Fun Affenpinscher Facts For Kids

Supriya Jain
Aug 29, 2023 By Supriya Jain
Originally Published on Aug 05, 2021
Here are Affenpinscher facts about these cute animals with high energy level.
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 9.4 Min

If someone asks you to name your favorite animal, which is cute, loyal, and friendly, then what will be your answer? Well, for most of you, the answer will be a dog.

Dogs which are well known for their loyal and affectionate nature towards humans, never fail to keep their humans happy. There are hundreds of dog breeds in the world, and an Affenpinscher is one of these dog breeds.

An Affenpinscher, also known as a monkey terrier, originated in Germany.

As per breed standard, it is one of the most popular toy breeds who was whose breeding became popular after the world war II. Affenpinschers have a wiry coat that can range between silver, red, black and tan colors.

The primary purpose for breeding this dog was to kill rodents in houses and shops. This dog was bred in the 17th century, and since then, this dog has never failed to win the hearts of people.

This dog ranks 148 of 197 under the American Kennel club. Let’s have a look at some of the interesting facts about Affenpinscher dogs. Afterwards, do check out our articles on golden retriever husky and Bernedoodle.

Affenpinscher Interesting Facts

What type of animal is an Affenpinscher?

An affenpinscher, also known as a monkey terrier, is a dog with a monkey-like appearance. Although this dog breed is considered loyal and loving among the families, it doesn’t like to live alone.

What class of animal does an Affenpinscher belong to?

An Affenpinscher belongs to the mammal class of animals. Their monkey-like appearance has given them a reputation as they seem quite adorable.

How many Affenpinschers are there in the world?

Affenpinscher is a rare dog, as it is difficult to find a suitable mate for this dog. There is not enough information available regarding the exact number of their population.

Where does an Affenpinscher live?

An Affenpinscher lives in plains, usually in residential areas. People are adopting these dogs in large numbers as they are getting quite popular. They do need a suitable environment to live in.

What is an Affenpinscher's habitat?

An affenpinscher is a small toy dog. These dogs can live in houses and apartments. These dogs are highly intelligent and easy to train and should be exposed to regular exercise.

Who do Affenpinschers live with?

Affenpinschers live with their owners. These dogs make perfect watchdogs as they like to remain alert and sniff out any suspicious occurrence.

How long does an Affenpinscher live?

The average lifespan of an Affenpinscher is 12-14 years. However, with proper training and common health checkups, these dogs can live longer than their life expectancy.

How do they reproduce?

Dogs reproduce by sexual reproduction. An affenpinscher often faces difficulty in finding a suitable partner for mating. On finding a suitable partner, the dogs mate with each other. And after mating, a female affenpinscher gives birth to two to three Affenpinscher puppies after a gestation period of 58-63 days.

What is their conservation status?

An Affenpinscher dog is a rare dog, but its population is not facing any threat of extinction. So, their conservation status is of the least concern as per the stats from the American Kennel Club and Affenpinscher Club of America.

Affenpinscher Fun Facts

Affenpinscher got its name from the German word, 'Affe', which means a monkey. Its ancestors were quite interesting and were known as Brussels Griffon and miniature Schnauzer.

Originally this dog was bred for pest control, but its cute appearance caught the attention of many, and this dog became one of the most famous toy dog breeds. Here we have some more interesting facts about an Affenpinscher dog.

What do Affenpinschers look like?

The expression of an Affenpinscher looks a lot similar to that of a monkey and which is why the dog is also known as a monkey terrier dog. The dog has large, dark eyes, a short muzzle, and a lower jaw slightly protruding.

The tail of an Affenpinscher is 1-3 in long. The coat of this dog is thick, rough, and bushy.

The color of the coat can be black, gray, silver, beige, red, black and tan. The coat of this breed is shaggier over the head and shoulders, thereby forming the shape of a mane while the coat is shorter towards the back and hind quarters.

Affenpinscher dog breed has a rough coat.

How cute are they?

These dogs are indeed very cute. The tiny little body, monkey-like face, and clownish behavior make these dogs a lot more adorable and cute.

How do they communicate?

In order to communicate, they can bark, grunt, growl, howl, whimper. Apart from these, they can make gestures, for example, if they do not want to eat food, they can simply turn their face away. In this way, by using such small gestures and sounds, a dog can communicate.

How big is an Affenpinscher?

An Affenpinscher is one of the popular toy breeds. An Affenpinscher is a few inches bigger than the smallest dog breed Chihuahua. The standing height of this dog is 9-11 in.

How fast can an Affenpinscher run?

An Affenpinscher can run at a top speed of 15 miles per hour. The reason for their fastness is that they love to sprint and jump around. Accordingly, a proper habitat should be provided for them for their activities.

How much does an Affenpinscher weigh?

The average weight of an Affenpinscher is 6-13.2 lb. Do watch out for its eating habits as excessive eating may lead to obesity and invite various diseases.

What are their male and female names of the species?

The male Affenpinscher is known as a dog and a female Affenpinscher is known as a bitch.

What would you call a baby Affenpinscher?

A baby Affenpinscher will be called an Affenpinscher puppy.

What do they eat?

Affenpinscher dogs are usually kept as pet dogs and they eat dog food. Dog food consists of meat, cereals, and grains. Apart from dog food, they can eat dairy products, carrots, and dog biscuits.

Are they slobbery?

