Miniature Dachshund

[Tom Cruise]

i've decided on the breed i'm going to get in a few months, and this is it! :D
Really i just wanted to see if anyone had any comments on them as a breed and things I should watch out for or anything.

[Katlovesdogs]

which one? :P

[Katlovesdogs]

personllay i like the chocolate and tan shorthaired or cream long haired.

[Tom Cruise]

i like them all but gf doesn't like long haired... so probably a smooth haired like, brown maybe or mottled if i can find one

[sheplovr]

Hi and where have ya been.? Nice to see you back and do stay a while with us, lol.

In German, "Dach" means badger and "hund" means dog, thus explaining an early use of an ancestor of this breed as a hunter. The breed itself, however, may date to the time of the Egyptians. A dog of similar stature to the Dachshund found on an Egyptian statue is named Tekal from which the name "Teckel" used in Germany for this breed originates. The German parent club, the Deutscher Teckelklub, was founded in 1888 although the breed standard was set as early as 1879. There are six-varieties of Dachshund, including smoothhaired, longhaired, wirehaired with miniatures of each. The wirehaired Dachshund was developed later by introducing other breeds into the general Dachshund type.

Today, the Dachshund is primarily a house pet and companion. He is cheerful,loyal, clever, lively and courageous. He is also good with children. He does not need large amounts of exercise but regular romps and a controlled diet are essential.

The Dachshund is a short-legged, long-bodied, low-to-the ground dog. His body is twice the length of his height. He is sturdily built and well muscled but not clumsy. The head is long and tapered with oval eyes, set obliquely on the head. The ears are long and broad, set back on the head and laying downward along the neck, coming to a tapered end just below the jaw-line with the forward edge barely touch the cheek. The bite is scissor. The chest is broad and deep with a prominent breastbone. To accommodate this chest with the short legs, the legs curve slightly inward. The feet are broad and compact, turning slightly outward. The topline is straight with the hip being level to the shoulder. The tail tapers downward to a point below the elbow. As mentioned above, there are three coat types. The smoothhaired variety has a short coat that is dense, shiny and glossy. The Longhaired is is also shiny and glossy but long and somewhat wavy like a Irish Setter coat. The wire coat is short, thick and harsh with a good undercoat. It also sports a beard and bushy eyebrows. Colors may vary from various shades of red to tan to black to dappled. In the United States, Standard Dachshunds average between fifteen and twenty-five pounds while Miniatures range approximately from five to ten pounds. In Germany, separation between standard and miniature Dachshunds is based on chest-circumference.
http://www.hoflin.com/BR/Dachshunds
HERE ARE PHOTOS ON THIS LINK, PLEASE READ AND SEE WHAT YOU LIKE OR WANT. IT TELLS ALL ABOUT THE BREED, KNOW IT WELL AS THEY TEND TO HAVE BACK PROBLEMS, HAD NEIGHBORS WITH ONE AND IT COST THEM PLENTY VET BILLS, CANNOT BE TOO ROUGH. IF U WANT A ROUGHER BREED, GO TO A LARGER ONE OR ONE WITH NOT AS MANY PROBLEMS, THEY HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO JUMP OFF THE COUCH OR CHAIR AND BARELY WALK.

[Tom Cruise]

hey sheplovr! I was away in california for christmas and new years and when I returned I couldn't remember my password for a while (and the e-mail me my password option didn't seem to be working), so i couldn't log on... I got lucky with one yesterday though so now i'm back, haha. That's a good link thanks for sharing :)

[Borzoi mad]

Hi I have two Mini Long- Haired and they are great little dogs. Like a lot of small breeds they are not the easiest to house train. They are very affectionate and very loyal. Make great little watch dogs, so be warned they can be vocal at times.

There is PRA in dachies (pro -retinal atrophy, ) so if I were you I would make sure that lines of the breeder you choose are clear of this.

meant to add that as they are long in the body they are prone to back troubles i.e. slipped disks, so do not encourage them to beg or go up on their hind legs . Having said that out of the four I have had only one has had this problem and he was the only one who from when he was a puppy sat up to beg and though I discouraged it it seemed to be something that he just had to do on occasions.

