Min Pins - The black dog blog

I decided to blog about my min pins simply because they are hilarious. Those of you that are dog people likely will have similar stories to tell. Depending on the breed, some of those stories might be darn funny. Here is mine..

We have two black Min Pins. Interestingly, they are not mini versions of Doberman Pinschers. We have one male and one female. The male is tiny. He is only 6 lbs. but he is a spitfire. Our female is 16. lbs and completely nuts.

Initially, we bought Max, our first pup, specifically because the breeder told us he would remain super small and his ears would stay floppy. This breeder refused to crop their ears like most Min Pins although, his tail is docked. We call it his Nub. Now, Max was a complete pain in the butt to train. It was as if he was purposely not training to show us who was really in control - him. It was over a year before he was housebroken and another year before we could faithfully leave him alone for more than two seconds without fear of total destruction. We crate trained him and he actually made the crate his little happy place. But, to this day, he has bouts of amnesia and completely forgets everything he learned. I'm not kidding when I say he might walk right up to you and pee on your shoe! Especially if it's yellow and looks like a fire hydrant! Ahh.... Max.

So Max took immediate issue with one of his first toys, a rubber Harley Davidson ball. When he was just a baby and I would try to play with him and the ball, he would go totally stupid on that damn ball. He growls and barks and bites and gets all whipped up into a frenzy. Just hilarious. It became a thing just because it was so funny to see this little 3 pound crazed black dog going mental on a rubber ball. It's still fun to this day except of course he is now 6 lbs. and lightning fast with sharp little claws. The best part is when he finally gets a good grip on the ball with his teeth and proceeds to rip his head from side to side at mach 3 trying to disengage something evil he believes lurks inside this ball. I may have to post a video link here just so you can see what I mean. Sometimes he does it so hard and fast that he gets off balance and falls over!

Then, there is his issue with the vacuum - any vacuum for that matter. Max and the vacuum don't mix. I saw another little dog with this same problem on Dog Whisperer and that Cesar Milan guy just went "SHHH" and that dog stopped immediately. I have been going "SHHH" for 4 years and I think Max just thinks that is the sound humans make when they vacuum - and then he attacks! I have often thought it would be cool if he and the vacuum could bond and he could just ride on the front of it. Just like a little motorized scooter for dogs. Hold your breath for that one.

Anyway, back to Max and his little oddities. We first noticed that often times Max would just simply vanish. I mean 'poof' - little bastard is gone! We would call his name and look for him everywhere and we just could not find the little guy. Of course, we eventually found his secret and he has not been happy about that since. See, Min Pins like to burrow. They burrow under blankets, couch cushions, clothes - anything they can get under. This tends to be problematic when your not quite housebroken little puppy finds a favorite spot under your sheets! The act of simply sitting on the couch becomes an investigative endeavor in search of the vanishing canine. In any case, we learned to enjoy this behavior because our little guy would curl up next to you on the sofa and use his nose to lift your arm so he could snuggle up right in the little pocket he made for himself. He will stay there for hours - unless that damn ball gets kicked or moved of course - or the doorbell rings. Wow! These dogs don't like doorbells. I believe they think there is something that lives in the little overhead box on the hallway wall and every now and then this tiny creature feels the urge to make some bells ring. The way they both stand there staring at the box and barking like loons seems to cooroborate my suspicions.

Another fun little behavior of Min Pins is this incessant need to jump like a monkey. These dogs ain't playin'. They JUMP! I have actually watched Max launch from a sitting position, over the entire love seat, a quick little stop on the back of the sofa and completely into the next room all within about 2 1/2 seconds. We call him circus dog because of his acrobatic abilities. Plus, he often balances for what seems like an eternity on his hind legs and sort of dances around. We're not exactly sure what that means yet. I'll have to get back to you on that. So this jumping thing is funny because sometimes, he totally biffs. I have been thinking lately that there should be helmets for little dogs like Max that have overactive rubber band -like springs in their legs. Max likes to hide under the coffee table for some reason and then he will burst from under the table on to the couch. Occasionally, he misses and knocks his head on the bottom of the table. The first couple times he did this, I totally freaked out. I figured he must have shattered his tiny little skull. Oddly enough, it never seemed to bother him. Still, I think the helmet would be a good idea. I could cut the Harley ball in half and sew some string to it and strap it on his head. Oh my God! He would go absolutely mad if I did that. Maybe I should use something else.

So this jumping often times leads to personal injury to us fragile humans on a count of we have this weak outer shell called skin. This usually involves what could be considered an Olympic qualifying vault from Max accidentally colliding with one of our thighs, or stomach or the occasional baby maker pounce! OUCH! When this happens, Max continues with whatever the hell he was doing which usually means licking the heck out of some part of your arm until you lift it so he can get under and make a little cave for himself. You on the other hand, or me I suppose, am left trying to disguise my agony from just having been neutered by my dog! I guess it's his little way of paying me back for surgically turning him into a eunuch. They say this breed is super smart so I guess it's possible? Nah..

