Mini dachshunds - advice and positive experiences!

[Greentomatoes21]

I have wanted one of these dogs since I was a child. My grandmother had a couple of them over years and I adored them - but obviously I was too young to appreciate the work, health, typical temperament and quirks of the breed at the time. Unfortunately I have read a lot of negative things about these little guys - barky, anxious, difficult to train - and I feel a bit scared off. Hoping to find some advice from those who have had one; how did you manage to overcome these tendencies, if they are so prevalent in the breed in general? Is your mini dachshund a lot more difficult than other dogs you've had? Thanks!

I would love one but thought they had back issues so it's put me off.

We have a three year old and she’s wonderful. She needs a lot of time, attention and the opportunity to run around but other that that she’s been quite easy. She’s been easy to train, has great recall and is great with other dogs and with kids. She’s obviously very young and we have the highest level of pet insurance because of the health problems that may come later on.

Never met one without back problems.

They are bred to inherently suffer. Backs that long and legs that short are not healthy and are not natural.

They shouldn’t be bred - much like Pugs, Bulldogs and Cavaliers - but will continue to be whilst people think their suffering is “cute”.

I wouldn’t buy an animal that is so likely to have extreme health problems. Their back problems are common knowledge so I urge you to buy a different breed.

the back is very prone to injury. so jumping off the couch can set it off, being in a car getting tossed about simply from starting and stopping, then there are other dogs (slightly bigger) who jump and pounce about often on each other. when their back hurts, you need to carry them to toilet outside until it heals up a bit. then there are the awkward joints again prone to getting displaced.
the 3 i'm familiar with were all nippers, fast and sneaky but sharp little teeth that quickly bit/pinched and ran off leaving you wondering if the little shit really did sink his teeth into you...and indeed they had.

cute but too fragile and too nippy for me.

I've not had one but there are half a dozen in the village. Without exception they are barky and aggressive, lunging and snarling at other dogs, yapping constantly in gardens at passers-by. That might be due in part to the owners, but combined with the health issues I would admire from afar.

I didn't want to pile on but they are a bloody nightmare. They are so territorial. My boss had one and it would just circle her incessantly barking at people. My friends parents had 2 and they can be so stubborn. They barked at each other constantly and had to be monitored whenever they were near stairs or couches as they can really easily injure themselves. So many other easier breeds.

We live next door to one, and it yaps non stop. Anxious apparently

Looking for positive experiences is called confirmation bias. A responsible adult would be looking for the full picture.

The lady opposite me had one, and she died aged three due to a fatal spinal issue. It was painful and traumatic and involved seizures.

Miniature Dachshunds can have a number of health problems due to their physical structure, including back problems, eye problems, and hip dysplasia.

Back problems
Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD): A neurological spinal problem that affects the back. Dachshunds are more likely to develop IVDD than other dog breeds.
Slipped disc or herniated disc: Back-related issues that can cause mobility loss and paralysis.

Eye problems
Dry eye: A congenital eye problem
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA): A degenerative eye disease that can lead to blindness
Cataracts: An eye problem that can affect Dachshunds

Hip dysplasia
A genetic condition that causes abnormalities in the hip joint
Puppies may be born with hip dysplasia, and owners may notice symptoms like limping before the puppy's first birthday.

Other health problems
Dental issues and gum disease
Infections
Canine obesity
Allergies
Luxating patella, which is when the kneecap pops out of its groove
Liver disease, such as portosystemic shunt (PSS)

Exactly this. Anyone who buys one is complicit in a cruel trade in animals that have been deliberately deformed.

This is not the case, what is absolutely the case is that they shouldn't be bred by unregistered breeders.

Back in the day my aunty bred cavaliers but her dogs were registered with the kennel club which required various checks and made sure certain practices were adhered to (lineages checks, health checks, breeding rules preventing close line crossing, characteristics maintained, etc etc) meaning the resulting pupps were as close to the "original" breed as possible; consequently you didn't get over developing of undesirable and unhealthy characteristics in the breed.

Since dog breeding has become so profitable what has happened is that any old idiot can breed a dog without thought of whether their dogs are suited/compatible - in addition to buyers supporting this by finding the overdeveloped mutations "adorable" 🙄 such as squashed up noses in puggs for example - and so you get what we have now. Very sad but nothing to do with the breed itself being bad!