Please don't let these health problems put you off the breed. If people were honest they would always tell you the health problems of the breed before you buy and believe me there are breeds with a lot worse problems than the dachie some of which are life threatening.

[Tom Cruise]

yeah i'm aware of these back problems & I plan to be careful to prevent that becoming an issue. To British members: how have you gone about finding breeders in the past? I've been looking at www.epupz.co.uk but that's pretty much the only source I know of.

[Borzoi mad]

yeah i'm aware of these back problems & I plan to be careful to prevent that becoming an issue. To British members: how have you gone about finding breeders in the past? I've been looking at www.epupz.co.uk but that's pretty much the only source I know of.



I would not touch e pupz with a barge pole.

I would go on the Kennel Club site and get a list of Breedersf rom there
I used to show my dachshunds and therefor I spoke to exhibitors at shows. You could also do this. I know of some good dachshund breeders one especially in Scotland who my last two boys cane from and her lines are def PRA clear but they are long haired.

If you want more info pm me.



I am going out in five mins and not sure if I will get back on tonight. Tomorrow thScottish Power are testing in our area and our power will be off all day so it may be tomorrow night or Wed before I could answer your pm.

[Borzoi mad]

i like them all but gf doesn't like long haired... so probably a smooth haired like, brown maybe or mottled if i can find one


I take it by mottled you mean a dapple. True dapples are not so easy to come by.
Of all the type I think the wire haired has the most character, and the mini LH temperament is better than the mini smooth at least in the one's I have come accross.

[melissa2007]

My best friend in highscool had 3 dachies, they were very loyal and great little cuddles loving to curl up under the blankets but they did bark quite a bit and were very difficult to potty train, 2 of them were protective of there masters and would bite others that went near them but this is probably because of not enough training.

[sheplovr]

Hey Mr Tom, do not loose that password again, Your toooo funny guy. Hang on and get on here more. Love to hear from ya. Hope you find what you like. Just look up the health issues every breed has but some are much easier to have happen, so be wise what you choose, I would picture u with a larger tough breed, lol.:)

[melissa2007]

Hey Mr Tom, do not loose that password again, Your toooo funny guy. Hang on and get on here more. Love to hear from ya. Hope you find what you like. Just look up the health issues every breed has but some are much easier to have happen, so be wise what you choose, I would picture u with a larger tough breed, lol.:)
What Like a GSD perhaps :p

[Tom Cruise]

I would picture u with a larger tough breed, lol.:)

are you kidding? this is me 20 years from now
http://www.danheller.com/images/California/Bodie/Misc/chihuahua-n-fat-guy-big.jpg



thanks though thats flattering :D

[Tom Cruise]

I would not touch e pupz with a barge pole.

I would go on the Kennel Club site and get a list of Breedersf rom there
I used to show mu dachshunds and therefor I spoke to exhibitors at shows. You could also do this. I know of some good dachshund breeders one especially in Scotland who my last two boys cane from and her lines are def PRA clear but they are long haired.

If you want more info pm me.



I am going out in five mins and not sure if I will get back on tonight. Tomorrow thScottish Power are testing in our area and our power will be off all day so it may be tomorrow night or Wed before I could answer your pm.
thanks for the details! I'll take you up on that closer to the time i'll be looking to buy. I also didn't know about the problem with PRA so that'll be something i'll have to be weary of

[Borzoi mad]

thanks for the details! I'll take you up on that closer to the time i'll be looking to buy. I also didn't know about the problem with PRA so that'll be something i'll have to be weary of

You def should be wary of PRA and also avoid as I said e pupz. You need the KC or the help of a reputable breeder. With you being on the I of W not sure what dog shows take place there so perhaps this is not an option for you.


You know where I am when the time comes,I also know of a reputable breeder of Wire Haired Dachies, but again it is in Scotland,though she could if necessary probably give you the name of someone nearer to you if that was necessary.

[Tom Cruise]

You def should be wary of PRA and also avoid as I said e pupz. You need the KC or the help of a reputable breeder. With you being on the I of W not sure what dog shows take place there so perhaps this is not an option for you.


