How to Keep Your Min-Pin From Getting Fat

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Can you resist a face like this? I certainly can’t! If you already own a Miniature Pinscher (a.k.a. Min Pin,) you already know they’re master manipulators, relentless beggars and the biggest brats on the block. I adore mine.

If your Min-Pins are anything like mine, they sneak up behind you, or jump up on the couch next to you, or somehow otherwise attract your attention, and refuse to let you enjoy a snack, or a meal, or even a tv show without making you think that they’re on the verge of starving to death right in front of your very eyes.

It’s not true, of course - in fact, you can see the little rolls of fat starting to bulge from around their little bellies and the double chin start to form … well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but not by much! The fact of the matter is that Min Pins were born to be spoiled - at least that’s what they’d have us believe - and they’re really, really good at getting their way.

The problem with that is - they can get fat pretty quickly - and that’s not a good thing. Obesity in dogs is just as bad as obesity in people - it puts an additional strain on the whole body - from heart and lungs to joints and ligaments. Did you know dogs can get Diabetes, too - just like humans? It’s true. Doctors have been warning us for years that Diabetes in humans is becoming a major health crisis in this country - so the next thing you can expect is to hear your vet yelling at you because your Min Pin is obese. So let’s talk about how you can keep your baby fit and healthy - so he or she will be around to bedevil you for years to come!

Min Pins are by nature active little critters - at least every one that I’ve ever seen or owned is - so their metabolism usually burns calories at a faster rate than some other breeds, especially when they’re youngsters. When mine were little they ran a daily Daytona 500 (i.e. 500 laps around the coffee table) each day and had no problem staying in shape. But as they matured, the road races grew fewer and the snacks grew larger - and so did they. One day I looked at them and realized that they - and I - had ballooned into something we could have entered into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Time to diet.

There are a plethora of diets available for humans - pick one today, if it doesn’t work, don’t worry - there’ll be another new one along next week you can try. But there aren’t the same sort of resources out there for doggie diets - so you have to backtrack to tried and true methods of proper nutrition if you want to ensure your Min Pin is eating a healthy diet, instead of one that packs on the pounds.

First, let’s take a look at a dog’s digestive system - not literally of course - but in general. People tend to forget that in nature, dog is a predator - a carnivore and a meat eater. (I know that’s not politically correct these days, but tell that to Mother Nature!). Their digestive tract was designed to process large quantities of proteins - not carbohydrates. They don’t sit around in the forest waiting for someone to bring them bottled water and a cinnamon roll - they go out and find something smaller and weaker than they are to munch on. They don’t eat berries and pine nuts on their salad - they eat meat.

So if you carry that knowledge forward into today’s world of domesticated canines, you’d think that - logically - commercially available dog food would consist primarily of proteins - meat or meat by-products, right? Sorry to burst your bubble, but you’d be wrong.

You see, commercial dog foods almost always consist primarily of a cereal or grain base of some sort - rice or corn or barley or some other carbohydrate that 1) isn’t easy for your dog to digest, and 2) doesn’t give him or her the nutrients required for optimum health. Don’t listen to dog food companies who tell you that their product is “100% nutritionally balanced.” It’s simply not true. There is no product on the market today that can make that claim. (Just like there is no product on the market today that can claim it’s 100% nutritionally balanced for humans, either.)

I’m not going to go into a full-scale rant here against commercial dog food companies - nor am I going to detail some of the more disgusting practices of the dog-food processing industry, and what they’re allowed to include in your darling’s food under the label of “meat and meat by-products.” What I am going to do is recommend that you become a savvy consumer on behalf of your dog, and learn to decipher the labels on commercial dog food.

There are literally hundreds of different dog foods on the market today - you’ll need to do a little experimentation to see which one your Min Pin likes best - and don’t forget to change the flavor from time to time - after all, you’d get bored eating the same thing day after day - and so will your dog.

