Can anyone tell me about dachshunds please?

[Stillpinching]

They have been recommended to me by a few people as quite low maintenance and I was wondering if others would agree with that. Obviously I know all dogs are a huge responsibility, that goes without saying.

I used to have a lurcher (greyhound/deerhound and he was soon easy to care for. Slept all day, bombed around for 20 minutes then went back to sleep. I would love another him but due to size it would mean a new car so I've been wondering if similar exists in a smaller package.

To me dachshunds are snappy, quite clever and therefore in need of stimulation but I've never met one and people who have keep telling me they're lazy. Are they? They do have quite lurcheresque faces, which I like but I need to know the reality..

So many dogs needing a loving home. Forget buying a pedigree, why don't you take one from a shelter/Dogs Trust?

They were bred to go down rabbit and badger holes...

Well that's that then

Both dogs I have had were rescues but I've been dogless for about 5 years and have acquired 2 cats, so I'm worried about the checks they do. Last time I adopted it was touch and go whether they'd let me take him because I couldn't guarantee never to be out for more than 3 hours. .

I've considered a whippet as a smaller version of Arthur, but I've got two cats so many sighthounds are out - though Arthur was terrorised by the cat I had then...

Get an ex racing grey that is cat friendly, they do exist and sound like the perfect dog for you right now. Just ask at your local greyhound rescue and they'll let you know when they have any cat friendly ones in (after house checks etc).
It just might take a while to find the right grey.

Not a wise choice.

Go for scent rather than sight hounds if you have cats. Our Bosnian rescue refugee is great with ours.

All the ones I've met are very wary of strangers. As they're small, lots of people don't train them properly (as they "can't do as much damage as a bigger dog) so they get away with snapping, biting, barking and jumping up.

Growing up a friend had a dashund and a Doberman
Guess which one we were all terrified of? Put one friend in hospital

I've got a Dachshund x Jack Russell. Rescue background, a bit undersocialised, but a nice dog underneath it all.

He has many of the dachshund traits - a bark so loud and deep that people who have heard but not seen him assume it's a dog 4x larger. That said, he doesn't bark for the sake of it, there's always a reason.

Aloof with strangers - literally ignores 99.9% of the human population, even if they try to engage with him. He actively likes 2-3 people, including me. I had a lodger who was there for 7 months and he literally never bonded with him (by which I mean he growled and barked at him every time he came home). My own mother gets blanked by him. You get the picture.

Territorial - we went through a period of him not letting people through the front door and had to get professional help in (he's now a reformed character)

Bit of a tendency towards reactivity - it doesn't take too many negative experiences for him to decide something should be barked at. Opinionated AF. No sense of his own size - the two breeds he hates are Irish wolfhounds and German shepherds

Almost impossible to fully tire out. He's slowing down ever so slightly at nearly 3, but when he was younger if you have him less than 2 hours of walkies, mostly off lead, you would absolutely live to regret it. More was better. He'll walk all day and still be happy to carry on, like the Duracell Bunny. Partly this is the JRT in him, but dachshunds are more energetic than their leg length would suggest.

On the plus side, he's very intelligent, easy to train, has a bladder of steel, friendly with almost all other breeds of dog, and touch wood no health problems so far (he's nearly 3). He has a shorter back than a full dachshund which I'm hoping will prove sturdier as he thinks nothing of jumping a metre high from a standing start. Completely obsessed with balls and will play fetch for hours. Like most dachshunds he likes to sleep under the covers, so he's an excellent hot water bottle.

I adore him and I wouldn't be without him, but would I go for another the same again? Probably not, I'm hoping for an easier life... However, they have a lot of fans and those fans tend to be very into the breed (bit of a marmite breed I think). If you go on Facebook there are a lot of location based Facebook groups that organise walks for the breed (eg London Lowriders) so you can speak to the fans of the breed! It might be a good idea to go to a local dachshund walk so you can chat to owners and meet some.

