Welcome To Home Of Heathside Miniature Pinschersš¾
Helping You Raise A Healthy, Happy Miniature Pinscher
We love the Miniature Pinscher aka the Min Pin and have long been true enthusiasts of the breed. We’re very happy and blessed to have you visit our site to learn more about this wonderful little toy breed. All visitors from all countries are welcome! Whether you are here to learn more about the Min Pin, are thinking about adding a new Min Pin to your family or just have an appreciation for the breed youāve come to the right place as you’ve arrived at a one stop shop of information for the Miniature Pinscher, where you will find everything you’ve ever wanted to know. Our experience with the breed has lead us to become knowledgeable regarding how to properly care for and train them as well as how to cater for their needs to give them the best life possible. From it’s inception during the Easter of 2020, our beautifully illustrated website is ready to launch in the Autumn of 2021 and we are itching to bring you the highest quality content regarding the Miniature Pinscher as an answer to a lack of credible breed-specific resources on the internet, in particular for us UK-based Min Pin lovers.
About The Team Of Min Pin Enthusiastsš¾
Behind Heathside Miniature Pinschers are Gemma and Winton as well as a few of their dog-loving friends, Lee and Ingrid, who have imparted their valuable knowledge to this website. A duo located in leafy green Hampstead in north London, Gemma and Winton are firm long-time friends who live a stoneās throw from the beautiful and famous Heath and are wholly devoted, loving parents to their Min Pin, Mikki.
Gemmaš¾
Gemma grew up originally in west London and discovered this idyllic, beautiful and picturesque part of the capital when she had to stay with Winton in Finchley during a rough time, over 11 years ago. After visiting the Heath during that time, she fell in love with the area and decided to move there. Since then, Hampstead has been her home. It was definitely one of the best decisions she’s ever made.
Wintonš¾
Winton was born and raised in Finchley and Hendon. He is a true north Londoner as he hasn’t lived anywhere else. A self-confessed cat-lover, he has always been surrounded by cats and every now and then will recall fond memories of his first Siamese cats, Ophelia and Octavian. After that he had 3 more cats he was completely besotted with (and they with him!) and around 2006, he got into breeding Bengal cats and soon after, Savannah cats. It is the elegant beauty and grace of these animals that attracts Winton to cats but he could never say the same about dogs, which he had no experience with. Moving in with Gemma over 3 years ago changed that for him. He is the first to say just how much Mikki has enriched his life both at home when he’s busy working and when he’s out on his walks in the park-there’s even talk of Winton saying he may bring another dog into their little household soon!
Leeš¾
Lee, native to Borehamwood, has had dogs all of his life and now shares his life with a fun-loving black Labrador Retriever, named Benzo. Lee has had the pleasure of owning and breeding two chocolate Min Pins along with his family and is definitely well-versed on what these little critters are like as puppies! However, he also truly understands what a dog needs training-wise and personally knows dog trainers who are friends of his. He works with his dog Benzo on his obedience on a daily basis and we can definitely attest that Benzo is a well-behaved, clever pooch! Lee has been fantastic with bringing all the best training information and tips to this website for Min Pin owners to be able to easily train their dogs.
Ingridš¾
Ingrid has always been something of a small dog lover as the dog-sitting company she works for can attest; she’s always seen picking up and cuddling the Miniature Schnauzers and the Toy Poodles and if she’s not doing that, then she’ll definitely have a little fur-ball who has fallen asleep on her lap! But at the moment the love of her life is a large Red Labradoodle, Wrangler as well as a Min Pin, Millie. Millie is a smart and beautiful little girl who has won a few titles at Crufts! Ingrid is no stranger to dog showing and definitely knows a thing or two about it and is always happy to answer questions.
Craigš¾
Raised in north-west London and a long-time dog lover, owner, trainer and occasional breeder, Craig loves all breeds large and small. He has the pleasure of sharing his life with two fabulous black and tan Min Pins called Zenith and Poppy and a lilac fawn Frenchie called Fran. Dedicating himself to learning as much as he can about dog behaviour (one of his few passions), he regularly advises owners on what their pooches need and has been something of a life-saver in helping them. He leads a busy weekly routine and loves nothing more than to wind down by taking time out on Alexandra park and Hampstead Heath with his three canine loves.
Meet Our Mikkiš¾
Our boy Mikki especially loves his walks on the Heath! We take him there almost daily where he gets to stick his nose in all the different smells and meet other dogs. He gets to have good wholesome walks amongst nature and sometimes he’s let off the lead to run free like a dog should. Whether itās a short stroll or a long, healthy game of fetch-heās in heaven (except when itās raining!).
Gemma Says..
