Dachshund owners please come and talk to me?

[Ilmb]

For years Iv wanted one and now at a time I can have one. I know people who have had them so I’m aware of their temperament etc. However Iv been on a few daxie rescues for a while and one hasn’t come up in my area or if it has it has to go to an experienced Home and we obviously can’t be classed as that. So I don’t know wether to get a puppy or not but I’m reluctant....

Yes they are adorable etc etc but I’m not sure if I’m cut out for a puppy, the toilet training, crying etc at night, chewing everything etc. Can anyone share how they cake about their daxie? Or if you had them since a puppy how bad was it?

Tia

@llmb - as far as taking on a rescue.
I am sure that there are many genuine reasons a dog is needing a new home. I think another reason why people give up their dog is that they just didn't realise the commitment it would take and have not put in the time required for training and exercise.

If you rescue from a reputable organisation such as The Red Foundation or Dachshund Rescue, they would have assessed the dog so you would know what you are taking on rather than looking on Gumtree etc.

If you are willing to put in the time and effort and possibly ruined carpet a rescue can be incredibly rewarding. I think the issues you could possibly face with a rescue are: not properly house trained, separation anxiety, food aggression, dominance to other dogs, not great with children etc.

I have a rescue terrier, when she first came to us she was absolutely petrified of everything and she had terrible separation anxiety. When left home alone for a few hours she chewed a massive hole in the sofa, once chewed a mobile phone, scratched/chewed a massive hole in the door. It's taken a good few years with her but now she is the most beautiful and well mannered dog but doesn't like strangers. Gets on so well with the daxie that they sleep together and share the same food bowl. She is actually now easier than the daxie who has only ever known a pampered life. The love you get from a rescue is so different, it's like they know. ❤️

I have one, he was a rescue.
He’s now toilet trained but won’t go outside to pee or pop if it’s raining
He barks - a lot ( I think they all do)
He has zero recall off the lead
He’s not particularly obedient unless he feels like it!
Other than that he’s wonderful, loving and funny. Wouldn’t swap him for anything but can be quite challenging at times!

So (excuse my ignorance) if you had a rescue that came with no behavioural (chewing) or toilet issues known, could those things happen just from being rehomed?

Just thinking about our home, I rent my landlord fine with a dog. Downstairs mostly wooden floor but I guess I’d have to be prepared worse case for repairing/replacing things when I move out.

@juneau don't get a puppy if you need your sleep - they require a LOT of work at the beginning. We got ours at 12 weeks and he was up at least twice a night for the toilet, and up for the day at 6am for a good month. Then he was up at least once a night until 7 months - it's only in the last couple of weeks that he's slept through the night regularly, and he sleeps until around 7am now.

We also deliberately didn't get a puppy until summer so we didn't have to toilet train in the middle of winter. Getting up at 2am in July was bad enough, though at least all you had to do was throw on a hoody and shoes - I didn't fancy having to get fully dressed up to take the dog out twice a night because it was snowing or -5 outside wimp.

I love ours now and he's finally settling properly. He's nowhere near as bitey or jumpy as he was, either. He can settle himself with a chew and doesn't need anywhere near as much interaction as he did but those first months were tough. Now as long as he gets two walks a day and a couple of training sessions he's pretty good - but forget those and you soon know about it!

Thanks adaline, that's all good to know and it completely puts me off. Thing is, I know that the lion's share of dog care will fall to me and of all of us I'm the one who least wants a dog. DH and the kids REALLY want one, but who is going to be home with it while they're at work/school? Me. Who will end up getting up in the night, because I'm a very light sleeper and will hear it? Me. Who will have to train it? Me. Pick up it's shit? Me. Take it to the vet? Me

That's why the whole family need to be on board with getting a dog, and willing to split the work fairly. We split the work with ours as fairly as possible. DP does the night wakings because he doesn't have the hour-long commute I do, and because he can get back to sleep quicker than me, but the rest of it is 50/50.

DP feeds him before work, I feed him in the evenings. Walks we split or if we're both off, we'll take him together. Luckily our daycare includes a walk in it's daily rates so we don't have to get up early on our work days to take him out.

I pay all his costs as he's primarily my dog - so insurance, food etc is all down to me, but the workload is definitely 50/50. It wouldn't work otherwise. I couldn't be the one walking him, cleaning up after him, doing all his treatments while DP just sat on his arse and did nothing.