Ingredients on dog food labels are listed in order of what the food contains by percentage, in other words, if the first ingredient is a cereal-type product like corn or barley, then cereal is the largest ingredient by percentage in that food. That means there’s more cereal in it than protein or meat or meat by-products.

Is that a bad thing? Well, it can be - because cereal-based foods are more carbohydrates than protein, which, as we’ve seen, isn’t what your dog’s system is designed to thrive on. It’s sort of like putting your Min Pin on a steady diet of pizza, French fries, tacos, pastas in cream sauce, chips and dips - and then wondering why he or she is putting on weight.

What you should be looking for in a commercial dog food is one that’s higher in protein - I personally prefer the protein level somewhere above 22% or so. And the first ingredient on the label should say it’s a “meat or poultry meal ingredient.” (It’s not always true - but many times it is - the higher priced dog foods have better ingredients.)

Look for a variety of protein sources - in other words you want the food to contain at least three or more different animal proteins - like fish, lamb, beef or chicken. Things to be wary of - too many cereals listed as ingredients (if you see only one ingredient naming a meat by-product, and six or seven naming cereals - you’re looking at a cereal-based dog food); excessive amounts of preservatives and dyes (try to find a dog food that uses Vitamins C & E as preservatives, for example); and dog foods that contain soy or sugars in any forms. Good things to look for - added vitamins and minerals in a “chelated” form, which simply means they’re easier for your dog’s system to absorb.

And here’s a surprising fact that a lot of people don’t know - your vet may not be the best person to consult with on a proper diet for your Min Pin. Why? Because commercial dog food companies frequently sponsor the nutritional education at veterinary hospitals - which presents a conflict of interest in a lot of people’s minds. I’m always a little suspicious when I go into a vet’s office and see stacks of a particular brand of dog food for sale - my first thought is always “what kind of commission is the vet getting to sell (and recommend) this stuff?”

There’s also another type of diet that’s gaining in popularity - but it requires some in-depth research and knowledge about nutrition and your dog’s individual needs. It’s called the BARF diet, or sometimes the Natural Food diet. BARF stands for Bones And Raw Foods diet, and the theory behind it is to try and replicate the diet your dog would eat in the wild - i.e. a high-protein diet based on smaller prey. Not that you’re supposed to go out and bring home small game for your Min Pin, but you are supposed to feed raw, meaty bones for healthy teeth and gums, and things like raw fresh chicken, turkey, beef and pork, along with fresh raw vegetables and fruits in small quantities, as well as brown rice or oatmeal, yoghurt and cottage cheese.

Proponents of the BARF or Natural Food diet say there is growing anecdotal evidence that dogs simply do better eating natural foods - that without the preservatives and additives in commercial foods they see a disappearance of hot spots, bad breath, flatulence, skin and coat conditions, digestive problems and many others. The problem with these types of diets is that you really have to stay on top of the nutritional information, to make sure you’re providing a balanced diet for your Min Pin.

And how much should you be feeding your little brat? Well, that depends on his or her age, metabolism, activity level and a variety of other factors. For the most part, you should feed only once a day - if you’re feeding a commercial brand of kibble dog food mix it with a small amount of canned food to make it more palatable, and leave it in the bowl for only about 30 minutes. If your dog doesn’t eat it in that time, pick it up and put it away. I don’t recommend “free feeding” - where you leave dry kibble down all the time, because this can encourage overeating and weight gain. (After all, you don’t leave chips out on the table for the kids all day long, do you?) Determine the amount you should feed based on how your dog is thriving - if he or she scarfs all the food in the bowl in 15 seconds, it might be an indication you need to feed more. If food is left behind - scale back the portions.

Snacks are a big problem at my house - and I suspect they are with anyone who owns Min Pins. Snacks are fine as an occasional reward or treat, but just like microwave popcorn (at least at my house), they can be overdone. Try to stay away from the high-fat, high-carb treats like fake cheese snacks or doggie biscuits, and instead go for the high-protein ones like beef jerky or chicken strips.

And when all else fails - take your Min Pin for a walk! It could do both of you some good!