I have a mini dachshund and he is my world! He is not low maintenance and he needs a lot of attention and stimulation! Luckily I also have a Staffordshire bull terrier so he gets long walks with her he was very hard to train as a pup but now he's good as gold! To be honest I think most dogs are hard work and take a lot of dedication and time but they are worth it.

I forgot to add that he is also extremely loving! He loves cuddles and loves cuddling up to our family when they come over.

Have you considered a whippet? My nan "downsized" to one a few years ago after her last Great Dane passed away, and her little whippet is an absolute delight, the loveliest nature and very laid-back (although she can outrun every dog in the park!).

My nan's whippet lives with two cats too, and she's completely disinterested in chasing small furries (which I suspect is why she was dumped).

We have 2 dcats and these....

If you get a whippet as a puppy it should be okay with a cat. There is a poster on the general dog chat threat that has a young whippet puppy with a cat and it sounds like they are getting on famously.

Any dog can have health problems but whippets are much more physically robust than dachshunds.

My brother has one.

I absolutely love him but he isn’t without his issues.

I think he is very nervous, he doesn’t demonstrate this through snappiness but instead shows it through avoidance, he startles quickly, very low, classic nervous stance in new situations and if collared by a new person he will roll over then play bow and zoomie about.
This not (IMO) done in the context of friendliness and play.
The roll is tense, tucked tail, averted eyes, pinned ears and although the play bow is associated with friendliness I remember seeing a presentation, I think by Sarah whitehead where she said play bows are actually a non confrontational means of gaining space.
And I would agree that that is exactly what this dog is doing.

He also resource guards.

He is anything but lazy!
I have walked him before and he matches my collie, there is absolutely no tiring him.

Pressed too soon..

Despite his nervousness he is quite a stubborn character!
And somewhat ‘one person’, he is much more responsive to my brother than anyone else.

He LOVES to dig, which is no surprise considering what they were bred for.

They have a lot of health problems too, largely because of that ridiculously long back.

I'd avoid .

Need a lot of training to avoid being happy and territorial .

Pretty annoying dogs as they don't walk far ( if you're like me and want a dog that will come out on hikes )

Also back problems so they shouldn't jump from sofas or run down stairs etc . Too high maintenance for me .

Pretty annoying dogs as they don't walk far ( if you're like me and want a dog that will come out on hikes)

Hahahaha. Only someone who has never tried to tire out a Dachshund would say that.

PP said hers could match her collie; my dachshund x is going on a 10 mile hike with me tomorrow and I have no concerns about his ability to complete it whatsoever.

As bluetongue mentioned my whippet puppy is doing really well with our cat who was already used to dogs. They mooch about together and play together and chase each other and like to sleep together too. My puppy has a really good bite inhibition - he stayed with his mum and littermates to 10 weeks and I went for the most laid back and placid of the litter. My cat also has good play skills and I’ve always been able to play with him with bare hands without getting scratched. So they literally roll around on the floor together although I keep them separated in that mad hour in the evening as it all gets too crazy

I have a one year old miniature daschund. I've owned dogs for 47 years and I've never ever had a dog so challenging.

The bad sides - horrific separation anxiety. The loudest yappy barking at other dogs, everything on the tv, prams , a leaf and very difficult to toilet training. She is the most challenging dog I have ever owned. However, she is very friendly to everyone and is very loving. She will run and run and run and despite stopping her going up and down the stairs it is impossible to stop her jumping up onto sofas etc. I have to admit though that I have always had larger dogs and this was my first experience of a little dog. She lives with a Ridgeback and they are best of friends. Needless to say she is in charge.

However - She works in a dementia home with me and the joy she brings every day to residents is immeasurable. She seems to sense when she needs to be calm and provides so much to residents and families.

Would I get one again - never, but I wouldn't give her up for anything.

It’s not just daschunds that have problems with their spines, our three year old Cyprus rescue dog just had surgery for IVDD we’re devastated as his back legs are paralysed. He has short legs and long body so definitely some daschund in there. Look up IVDD and breeds affected by this awful condition.