Archive for the 'Breeds' Category
According to the AKC Standard for the Dachshund Breed, the head, viewed from above or from the side, tapers to the tip of the nose, which is black, the preferred color. The eyes are almond-shaped, medium-size, and dark-rimmed, with an energetic, pleasing expression; not piercing; and very dark in color. The ears are set near the top of the head, moderate length, rounded, not narrow, pointed, or folded. The forward edge of the ears should be just touching the cheek so that the ears frame the face. The skull is slightly arched and slopes gradually with little observable stop into the finely-formed, slightly arched muzzle. The neck is long and muscular, slightly arched in the nape and blending naturally into the shoulders. The trunk is long and very muscular. The back should lie in a straight line between the withers and the short slightly arched loin. A Dachshund’s abdomen should be slightly drawn up. The Dachshund’s forearms are short, with muscles on the front and outside, tightly stretched tendons on the inside at the back, and slightly curved inwards. The hindquarters are strong and muscular. The pelvis, thigh, the second thigh, and the metatarsus are the same length and form a series of right angles. Viewed from the rear, the thighs are strong and powerful, but the legs should not appear to turn in nor out. The front paws have well-arched toes and tough, thick pads. The hind paws are smaller than the front paws, well-arched toes and tough, thick pads. The Dachshund’s tail is set in continuation of the spine, without any kinks or twists.
Dachshunds like to chew; some more than others. If you have a chewer, it’s best to nip-it-in-the-bud early! At 8 to 12 weeks, just as toddlers explore with their hands and fingers, puppies like to explore with their mouths. Therefore, it is important to provide him or her with lots of safe and chewable toys.
When my smooth-haired miniature Dachshund was first brought home, naturally she wanted to chew (sometimes called mouthing) on everything, including my fingers. However, I immediately introduced her to c
hew toys, which she found entertaining especially with my 7-year-old Shih Tzu, Libby. They would play tug and war with each other for hours!
Whenever she wanted to play with me, instead of encouraging her to chew on my hand, I would pickup a play toy and start playing with her with the toy instead of my fingers! One thing you have to understand is if you allow your puppy to chew on your fingers, then that teaches her it is okay and when your friends or others show affection toward her, she will do the same because your puppy won’t know the difference.
Like any dog breed, there are some Dachshunds who chew more than others do. If your Dachshund happens to be a chewer, then make sure you have well-placed chew toys available to grab when she starts chewing on your fingers. And believe it or not, he or she may not be interested in the chew toys you have bought for them in the past, so experience with several different types of chew toys. For example, my Dachshund likes chewing on pigs hoofs. You can get them in most pet stores. At the time, I didn’t think she would like them (they simply looked so huge for her little mouth!) and as it turned out, it took her a few weeks before she started chewing on them and now she gnaws on them all the time!
In sum, keep chew toys at your finger tips at all times. Using a chew toy to play with her will encourage her to chew on the toy and not your fingers! And when you see her chew the toy, heap on the praise!!! “Good girl, Peanuts, good boy, Oscar!!!” And more importantly, be consistent!
The image below illustrates exactly what my husband and I end up looking like when our 9 pound miniature red Dachshund, Good Golly Miss Molly, takes over our bed! It truly is a riot, not to m
ention chaotic. Do I complain? yes; Do I do anything about it? absolutely not! She’s my little princess and I maintain the bed is as much her bed as it is mine and my husband’s! I do what I can to make sure she is comfortable and sleeping peacefully, even if it means I end up having a restless night.
Many dog owners (me included), like to have their dogs sleep on top of or under the bed covers. However, there are some dog owners and trainers who adamantly discourage this behavior and encourage us to teach our dogs what is expected of him or her at an early age (by 8 to 10 weeks of age, your Dachshund’s brain is fully functional and able to learn) so they will grow up that way. Most dog owners and trainers also encourage teaching your dog household rules.
As far as rules are concerned, the only rule I believe is most important is the housebreaking rule. How many Dachshund owners think their puppies are easily housebroken? Not many I’m sure, but with a little help from learning the Dachshund “secrets” professional dog trainers don’t want you to know, I had Miss Molly fully housebroken at the young age of 10 weeks! At 1.5-years old, she still uses her wee-wee pads. In fact, when duty calls in the middle of the night, she will wiggle out from under the bed covers, jump down and go to her wee-pads and relieve herself, and then come back and wiggle herself back under the bed covers to resume her peaceful sleep!
Sleeping with me and my husband under the bed covers —– I wouldn’t have it any other way!
As most of us have heard the news, Dachshunds are the most aggressive dog breed in the world, according to a
Okay, well as a Dachshund enthusiast/owner, this news does not surprise me, nor do I consider it a revelation! The Dachshund breed dates back as far as
Did this type of breeding make the Dachshund aggressive? Let’s examine the word, aggressive, for a minute. According to my dictionary, the word aggressive means attacking, boldly assertive. And Dachshunds were originally bred for what purpose? A dog bred to hunt badgers or foxes had to be aggressive, i.e. attacking, and being boldly assertive! Does this mean they display this kind of behavior toward their owners and other dog breeds? Absolutely not unless their owners are provoking them without cause or other dog breeds exhibit a behavior that is perceived as a threat or challenge.
Let’s be real. Any dog breed of any size or weight is capable of exhibiting signs of aggression. Take my two adorable brother and sister, Shi Tzu’s, Sam and Libby. On the average, they are sweet, loving, docile, and affectionate. But, occasionally and for no apparent reason, they will get into an altercation that unless I want to experience teeth chomping off a finger or two, I best leave well enough alone and let them fight it out without any interference on my part! My 1.5-year-old Dachshund, Miss Molly, stands off in the background barking at them, wagging her tail, making no move on them while they are interlocked with each other. Now that’s aggression and it’s not a pretty sight!
While I do not disagree with this aggressive dog report, it is important that we don’t accept our first thoughts and the statements made on this report at face value, instead, we should evaluate the accuracy of statements and the soundness of the reasoning that links them. In other words, exactly what data and reasoning supports this viewpoint? For example, approximately 6,000 dog owners were questioned about their dogs’ behavior and 33 breeds were ranked on their behavior. My first question regarding the Dachshund breed would be how many were spayed or neutered. As we know, spaying or neutering your pet will improve your pet’s temperament. While testosterone along does not cause aggression, it may facilitate and escalate the aggression.
My next question regarding the Dachshund breed would be how many were professionally trained. What I mean by that is, the owner, rather than a professional trainer, is likely to be the target of the aggressive behavior in a dog simply because of its relationship with the owner! More importantly, the uninstructed owner will often revert to using physical punishment or force that can be perceived as threatening or challenging to their dog!
In sum, I believe it is important to maintain a balanced perspective in any argument and/or statement. We should value knowledge and wisdom more than we value our ego, and more importantly, the measure of any argument and/or statement is not the depth or sincerity of belief, but the quality of the evidence that supports it. The Dachshund breed, in the hound category, can be aggressive, but so can all other breeds if provoked!
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