With their slender, elegant bodies and upright ears, miniature pinschers certainly look like tiny versions of Doberman pinschers. However, mini pins have been around far longer than Dobermans -- it's thought that Dobermans were bred to look like large versions of mini pins. While they're known to be good family pets, their diminutive size means that you need to exercise caution if you have young children.
Mini Pins and Children
Miniature pinschers are small -- measuring between 10 and 12 1/2 inches at the shoulder -- and have dainty bone structure; it's easy for them to get injured. These dogs can be great with kids, as long as the kids know to treat them gently and with respect. As such, they're generally better suited to living with responsible older children who know not to play too roughly. Mini pins who have had bad experiences with children are likely to be fearful of the younger generation. If you do want to keep them with toddlers or younger kids, make sure that your children know to be extremely careful around them. Never leave your young children and a miniature pinscher together unsupervised.