We had a red long haired standard Dachshund dog soon after we were married. Yes, they have lots of faults - in particular no recall and a propensity to fun off at great speed once they get on the scent of something. We got ours to be a companion for my spaniel/whippet/German shepherd mongrel bitch. She hated him but through a combination of playing silly games by running between her legs, being very stubborn and thinking that if he licked her head for long enough she would love him he eventually won her round. There was no way you could stop him getting what he wanted, he would even wriggle behind her on her bed to force her out and take it for himself. He had a huge bark and was very loving. he was 2 when we rescued him from Bristol dogs home and totally un housetrained. It took us a few days to realise he would only "perform" if you did not look at him - he used to hide in the long grass. Once we had that sussed he was fine. He was very gently, DS1 used to lean against him as a mini sofa when he was having his bottle. When we came back from holiday he climbed inside my suitcase and went to sleep with just his head sticking out.

All in all a lovely lovely dog, still much missed. BUT I would not have another as after 7 wonderful years he developed serious back problems and despite surgery ( very expensive) he was left paralysed, we made the sad decision to have him PTS. I would not want to go through all that anguish and agony again. Strangely enough the dogs we have had since have been Staffies, same great character and love of a cuddle, but far more healthy.

That's why the whole family need to be on board with getting a dog, and willing to split the work fairly.

Thing is, because the other three members of the household aren't in very much normally, I will just have to do the lion's share. The kids will want to walk the dog to/from school or join us walking it at the weekends, and they'll be able to get involved with feeding, but that's the easy and fun bit of dog ownership. I'll be the one lumbered with all the rotten bits - house training and sleep training, mopping up puddles of piss, picking up poo, bundling it into a crate and taking it to the vet, cleaning the car when it gets car sick ... They all want a dog because they KNOW I'll end up doing all the shit things while they get to cuddle and play with the damn thing.

Is there anyone able to answer my question from 12.23?

I dont know because ive not rescued one but know most people with dachshunds suffer with the marking thing so at best u will be cleaming a lot. At worse it will ruin the flooring house will never smell the same again. Its worth offering a pet deposit to lndlord so u dont have to worry about replacing flooring.

I replied earlier. I house trained my rescue at age 12 and he was no problem. Never had any issues until his last three months when, at age 18, he needed help to get outside in time to do his business. It took hard work though. I took time off work for weeks.

My rescue Schnauzer is another story and he still pees on the coffee table leg if left alone in the lounge!

So (excuse my ignorance) if you had a rescue that came with no behavioural (chewing) or toilet issues known, could those things happen just from being rehomed?

You could find that the dog chews inappropriate things because it was never taught otherwise by previous owners, because it's at a natural stage for chewing anyway (eg teething), because it isn't sure what items are the dog's yet, or because it's stressful and chewing is a calming activity.

Toilet training can be a bit compromised by a stay in kennels where there's no indoor and outdoor areas.

However, both are readily solvable training issues and will be quicker to resolve in a rescue dog with some prior training than a brand new puppy.

The line about not being able to teach old dogs new tricks is a lie by the way! All dogs can learn something new, at least up until the point doggy dementia kicks in. My rescue sausage x terrier knew almost nothing at a year old but rapidly picked up training.

hair sorry somehow I missed that post. Wow didn’t know I had to worry about marking aswell! I don’t know anyone with dogs whose do that so hasn’t even thought about it thanks for saying that. Is that the same like cats spray I take it?

avocados thank you that’s really helpful. As much as I’d love a puppy I’m trying to be sensible. It would never be alone more than 2 hours and I’m alwaya at home in the school holidays. I don’t get a lot of sleep and start the day early so getting up in the night doesn’t worry me, I guess I worry about doing it all wrong and failing! Iv grown up around dogs and never been in a position to have one, me and the dc have wanted one for years and I the last 2 years Iv put it off always saying ‘next year’ as I don’t want to fail a dog. Me and the dc have been to hell and back the last few years, a really traumatic time and we’re healing and doing so well now I feel it would complete our little family? Make sound pathetic... my kids are 11 and 13 so not little. My eldest has high functioning autism and we joke he’s the next chris packham, he LOVES animals and is amazing with them, very interesting to watch him, he almost has a way of communicating with them and vice versa!

Dilemma having a puppy v older ish rescue. Everyone says puppy as you ‘know what you get’ but I’d like to keep Home with the lowest stress and I feel a puppy will be too stressful as I’m a worrier!

Bollocks do you know what you get with a puppy! All you get is a bundle of fluff with a description of what the breed is usually like - but we all know they have their own individual personalities and preferences.

A rescue will have grown up and formed a personality so you'll have a much better idea of what that individual is like.

avacado I agree with you but all these ‘experienced’ dog owners like to point that out...

