Puppy Advice

Visit breeders to see their puppies in a home environment and ask questions about their lifestyle and traits. Reputable breeders do not breed often and may not fulfil demand. Be prepared to wait for the right puppy and ask to be on a waiting list if they have one.

Breeders take litters seriously and are responsible for their puppies' lives. They offer lifetime support and advice and should be your first port of call for questions about your puppy.

It is important to note that under 'Lucy's Law,' breeders can only legally sell puppies under 6 months old, so selling to someone else under this age is illegal.

Always view puppies with their mother in their home environment, never purchase puppies by photos only and over the internet. There has already been many scammers advertising non-existent litters on the internet and defrauding thousands of pounds off people who will never see the puppy that they have paid for, as there wasn’t one in the first place.

Kennel Club registration (papers) is not a stamp of a good breeder, it is a registry only that list sire, dams, grandsires, grandams and so on, and the breeder has paid to have puppies registered with them. Currently there are no compulsory health tests implemented by the Kennel Club for our breed. That is not to say they do not have health problems because, like all breeds, they do, but generally a well-bred Min Pin should lead a long and healthy life.

The Miniature Pinscher club is testing all sire and dams for slipping patella, a condition common in toy breeds. Prospective owners should ask breeders if the test has been conducted and provide written evidence, including the vet's details. You should be looking for 0:0 scores in Sire & Dam. The Club has seen a significant reduction in dogs affected by slipping patella through this testing.

Details about scoring can be found on our Breed Health pages.

You do not have to be a Club member to download the testing form, for your vet to carry out scoring or for their results to be added to our database

You should be expecting to pay between £1000 – £1500 for a well-bred puppy from health tested parents.

Current recognised colours by the Kennel Club are Black & Tan, Solid Red (all shades), Chocolate & Tan, and Blue & Tan. Please do not be fooled by inflated prices for so called ‘Rare Colours’, as they are not rare. These colours which carry the diluted gene can develop a health issue called ‘colour coat alopecia’, which is not always apparent as puppies but can affect them as they mature.

Good breeders will avoid these colours because of the health implications. ‘Merles’ are not a recognised colour (CNR) within the UK breed standard. To achieve this colouring a different breed will have been added in past lineage and again will also carry the diluted gene. Black & Tan and Reds are most breeders’ preference.