Mini Dachshunds?

[ShinyGreenApple]

Went through a good friend and former Wallyworld co-worker's checkout line today and she asked me if I wanted another dog. She has five mini Doxie puppies that need homes, and she wants to give me one. I've been keeping an eye out for another furbaby lately, a small one in particular.

Anyone have experience with these little guys? I like a nice, lively, playful dog. My Dad's Shih Tzu is cute, but she sleeps probably 20 hours a day, lol. I don't really want another dog like that, so I was simply wondering what sort of personalities the Doxies have. I've looked into the breed, obviously, but it's always nice to have firsthand stories.

[Monica]

My sister has one.

Hers is a full-blood one. I think they all are a little different. A neighbors is all hyper and stuff. My sisters is calm. He only speaks when he wants a ball thrown. His biggest vice is food. You can't leave any sort of food out, he will eat it. He is well-tempered and great with kids. (the neighborhood kids come over and knock on the door and ask if he can come out and play)

Like all dogs, it depends on what you get personality wise. I think they are the best dogs, and they are sooo cute.

[ShinyGreenApple]

Thanks, Monica

Anyone else?

[Taboo]

My ex had one of these.

They're nice dogs, and can be really friendly. Hers would always want to be around people - it would sleep on her bed at night, and during the day would come over and sit with its head in her lap. However, I believe they're one of the hardest breeds to potty train, so just be sure to do that right away if you get one.

[The Gatekeeper]

If we had only known about the potty training when we got our two when I was a kid. Great dogs though. Stubborn as hell, but good personalities. Friendly and playful. Careful with their backs.

[dendawg]

This video is very informative about Dachshunds.

A few caveats:

Some of them tend to bond to one person, and will be ferociously protective of that person to the point of being nippy at anyone that tries to approach.

They love to chew clothes, or anything else they get their little jaws on. I have lost many a pair of underwear thanks to my wiener Dusty.

To an extent, they can be jealous of other pets.

For the most part, like other willful dogs, they have to be shown who's boss. (In a non-abusive manner, of course. )

That said, they are also one of the most affectionate breeds you can imagine, and are tons of fun to play with.

[ShinyGreenApple]

Well, it seems that they're at least not narcoleptic like Dad's Tzu, hehe. About the potty training, I'm seeing that a lot. Exactly how difficult is it to train them? And would it still be jealous of other pets if it was raised with them? We have four other dogs, and two of them are spoiled housebabies.

[TOLady]

"Some of them tend to bond to one person, and will be ferociously protective of that person to the point of being nippy at anyone that tries to approach."

Oh yeah - definitely. I grew up with the little guys - long-haired minis - and they are very protective of that one person they bond with most. For us, it was our mom since she was at home all the time. If you went to give her a hug, they'd nip and jump until you stopped. However, she did encourage the behaviour so I can't blame it all on them. We only had them one at a time, but they all behaved the same and all were from different breeders.

They're definitely NOT the smartest of breeds. At. All. Stupid little guys were always trying to walk on the algae up at the cottage and falling in the water. They never did figure out it wasn't solid land.

They also invariably end up with health issues. Especially back problems. One of ours ended up having to stay in a kennel for most of the day towards the end so he wouldn't keep messing up his neck craning up at everyone. Had to have numerous injections etc. They've been quite in-bred over the years.

But I wouldn't have given any of them up. I loved those little guys, but they are difficult to train (tiny little brains and all). But not impossible.

They love you so much, it doesn't matter. Very lively and love to be walked, and like I said - they're pretty stupid, so it doesn't take a lot to amuse them. And once they do learn something, they learn it forever.

Realize, also, they they were bred as hunters/hole-diggers (rabbits, etc) and will chase anything, although I've never had one that killed anything.

As for other pets - I had a cat in the same house and each of the little guys just loved her (her tolerance towards them was rather iffy ).

Aw - now I want one again...

[Amina516]

How do you like them??

[dendawg]

Realize, also, they they were bred as hunters/hole-diggers (rabbits, etc) and will chase anything, although I've never had one that killed anything.

I had one when I was a teenager, and the backyard was his hunting grounds.

He hunted, and killed, frogs and lizards...in fact, one day I came home from school to find him barking at a hornet! A hornet!! His nose was about an inch away while the hornet was just calmly walking on the ground, as if daring my dog to bite him. Fortunately, the dog was smart enough not to tempt fate.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Doxies were bred to hunt badgers, so it makes sense that they'd be, uh, tenacious...

My dad had one growing up and loves the breed.

There was a professor at my college who had two, a boy and a girl. They were well-trained and would follow him around campus without leashes, but the girl was rather protective, and would nip if you tried to pet her. The boy was very friendly, though.

[Monica]

My sisters is protective. He sees my family everyday, and loves to be the center of attention. He loves to play. He does bark at strangers, but once they sit down, he tries to jump in their lap.

He can be stubborn as hell though. My sister and I both work during the day, so we leave him at out parents house and they look after him. Sometimes he doesn't want to leave. He'll put his claws in the ground and grip on tight. It takes all our might to pull him towards the door.

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/355/sdc10018j.jpg

[dalesys]

How do you like them??

Nurse humor!