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!

Thanks, that's a great idea.

Thanks v much. Yeah my memory of these dogs is what you've described - placid, good natured and affectionate but it is terribly sad to hear their health issues are so prolific. Poor wee things. My grandmother's pets were clearly very lucky as they lived until 14+ with no back or eye issues but it sounds like they're the exception. I will def look into crosses.

We had a mini smooth for 12 years.

We are experienced dog owners (DH is a vet) and we struggled. He was loyal and loving, cute and snuggly. However he was also aggressive, barky, greedy and dirty. We never managed to train him properly despite our other dog at the time being an incredibly well behaved terrier.

I felt a failure every time I walked him and he snarled and lunged at something random. He never actually bit but he certainly looked like he might so he went out muzzled and harnessed on a short lead at all times. We never relaxed when out in public.

Healthwise his back was fine. His skin was tricky though and needed quite a lot of treatment and he was prone to fatty lumps, a couple of which were removed with some difficulty.

He adored us and we loved him but he died 3 years ago and we’ve stopped being dog owners. That little bundle of weirdness made me feel a failure every day of his life and he created more work than every other pet we’ve had put together.

@HumanbyDesign @Greentomatoes21 crossing breeds offers no guarantee of reducing health issues. It might. You also might get health issues from both breeds.
Most dachshunds want to rip the faces off my dogs.

Aw I'm so sorry to hear this!

Our neighbour has one and it is hands down the worst dog I’ve ever met. Agressive, untrainable, relentlessly barky.

The poor neighbour finds it absolutely joyless.

I wouldn’t go near even if you were a super experienced owner - they are just dickhead dogs,

I wouldn't buy a dog from any breed that has a significant risk of severe health problems. It would be a cruel thing to do.

It’s not just the severe health issues. It’s the cost of them. Their back issues can cost £8K easily if it’s serious enough. Can you afford the high insurance to cover that?

TBH I agree with PPs about not having one, but I’d go a step further, anyone who knowingly buys a dog that will suffer, is cruel, uneducated and unfit to own a cockroach let alone a dog.

The original dachshund was bred to disappear into holes and fight badgers - they were not originally intended as pets - they were feisty, tenacious working dogs.

Unfortunately they've now been massively over-bred and are full of health issues - they're particularly prone to back problems and the minis in particular shouldn't even be allowed to jump on the sofa or even run up stairs. That's no life for a dog, really.

Personally I think it's cruel what we've done to them as a breed. Humans have a lot to answer for when it comes to the state of animals.

The pee inside when it’s raining. Or cold. Or windy. Or sunny. Or cloudy.

Isn't it far more important to find a doggy companion that fits in with your family and lifestyle over the breed type and "cute" factor?

Little sh*ts, aggressive, territorial, barky, stubborn but very loving.

I haven't had great experiences with them as a dog owner. They constantly bark at my larger dog and only yesterday a 5 month old Dachshund puppy bit my poor dog on her ankles. This isn't the first time a Dachshund has dome this to her. A friend of mine re-homed hers due to it nipping people's ankles whilst out walking.

After pp’s criticism of people who buy dachshunds and my admission of having had one I want to explain that ours was a rescue. DH was feeling soft hearted that day. All our pets have been rescues, generally strays, with the exception of two cats.

As DH is a vet we’re pretty well placed to assess and manage likely health problems. Which we were fully aware the breed has.

Please can I have a cockroach 😆

I have two boys - 3 and 4 year olds.

We have no neighbours thankfully as one in particular loves to bark - he barks at the wind/anything.

Eldest was bitten twice and this had created a huge fear of dogs which he has passed to the younger one. They are VERY reactive to other dogs, it's awful. We walk them early and late and thankfully live where there are very few others about and they have a big garden.

They are the soppiest, most lovable affectionate dogs - they would gladly sit on my lap all day, the younger one is very playful, the older one has no interest in toys or games, he just wants to be warm and snuggled.