Sorry I spelt your name wrong!

Puppies are stressful. Yes I am sure you get the odd one that is easy but most are peeing pooing biting monsters until they grow up.

Yes a rescue might have its own issues but at least you don't have to go through the puppy and teenage years first.

I got my mini smooth at 8 months old from his birth family, due to a terminal illness. He chewed shoes, his toilet training went into complete regression, he was terribly anxious, and still cannot be left alone for more than half an hour with a stuffed kong. I pay a fortune for dog daycare and have no social life.

He'll still nab slippers, socks and bras if given half a chance. He'll run off with anything that has a strong smell of human on it (my running gear!). He's a proper hound and digs. He buries treats. Then digs them up and brings them in the house.

I have a rescue collie and he's very jealous of him. He'll fly at his throat if he thinks he's getting too much attention/too close to his food bowl. The collie has never touched his food.

I never got the recall cracked but I did get 'stand!' and he'll stop dead and not move, so I can catch him. He does play fetch with a tiny ball but I think that's because the collie does and he's jealous, rather than any natural inclination!

He doesn't pee/poo in the house any more but it took a good year or two of constantly taking him out, well bribing him out with treats. Except he will pee in the kitchen in protest if I spend too long upstairs...I have a safety gate (they must not go upstairs, or rather down, because of their backs) and a ramp so he can get on the sofa without straining his back (just you try and keep them off the furniture, I dare you, you will fail).

If I was to do it again I would get two, they need another one I think. They love to be near you or near another dog and my collie (entirely reasonably) won't entertain him.

I think a rescue dog or older dog will have the toileting issues just for being moved. They are not bombproof at all in that area. In fact they are pissy little individuals, they just don't care. He will mark if I take him to my friends' houses, so I go equipped with Special Solution and a cloth and poo bags. I don't have many friends who ask me over!

All in all they're a bloody nightmare and I strongly recommend you don't get one! He's my loving little clown though, a huge soul, a wacky personality, he loves to play, (scent games, dog casino, wobblers with treats in), he loves a walk and can go for miles but NOT in the rain, he LOVES people visiting, he loves to go out with me on my bike (I have a front carrier with a harness for him).

But yeah, just don't get one.

I looked after a friends one once and it never peed/pooed/marked my house at all, Iv never heard anyone of the ones I know that mark someone else’s house, so that’s a first for me! To be fair we don’t visit any one else. We lead quite a sheltered life in our own bubble so that won’t be a problem. It’s just our home I worry about. Someone said to me if I had a puppy and crate trained it, when it was on it’s own (when I go out) it won’t be able to chew etc as it would be in its crate and when I’m at home me or the dc would always be around it so would be watching it...... I wasn’t sure if it was that simple but they seemed to think it was with theirs... I just get told so many different things that I don’t know what to think. It’s the same thing, everyone has different opinions/experiences but I just don’t know..

Oh yes mine is crate trained, he sleeps in it of a night. But if he's left alone he keens, cries, chews the bars and paces none stop (neighbours complained, so I recorded him on the iPad). He might just be especially bad with the separation anxiety though, who knows.

Wow! klep do you think it’s because of the change of home? Although I know they are notorious for separation anxiety... I thought I’d be ok as I’m around a lot and would only be gone max 2 hours at a time

Nothing has come up for us for the 18 months Iv been looking on the 3 rescue pages. What about adds you see on day pets 4 home that aren’t puppies? If they are PRA clear, what proof can you ask to see and how would you know it is genuine paperwork? If it sounded good on paper would you go and visit and then get an idea if all seems ok?

I think it was the leaving his first home set him off, he had his mum, younger brother and two Vislas there and they all slept in a big heap. Plus his owners were retired.

I had a behaviourist out to him which is how I managed to get him to 30-40 mins so I can at least go to the shop/pick my lad up!

I was talking to a friend today about this situation and she has dogs and she’s recommended a behaviouralist who also does the usual classes aswell so I’m going to have her lined up regardless if I get puppy or rescue..

Well as long as you're prepared for all the downsides and no-on can persuade you otherwise :) you should be ok.

Re. Buying from pets4homes etc. The short answer is you can never ever tell if someone's genuine or if a pedigree's real. Good breeders will always take a dog back if there are problems. Good owners will do that rather than sell them on. You can ask to see a picture of the pedigree and look up the names/breeders yourself, but there's no saying it wasn't knocked up on a computer (breeders/sires/dams info is often on the internet if you look hard enough), or that it actually belongs to that dog. Same goes for the PRA certs.