Possible Newbie

[NAUTIQUE]

Not sure if I posted this in the correct area, so I'll try again ...

I've been roaming around the internet looking for Mini Dachshund info./forums.
I got a tip that this was a pretty active forum.

It's looking like I may possibly be adopting a brother/sister combo in the near future. They are about 8 months old.
I've always had larger dogs (lost my 70lb Springer a couple years ago), so it's looking like these little guys will be a whole new experience for me!

My dear sister-in-law loved her Doxies! She had Mom since 2012, then the Dad, and then along came 3 pups in August 2014. two boys & a girl. Of course they were so cute she kept them all!
Unfortunately she passed away a couple weeks ago (way too young!).
My nephew had taken one of the boys a couple months ago & my brother-in-law said he'll be keeping mom & dad, but can't handle them all.
(She was always bugging my wife to take the little girl, but we had planned on getting a mini-aussie or westie this spring.)
I knew it would mean a lot to my wife to have her sister's pups, so I said we'd be able to take them. Looks like we'll probably end up with at least one, if not the two. (Just waiting for my nephew to decide if he'd like to take a second one.)

Sooo...Been looking at a lot of info. & have many questions!

They've had very little training. I believe she used puppy pads, but not sure how successful she was with that.
I'll want to get them crate trained asap!
If we end up with the two, would you recommend two small crates or just one larger so that they can stay together as they have been?

Jumping appears to be a big no-no.
So I guess ramps for my deck steps (and motorhome steps) will be in order.

Seems like treats are a major help in training these guys.
Little pieces of hotdog, string cheese, carrots seem to be the most popular?

Leashes/collars?
An electric collar worked great with my Springer (I know some people hate them!). But I'm sure you'd never use them on a small dog. So what is best? Simple slip, regular buckle, harness?
I'm guessing they've had little to no time on a leash.

Of course food??
I know some go to the extremes, but I'm a more middle-of-the-road type guy.
I want to feed something decent and readily available, but not too expensive!
My vet was always pretty much with me on this when I had my Springer, but I'm sure these little guys are a lot more sensitive.
I'll see what they're eating now. I know my sister-in-law cooked special stuff for them alot, but I'm pretty sure my nephew had convinced her to switch them over to dry food recently.
From what I've read it appears that grain-free TOTW may be a decent value option & it's available at Tractor Supply not far from me.
Any other suggestions?

From what I've seen, it seems like many people have multiple Doxies, so I guess taking the two would be a good thing if we have to. Just training two has my head spinning!
If we end up with just one, then maybe I'll go back to my original plan of a mini-aussie as a buddy a little down the road.

Anyways, sorry for the long intro, just scrambling to learn about these little guys.
Thanks for any info/tips/suggestions anyone can provide!

[Rae]

Welcome aboard!! (nautical reference intentional...)

I am sorry for the loss that has put you in the position to potentially adopt.

We are what our name says - doxie lovers! I am one of the few members who has ONE. Oceangirls (Kim) has littermates and has since they were babies - she might be of help on the "one or two" question.

Shortly after Savannah Jane came into my life, her sister had to be rehomed. I considered taking her in but decided that for me two would be a handful. I am on the road A LOT during some parts of the year, and my DH stays home. Wasn't sure if leaving him with two scamps would be asking too much.

Leashes or collars? Harnesses. (See Hug-A-Dox, Puppia for examples)

Training? Amy Reese is our resident trainer and she is areese on the board. ALL HAIL AMY!!

Doxies are stubborn (but adorable and loving). As far as potty training goes, Savannah Jane would probably EXPLODE before she would tinkle in the house, but she will drop a tootsie roll on the rug by the back door with no guilt.

Treats are the key to life for most doxies. they are notorious chow-hounds and I don't know many folks who free-feed. Savannah Jane is like a Hoover-Eureka vacuum cleaner when the food dish is set down - she inhales it and begs for more. Keeping doxies slim and trim is really important - it seems that the fatties are more inclined to have back problems.

I think that if you are a dog lover, you will love love love doxies.

You can find threads on all of your questions if you nose around here - we've been here since 2005 and there is a wealth of information stored up. Savannah is only my second doxie - the Duchess was a puppy mill mommy who lived to be 18! I can say that there is something about this breed that is quite addicting. I did NO homework, as we found Duchie in our barn about frozen to death and my ex didn't even know what kind of dog she WAS when he called me to come home and see about her. The best advice I have is to get a copy of Dachshunds for Dummies.

