the door and so was the one of my husband and Summer.
Ann

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[jillybromley]

I'm SO happy for you Ann.

She is a real little darling. A beauty girl, no less. And what a lucky girl too. She's just about to learn that she's just become a member of what must be one of the most loving and fun-loving homes for furbabies in the whole of the USA!

Lucky girl. It's a beautiful name, too. Summer ... it suits her so well.

with love
jilly

[Rusty's Mom]

Dear Ann and Clair,

Congratulations on the newest member of your family. Summer is so beautiful and so lucky too!!!!

Lynn

[Norah'sMom]

Dear Ann,

What a beautiful girl! I am so happy that you have found a new love. It makes life wonderful to know that even amidst the sorrow of death there can be joy in new life. She is quite the lucky girl to have such a loving family to take care of her forever.

We too are bringing a new family member into our home. We have found a 6-month old spaniel mix named Lucy (picture below) that we are going to adopt. When I look into her eyes I truly believe that my Allie has sent me an angel from heaven. Like you said, our girls could never be replaced, but I know our new girls will make wonderful additions to our homes.

Congrats!!!
Jenny

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[CheriAnn]

Ann and Clair,

I am SO happy for you both! What a beautiful little girl
Who in the world would ever want to just give up on such a precious furdog?!
Clair must be right. It was all planned!!!!

Cheri

[Jazzygirl]

Ann,
She's beautiful!! I love her name! I'm so happy for you. I wish you lots of luck and love!!
Audrey

[Kimi]

Dear Ann,

Summer is beautiful and I'm sure Snookie and Chili Bean are looking down from that Rainbow Bridge and giggling knowing what a wonderful home Summer is getting.

How doe's someone not like nose prints? We have nose prints all over our windows from our 3 cats and I think their adorable.

I want to thank you for the comforting words during my grieving of my furbaby Ayla's passing. We have 3 other furbabies and if I hadn't had them to come home to, I don't know how I would have survived. Ayla was 9 when we started adopting more babies and she was not fond of them at all. I think she felt I betrayed her by bringing these kids in but they needed homes so bad. I'll never forget the look on her face when she found me playing with Kiwi in the bedroom, the first of the 3 we adopted. I still feel guilty when I think back on that, but we always tried to make her feel special. I just hope she loves me for the things I did right and forgives me for the things I did wrong. I'm glad your other babies have accepted Summer.

I would love to have a dog someday....

My thoughts are with you,
Kimi

[Ann H]

Clair and I thank you all so much for welcoming our new girl into our lives. We think Summer is going to work out just fine. I think I will add a middle name for her and call her Summer Breeze! I think that sounds so cute for a little min pin. Jenny your new baby is a real doll. I loved the thought that Snookie and Chili Bean are looking down giggling. They know I will give her the best of care and love.

[Ann H]

I cannot believe how wild this little girl is. She refuses to go potty outside no matter how many times we take her out and just does it in the house. She doesn't even seem to know her name she doesn't even look up when we call her.

After she was in the house for a while when I brought her home yesterday she started barking at the cats all the time. They hiss at her and make a growing sound, if they get in the floor she chases them. She is making our little poodle Gypsy Rose so unhappy.

Schnitzel seems to be real zealous everytime she comes to see me. Summer wont stay out of the trash and gets into everything. I don't know if all min pins are like this or not. She jumped on my face and body off and on during the night. I got even less sleep than I have been getting.

Summer took one of the ham bones and became real aggressive and tried to bite my husband. I used the broom handle to try to move it away from her and she bit it so hard she left teeth marks.

I just don't know how it is going to work out. I never thought there would be so much trouble bringing a full grown dog into the house. I don't know if I want to deal with this.
Ann

[Pamela]

Oh Ann, I just read this!!!!! I know Min Pins are very hyper dogs, and some animals just dont have that pleasant disposition that we are used to with our own babies we have raised. And who knows what kind of history she has had...abused babies are affected for life fur and human....
Sounds like she is going to be some work. I hope everything works out....maybe she has been to damaged to be part of a large fur family still insecure and alone. A home with possibly one person may be better? Gosh I hope this works out. Love Pamela

[QorquisDad]

Hi Ann,

I really hope it works out with Summer. She's such a pretty little girl.

Here's a little info I found on the breed. I'm guessing she can be broken of the bad habits, but it's gonna take some time and effort.

