Petzlover
Both Affenpinscher and Hovawart are originated from Germany. Affenpinscher may grow 40 cm / 15 inches shorter than Hovawart. Affenpinscher may weigh 45 kg / 99 pounds lesser than Hovawart. Both Affenpinscher and Hovawart has almost same life span. Affenpinscher may have less litter size than Hovawart. Affenpinscher requires High Maintenance. But Hovawart requires Low Maintenance
This breed originated from Germany. The latest information on this breed is from the 17th century. Actually, Affenpinscher got its name from Affe, which means monkey. Their accentors considered to be Brussels Griffon and Mini Schnauzer. People trained this breed to be a working dog, to remove rodents, granaries, and stables from the living area.
The Hovawart, is a German Black Forest breed developed as a guard dog for large estates in the medieval era. They first appeared in history in the early 13th century as heroes who saved the German son of a castle lord, despite being injured themselves. The boy they saved grew up to be a German legend. He wrote the oldest German code of law that remained from medieval times. In it he names the Hovawarts as a dog that if you are responsible for hurting, stealing or killing it, you must pay for it or replace it. No other dog had this protection.
In the late fifteenth century Hovawarts were featured in Heinrich Mynsinger’s “The Five Noble Breeds”. This guard dog breed was esteemed on a level with the hunting dogs – their health a question of life or death for their owner. In the 1500’s the popularity of the breed began to fade. The GSD or German Shepard Dog began to replace the Hovawarts as the preferred guard dog.
By the early 20th century the breed had almost disappeared but were saved by breed enthusiasts in the early 1900’s. Zoologist Kurt Konig was prominent in this effort and went looking in the Black Forest area for dogs working on farms. Using the dogs, he found on these farms, Konig began a breeding program crossing the them with Newfoundland’s, Kuvazoks, Leonbergers, GSD, an African hunting dogs and Bernese Mountain Dogs.
By 1922 the first litter of these pups was entered officially into the German Breeding Registry. In 1937 the Hovawart was recognized by the German Kennel Club. However, many members of the breed died in World War II as they were used widely by the military and not many were left by 1945. Once again breed enthusiasts came to the rescue forming a Coburg Hovawart club. This club still exists and in 1964, for the second time, the breed was recognized by the German Kennel Club. Other countries also began to take notice of this working breed.
The Hovawart has many skills in addition hunting and guarding. The Hovawart does not work for people, he works with them as he is a very independent thinker. He is also good at search and rescue and tracking. An owner of this breed must be stronger, smarter, more alert, intentional and consistent than his Hovawart. These are not dogs for the faint of heart or first-timers.
Affenpinscher is a toy size breed and it weights between 2.6 kg to 6 kg. There is no big difference between male and a female dog.
The height of the breed is approximately 23 to 30cm. They have monkey-like expressions, and that is why it got its name. The primary color of the coat is black, but it can be gray, brown, red, white). Every club has a list of acceptable colors. Not all the colors are accepted in every country.
The lifespan of Affenpinscher variates from dog to dog, but it is on average 11.4. That is a typical lifespan of dog that size, but they can live much more depends on the care and health of the dog.
Litter size of Affenpinscher is 1-3 puppies. They are very small dogs, so having a small number of puppies is normal for mini breeds.
Other Names of Affenpinscher are monkey dog, Affen or Affie. All the other names are related to its size and monkey-like look.
The Hovawart is a proud and majestic dog and his looks match his character. He looks a bit like the Golden Retriever with a powerful and broad forehead. His skull and muzzle are the same length and his nose is black. His oval eyes are a medium to dark brown and his ears are high set and triangular.
Their chests are strong, broad and deep. The breed has strong legs straight in front with round, strong and compact feet. They are heavy boned with dense, long coats that lie flat and have a slight wave to them. The coat can be black and gold, blond or black.
Affenpinscher is a toy sized dog, so they are fragile and you always have to watch out for them. They require a lot of training because they are very stubborn. Breed experts recommend positive training because they can’t respond badly and get depressed if you practice old ways of practice, which include punishments.
They tend to bark a lot and can be unfriendly to guests and other animals. It is important to train them properly and to spend as much time as they can with other animals.
The great thing about Affenpinscher is that they are very easy to carry around and they are beautiful little dogs. They are braver than most of the toy dogs because of the terrier descent. The funny thing about them is that they take themselves very seriously which can be very funny to the owners.
They don’t need a lot of exercises. They love walking, but they do not require a lot of it.
Affenpinscher is a great watch dog. They tend to protect the house and they are amazing dogs for watching.
They are not very good with children because they are very sensitive and they love attention. It is also important not to spoil them, even if it’s funny sometimes, it is not recommended to spoil your dog.
They have a great sense of smell and a well-balanced personality.
They are not indoor dogs and should have a yard to run in. They do not tolerate hot weather well. They do great out in the country.
They are intelligent independent thinkers. They lengths well with positive reinforcement.
It is very important to choose a quality puppy from a quality breed. Affenpinscher can have some health problems. Hip dysplasia collapsed trachea, and the luxating patella is the most common health complications of this breed. But, the most of the dogs die of an old age, so if you are choosing wisely, and with proper education and consulting, you will have a happy and a healthy dog.
Though their isolation protected them from genetic health issues for centuries, once they were being rejuvenated and mixed with other breeds some common issues began to show up. These include:
Affenpinscher daily amount food should be based on a size and activity of the dog. But approximately ¼ or ½ cup of high-quality food should be enough for your dog. It is recommended to divide into two meals per day. You can also add some vegetables, oil, meat or fruits into a meal, but only small size portions.
Feeding Affenpinscher puppy is similar to feeding an adult dog. The difference is in a number of meals per day. It is recommended to give 3-5 portions per day for a puppy.
Also giving vitamins and minerals to a puppy dog is very important for health.
Grooming the Affenpinscher could be a challenging task. It requires regular care with every day brushing and cleaning. They have a strong and rough coat. A good side of that is Affen size. They are not big, so there wouldn’t be a lot to groom.
Feed breed specific high quality dry food for puppies. Feed 1-2 cups in 3-4 meals per day
Again Feed breed specific high quality dry food for adults. Feed 2-3 cups per day in 1-2 meals per day.
Points for Good Health – Stamina
The Hovawart needs plenty of exercise. Remember this is a mountain farm dog used to working all the time. Walk or jog with them daily. They can excel at field trials, obedience, search and rescue, agility, flyball, therapy dog, and service dog.