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!

Kennel club is doing away with assured breeder I believe. All it means is it’s a pedigree dog. KC is no mark of quality or being an ethical breeder.

Buy earplugs.
Move to a detached house.
Get extremely good veterinary insurance.

We have a standard size Dachshund. She's the most amazing family dog, loyal, playful and adores my kids. It goes with the territory that they bark a lot and can be quite ferocious hunters so you do need to be consistent with training and treat them like you would any other working dog, keeping them active physically and mentally.

They wouldn’t be my choice of dog personally for all the reasons previously listed
However as a dog trainer I’ve come across many. Behaviourally the smooth coated ones have all been barky, anxious, stubborn and not entirely pleasant - especially the boys
Interstingly I’ve met a few of the long haired variety and they have had a completely different temperament. Easy going, relatively quiet and much less ‘sharp’.
It sounds like they might be more like the ones your Grandma had. Could be coincidental but of the two, they would be my choice by an absolute mile

I had a Daxie, who I did lose to IVDD when he was 7. It was heartbreaking but I wouldn't trade those years for anything he was the best boy ever! Relatively easy to train, but need a firm and consistent hand as way too intelligent and sneaky. One main thing is they're as much a dog as a lab or any other big breed and need to be trained and treated as such.

I have one, although a wirehaired version - I believe they are known to be slightly hardier.

He's not a barker, although he is a lazy bastard. Will do all he can to hide under his blanket and avoid a walk, and can flatten himself alarmingly to avoid detection.

He's 8, and no back issues yet (🤞) but possibly because he does everything in his power to move as little as possible.

He DID cost me a small fortune when he twisted his ankle. He limped for a couple of hours, whining, the works - took him to the vet only to be told he was being dramatic, which absolutely is a breed trait.

He's also a greedy shit, and will eat anything. Helpful when you're weaning a baby, not helpful when you're out walking and have to wrestle half an old kebab off the grubby, grasping git.

Also, selective deafness. He's well recall trained, but if he had a middle finger to stick up at me when he wanted to ignore me, he 100% would. Always responds to a treat though.

I had one, we lost her 2 years ago, she was lovely but was quite barky, she was incredibly loving and loved all people.

No back problems but did develop diabetes when she was about 10, so we had to inject her with insulin twice a day.

We had 2 other dogs at the same time, mostly they all got on fine, but there was a bit of competition between her and the great dane as they both wanted to be head of the household.

Never had any problems with her wandering, and when out on a walk she would never leave our side even when off lead. House training was a whole different story, she was so stubborn and just wouldn't go outside if the weather was inclement. She would sneak off and do it secretly, although we never saw her do it, but would find a little puddle behind a door.

She was funny, clever, cheeky, stubborn, loving, faithful, needy and probably the most difficult dog we have

I would love another but my daughter who lives close by said all the house prices would go down in the local area if I did.

So hard to train, chew everything, toilet training is hard, anxious, yappy, back issues....

Back problems are very common and usually need to be operated on

They can be very snappy. I read only the other day that there are more bites from daschunds than any other breed

ah @BugBugTheTornado another wirey owner! I wouldn't be without mine but your comment about the kebab made me lol. Ours once ate a whole chicken carcass. We have to be very careful as he has shown resource guarding over random stolen objects before, so I find myself saying to new guests 'if he gets your shoe please just ignore him, he will give it back' like a lunatic

A family member of mine has 3 and imo they don't have very nice temperaments.

Also - they don't. Stop. Barking.

I have a long haired mini who is 12 years old and an absolute dream of a dog. Gentle, extremely affectionate, bomb-proof with kids, sociable, bursting with health and ridiculously cute. Best decision we ever made. You must only buy from an ethical KC-registered breeder and ideally go through the breed society which keeps a list of breeders. Make sure they are genetically clean for eye problems, that you meet the mum at home and have details of the dad. Back issues are largely genetic so look for a healthy lineage. As with any dog, brush their teeth and go to puppy training classes.

@MakeMeJuno, our recall, too, is a work in progress. He is generally good. But there is always the risk of something exciting happening and affecting the ability of his ears to hear a whistle .
He has a h-yuuge prey drive but funnily enough he bumped into an above-ground mole this morning and just wanted to gently sniff it. I was able to put him on lead and walk him away without any harm to the mole whatsoever. Evidently moles aren't on his list. What's that all about?
Like your dachshund he will sleep for hours and hours at home, despite being so lively on walks.
Agree with you that you can't eliminate health problems altogether. Sadly, all pedigree breed are affected to some extent by some narrowing of the gene pool. But clearly the working lines of dachshunds seem to be not out of kilter with the degree of health problems in many other breeds.

Selective deafness 🤣 the mental imagine of a dachshund sticking up a middle finger when called made me chuckle.

It's cruel to key breeding them, they have a life of pain.

Er not, not all dachshunds have a life of pain! Mine has an idyllic life of being healthy and adored. Around 75% of all dachshunds do t develop disc disease and it affects only about 7% of standard wire haired do. Show standard dachshunds are less prone as are dogs that get lots of exercise. It’s highly hereditary so if you can see the parent and grandparents you can get an idea of their health. I definitely wouldn’t get a flat faced dog though as they can’t breathe