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?

I love dogs and have two, but I'm afraid I'm not a fan. My sister has two dachshunds and they're nippy, yappy wee arseholes to be honest. She has spent hours training them (still does) but they are both still quite aggressive, even with each other. They've both gone for my labs at one time or another and we don't really meet up with the dogs now.

She's finding them difficult to manage as a very experienced dog owner, although she always had staffies before too. They were a dream to train.

I purposely make sure I’ve finished walking my dog before 8am so that I can avoid the local dog walker who arrives at 8 to walk three of the loud yappy little fuckers. They bark constantly.

We have a whippet and he's ace.
Prone to occasionally chase things.
He has lived with cats all his life (he's 4).
Very quiet in the house - barks about once a week, usually at a cat to ask it to stop eating his food/play with him/or move from his favourite cushion.
Doesn't need masses of exercise, think sprinter rather than marathon runner!
Isn't too intelligent or dumb.
Loves cuddling.
Very food motivated despite their skinny appearance.

Sausage dogs are very very noisy.
They often do excited wees indoors.
Can suffer with IVDD which is awful and expensive to fix.
They need quite a lot of exercise.
The Isabella colouring (as someone posted) isn't a registered colour as it carries too many health conditions (UK Kennel Club).

I’ve not RTFT, apologies…

Ive had 2 standard smooth dachshunds, and DH had one as a boy. Their characters were all different, you can’t generalise about a breed. The first two had no back issues; our last one did but not till he was 14.5 and he made a pretty good recovery after the op, lived to over 16.
We talk to a lot of dachshunds and their owners when we’re out. They really are very variable. There are a lot nowadays in ‘nonstandard’ colours …tbh I’d probably be inclined to avoid any other than red or Black and Tan in smooth hairs, the odd colours and dapples (though lovely dogs) seem like a fashion trend and I’d be a bit wary of whether they’d been responsibly bred or puppy farmed.
There are some - I think probably from continental stock - which have rather longer legs and shorter bodies, they’d probably be worth looking for.

I lost my last dear old boy about 3 years ago and miss him - broke my heart.

This.

their fashionability has led to puppy farms and byb with no thought to issues like back problems.

the fact that you talk about “a mini” shows you have no idea of the breed. No responsible breeder will breed mini or teacup anything. A mini dachshund will be from a puppy farm.

something like 70% of them end up with back issues. Insurance will cost a fortune. If you get on from anything other than a breeder who is having puppies to improve the health of the breed, reduce the spine issues etc, the your chances of a healthy on are low. And that sort of breeder is a needle in a haystack of those producing volumes of puppies to need the fashion.

Dont do it. Our street has multiple daxys. The owners complain of the pishing in the house that makes their carpets smell.

They will cost multiple thousands in vet bills when their backs go and this may not be covered by insurance.

They are very barky, bitey, and although sweet to their owners, cant really be trusted in puppyhood as far as I can see. Although the older one seems nicer it’s still barky and feisty.

Sorry but this shows you don't know about the breed.
The Minature Dachshund is a recognised variation of the breed. There are two sizes, the Standard and Minature.

I haven’t read that full thread. Last time I saw a daxie it was going full pelt along the footpath at the end of the lead and Dad was pedalling hard on his bike to keep up.

This was one fit dog. And it’s ear-flapping was amazing. In my rear view mirror as I passed, it could see the grin on its face.

We have a standard dachshund. As others as said she is noisy (but doesn’t bark constantly, just at the postman and cats and other normal things like that). She is reactive and has no recall so has to stay on the lead.

BUT she is the funniest, sweetest silliest dog. We also have a staffie (who also barks at the end of the garden and is not a fan of other dogs) who I love but frankly isn’t half as clever or cheeky as our dachshund. She’s so affectionate, loves a cuddle, loves walking, she’s got our number has my DH wrapped around her little finger. Our staffie? She’s so lovely but she’s not the brightest and there isn’t much going on behind the scenes apart from throw the ball / give me treat / rub my tummy. We have absolutely no problem with housetraining of either of them.

I love ours. He is great in all respects with only one of the frequently mentioned issues on this thread-the house training. He is nearly a year old now and still cannot master this reliably.
we have two Jack Russell’s which I was warned against getting. But they have been easy to train, loving and fun dogs to have. And one of them is the cuddliest creature alive.