Mikki is our special boy who Iāve had since he was a tiny pup which goes back to when I lived in Spain for a year. So, let me set the scene on the day I added to my life such a wonderful pup.. “On a hot, sunny day in the Costa Del Sol in southern Spain, I acquired my very first Min Pin. My grandmother and I jumped on a train to travel a few miles along the beautiful Spanish coast to meet a wonderful couple who brought with them two pups for us to view, one of which would be my boy. He was a gorgeous, bright and confident pup already showing how much love and devotion that was to come when he was in my arms for the first time. When I got to hold him I couldnāt bare to leave him and that very day, I brought home my 6 week old bundle of furry joy in the spring of 2016. He was so beautiful and, characteristic of the breed, I could immediately see the oodles of personality and precocious nature bursting to come out, as I peered into the cardboard box at the tiny fur ball on the way home..ā
As a first time dog owner, raising Mikki was a huge challenge because as you may have heard, and I can now testify, Min Pins are not the easiest choice for a beginners breed in terms of training. You must be prepared as they are super-duper high energy and will make demands on your time in terms of needing to engage in some form of activity to expend it. Games to engage their brain are a fantastic way to do this. Min Pins really are all-go!Ā They also love to have your attention focused on them whenever they can and want nothing more to be involved in what you are doing so if youāre used to a chilled out, more aloof dog, youāll be in for a surprise with this breed. However, they repay you with being loving and entertaining companions as a trade off for the hard work.
Winton Says..
“For the majority of my life I was a cat person. I had cats from the age of 30 and I used to surround myself with cat paraphernalia such as the large sculpture of me as a cat I had commissioned for me which I displayed in my office once! At one point, I even dedicated my time and resources to breeding expensive exotic breeds of cat. I loved cats and I still do, even though I don’t currently own one. One thing I never imagined however is being a co-parent to a dog. I was unsure of how to relate to a dog initially because I never had the opportunity. Now, I love and cherish Mikki and could not envisage my day to day without him”.
The King Of Toysš¾
Miniature Pinschers have long been coined the King Of Toys, a name given that most likely derives from their proud stance, their chest puffing out when they walk (almost holding their head high) in an almost regal manner, the self-possessed way they carry themselves, the fearless approach to every situation and, of course, the massive personality they pack into such a little body! The beauty and grace of the breed’s physical appearance is unmatched by other toy breeds.
āBeing the pure, unbridled bundle of energy that he is, the Min Pin will dance for your attention and if itās not forthcoming, he may quickly transform into a tiny terror, as he needs to be engaged in something to stimulate his quick-witted mind. He is truly restless by nature and some may see this little dog as a handful. Also he is no lap dog.. But he offers affection and loyaltyĀ in spades and is very partial to the regular snuggle with his people-on his terms I might add!ā
Ingrid, Min Pin enthusiast
The Miniature Pinscher can be an every day challenge in fun-size but he certainly will not be boring to own-he is a born entertainer as well as a sensitive soul who is very in-tune to his ownerās thoughts and emotions, he has truly earned his name, the King Of Toys.
A Comprehensive Manual On The Miniature Pinscherš¾
Here at Heathside Miniature Pinschers we noticed that with regards to the internet, information focused solely on the Min Pin’s needs is non-existent with large canine information websites simply not cutting it. What we do find is a lot of generic surface level content on the breed which is oftentimes full of inaccuracies about the breed which as owners ourselves, we found to be disappointing when we wanted answers to our breed-related questions but what’s worse is the damage to potential owners. Naturally we couldnāt let this continue! Especially as this breed is growing in popularity in the UK, we feel it our duty to fill the gap and spread awareness about Min Pin, giving it the proper respect it deserves.
Our Website Offers
A thorough account of how the Min Pin came to be and itās origins, breed history as well as itās personality and characteristics
We address the question of whether itās the right breed for you
How to properly care for the breed and information on known breed-specific health problems
Training and how to resolve common behavioural issues
Thinking of becoming breeders of the Min Pin? We have you covered. Part of our team have raised and nurtured Min Pin litters who have contributed to this site and they’ll let you in on a complete breeding 101 for the Min Pin
Product reviews. We provide you with informative and honest reviews on useful doggy products weāve tried out and whether or not we recommend them
Our blog contains top educational tips on good Min Pin husbandry such as the latest information concerning health, the best way to care and train for your Min Pin throughout the year, product reviews, as well as interesting and entertaining quirks about the breed, so please enjoy it and feel free to get involved in the discussions by leaving comments. Thereās also something useful for everybody on our ProductĀ Links And Resources For The Miniature Pinscher page where youāll find links to educational resources and products we recommend for your Min Pin.
We have done our best to ensure all advice concerning care and training information offered derives from first-hand experience ONLY whether it be from us or our dog-owning friends and where this isnāt the case, you can be sure that we’ve included high quality information that’s been sourced from hours of research and where possible, we link the visitor to other credible and reliable sources of information, such as scientific studies and professional sources. Where possible, we do our best to assist you in making the best possible choices as an owner for a healthy and happy life with your Min Pin. So please peruse our website and if you have any questions or suggestions for new content to add, drop us a line. No question is too detailed! Donāt forget to connect with us on social media.
To The Visitorš¾
“This website is for you, the visitor, to peruse and enjoy and I do hope you get something from it. We felt called to create this website so those like-minded, Min Pin-loving people can join us on our journey with our dog. My new-found love and passion for dogs and the Min Pin has lead me to want to get more involved with them in the future. I am still learning and its my wish to help and educate those who want to know how to help the little dogs they own live their best life. A lot of time and effort has gone into this website and we both offer to you our honest account of day to day Min Pin ownership, as well as a collation of everything Iāve personally learned about this breed over the last few years and the material contained within these pages are a true reflection of that. We hope you enjoy your visit to our site!”
Lee, Min Pin enthusiast