The Miniature Pinscher is a hardy little fellow that is very demanding and headstrong. This proud, overly courageous dog likes to bark. They are loyal to their masters, spirited and alert, with high energy. Intelligent, lively and brave, it is a big dog in a little dog's body. The Miniature Pinscher is moderately protective. Some can be very aggressive with other dogs, but they are generally good with other pets and children provided the children do not pester. They are rather suspicious towards strangers, but their behavior depends entirely upon how they were brought up as young pups. Don't spoil this breed too much or the dog may become a tyrant. The Miniature Pinscher can learn extremely well and wants very much to do so. It is certainly beneficial for its socialization to take the dog to puppy courses where it can meet other dogs and people. You will be amazed at how fast the Miniature Pinscher understands and obeys you. Pay particular attention when housebreaking this little Pinscher, since a little puddle from such a small dog can easily be overlooked; the dog may get the idea that you are happy to accept it fulfilling its natural needs indoors. The Miniature Pinscher is often called "King Of The Toys." Beware, this little dog will chew small objects and may choke on them. Do not overfeed this breed.

Here's the link to the site where I found this: Miniature Pinscher Information

We had a couple Min Pin's when I was a kid, and they're really very fun to have around when they're taught how to behave.

Tim

[Rusty's Mom]

Jenny,

Lucy is beautiful!!! So happy you have her to love and that she has you (and Norah, too ).


Ann,

I hope it works out with Summer..... especially since you have other furkids and your human grandkids around. Sounds like you'll have to find a good trainer. I'd worry since you said she tried to bite Clair. Heidi, my German shepherd lets me take anything out of her mouth, including food of any kind. That's the way it should be for safety's sake. Food aggression (or any aggressive behavior) needs to be dealt with by a professional. Hopefully, she can be retrained. I just worry with your other pets and grandchildren around. If anyone can help her, it will be you or at least you'll give it a good try. That certainly is alot for you to handle after losing your sweet girls. Pamela may be right, too about Summer doing well in a one-person home. Well, hang in there.

Lynn

[Jazzygirl]

I'm sorry to hear about Summer, Ann.
Perhaps you should crate train her for now? That will help with the housebreaking and also at night. She needs to learn some manners. I'm also guessing she's confused (who knows what she's been through) and is testing her boundaries. Perhaps once the boundaries are set and she learns that you and Clair are the Alphas in the pack, she'll back off. For now I'd stay away from giving her bones, etc. until she calms down. Sounds like all in all you have to go back to sqare one. I'd definitely crate her as you would a puppy.
I wish you lots of patience and luck!

[Del]

Ann,
Summer sounds like a handful, but I'm sure she's not had much love and attention. Plus, she's a teenager at one year old. And we all know how teenagers act!! Jake was pretty wild when I got him and he also was not housetrained. I think the people who had him just locked him in a room or a garage and left him there for hours on end. He had no manners.

I'll second what Audrey said about crate training. I have crate trained both of my dogs and it worked great. In fact, Jake still stays in a very large crate when I leave the house.

As for the aggressiveness with toys, you've got to nip that right now. Sadie went through 3 obedience classes...not that you could tell, but she did!! In those classes, the instructor taught us that every piece of property, toy, bone, etc..is yours. Nothing is owned by the dog and you must teach the dog that. That was one of the best lessons I learned in obedience classes! Sadie tried to be possessive, but I worked and worked on that until she relented. I also held her down on the floor or on the couch until she would stop wiggling. It took a long time, but she finally learned that I was the boss. I sincerely believe those were some of the main reasons why both my Dals were nice.

I just recently watched a program on PBS about dog training. The instructor said that when you're training a dog, you always start with the commands, Sit and Stay. You put a leash on the dog and work on the Sit position and tell him to Stay over and over again. Then you gradually put something down in front of the dog and when he goes to get it, you pull up on the leash and say No....then Sit and Stay.

I wish I remembered the instructor's name because he has a video tape out. He was very good.

Maybe you could call your vet or a local vet and ask if they know of a good obedience class that is offered near your home. I'm sure Summer Breeze will be a good dog if she's trained properly. She's learned some bad manners and just needs a little instruction on how to be a good dog.

Take care!
Carol

P.S. I have nose prints all over my doors and windows and I don't mind them!! Heck, I tell people they're the trademark of a dog lover!!

Jenny,
Lucy is darling!! I'm so happy for you!!

[Kathleen032]

Dear Ann,

Summer is adorable! I love seeing all the pictures of you and Clair and Summer.

It makes my heart happy when I see an animal that's been rejected by someone, adopted by such a wonderful loving family. I think if you give her a little time, hopefully things will work out.

Love,
Kathleen

PS - Jenny, Lucy is so cute! She has such deep caring eyes.