They are lovely with our children. They worship my husband and are very loyal dogs.

Touch wood so far they are both healthy, eldest is standard size, I don't know if that makes a difference health wise.

If we lived in a town or had neighbours, they would stress me out I'm sure.

The Kennel Club require none of this.

Just echoing much of the other sentiment - I don’t think it’s fair to buy a dog that has been bred for aesthetics at the expense of its health and quality of life.

I have one, she's gorgeous but nervous , prone to separation anxiety, clingy , Barky, hates strangers and very very difficult to train , especially house training. But as I said she's gorgeous, so good with my 3 year old , she's very affectionate to us and loves a cuddle , always by my side and even sleeps with my cat.
As for the health issues , honestly I've never had a dog that didn't have some issues in its breed and not every dog suffers either.

I have only met one dachshund that is dog friendly and he is a standard wirehaired. He is 8 now and healthy.

A lady in the village owns four smooth minis. 2 of them are not fully housetrained, all of them bark constantly and are dog agressive and 1 has IVDD.

There's one near here who I have seen regularly when out for a run. After he tried to go for me once I give him a wide berth but regularly see him going for other people. His name, judging by what I hear the owner calling on these occasions, is Knuckles.

We have one but she’s our only dog. She’s the biggest miniature dachshund we’ve ever come across (but much smaller than a standard), and she looks more like the old breed standard than some of the dinkier versions you get now - which we hope will be better for her back health. The others make valid points about health, but lots of breeds have inherent problems (eg a friend has a Labrador with very typical bad hips and can’t go on long walks at 4, which is another huge shame - but I’ve never seen lab owners criticised for having dogs at risk of poor health).

She is a bit of a nightmare though - she’s perfectly toilet trained which took a few weeks, and she’s fine left on her own for up to 8 hours which also took patience and training, but she hates other dogs and is generally quite nervous. She has basic recall but would never be off lead, and she can be bribed to do just about anything - but she would never follow a command out of sheer obedience, she’s a hound that’s bred to be independent so makes her own decisions about her actions.

She’s VERY barky around strangers, particularly in the house. We do a lot of activities with her to actively build her confidence which comes with a cost and time commitment.

She can also be snappy - she’s not the sort of dog I would say would never bite, although she’s never bitten she does give a warning shot. She’s not placid at all.

I have no regrets on the breed though, but I’m not sure I’d get another as I think we have fallen quite lucky in terms of temperament as I know others that have quite severe separation anxiety and that would not fit our lifestyle.

I have one and he’s absolutely fantastic as a dog. Wonderful loving personality and super quirky and fun plus pretty lazy (I’ve had working breed spaniels before) he does bark sometimes at the door and maybe a random kid on a scooter that scares him, but overall he’s a great dog. He’s great with my cats and loves people.

impossible to really train as stubborn and not food motivated. But we rub along ok.

I’d join some breed specific Facebook groups and scroll through what people are posting it’s mainly trying to train them and IVDD that are the problems.

When I was at school a friend had one and also a Doberman, guess which one we were all scared of?

i have a mini. We also have a much larger retriever. They are best of friends. The mini is not aggressive, no anxiety and does not lunge at other dogs on walks. He is calm. But he does bark at the door and at people when they first come in the house. He pees in his bed occasionally despite being fully house trained. He is extremely well socialised and has been since birth. Lots of children around!

He is obedient, he does sit, lie down, paw, "relax" - lie on lap. His recall is excellent. It took a lot of training.

He loves cuddles. He hates the cold & getting wet in the rain. He swims in the sea on the beach.

I adore him. But I'm not sure I'd get another.

Not sure if that helps you at all? socialisation is key i believe.

I’ve never met a nice one I’m afraid! A couple of friends have them, purchased because they look cute and they are without exception aggressive and not particularly affectionate, with a range of health issues. They are usually given some “witty” sausage related name like chip, frank or banger which makes me cringe inside out.