OK, now before I move on to our female, Tess, I have to say one last thing about Max. Max "L's" Yes, that is right, he LLLLL's. (EL's) At least that is what we call it. No, it's not some new fangled new age dog thing, he actually kind of says - whines- the letter L in repetition. If you get him comfy on his back and rub his belly, he starts sticking his little pink tongue in and out really fast and each time it comes back out, an "L" comes along with it. It's freakin' loud too. I can be on the other side of the house and hear him "Elling". L-L-L-L-L-----LLLLL Seriously, it's the funniest damn thing I've ever seen - or heard. Sometimes he does it when Tessie is trying to play with him right before he gets pissed off and barks at her for setting up permanent residence on his back. Tessie has no idea what he is talking about and then proceeds to bite his butt which sends him into a symphony of LLLLLL! Tonight ladies & gentlemen, we will be hearing Max's symphony in L - minor with accompaniment by the West Side Growlers!

Beyond the 6 lb. watchdog of terror mentality, the complete lack of cooperation on a leash, the little "accidents", the high pitched bark that can actually break glass, and the ELLING, Max is the coolest little pup ever. He is friendly (at least to us), he is playful, he is adorable and has the softest fur in the world. But besides that, he is exactly what a dog should be - a best friend. Oh, and I almost forgot, Max has one more special gift. He moonwalks! Seriously, he does the moonwalk shuffle. Sometimes he does this after a nice poop but other times, he just feels the need to shuffle. Occasionally, he will shuffle so fast and in so many directions, I have actually seen sparks fly off his back paws. Tessie has started to copy this and I am thinking of getting two white gloves and entering them both on So You Think You Can Dance. Watch out Nigel!

Now, the first thing about Tess is that she is a beast. We call her the beast because she has one goal in this world - food. That dog will do just about anything for food. Tessie's story is different. We found her for sale right around the corner and we just could not resist. After all, Max would love a playmate right? NOT! You can see in the picture at the top that when we got her, she was sooooo tiny. We gave her a bath in a measuring cup! About 3 weeks after we got her, she still had not grown much but I began to notice something peculiar about Tess. Her paws were growing more than anything else! I knew right then that she was going to probably be big. Poor Max.

When Max was a pup, he never had any problems. We took him in for his shots and to be fixed and that was it. Tess on the other hand was a bit more work. First, it was worms. Yuck! Then, her fur started to fall out - mange. Then, she decided to enjoy her own creations if you know what I mean. Double Yuck! Oh, what a nightmare she was for a while. But, it soon became clear that her personality was going to outweigh any issues she had in the past with one exception - chewing. First, she put some cheese and hot sauce on the leg of the coffee table and made nachos out of that. Then it was one of the couch cushions for lunch. I was really pissed about that one! Then, her blankets and her bedding went through the TESS-SHRED-O-MATIC. So did Max's. One more cushion and a few socks, some baseboards, a couple of the little rubber things on the door stops, various toys that were supposed to be chew-proof and last but not least, anything dropped within a country mile of her that resembles food. Bam! She is there so fast you would almost think she had special powers. Should have called her chewy.   She is like those vampires in the Twilight series.  Hmmm?  She is a dog.  Maybe there is something she is not telling us.  Were there any female werewolves in that?  She certainly is hot enough.  Damn dog is like a space heater.  She sits on your lap on an August afternoon when it's 102 outside and it's not fun.  Then again, when my feet are cold in January...

Tessie, a name we stole from Tahoe Tessie, is a very unique little girl. (big girl actually) She is so sweet and just loves everyone. She loves to be held and cuddled. She loves to play and she plays hard - with no help from Max I might add. I think Max is afraid she is going to kick his ass. Little sissy. Anyway, Tess is a lover - but totally and completely whacko. She does things that just don't make sense which, of course, just adds to our enjoyment because she provides a near constant source of entertainment. I believe she has a nervous tick because sometimes when we are walking outside she will go all mental on the grass and bite it and chew it and get all worked up. She's tried to carry that nonsense into the house and give it a whirl with the carpet which quickly got her banished from that room- for about five minutes. Then there is the chasing of the tail. Now, I know this is a common dog behavior but it just never gets old to see her running in circles 50 times trying to catch that damn thing.  It's so uneventful when she finally does catch it though.  I guess the fun is in the chase. 

Over the weekend, we finally agreed, as a family, on another one of her behaviors that up until now, had been in question. There can be no question now, the dog watches TV! What is better is that she reacts to it. I think the movie Hotel for Dogs is what did it. She will lay on her back on the couch, feet towards the back cushions, totally spread eagle and watch TV and make faces completely upside down. Try explaining that one!  With this movie full of dogs, she was almost talking to the TV.  Barking, making all sorts of noises we had never heard before - she found her song!  I think that is from a movie?  Finding your song? 

Anyway, The Beast has even less regard for where she lands from a 6 ft. vault than Max.  Tessie will jump right on your head.  Then, she will paint your face with the ever present lick machine we call a tongue.  Her new thing is bothering me.  She will coming flying up to me, bark at me once, drop her front legs down and wag the hell out of her tail, and then if I try to pick her up, she bails.  She will do this over and over.  I don't understand that one yet.  I think it means find a toy and throw it you stupid human.  Duh!  Don't you know anything? 

All in all, both dogs are unique and a ton of fun - well, a few pounds anyway.  They both have cool little things they do that make us laugh or make us want to hug them.  Occasionally they do things that make us want to duct tape their asses to the ceiling fan and put it on high while spraying them with water.  There is so much more to say about these two but this is a good  start.  It seems almost every day, one of them does something so great that brings a smile to all of our faces that we could not imagine life without these dogs.  Sure there will come a day, but for now, we are enjoying every minute with our Mins. 

More  to come....