[Ann H]

Thank you all for your advice. Maybe it will just take some time to adjust to our home. Summer did not try to bite us when we got close to her food. So hopefully it was only the ham bone made her try to bite and when she put teeth marks in the broom handle it scared me and Clair. I liked the web site Tim thanks. My main worry is the safety of my 6 grand children and with the new baby coming I worry a lot. I guess it would be good to get her in a class. Maybe that would help a lot it is worth a try.

The woman we got her from said she was caged for 9 hours a day while she was at work. She said she was then let out of the cage and taken out to go potty. Maybe she really is not housebroken, and I let her have freedom to fast since I felt sorry that they caged her like that. I hope she does get the hang of going outside to go potty.

I will have to work on that and on the trash issues and the barking at the kitties. At least she is coming and sitting with me more than she did yesterday. So maybe she will be able to learn how to love. I just wanted to rescue her and have her love me and be loved.
Ann

[Kristie]

Ann,

I used to foster dogs for my local Humane Society and I know what it's like to bring an 'adult' dog into your home. Your experience with Summer over the last few days reminds me of some of the little ones I cared for. I had a Doberman (full size) for almost two months living with Kasha, LeStat and my Border Collie, Macie. He was a lovely dog, named Clyde, but he was a HANDFUL! He was almost 2 years old when he came to stay with us and had not had a very nice life up to that point. He didn't know his name, didn't know any commands (sit, stay....) and didn't even seem to know the meaning of the word NO. He had very bad house manners, chased the cats, fought with Macie (soooo scary, he was twice Macie's size and she was VERY protective of me), pooped on the livingroom carpet daily, and defended his food and toys with growls and bared teeth. I didn't have any kids at that time (and didn't have to worry about any little fingers being snapped at) so I decided to keep him with us for awhile to see if he would settle in.

It took almost 5 weeks for him to relax and feel like part of the family but it DID happen. By the end of his time with us he was housebroken, knew his name (although didn't always choose to listen when I called him:), had stopped chasing the cats, and had lost much of the aggression about his belongings.

Having many dogs in my home over the years, especially adult dogs, I found that the most important thing I had to do was establish myself as leader of the pack with each of them. Summer just needs to know that you and Clair rank above her in the chain of command (so to speak) and then your rules will become the law to her. I was trained to 'break' the dogs that came to me (most were aggressive) by gently physically restraining them for short periods. Once establishing a friendship with the dog after a week or so I would sit on the floor with them and GENTLY hold their muzzle....most dogs do NOT like this at all because it takes away their best method of defence for a minute (biting) and they do whine and complain quite a bit. The trick is to do this GENTLY but without letting go and then you just have to wait until they stop whining and lay still (usually about 3 minutes). It the equivilent of two dogs showing their strength and attempting to overpower the other to become leader of the pack (but with no aggression). Once the dog realized that I was bigger and stronger than they were I was accepted as the alpha dog and whatever I said went. I was able to take food from Clyde's mouth after holding his muzzle three times (mind you this was not an easy feat when your pupil almost outweighs you...he was a BIG doggie).

Some people don't agree with this style of training but it worked so well for me and my little borders. The dogs were never hurt....well, their pride suffered a bit the first time but they quickly got over it. I only bring it up because it sounds to me like Summer hasn't figured out who the boss is yet. Maybe talking to a local trainer or your wonderful vet might help. They might have some good ideas on how to establish yourself as alpha in other ways if the above method is just not for you.

Best of luck with Summer Ann. She's probably just confused right now BUT do be careful. Some dogs just have a strong personality and a grumpy disposition....if you don't think it will work out don't feel badly about placing her in a home without other furbabies and children.....

Take care,
Kristie

[Snickster]

Dear Ann & Jenny,

YAAAAAAAAAHOOOO TO YOU TWOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Your new little ones are both GORGEOUS! I just want to grab the both of them and nibble right on the bridge of their little noses!!! LOL!!!

I couldn't possibly be happier for the both of you, as this is just what your hearts need. Your angel babies did a fantastic job of picking out just the right new additions for you!!!!

SNOOPY DANCE!!!!!!!!

Hugs,

Pat

[Ann H]

Thanks all. I had the grand children over and Summer loved them all. She romped and played with them for hours, never tried to hurt any of them. I removed all the bones from the house and any of the chew bones.

Tim thanks for the new sites you e-mailed me. I appreciate all the info I can get. The more I know about this breed the better I can train her. They sure are high energy for sure.

Thanks for the wonderful advise Kristie. I will try it it sounds good to me. I told my husband I feel a bit guilty I did not cry for Snookie and Chili Bean today.

He said he thinks the girls did send Summer to me to help me heal. I do hope she works our for us. I will give her some time to get used to us and give her some training.
Love, Ann