Feel free to ask a ton of questions, and again, welcome!

[lotsadox]

Welcome to DLC! So sorry about your loss, but I'm so glad you are taking in the doxies. My newest addition, Darby, was in the unfortunate position of having his mom have terminal cancer and no one to take him. I'm so grateful he got to rescue and ended up with me. He had also had little training (I called him No Boundaries Darby when we first got him). It takes time and consistency (not something I'm good at) but it can be done. I have not ideas about pee pad traiing. I've never done that.

I've had multiple dogs for years and IMO doxies do better in multiples. I would put the dogs in two separate crates rather than one. Mostly because if one has to be crated for some reason it's much easier to have them used to being in separate crates.

If you do any obedience work, you'll need an regular collar. Mine wear nylon reflective collars with their names and my phone number on them. For walks and outings we used harnesses as dachshunds are notorious for being able to slip their collars and get loose. I used the Hug-a-Dog or Hold-A-Dog harnesses. I think they are the best. A bit pricey but they last forever. The ones I'm currently using to walk my dogs are over 10 years old and still good!

Doxies love their treats and food in general. I feed a pre-mix raw diet for mine. I've found it eliminates a lot of problems. I would say that grain free is a must.

As Rae said, there is a ton of info on the site. I hope you have some time for reading! Feel free to ask any questions and we love pictures *hint, hint*

[LexieLuvr]

Welcome!. So glad you found us. You have received lots of good info, and from a 30-year dachsie-holic (me) I also recommend Dachsunds for Dummies. It has a ton of terrific info about dachsies and is a dachsund Bible, IMO. Keeping them slim and trim so they don't have back issues is very important, so ramps are needed. They are notorious for bad teeth,.too, so brushing is very important. Other than that, read the book. And they do better in multiples, I think. They keep each other company and get less bored. I could go on forever, but do get the book! And again, welcome! We will.be happy to help.

[mom2reds]

Welcome! Congrats on getting at least one doxie. I agree with everyone else, Dachshund for Dummies is a great book. They are lovable, sweet, strong, stubborn dogs and are in no way "purse dogs". The are in the hound group (scent hounds to be exact) and they can smell food, especially human food from what seems like a mile away. They are little dogs with big personalities who will steal your heart in no time flat. Just don't leave your food unattended anywhere near the dachshund(s). Even on a table that you think they can't reach, they will find a way!

[NAUTIQUE]

Thanks so much for all the replies!
I'm definitely a dog lover.
I really miss my Springer, but its taken my wife almost two years to even talk about getting a new friend.
Been reading everything I can over the last week or so. (I'll check out that Dachshund for Dummies too.)
I thought these guys would be great little buddies for my wife & I'm getting more intrigued the more I read about the Doxies.
(thinking they'll be a great size for trips in our motorhome too!)
My Springer was sooo smart. He learned tons of tricks so fast. It's sounding like the Doxie is also a very intelligent breed. They sure seem like very interesting little guys.

Oceangirls - Interesting note on not keeping litter mates. Never heard that before. As far as being bonded, it's always been the whole clan together (Mom, Dad, & three pups) until my nephew took one of the boys a couple months ago (and he's still at the house a lot of the time). I know my BIL wants to keep them together, so In the end, that'll be a decision that is made for me.
If there seems to have been any success with the pad training I'll probably start there and then work them to the outside.

Thinking about the terrible winter we had here in the N.E., how do they do in the cold & snow if trained to go outside? Thinking it may be good to get them trained to a pad & outdoors? (And then I wouldn't have to go out in that crap either! )
Actually saw some interesting - puppy potties? Looks like the pups would use these and then they can be emptied and rinsed out? Since I have an enclosed porch I was thinking something like that may work too.

With my Springer, he had an outdoor kennel & doghouse. He got to be out in the fresh air when we were away. It doesn't appear many Doxie owners use that approach? Seems like most (if not all) are indoor dogs. Is that just because they're so small?

Are most of their back issues usually just from jumping? Do they do ok with normal running & roughhousing, or is everything kept more lowkey?

So it looks like regular collars are good for training and then most prefer a harness? I'll check out those harness suggestions.

