Please choose another breed to have with your family?  Why?  Read on.

I always have to tell parents that I do not recommend this breed for children under age 7.  Wieners are extremely pushy and if the home is noisy they get upset.  And if a kiddo picks them up wrong while playing a Dachshund will defend themselves and bite.  Most of my dogs here have already been kid abused and chomped someone hence thrown away to rescue and me because I take all the difficult cases unlike some rescuers who do not want to spend the six months or more retraining them.

Also wieners are hound dogs that means they howl when upset.  If you work or are away from home then they will howl, loudly or bark, even more loudly.  This breed was bred as hunting dogs to go under ground and flush out badgers and wolverines. 

Dachshunds were bred to hunt in packs or on their own so that means they have brain cells and they use that intelligence to cause problems.  If there is garbage within reach they will be in it because it is up to you to hide the garbage can out of reach and locked away.  Door not locked = garbage on the floor because a wiener owns anything they can reach including children's toys.  They are charming little devils who rarely mind the people in their lives as they are too damn smart to be told what to do.  Those who love the breed know they rule their home and go along for the ride.

They have huge voices and they use them A LOT even the tiny wieners.  As far as barking they have huge chests for their size and if they got stuck underground then they would bark, loudly.  The hunter would then come dig them up to rescue their wayward wiener.  That also means they are too loud for apartments or condos unless you want the neighbors upset if you leave them home alone.  This is a great breed for personal watchdogs, but not for dog pillows on the couch.  Wieners are an active, hunting breed and need a fenced yard to blow off steam while hunting your cats or they will destroy your home.

This breed is almost always an alpha personality, rarely a beta.  They are obnoxious.  Want a sedate and kind sweetie?  Then find another breed.  Now and then there are calm ones, but you have to see several generations of family members ot make sure they are a calm bloodline so no buying dog from puppy mill breeders who sell to pet stores or in parking lots who will not let you see the parents.  Walk away as they are breeding for money with dogs that are not health checked and rarely socialized so then you get a mental AND Alpha wiener.  People always get what they pay for and we end up rescuing tons of pet store pups at our dog rescue. 

This breed is prone to back problems so buy from a breeder who Xrays spines before having a litter of pups please.  You also want a written health guarantee and can return the dog if they injure themselves and are draggind their hind ends.  We call these "downed dogs" and get in one or two to our resscue each year.  So buy pet insurance because spinal surgeries run $2,000 and up.

Scared yet?  I am.  Hahahaha.  I deal with their obnoxious personalities because I am pushy and obnoxious myself.  I MAKE them mind because peeing outside is not always an option when raining.  Want to shovel paths in the snow so they can go potty?  If no shoveling snow for the dogs then they will just mark or poop all over your porch or house because they do not want their parts in the snow.

If you have a sweet personality then you will not be able to get your wiener housebroke.  Why should they go potty outside if there is a nice carpet and stay warm and dry at the same time?  "Stubborn thy name is Dachshund."

Yes, I still adore this breed.  Yet they are a horrible creature to have in my home, but they are also funny when stealing my steak off my plate because I forgot and left it on the coffee table while grabbing a napkin.  Anything a wiener wants they will take without asking and get offended when that stolen item has to be returned.  Usually they will clamp their jaw tight and hold on for dear life.  I also find that amusing.  Some folks might not find it amusing at all so they should find another breed of dogs.  My steak should be at least six feet off the floor at all times.  I know better and think they have manners to leave my stuff alone.  LOL.

Please check with http://www.akc.org to read about breed traits before choosing a breed, but listen to some advice of someone in the breed for 36 years.  Please do yourself a favor and find another breed until your children are old enough to play by the wiener's rules.  Kids should be about age 7 or olderis where I start adopting out recycled dogs with young kids.  Now and then we get one who adores kids, but they are the exception, not the rule.

I am happy to report that dachshunds are rarely "trained" (or stay trained) and usually choose to do their own thing even when they know it means trouble.  Do we see a high percentage of wieners of any age or size in the obedience show rings?  No.  It is a rare one who wants to do what I want.  They will almost always do their thing.  I know this and I am fine with it. 

Can you handle a dog that doesn't follow your rules?  Those who love this breed love that personality trait and just laugh the next time they choose to do something that only these little long dogs love to do - find trouble.

Like your yard the way it is now?  This breed loves to dig holes. That is what they were bred to do and dig for ground creatures.  If you value your yard then find a breed that will not dig a hole a foot deep in 10 minutes if you are not there to stop them with a cold hose.  They hate water so I am always filling holes until they lose interest.  I fill in the hole and then the next hole and the next.  I am losing the battle, but it is the principal of the thing.  I want a yard without holes, but I still like wieners.  I then cope and fill in holes for fun and exercise.

This rotten breed of tiny dogs make me laugh daily so of course I will always want a spoiled wiener or 8 in my home to be recycled at our dog rescue.  And there are exceptions to every rule with sweet, sedate and kind wieners but how can you tell when picking out that cute pup?  I have wieners it has taken about three years to train and I am a professional dog trainer and re-trainer. 

I still enjoy their pushy personalities, but this breed is not suited for most dog owners.

I just described one or more traits you will find with Dachshunds and you might think you can live with some of these.  And you might think they might have one of these personalities "problems."  But I have generally described the whole breed.  If they do not have any of the traits above then consider yourself lucky as they usually have EVERY trait above.

I am not kidding.  I am serious.  I call this breed "Devil Dogs" for good reason.

Sincerely,

Margo Mossburg

Director, Dachshund Rescue NW & Dachshund Club of Spokane