You know where I am when the time comes,I also know of a reputable breeder of Wire Haired Dachies, but again it is in Scotland,though she could if necessary probably give you the name of someone nearer to you if that was necessary.

I'm not on the Isle of Wight (sp?), I live near Newcastle!

[katieholmes]

I really like this breed....there so cute and small. I am worried about the back problems most but other than that I think it's a wonderful choice

[Borzoi mad]

I'm not on the Isle of Wight (sp?), I live near Newcastle!


ooops sorry don't know why I though you were on the Iof W. Newcastle is nearer - Scotland, if that becomes necessary- and you should have quite a few dog shows within easy travelling distance if you decide to take that route.

[katieholmes]

the short haired ones are the cutest

[Tom Cruise]

ooops sorry don't know why I though you were on the Iof W. Newcastle is nearer - Scotland, if that becomes necessary- and you should have quite a few dog shows within easy travelling distance if you decide to take that route.
cool, thanks for the advice :)

[Tom Cruise]

the short haired ones are the cutest
hey wifey http://people.moreheadstate.edu/students/lrwood01/images/heart.gif

[Tom Cruise]

Awwww!!!!!

[Tom Cruise]

Awwwwwwwww!!!!!!!! Part II

[sheplovr]

Awwww cutie pie. Hey my lap top is on the way my dear friend. So excited I got a acer, looked alot up and they are great, got 3 yr warranty to boot, soft ware, 3 gb, 160 memory, cable to unload all files from this dell to lap top and other things. all for reasonable price shipping included.

We're delighted to have you shop with us at QVC. This email confirms
that the following item(s) shipped on Sunday, Jan 20, 2008.

Order Number Order Date Item Qty Description
3387179618 Sun, Jan 20, 2008 E04815 1 Acer 17.0"Diag. Notebook w/AMD TK-55,
3GB RAM, 160GBHD 3YR WTY
3387179618 Sun, Jan 20, 2008 E04577 1 PC Treasures Software Suite w/ WP
Office, Paint Shop Pro,PC Mvr

[Tom Cruise]

Awwww cutie pie. Hey my lap top is on the way my dear friend. So excited I got a acer, looked alot up and they are great, got 3 yr warranty to boot, soft ware, 3 gb, 160 memory, cable to unload all files from this dell to lap top and other things. all for reasonable price shipping included.

We're delighted to have you shop with us at QVC. This email confirms
that the following item(s) shipped on Sunday, Jan 20, 2008.

Order Number Order Date Item Qty Description
3387179618 Sun, Jan 20, 2008 E04815 1 Acer 17.0"Diag. Notebook w/AMD TK-55,
3GB RAM, 160GBHD 3YR WTY
3387179618 Sun, Jan 20, 2008 E04577 1 PC Treasures Software Suite w/ WP
Office, Paint Shop Pro,PC Mvr

that sounds good! I gotta start doing my laptop research again soon

[katieholmes]

does anyone know...for a mini dachshund is it better to get a normal collar or a harness? Additionally are most mini dachshunds size XS or S in neck size?

[Borzoi mad]

I prefer a collar to a harness.

As regards size it depends on the dog measure round the neck and take it from there.
If you have a smooth then I should think it ewould be a slighly smaller size than a long as there is more hair on the neck of the long obviously.

It is a personal choice of which of the variety of dachshund you go for -you think smooth is the cutest and I think longs are, but that is just our opinion. There is more involved in choosing which variety you are going to have than cuteness, as I said in my earlier post.
One will be suited to one owner and another one to a different owner. The buyer must do their homework on much more than cuteness to decide the best variety for them.

[Melamaphine]

Thought I'd add something as there have been 5 mini dachs in my family. We've had a champagne, a red and 3 black & tans. My grandmother has 2, 6 year old black and tan boys (Fritz and Monty) at the moment (Fritz humps and pees on everything in sight and Monty is a cuddly lap dog). They are fantastic little dogs, but they are totally unsuited to people that want a cute 'toy' breed - being more terrier like than I think most people realise.

