I'm Getting A Mini Dachshund for Christmas!!! New pic of her (hopefully)

In my personal experience, and from what I've read, Dachshunds, both miniature and standard sized, tend to be very friendly, laid back, easy-going dogs. I think they're pretty smart, too, but sometimes sort of easily distracted. The general rule is that sometimes "miniature" versions of breeds tend to be more likely to have snippy personalities than their larger counterparts, but that's not to say you can't get a miniature Dachshund or poodle or whatever that's a perfectly great dog, or that that doesn't happen very often. So in other words, I don't think that's something to worry about, necessarily, but it's something you might want to bear in mind.

Dogs with that Dachshund or Bassett hound body type (short legs, long torso, body close to the ground) are especially prone to weight issues, so that's also something you should probably be aware of, but as long as you keep it under control, it shouldn't cause any health problems.

As far as sex is concerned, I've spent a lot of time around a lot of dogs, and as many generalizations as you can make, it depends on the individual animal -- I'm a firm believer in the idea that animals do have personalities, but that's an entirely diffrent discussion and a huge body of scientific research. Anyway, the generalizations about sex-differing behaviors and temperaments in dogs tend to be fairly consistent by breed, so if you have a personal preference based on past pets, then you could go on that. If you're going to have the dog spayed or neutered (which you should do), that'll even out a lot of the unwanted quirks anyway, but personally, I've found males to be a lot more outgoing and friendly, while I've found females to be more loving as far as formation of bonds go, and things like that.

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Updated On: 11/13/06 at 01:18 AM

You may already know this, but even though a pet is always a big responsibility, you can take a bit of the weight off if you don't get a puppy. Most AKC breeds have nationwide breed rescue organizations, from which you can adopt purebred adult dogs who need loving homes. It's a great thing to do, you won't have to go through the process of training a puppy, and it will save you the big sum of money it'll probably cost to get a purebred puppy from a reputable breeder. Plus, by adulthood, personality is already fully developed and very obvious, so when you take an adult dog into your home, you'll be in for less temperament surprises; you'll know exactly what you're getting.

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Updated On: 11/13/06 at 01:41 AM

they are adorable, very loyal & funny...but one thing to remember is dachshunds are little napoleans....they want to rule & boss everyone around!

When I lived with my aunt, we rescued a mini dachshund named Libby. She was very sweet. When we rescued her she was very malnurished, so my family decided to stuff the crap out of it. Hence, the poor animal now looks like a lawn dart, but she's still very loveable. She didn't really give us any real problems except a lil house training difficulties. But I think it was because she was too spoiled. Good luck!

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Tanny wishes you good luck!
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Glebb, she is so. cute.

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The Dachshund Rescue Web Page

katygrace had some really good advice, maybe I can add something to that
I have a miniature dachshund. Her name is Lily and she's 11 years old, but despite that, she's still very playful!
Dachshunds do think they own the world. Lily no exception, she thinks she's bigger than any other dog, it's pretty amusing. Since we have 3 cats and never had another dog she loves cats and plays with them often.

We didn't really have a problem with housebreaking, we "crate trained" her as recommended to us. We got a pet carrier and would put her in there during the day while we were gone to school (my mom was a teacher, so we had the same hours). To train her, we would set her in the carrier in the kitchen and give her a treat and say "crate". It wasn't long before all we had to do was say "Crate!" and she would run and sit in there and wait for her treat. We only did that for about the first year, I think.
And although Lily never had a problem being housebroken, she has accidents when she gets excited, especially when someone new comes to visit. Make sure you watch for this when selecting a mini dachshund since it’s a trait that’s found commonly with this breed. When we went to the breeder to get our dog, we noticed the mother did this.
Also, make sure you have stools, steps or things of that sort around. Especially when they get older, getting up on the bed or couch gets harder and they are at a high risk for back injury.
Overall, they are a great breed. Such personality! They are very loyal and will definitely want to protect you and their home. They are such great companions. They quickly become one of the family and you never feel alone as long as they’re around. Although I originally wanted a bigger dog, I love my Lily and all her cute little quirks!

This is the only picture I have of her on my computer. You can’t see her too well, but it’s really a testament to the typical dachshund "I-own-everything" or "Napoleon" attitude. I was sick that day and as soon as I got off the couch to do something and came back, Lily had made it her own!

Congrats on your soon-to-be new addition! The only advice I'd give is to consider if Christmas is the best time to get a dog, especially if you'll be traveling with it out-of-state. (I'm not sure if you meant you'd actually get it as a Christmas present or if your mom would just give you money towards a dog.) It can be such a crazy time of year that it makes it harder for the dog to adjust to its new home and a few weeks wait might make for an easier transition.
It also is a good idea for you have the new dog meet the family's dog before you commit. Most shelters/rescue organizations require this before you're allowed to adopt (not sure about breeders - I haven't gone that route before).
Oh, and keep plenty of Nature's Miracle on hand for the inevitable new dog accidents.

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Excellent post, MLE. I love that photo! It reminds me so much of my babies. They'll steal your spot in a heartbeat. Of course, when you come back they're always happy to "settle" for your lap.
The tinkling problem is another reason to consider a standard doxie. There really isn't a huge difference in size. And if you just prefer a smaller dog you might want to look at the runt of a litter of standard doxies. Two of mine are runts and one is often confused for a mini. But since they've become adults we don't have any troubles with them peeing when they get excited.
They really are fiercely protective and have the personality of a guard dog in the body of a rat. My Valentine probably only weighs about 8 lbs. but her personailty is so huge that our neighbors' boxer is afraid of her.

If we do get her, it would be my mom going to meet the breeder and her family. My mother has a friend/coworker who has two and she has been talking to her breeder about it. If this happens, we would go pick her up and she would have 10 days in Tennessee with me before we fly back to New Jersey.

Gotta run, so I will finish this in a bit!

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Yay! You have to post lots of pictures!

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