I have one who is four now. He is indeed barky and anxious. I think in our case it wasn't helped because my daughter got him in 2020 and he didn't get to socialise due to social distancing at the time. I know a couple of others locally and they're fine. They walk lovely, not as barky as our one.

They can be trained, but you have to start them young. Also you have to be very mindful of their shape and provide ramps/stairs for them to get on beds or sofas (they like nothing more than snuggling in your bed). No jumping from heights. Going up and down house stairs should be limited too.

Linked to this thread specifically - I love mini dachshunds myself but have also been put off by all the above, however a couple yearsn ago I bumped into a couple on the beach with a gorgeous little bundle of energy which looked a bit different from the usual - somewhat shorter in body and stockier, leaping all over the place and generally looking happy and healthy - and speaking to the owners I found he was a dashie-terrier cross, deliberately done to counter the back/ears issues.... He looked amazing 🥰

Maybe an idea?

It's not just back problems they are horrible aggressive little dogs . Never seen a dachshund yet not straining on the lead snapping and snarling . There was a county dachshund walk near me a few months ago and all of them looked awful .

I know of one that recently had a horrific operation on its back - cut from one end to the other. I’m allergic to dogs and therefore not a fan but this looked awful. If you do choose to get one make sure you have top notch insurance.

It’s also an insufferable yap which I blamed on its owners, some of these posts show apparently it’s the nature of the breed.

There were 2 next door to us for 6 months and us and the neighbours the other side of them (we both had dogs at the time ) were close to breaking point, Other neighbours offered for the dogs to go to theirs when owners were out in desperation and because we were all worried about the dogs but owners refused,

Thank goodness they abandoned idea of renovation and just moved and became someone else’s problem.

A friend has one - and works flexibly from home running their own business so not a case of the dog being left, under-socialised etc...

It barks at the wind, it barks at its own shadow, it barks if you cough, it barks if someone walks past the house, it barks if a bird is in the garden. It is RELENTLESS.

It's also stubborn as anything - can't be incentivised to do anything it doesn't want to do. Which obviously makes training very difficult.

I have two and I seem to have a bit of a different experience from everyone else!

admittedly my boy can be a bit of a barker, however we worked hard to train him to be left alone so we can go out and leave them home and they are fine.

They are both incredibly sweet- my boy has grown up with my two nieces and they all adore each other, there are so many memories of them playing nice together and cuddling! My girl is incredibly loving- she mothers everything (including our kitten and his toys!) She is long haired and much more docile than the boy, which I understand is common (she's much quieter)

My girl did have grade 4 IVDD when she was 6- we have insurance that covered the operation and all physio and we were strict with recovery, and touch wood she seems ok almost 2 years later! We have stair gates to stop them using the stairs, and ramps for the sofa.

This is helpful, thanks.

It’s also not true.

My cavalier was from DNA tested parents, researched extensively before buying, KC registered and extremely expensive.

He has every health issue going. Including heart failure at the age of six. He’s maxed out his insurance several times.

So the other posts weren't helpful @Greentomatoes21 ?

You really did just want people to tell you "positive experiences" about mini dachshunds rather than sharing the honest truth about their physical and behaviour issues?

I know three that are lovely, placid, good natured, affectionate. But they have all had to have extensive back surgery. Research suggests that around 25% do. So your insurance costs would be very high. Surgery isn’t without risk either and frankly I think it irresponsible for breeders to continue to breed dogs when 25% have such major and painful health issues. I agree with a pp that if you really want this type of dog, a cross with a shorter bodied breed would be a better way to go (for your wallet and for the dog)

It’s not true - there are not and have never been KC-required health checks for registration of Cavaliers (or dachshunds), outside of the very flawed Assured Breeder scheme, and there are no restrictions on COI such that you can breed a dog that is the genetic equivalent of a brother-sister mating and still have them registered.

Miniature smooths have an IVDD rate of 30%.

They break very easily and are usually very aggy and aggressive unless it's the owner ( anxiety at the world being so big around them I'm sure ) .