The Affenpinschers do no drool much. They are less slobbery. However, if you see them slob more than usual, then you should consult a vet immediately as it may drool due to an illness.

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, they can definitely make a good pet. The Affenpinscher dog breed is well suited for pet life.

These dogs are loyal and affectionate and they make a good bond with their owners. So, they are well suited for a family and also they can be good companion dogs as well. Regular training and exercise will help keeping various common health conditions at bay.

Did you know...

The Affenpinscher got its name from the German word Affe, which means a monkey. The reason behind naming it as a monkey was that they used to make facial expressions that were similar to a monkey's expression. An Affenpinscher is also known as a monkey terrier, Affen, Monkey Dog, Ape terriers.

The Affenpinscher dog is hypoallergenic. They are low shedding and dander retaining dogs. Moreover, they do not drool much which makes these dogs best suited for allergy sufferers.

Affenpinschers can be stubborn. These little dogs are mischievous and fun-loving dogs, but they lose interest in things very quickly. Proper training can help in reducing their stubborn behavior.

Affenpinschers are very affectionate and loyal-natured dogs. They love to spend time with their owners. These dogs when they are done with their playing and adventurous little tours around the house, come and cuddle with their owners. So, it can be said that these little dogs can be good lapdogs.

Affenpinschers are not very aggressive in nature. They are stubborn and freedom-loving dogs, but there are very few accounts of their aggressive nature. They can show a little bit of aggression when they are reluctant to do something. Apart from that, they never show any serious form of aggression.

The exercise requirement of Affenpinschers is moderate. 30 minutes of exercise is enough for them. A short walk twice a day is totally enough for these little dogs.

Whether it is an Affenpinscher or any other dog, it is not advised to keep a dog alone in the house. Dogs are social animals and leaving them locked up in the home can make them upset and aggressive.

Moreover, if the dogs are left alone then they might make a mess in your house. So,  kindly try to avoid leaving a dog alone at home.

Characteristics and health conditions

Affenpinschers can suffer from Orthopedic diseases such as luxating patella, Legg Calve Perthes, hip dysplasia. Luxating patella is a very common orthopedic disease in this dog breed.

Apart from orthopedic diseases, this dog breed suffers from various heart issues such as patent ductus arteriosus and mitral valve disease. Also, the Affenpinscher dog can suffer from eye diseases like cataracts, glaucoma, corneal ulcers, dry eye, and tear duct disorders.

Hormonal diseases faced by this breed are hypothyroidism and Cushing's disease. The Affenpinscher can also suffer from skin problems including allergies causing itchy skin, pyoderma, sebaceous cysts.

Some other health problems faced by Affenpinscher dog breed is a blood-clotting disease, liver shunt, hernias, dental disease, and harmless reverse sneezing.

An Affenpinscher is known as a Diablotin Moustachu in France. The word diablotin moustachu means 'Mustached little devil'.

Getting your own Affenpinscher

Affenpinschers can prove to be good companion dogs. So, If you want to keep an Affenpinscher dog as a pet, and want to know more about this dog's price, temperament and training, then here we have gathered all the relevant details about Affenpinscher for you.

Affenpinscher is a purebred dog, but the breeder faces difficulty in finding a suitable partner for this dog. So in order to find a suitable partner, sometimes they have to travel out of the country, and that's why an Affenpinscher dog is an expensive dog. An Affenpinscher puppy can cost somewhere between $1800-$2500.

An affenpinscher dog is a cute, playful dog who is fond of freedom and adventures. These dogs might look weak and cowardly but that is so not true.

These little dogs are actually really bold and brave. These little fellows are super curious about new things, but they soon get bored as well. This dog is very loyal and affectionate towards its owner, so this dog can also be a good companion and lap dog.

Affenpinscher dog breed is of brave, bold, and feisty little dogs. These dogs are said to be hard to train as these dogs are quite stubborn and freedom lovers. But if they are given basic training about being obedient, then the rest of the training becomes a piece of cake.

These little dogs are very intelligent and smart and moreover, they are fond of pleasing their owners, so if you praise your dog then this will make your dog more eager to learn new things.

These monkey-like dogs get bored real quick, and in such a case, they can lose interest in training sessions. So, try to keep their training sessions short and frequent, by doing this they will not get bored soon.

Proper training of an Affenpinscher can help a lot in fixing the stubborn nature of the dog. So, training should not be avoided at all costs. Only a properly trained dog becomes well qualified for a pet dog.

An affenpinscher should be given high quality dog food only. The dog food should be well balanced in all the nutrients and consist of all the essential food items such as meat, cereals, and grains.

You can also prepare dog food at home or you can simply purchase ready-to-eat dog food from the market. If you are preparing your dog's food at home then make sure to consult with your dog's veterinarian doctor first, each and every item of homemade dog food should be approved by the doctor.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals including pitbull chihuahua mix, or pitbull mastiff mix.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Affenpinscher coloring pages.

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Written by Supriya Jain

Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration specializing in Marketing

Supriya Jain picture

Supriya JainBachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration specializing in Marketing

As a skilled member of the Kidadl team, Shruti brings extensive experience and expertise in professional content writing. With a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from Punjab University and an MBA in Business Administration from IMT Nagpur, Shruti has worked in diverse roles such as sales intern, content writer, executive trainee, and business development consultant. Her exceptional writing skills cover a wide range of areas, including SOP, SEO, B2B/B2C, and academic content.

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