a new rescue dog...possibly - anyone got a Dachshund JRT cross?

[Astrabees]

I put "rescue" in the title because we would not do anything to encourage breeding while there are so many do;gs needing homes.

Registered with a small rescue a while back as we would like a dachshund, and had one some years back when the children were small, he was a lovely dog and we know about the breed. we are now being considered for a Dachshund JRT cross, not a puppy but a young dog, a real cutie in his pictures and described as Lively. He looks far more Dachshund than JRT. I wondered if anyone on here had one of this type of cross breed and how they find living with them?

You don't come across the cross very often, but I do have that exact cross!

I'll start by saying that mine is also a rescue, and it would be impossible for me to differentiate his innate personality traits from those which result from his less than perfect upbringing.

I'll start by saying that he's more terrier than dachshund, personality wise. Ball obsessed, squirrel chasing (but never catching), and digging up mole hills are some favourite past times, along with swimming in the summer. Awful with cats. Likes to socialise with other dogs, but can be intensely territorial - woe betide any dog that tried to come into our home.

Thoroughly aloof with people he doesn't know - even people who want to say hello to him get blanked (he might take a treat, but then he'll ignore them again - he just isn't interested). Absolutely adores "his" people - it's just that he has a small but intense social circle (plus a few regular visitors who he regards as sentient ball throwers). Seeks affection from his nearest and dearest, but equally goes off by himself and is quite happy to be left alone. He's come into contact with young children before (5+) through family, but to be honest I wouldn't want him in a home full time with children who weren't old enough to recognise body language and to let sleeping dogs lie (11/12+ realistically).

Very bright (too bright, sometimes) and readily trainable if you put the time in. Bladder of steel - he never has accidents. Never destroys anything that isn't a dog toy. He's got a list of random things he doesn't like, and barks to make them go away (he evidently doesn't understand correlation vs causation ) but I've learned to live with that, and we avoid his triggers where possible.

He does have high exercise needs - he'll go all day if you let him, but 2 hours a day is pretty necessary if you want him to be a nice dog! He's about 3.5 now, but I've had him for 2 years, and at the beginning anything less than 2-3 hours a day could lead to distinct feelings of regret. On the plus side, he does sleep through the night and most of the day

I love him dearly, but he's not for the faint hearted, and if I'd acquired a dog via a traditional rescue route there's no way they would have given him to me. We make it work though! Of course, the individual dog you're looking at may be totally different in character to mine. Go along, meet the dog and its carers, and make an assessment on the individual - it's the only sensible thing to do with rescues IMHO.

Wow, Avocado, thanks for such a detailed response. I gather this little dog was bought as a puppy by someone who could not look after him in the way that he needed, although he was loved and cared for. He is in foster now where he is making good progress. I never thought we would be offered anything by this rescue as dachshunds are in short supply. It is a bit of an advantage for us that this one is a cross as our original one had spinal problems. I gather he is very bright and receptive to training but still a bit boisterous. Over the last 40 years I have had 5 dogs, none of them problem free but all responded to love and direction, I think exercise will be a bit factor with this one. Thank you so much for all the info.

I had a dachshund x Jrt a long time ago. We had her at 9 months old. She was ginger, with pricked up ears, looked like a corgi.

She was obsessed by her ball in the beginning, as that was the only exercise she'd had in her previous home with elderly owners. We distracted her from that [only threw balls for her sometimes] as she would have become aggressive if a child or other dog picked it up and we could see it could potentially be a problem in the future.

She had a lovely nature, only barked a few times if strangers came to the house or she heard an unusual noise. Then she would be friendly to everyone she met. She just had a daily walk then a potter around the garden, or went to work with my partner and slept in her basket.

Quite lazy, she wouldn't get up until 12 pm. So not demanding or very active. Liked a cuddle every evening.

The only thing with her was she had to mark her territory whenever she stayed somewhere new. She did it when she first came home. One little puddle would make her feel at home. Very irritating but she only did it the once. We had a new carpet when she was 5 and she had to mark it and make it hers! Otherwise a clean dog.

I have one. She’s a fat lazy shit but will also walk as much as I do. (Not much these days to be honest)
She’s the sweetest dog, and if I seen the cross again I would get one in a heart beat.
Her only flaw is she loves to pee on carpets.

No problem @Astrabees.

It sounds like a similar start in life to my dog - where he spent his first 12 months of murky, but some snippets filtered through. There's no evidence of active abuse, but his needs certainly weren't met with regards to training ("we don't have time"), exercise (10 minutes around the block daily I gather) and hence socialisation.

He's improved massively, but he'll never be the model pet dog as he has a handful of issues that are just too deeply ingrained to be fully resolved (they've all been either improved or can be managed, however). He has many redeeming features, and a few "blind spots" where he's an absolute twat - there's nothing inbetween! Given sufficient mental and physical exercise he's 99% nice.

Just to check - do you have any other pets that a terrier might like to chase, or do you live in an area with livestock? If so, you'd be well advised to check this dog's prey drive - terriers are bred for it, and certainly there's no way I could ever trust my dog around cats, small furries or livestock. The 'chasing is fun' thing is far too deeply ingrained in him!

My MIL has one and he’s absolutely lovely. He was bought as a lap dog so when he came to her he couldn’t walk as his legs were so weak from being carried everywhere. She lives somewhere with a lot of land and livestock so he’s super fit now and loves being out and about. He’s one of the gentlest, friendliest dogs I’ve met and is super cute looks wise. He is devoted to my MIL and fits in well with her other dog who is a large lurcher. He’s great with my kids and my dog is who is still learning to be polite. I would have him in a second if I got the chance!

How lovely to hear all about your dogs. This one has lived with a cat and they got on very well and also an older dog, it sounds as if he needs a lot of exercise, but that is no problem for us. After two Staffies who were perfect except for not getting on with other dogs this will be an interesting change for us, if it comes to anything as I have a feeling the foster family might well end up keeping him, anyway, fingers crossed.

I have a rescued JRT cross who I strongly suspect is part dachshund (largely from his colouring and shape - I have to buy him dachshund-fit coats as he's so long haha). He is naturally very 'terrier' and very noisy. He's good with other dogs but would not be safe around cats and small furries. He also doesn't like children but that is more of an individual thing and largely from lack of exposure to them.
He's very shy of strangers generally but again that is not so much a breed (crossbreed) trait but due to his background - he was born in rescue and raised in foster care so we've had him from a pup and his mother was also nervous so it's obviously genetic in his case. He's active but not madly so. A good walk a day and some games/training around the house suits him fine. He's proven very intelligent and responds well to training, although he has stubborn moments. Slow to housetrain though. Lastly he his super loving and sweet with his family, very affectionate. Oh and he really hates the cold so he has quite a selection of fleece jumpers. I love him loads.

I have a rescue jrt/beagle cross. He’s brilliant with cats and children, probably the sweetest nature of any dog we’ve had, but he also loves to pee on carpets. Bicarbonate of soda is my best friend. Jrts can sometimes be nippy, but none of the Jrt crosses I have met seem that way inclined.

I've heard that dachshunds are difficult to housetrain, but this little chap is supposed to be very OK on that front. Still thinking that the fosterers will probably find a way to keep him and all this will be a lovely fantasy before we revert to plan A and get another elderly Staffie, but you never know.

Agree with the house training. A client of mine is a dachshund breeder and has been for over 50 years. She still battles with house training every litter she breeds!

We have a different JR cross and of course they’re all different. Ours is predominantly JR, very active, chases balls and very noisy. But no prey drive and very gentle.
JRs are much more sociable than dachshunds, who are one-family dogs and stubborn.