Tell me about sausage dogs.

[LordJohnGrey]

We have always had staffies, but after losing our old girl in January have a hankering for a daushound.

DH who woukd be walking the dog has a back that gets muscle spasms so don't want another strong dog.

Also I've always just fancied a mini one. 🙂

How easy are they to look after? I'm at home all day so no worries about it being left on its own.

How much walking does a mini need?

Any health issues i should know about?

We are looking at a short haired one, not a long.

Anything else I should know?

That’s the issue. They are working dogs with a brain. Not lap dogs. Treat then like any other dog and they’ll be grand. The problem is if they’re generally badly bred physically so you can’t treat them like other dogs so problems arise.

I have a shorthaired mini but we suspect she has been crossed with something as her ears don't lie flat. I think the best thing about them is that they are essentially affectionate, cuddly lapdogs while simultaneously being very robust, so they have the stamina for long walks like bigger dogs. Mine is very sweet natured and loving towards our children, and she loves everyone in the family rather than being a one-person sort of dog. She also has a low pitched bark (which I hope gives the impression to strangers outside our door that she's a big dog) but doesn't bark other than when the doorbell rings (no barking at other dogs, squirrels, cats etc). The main downside in my view is that you have to be super careful about their backs - there's a high risk they will need surgery on it at some point. It's worth looking into pet insurance that will definitely cover you for that.

I don't own one, but have always had a bit of a soft spot for them. However, in my encounters quite a few are prone to barking and major back issues.

If you are considering one, it would be prudent to get some insurance quotes....

I suspect by the time you read this @LordJohnGreyyou’ll have discounted getting one, but I have the loveliest girl! Loves nothing more than sleeping in the sunshine, or curling up on your lap. Doesn’t need lots of exercise but is equally happy to walk as far as you want if you’re off on a hike. Barks at people coming to the door but is quiet otherwise. Toilet training was harder than I thought, but she’s my first dog and you are obviously more experienced. You do need insurance as others have said in case of back problems. Personally I went for a KC registered to minimise the risk of health issues. You might want to join the FB group UK miniature dachshunds for more info 🐶

Barky, bitey little fu*kers with health issues.
No thank you!

We have two- although one is barky, they are both very sweet natured. They get on with all other dogs and are great with children. I wouldn’t be without them, and they also love other humans.

we did have back problems with one and it cost a lot of money (thankfully we had insurance.)

I knew a few.

I really love all animals, but these I really can't.

The incessant barking. I do parkrun every week and every single week you just know the dog non stop yapping is this breed. And they can yap for a whole 5kms.

And the ones I know are so territorial and they nip. The one bit my ds and all he did was sit on the open seat on the couch next to it's owner.

And then there are the health issues....

I really love them but...

The 'remember what job they're bred for' warning is always trotted out for Border collies, or hyper spaniels but it's equally valid for dachshunds - as PP have said, bred to go down badger setts, so fearless, barky, able to defend themselves. It's really not their fault they're yappy and hard to train; that wasn't in their job description. Their big problem is they're cute and look like toys, which they aren't - when I hear people talking about 'sausage dogs' and 'dash-hounds' it makes me wince. The kind of significant medical problems they can face with their long backs makes them the exact opposite of an easily discardable toy, but unfortunately they've become a puppy farm favourite.

I know a couple and they're a lot of fun, but definitely big dogs on small legs. Have a look at The Red Foundation, which is a good rescue/rehoming charity and probably a very realistic source of advice about how to avoid puppy farmers.

Literally just been talking about the in laws one which wont leave DD alone. Has 'nipped' (as they call it) her twice in the last three months.

We also have one, they are territorial, stubborn but extremely loyal. Somethings they don't grown out of - barking and toileting in the house. In our experience anyway and almost everyone we chat to with the same breed say similar.

I would never get another. Very difficult dogs.

Yappie wee fuckers. Lots of health issues too I gather. Friend of mine rescues them. She currently has 7 as so many people underestimate how hard a breed they are to actually live with..

Big dogs in little bodies. I second all the other posters who say they’re yappy little dogs, and when I take my dog for a walk, if I see one, I know they’re likely to yap, strain at the lead and even snarl (with one exception). If some of them were any bigger, people would be calling for them to be put down.

(I do think people have brought them thinking that, because they’re small, they’d be easy dogs so don’t do any training with them).

The one I have met with my dog have all been quite friendly if a bit aloof but never aggressive. Very barky though.

My uncle had a proper hunting wired haired one. Was actually bred and trained to hunt in Scandinavia. He was a great little dog and in the house he was as friendly and cuddly as ever.

If properly bred I am sure they are nice little doggies with their set of breed traits but I would hazard a guess that properly bred ones are difficult to get hold of.

As a child, my grandparents and aunt had them- always 4 at a time!
They were likely not trained, but they used to yap ALL the time and would urinate on your feet when excited!

They all developed back problems, so my grandparents had ramps all over the house/garden! Very cruel breed IMO.