Thanks for all the help!
Glad to find an active forum. I'm sure I'll drive you all nuts with questions.
Just reading and talking about these guys, I'm actually getting excited and hoping this all works out soon.

[oceangirls]

We were planning to put ours in separate crates, but they were just 9 weeks when we brought them home - and, well, puppies cry all night. So we opened the doors of their two tiny crates and they curled up together in the corner of the pen and went to sleep . But yours are older, so they may be fine with separate crates. That's probably better for the reasons Patrice mentioned.

However, when I've had to put Angel in a small crate for back issues, they were fine in neighboring crates.

Regarding whether to take one or both: apparently many experts say you should NEVER keep littermates together - that they will never develop as individuals if one is always overshadowed by the other . I did not find that out until years later. I don't know. Neither of mine are really dominant and they seem pretty happy. But you can certainly take that into consideration. Family members may be able to tell you how bonded they are. Maybe you can do a trial of some time separate from each other and see how they handle it.

My girls are puppy pad trained. We had extra space and it's just easier for us. Most dogs transition pretty well from pads to going outdoors. Bonus if they'll use both, especially if you leave them out and are late getting home, or in case of inclement weather. My childhood cocker would either go outside or just a newspaper inside. I think this is pretty rare though. The girls will go while outside walking if they need to.

Harnesses definitely. I also prefer Hug-A-Dog, and it's a good small business that I like supporting.

My girls did great for years on a mix of Wellness canned and dry. I now have them on Hills I/D for Cassie's GI issues (she gets lowfat and Angel's on the regular just to feed a similar diet), but I still mix in Wellness canned. They did not do very well on the grain-free kibble, but many dogs do. Feed what you're comfortable with, just plan to adapt if there are health issues (allergies, GI intolerance, dry skin, etc.). Do make sure you transition slowly if you're going to change foods (e.g., start with 1/4 new and 3/4 old for a week, then 1/2 and 1/2 if tolerated, etc.).

Welcome!

edit: I deleted your duplicate thread since everyone was responding to this one. I hope you'll repost in the Welcome forum when you bring the little one(s) home, though!

[Ivan]

Oh, wow, so much CUTE. All of them. Welcome home, Sonny!
Yes indeed, I'd wanna take 'em all home with us.
Hmm, I see they already graduated to the big bed. Lucky furkids.

[oceangirls]

They are more indoor dogs mainly just because they like to be with you, and involved in what you are doing . Also, they are DIGGERS - so make sure you have a very secure fence if they're out unsupervised. They do certainly like to be outside, though.

Back issues tend to be genetic. You will hear of doxies who were overweight, ran up and down the stairs, jumped all over the place, and never had a problem... and there are those whose owners were extremely careful to keep them lean and restrict jumping, but the dog still had recurrent issues. But it's a good plan to keep them lean and healthy and give them regular exercise... and try to keep them from jumping excessively or off very high things onto hard surfaces (Angel had her first issue shortly after jumping over a dog gate onto a hard tile floor), or twisting unpredictably. They are wild little daredevils and believe they can fly.

And then you just cross your fingers and know what to do if the dog does show signs of a back injury.

[Rae]

I think doxies would be perfect for the motorhome trips! Ellen (Doxiezoo) isn't on much anymore, but she traveled the US in a motor home for a year or so a few years back with her three and they had a blast.

Doxies LOVE adventures! And you will find that when you take them on walkies or even out to potty at a rest stop that people will gravitate toward them Everyone loves a "wiener dog." Plus, there is a lot of cute merchandise!

I live in Kentucky and would have happily given large sums of money for Savannah Jane to be willing to potty on a pad this past winter. We had a LOT of snow, and when your little legs are only four inches long, a couple feet of snow can be a PROBLEM!

As for the sibling bonding thing, I wouldn't worry. Sounds like these babies are a package deal, and I am sure that if I had taken Ellie in (Savannah's sister), they would have worked things out just fine, like Kim's Angel and Cassie have done.

These little ones are small on the inside, but they think they are Rottweilers! BIG personality in a little package.

I'm thinking that once you spend a little time with these sausages, you will be irrevocably hooked. I didn't notice where you are geographically, but... WIENER DOG RACES! Everywhere. Google Buda, Texas Wiener Dog Races. It will boggle the mind.