About the Breed
Is a dachshund the right dog for you? They can be stubborn! In order to successfully own a stubborn dachshund, you must be more stubborn than the dog! Make sure you are the pack leader and not your dog. Just because they are cute doesn't mean they can get away with everything. On the plus side, dachshunds can be loyal, fun loving dogs. They are smart, stubborn, cute, loving, hilarious dogs that need to be treated with humour, love and structure!
Before deciding to get a dachshund please read the following information. Make sure you know what the breed is all about and if a dachshund would be a good fit for your family. Our advice to all wanting to adopt a dachshund is to meet a few dachshunds first before making this important decision and see if your personality and life circumstances would fit the breed.
Before deciding to get a dachshund please read the following information. Make sure you know what the breed is all about and if a dachshund would be a good fit for your family. Our advice to all wanting to adopt a dachshund is to meet a few dachshunds first before making this important decision and see if your personality and life circumstances would fit the breed.
Dachshunds are hounds first and foremost
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They were bred to hunt. Their purpose was to get down in the rabbit holes, the badger holes or the fox dens and flush the critters out. This is why dachshunds have the short legs and long bodies with the deep chests. All the better to get in those holes and flush out the prey! Having said that, although most dachshunds are now house pets, they still have a prey drive. Keep this in mind when deciding if this is the right dog for you. If you have small pets in your home such as gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, birds, or even cats in some cases, adding a dachshund to the mix may be flirting with disaster.
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Dachshunds can be one person dogs
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When considering a dachshund, you need to think do you want a family dog that will love everyone equal, or do you want a dog to bond to a specific member of the family? We hear more often than not of dachshunds bonding to one member of the family and being mainly that person's dog. Is this the type of personality you want in your home? If the answer is no, maybe a dachshund is not for you.
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Dachshunds are prone to Back problems
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Dachshunds are prone to Intervertebral disk disease (IVDD), sometimes referred to as a slipped or herniated disk. Their long bodies are great for den trials but not for jumping. Between the ages of 2 and 9 years are the main ages they are prone to disk disease. This means that if a dachshund jumps off something the wrong way or has been flying off couches, running up and down stairs, jumping on and off beds for years, they could blow a disk and be up for a $2500 surgery or more. If the surgery is not done they could be paralyzed for life, requiring you to drain bladders and do therapy for the rest of your dog’s life. To avoid this problem, it is advised to not let your dachshund do stairs whenever possible or jump on and off furniture and beds.
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An overweight dachshund is a recipe for disaster
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One of the biggest deterrent to back problems is weight. It is imperative that your dachshund does not get overweight; their little backs simply cannot handle excess weight. You don't want to have to deal with the question of surgery. Please consider whether you want to deal with lifting a dog up and down from everywhere. Are you looking for a dog you can free feed? Dachshunds are not dogs that can be free fed. Some dachshunds will literally eat until they are ready to explode. Please don't let your wiener get overweight!
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