After Covid and WFH full time I wanted to finally get a dog and a Dachshund was top of my list for a good year however I have a son who is quite boisterous and I was really worried about it hurting its back as they can suffer in that area due to being bred longer than usual - in the end we opted for a Cockapoo and she’s been the perfect fit for us ! Playful, loves playing with my boy and is also boisterous 😂 there are a couple Dachshunds around my neighbourhood and unfortunately they are all yappy dogs. This could be due to the owners or they are just a noisy breed I’m not sure but any pup you get will need training etc so be mindful just because they are small doesn’t mean they won’t need lots of work.

We’ve always had bulldogs so can understand the questioning and got a mini dachshund the beginning of this yr.
Lovely little dog, very needy and a suffocating bastard when it lies on your neck.
Likes to think it’s a big dog in a small body and scares the shit out of the postman growling but incredibly loving and loyal (to me)

My experience of them is encounters at our local park. They bark a lot, can be bitey and don’t have any recall. Oh and they get bad backs.

Have you considered a miniature poodle? They are fab little dogs.

They’re expensive, difficult to train, often have accidents and are incredibly noisy. I‘m sure they exist, but I’ve genuinely never met a nice one.

My niece has one and leaves it with my sisters dogs all day long (even though she lives in her own home and WFH)

My sister treats him better than her own (well behaved and house trained) dogs.

He's not reliably house trained, he pisses over everything, eats shoes, eats beds, barks and growls. He's a horrible dog but is spoiled. My sister decorated her living room, new carpets new sofa and the bastard shat on the carpet and pissed up the sofa.

I wouldn't have one about me. I know it's human error too, but he wouldn't last a day in my house doing that (and I am a dog lover with 2 dogs of my own)

I agree with this 🤣
loads of people are going to come on here and say how amazing they are because they own one/two, they are popular dogs but they are also very vocal and they are a big dog trapped in a small dogs body…..don’t be fooled by their size. I saw one attack a puppy one day when I was out which has put me right off (didn’t like them much anyway).

I would rather have a staffie.

25% + need medical intervention for back issues. I absolutely wouldn't buy one, the breed needs intervention to stop these (largely preventable) issues.

Used to work in a vets and saw loads, skin issues, digestive issues and a couple with disc problems.
Only ever met one that I wanted to take home, a wired haired one called Bruno. He was the happiest friendliest little chap.
Owners all said they were yappy, and temperament wise they seemed to range from suspicious and snappy to nervous and cringey.
They are very much the dog of the moment here, I see multiple on every dog walk when taking ours out.
I personally wouldn’t get one, there are so many other smaller dogs that seem to be more fun loving.
Have met some lovely border terriers, mini poodles and shih tzus.

I’ve had three in my life.

They’ve never nipped anyone. One was a chewer as a puppy, two of them have never even looked at a shoe. All three took about 6 months to properly housebreak (get one in the spring!), and all three had separation anxiety which we got around using aids, training and care.

They are loyal to the death. They are Velcro dogs. They absolutely can be barky, but so many of the problems listed on here are due to owner error. My dogs all learned the “enough!” cue to STFU. They’ve all loved people. Two indifferent to other dogs, one a bit woofy.

They ARE cute and that doesn’t mean you let them get away with bad behaviour, but it does mean you have the will to train them out of the bad stuff. Horses for courses, but if I had a collie or something I had to train, I couldn’t. I’d look at the face and think “not into it”.

loads of dogs don’t go upstairs in houses or are allowed on sofas; it’s not much different with Dachshunds. Just get a careful breeder and learn how to correctly lift a Dachshund and it’s fine.

They absolutely are trainable dogs - look at Dovecote Dachshunds on IG. That boy is rock solid.

Other plus points: you’ll never miss the postman! You’ve got a solar powered alarm system.

All breeds have their issues - Labs prone to arthritis and dodgy hips, Frenchies can’t breathe, same with Bulldogs, toy/small breeds with patella issues, Dalmatians with deafness.

Adding also that mine has an hour walk in the morning and he’ll sleep the whole afternoon (he’s 3). People forget to fulfil a Dachshund’s needs - let them sniff sniff sniff, let them play tug, let them dig and they will calm right down.

Lots of people overfeed the breed because they think a chubby sausage is cute. Mine have all had a tight tucked waist and people think they’re starved because they’re so used to seeing overweight Dachsies. They need to be lean to protect their spine. If people were responsible with their diets, they’d have far less bad press about IVDD. A lot of people got them in lockdown as a beginner dog and have no clue what they’re doing with them - eg a lot think they bought a miniature…..nope! Lots have Queen Anne front paws because those buyers didn’t know what to look for. It’s usually those owners that give the breed a bad name, and perpetuate the breed’s underlying issues

Be prepared for adorable shouts of “a sausage!” and then the not so adorable WTF-err of people wanting to say hello (without acknowledging you exist and putting their hands down) or, worse, try to pick yours up without permission.

My friend has one and personally it has put me off ever owning one. Its VERY yappy, does not stop barking the whole time im there. I just couldn't deal with the constant noise tbh. Get one if you dont mind dogs barking, but definitely dont if you like some peace.