Over the years I have encountered two kinds, nervous, anxious and happy because they have been poorly socialised and treated as a ‘handbag’ dog or energetic, feisty and fearless dogs that have been socialised well.

unfortunately I’ve also met a lot that have had health problems.

Not a breed that I would ever choose despite falling in love with their dear little face each time I meet one.

Yes, the the Germans even have a very small mini variant called ‘Kaninchen’ specifically bred for hunting rabbits.

They are noisy
They are loyal and so loving
They are adorable and funny
They are fussy easters
They are SO noisy

I've been bitten hard enough to require stitches twice in my life and both injuries were from dachshunds when I was out running. Definitely not for me - i'd go for a whippet if I were to get a dog.

God no! They couldn't be more different from staffies. I've friends who have them, they're yappy and anxious, also way more prone to biting. Hard to toilet train.

They look cute but they have so many downsides. I think you'll be sorely disappointed after having staffies (the gold standard for smart, loving dogs imo).

There are ethical concerns about breeding dachshunds due to their high predisposition to health issues stemming from their disproportionate body structure. Dachshunds are bred for a specific physical appearance—long backs and short legs—which leads to severe and chronic health problems.
Here's why breeding dachshunds raises ethical concerns:
Chondrodysplasia (disproportionate dwarfism):
All dachshunds have this genetic condition, causing their body parts to be too big or too small to function properly, significantly impacting their health, quality of life, and mental well-being.
Spinal Issues:
Dachshunds are prone to spinal problems, including Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD), which can cause paralysis and is significantly more common in this breed than in others.
Pain and Discomfort:
The extreme body shape of dachshunds can lead to chronic pain and discomfort throughout their lives.
Potential for Surgery and Rehabilitation:
Dachshunds with back problems may require surgery and ongoing rehabilitation, adding to the burden of their already problematic health.

After last night I’m renaming ours Shenanigans.

I hope you have patience in bucketloads.
I thought I knew the breed well before getting ours but she takes “taking the piss” to a whole new level and no, it’s nothing to do with training, she’s actually fairly well trained for a hound.

If are still thinking of getting one (god knows why) then join as many Dachshund FB groups as you can find, so you can see just what absolute dicks they are

Oh and if your DH has back spasms it’s not the Dog for you. Hounds often don’t want to walk unless you’re all out walking. They like a pack to be together.

You’ll get ones not like this obviously but you’ll also get ones that are and you can’t tell if yours will prefer walks with just one human or all of the humans.

They are also strong. They are built for being out on the fields for hours and should be lean and muscular.

And they can be reactive and pull on the lead.

Im a staffy lover but after my last one, knew I didn't have as much time as before (3 kids and a marriage breakdown since I had him). I stumbled across a pug who I believe has some kind of terrier mixed in. He is amazing, has the stocky feel of a staffy and the goofy personality without the high energy when young. He can walk for an hour or 2 no issues but also enjoys snuggling on the sofa. He's great with people and other dogs. I'd say a smaller bully type breed (Frenchie, pug, English bulldog dog) would be a much better transition then a yappy, highly strung sausage dog.

These dogs have flat faces and can’t breathe properly.

And sausage dogs have back problems. My pug has terrier in him and a longer snout. Perfectly healthy, walks 5k happily. I don't encourage unhealthy brachy breeding but they have lovely temperaments and should be bred to be healthier.

I don’t know who manages the PR for Dachshunds but they must be the absolute best at what they do.

How can a dog that barely deigns to follow an order be so universally loved.

Luckily ours is toilet trained but if she was like a lot of her brethren and chose to do it in the floor I’d be seriously reconsidering our relationship right now..

I think it’s the combination of snotty and utter devotion. Alll dogs love their owners but dachshunds seem to take it to another level. My mum’s dog, if I touch him, looks stoned - every time. He lives for being close to his owner. He’s besotted, but he’s not a complete pushover - you also have to negotiate with him.

My old dachshund used to look stoned if i’d pick her up. She’d drag her teeth down my earlobe.

Other breeds are devoted but it’s the push-pull of snotty and complete surrender that maybe make them unusal.

I have had wonderful labradors who i doted on but I have loved trying to outwit my dachshund as she tried to outwit me. Plus they’re funny. They get jokes, make jokes (particularly wirehaired).