Comments on the breed have to be the back problems as previously mentioned, and the fact that they can be quite feisty. One of ours "Rascal" chased sheep, killed rats and attacked a GSD once - not the greatest idea, but somehow he managed to bite hold of it's private parts and it backed off! He also bit a strange man's ankles quite badly once, he stepped into the house without being invited.

Having said that, he was the only rescue daxi that we ever had, he had been abused & we were his last chance resort before being PTS. He was fine with women and children and got a lot better as he aged. He also had epilepsy and quite major back problems as he got older - he died at the age of 21, blind and deaf but still the alpha dog!

All of the other daxis have been pretty mellow and friendly, fantastic little characters that rule the roost and have no concept of their own size. We have found them to be very strongwilled and hard to train - though can you tell when a dachshund is sitting?!

If you end up being owned by one, then you'll be hooked. The three that we have had and lost have all lived to be old, "JJ" being 19, "Sandy" 20 & "Rascal" 21 when they died.

I hope that you find your daxi soulmate very soon!

[Tom Cruise]

Thought I'd add something as there have been 5 mini dachs in my family. We've had a champagne, a red and 3 black & tans. My grandmother has 2, 6 year old black and tan boys (Fritz and Monty) at the moment (Fritz humps and pees on everything in sight and Monty is a cuddly lap dog). They are fantastic little dogs, but they are totally unsuited to people that want a cute 'toy' breed - being more terrier like than I think most people realise.

Comments on the breed have to be the back problems as previously mentioned, and the fact that they can be quite feisty. One of ours "Rascal" chased sheep, killed rats and attacked a GSD once - not the greatest idea, but somehow he managed to bite hold of it's private parts and it backed off! He also bit a strange man's ankles quite badly once, he stepped into the house without being invited.

Having said that, he was the only rescue daxi that we ever had, he had been abused & we were his last chance resort before being PTS. He was fine with women and children and got a lot better as he aged. He also had epilepsy and quite major back problems as he got older - he died at the age of 21, blind and deaf but still the alpha dog!

All of the other daxis have been pretty mellow and friendly, fantastic little characters that rule the roost and have no concept of their own size. We have found them to be very strongwilled and hard to train - though can you tell when a dachshund is sitting?!

If you end up being owned by one, then you'll be hooked. The three that we have had and lost have all lived to be old, "JJ" being 19, "Sandy" 20 & "Rascal" 21 when they died.

I hope that you find your daxi soulmate very soon!

Wow! It sounds like your dogs had long full lives, they all reached old age by the sounds of things. Did you consciously have to avoid like... 'doing' anything in particular with them because of the potential for back problems or anything? I'm excited to have a dog with some personality so it sounds like a mini daschund may be a good breed for us :)

[Tom Cruise]

It is a personal choice of which of the variety of dachshund you go for -you think smooth is the cutest and I think longs are, but that is just our opinion. There is more involved in choosing which variety you are going to have than cuteness, as I said in my earlier post.
One will be suited to one owner and another one to a different owner. The buyer must do their homework on much more than cuteness to decide the best variety for them.
So do the long/smooth hairs have different temperements to one another? Aside from asthetic perference, i would think that smooth hairs would also shed less and that is something we considered when making that decision.



That said, despite prefering smooth, I think the long haired variety are lovely looking dogs too!

[Borzoi mad]

Out of the one's I have met at shows , which is quite a few I found found the Min Smooths temperament is not so good as theMinLong. You will get shedding from both obviously a little more from the longs, but neither of the two if groomed regularly cause a mess. My birman cat sheds a lot more than my Mini-long dachie The hair in my home comes as I say from the Cat and from my borzois. I don't have a problem with my Min Longs.

So therefore in my opinion I don't think as far as shedding is concerned , that there is any difference really between the Min Long and the Min Smooth.

Hope this helps.

[Tom Cruise]

Out of the one's I have met at shows , which is quite a few I found found the Min Smooths temperament is not so good as theMinLong. You will get shedding from both obviously a little more from the longs, but neither of the two if groomed regularly cause a mess. My birman cat sheds a lot more than my Mini-long dachie The hair in my home comes as I say from the Cat and from my borzois. I don't have a problem with my Min Longs.

So therefore in my opinion I don't think as far as shedding is concerned , that there is any difference really between the Min Long and the Min Smooth.

