Our vet Sibylle

The dog in our modern world

She says:

Our dogs are no longer wild animals, and that has advantages and disadvantages. They often live in a paved, civilised environment, many do not get enough exercise and often have too little opportunity to follow their minds and their most basic needs. Instead of hunting, today they mostly get ready-made food from a tin or a sack. Despite all this, they often live longer than their wild relatives.

Make sure that your dog stays slim, gets enough exercise and mental stimulation and feels at home in its “human pack”. If you notice something about your dog, please have it examined at a veterinary practice first. For daily feeding, we have developed complementary feeds that I also use for my own dogs.

Our loyal companions for thousands of years

The dog is by far the oldest domestic animal. Dogs have existed for at least 15,000 years, which makes them almost twice as old as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs and much older still than domestic horses and cats. And this is unique in natural history: even before that, Stone Age humans and wolves lived in close community for around 100,000 years. Wolves joined us of their own accord, they domesticated themselves, so to speak. And they also had an influence on our development!

For comparison: cattle farming is at most 8,000 years old, yet many adults still cannot tolerate milk sugar today (lactose intolerance). The influence that wolves and dogs have had on us in our shared evolutionary history can hardly be measured! How absurd, then, that many people today believe it is normal to live among canyons of concrete and that dogs no longer have a place at our side.

A love of dogs from an early age

My enthusiasm for dog breeds is probably something I inherited from my grandfather. In my eyes, all the wonderful dog breeds are one of humanity's greatest and oldest cultural achievements. Assyrian molossers, sighthounds from the time of the pharaohs, hairless dogs of the Aztecs or medieval boarhounds: dog breeding is as old as civilised, cultivated humanity.

I find it a great pity that many dog lovers today turn away from pedigree dogs, because unlike works of art, this living cultural heritage cannot be preserved. It only survives as long as people carry it on. Accordingly, I have already had some very special pedigree dogs: a Shiba Inu, an Akita Inu and a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. On top of that came a shepherd dog of the old type: long-legged and upright. And now I breed miniature pinschers. Of course, every mixed-breed dog also has its rightful place at our side, and there are so many still looking for a home.

Originally, we were only looking for a nice, easy-care little dog that our son could work with at the dog training ground. My sister's schnauzers (“Schwarze Zwergschnauzer vom Kirbachtal”) were too hairy for me, but she drew our attention to miniature pinschers: an old breed that you hardly ever see any more. These spirited, clever dogs seemed to be just the right thing for our son. Even if, of course, too boring for me. Yes, I really thought that, how clueless!

Today I breed out of conviction: what a great breed, unjustly forgotten! Lively without being nervous, calm within despite all its temperament, self-confident, robust without any sharpness and as willing to work as the best shepherd dog. Like a wolf, only very small!

Sibylle