Hope this helps.

cool, thanks for the info!

[Borzoi mad]

cool, thanks for the info!

You are welcome. I hope it helps.:cheers:

[Melamaphine]

Wow! It sounds like your dogs had long full lives, they all reached old age by the sounds of things. Did you consciously have to avoid like... 'doing' anything in particular with them because of the potential for back problems or anything? I'm excited to have a dog with some personality so it sounds like a mini daschund may be a good breed for us :)

They are great if you want the convenience of a small dog but without the personality of some toy dogs. We had two of them alongside 2 Pyrenean Mountain Dogs (at 9.5 and 12 Stone) and the daxis were definitely the boss - the Pyreneans were their army of backup!

I saw earlier that you were asking about the different coat lengths - ours have all been long as we find that they have the softer temperaments. Apparently Wires are closer to their terrier ancestry so are a bit more Jack Russell in Temperament, although I honestly couldn't comment conclusively having only ever had longs. I quite fancy getting a smooth at some point, so if you get one, let me know what you think!

As for getting them to be so old, i think we have been very lucky but we have always been careful not to let them jump up or down onto things, always picking them up and putting them down to protect their backs. We also gave them cod liver oil to help keep their joints supple too.

:)

[Borzoi mad]

I agree with Melamaphine about being care ful not to let them jump up onto things and down again also when they are puppies no ascending or descending stairs, and also be careful with stairs when they are adults. Having said that they should not be carried around a lot as this can also cause back problems. They should be down on their paws as they are sturdy little dogs who would gladly walk for miles keeping up with the much bigger breeds, but they are equally happy running around in the garden and laying around the house. So long as you are careful you can avoid back problems. As I already said I have over the years had four Min Longs and only one has had back problems and my friend who bred my present two told me that my dog is the only one of her breeding ever to have had this problem.

I also meant to add that I think the wire haired require there coats to be stripped out, which can be a bit of a hassle if you are not familiar with the process.

[CerbiesMom]

Does anyone else find that thier mini doxies are incredibly stubborn? Or does that go away after puppyhood. Brigit is 9 months old, and she runs us ragged. She's either running around, or is asleep. i think she's a mix of a wire and a smooth, bc she has longer wiry hair around her neck and behind her back legs, I needto get some pics up. If she wasn't so adorable, I don't know what we'd do with her. And potty training just recenty (she's 9 months!!!) got under control. No accidents in a week. She's smart, she just wants to do what she wants to do. Maybe I just don't know how to relate to small dogs, she's our first.

[sheplovr]

We have one neighbor close to us in front of course fencing it up but the others are further away. Those have left that had one of this breed named: Molly. She was not problem just obese from their parties of many we went to or dig not attend, she got everything people dropped for her, she could barely move. Bark at everything with the loudest mouth of any dog I have heard since even my big ones!!

You have to be very careful the do not jump from a chair, couch or bed, the backs are extremely easy to injure for life or a costly vet expense. With the long back they are prone to many injuries, other than that she was fine, not smart at all in fact she would rather bite than be petted by anybody. Spoiled rotten but pretty the short red color. She would slip under the fence right before they moved and got bitten up, we paid to have vet fix her as she was getting senile and knew better the large dogs hate small ones. Do not know if she is living yet, must call them come to think of it, I miss them.:)

[Dauxside]

I have the mini wire variety, lovely little dogs.

Whether for companion or for show/breeding, please make sure your breeder does the PRA tests/prcd-1, Patella and hopefully, NARC test (Narcolepsy.)

The PRA is truly necessary for the long coat and for any lines that are US (the US cross coats longs and smooths - which occassionally show up in wires,) Patella luxation in all 3 coats (knee slips) and spine should be xrayed for calcification (IVDD.) The NARC is avail only through Optigen in the US but many UK breeders are taking advantage.

There is no test for IVDD (disc disease) other than x-raying for calcification.

Sorry for jumping in as a new member - but the breed is very dear to me.

[lilly+sarah]

standard dacshunds are also i good to have i own one and my nan had a few they are often over looked for minis also can be a bit cheaper to :)