My daughter has a mini-long haired dachshund. What a character! Stubborn, OCD, and the most loving little twit that ever was! Did I mention stubborn? He has been known to play fetch for 2 hours straight. We just keep passing the ball around to each other. He will bring it back, without you knowing it, lay it down and stare at you until you discover it and throw it again. I think I mentioned the word stubborn, didn't I? hehe!
Great companion dog, with lots of energy here. Hope you will enjoy him!

MonaRae

I don't have a doxie but my daughter does. Dottie, is about a 7 year old miniature dachshund. She was the "only" dog for all that time. About a month ago, some friends had to get rid of their dog because their daughter was allergic to dogs. The dog was a 90 pound Boxer!! My daughter told her friend she would take the Boxer, with the stipulation, that if "Dottie" and "Peanut" didn't get along, they would take the Boxer back. The former owners brought a portable fence to close off part of the back yard. When they Boxer came to the house to live, they kept them separated but allowed them to get to know each other through the fence. Dottie, at first was a little anxious about Peanut getting close to her food bowl, but soon got over that, when she realized Peanut had his own bowl and didn't mind "sharing" with her at all. Now they are best buddies and get along great. Peanut has been a great addition to the family. Hopefully if you give the dogs time to get to know each other, this will work out for you as well as it has for my daughter's family and the former owners are happy to know their beloved Peanut has a good home.

They are wonderful family dogs!! Playful and comical and oh so darn lovable! We had one while my kids were growing up. Brandy lived to about 18! Then got my little girl Miss, we lost her Oct 16th suddenly and I miss her badly yet.She lived with us til she was 9 and still acted like a pup when the Grandbabies came.

Youngest DD & DSIL had 2,Willie and Shadow, Shadow had major back problems and she lost him last Father's Day. Willie will be 12 in September.
Oldest DD and the boys took Diesel in, he was about 2 because of a divorce. He ADORES his boys,and mopes when they aren't close to him.

The biggest things with doxies is they can have back/disc problems. Mine had 3 or 4 spells with her back, that wasn't what we lost her to though.The disc problems are heart wrenching to watch.

I will never get another one, not because of their possible back problems, but because I had the absolute best doxie ever. Another could never measure up to my sweet girl.

Here is the original 3 musketeers mine in back and Shadow on right,Willie on the left.

Here is the boy's dog Diesel

Diesel loves children. DD babysat and he was in love with this lil gal!

You came to the right place. I probably knew less about Dachshunds than you. A year ago we decided to get a companion rescue dog for our two year old(then) Boston mix rescue. We wanted a dog around his weight and temperament. I went on Petfinder and saw a Aussie at a Border collie rescue group. We went to see her and found her beautiful and sweet but too energetic. Next week this same group got this 3(?) year old Doxie who was turned into a kill shelter in WVA. His name was Parker, and he was fostered a week down there and transported up here. We took our dog along to meet him and it went well. So we adopted him. The plus side. ---he gets along fine with my other dog, loves loves loves his daily walks, does well with other dogs at the doggie park, loves people, especially children, loves to go in the car, eats well ,has never had an accident in the house and gets along fine with my five cats. . Bad side..they are stubborn little dogs(I call him the little Nazi) and I cannot let him loose in my yard. I have a picket fence which we have reenforced with wire at places he might breach, but somehow he always finds a way to escape. He's very long and lean and fits thru places we don't even notice. So we tether him now as a precaution. Doxies don't like cold and rain. He will "hold it" if it's raining outside. They are little clowns and love to bury in blankets. Make sure you give him a blankie and he'll love you forever. Mine wraps himself up when we throw in on his bed. Good luck. I suggest a trial meeting first with your dog. Let us know how it goes.

We had long haired Dachshunds and used to show the mother.
Sweet dogs, good natured.

We have a long haired miniature. Ours sounds nothing like the ones mentioned. Ours joined our family when she was 7. It seems she was abused. She startles easily and is fearful. She wants to spend her days on your lap getting her tummy rubbed. She refuses to go for walks. She hates the sound of kids crying or playing loudly. She prefers to have all her humans to herself. She is not interested in sharing with another dog. She doesn't do any "dog things". She won't fetch, play, chew on raw hide sticks. She hates her bath but tolerates about anything. She loves to be loved and is happiest when not alone. She has had no back/disc issues and since she is very overweight one might expect her to. They seem to be a very sweet breed.

Sounds like maybe your dog has issues from her former home. I know nothing about my dog's beginnings, but he is a 22 pound very long and lean black and tan standard. I don't know if standards and the minis have the same disposition. I know mine had kids in his family because the smaller and gigglier the kids are, the more he is wiggling and jumping. He has walked for almost 6 miles and never gets tired. Wants to keep going.

They are long skinny human beings in disguise. very loveable and loyal at least my Hans and Heidi were

Roxie, my black and tan short haired dachshund turned seven on January 31 of this year. She is the third dachshund that I have had and I love her dearly. That being said, she IS stubborn. Didn't think I was ever gonna get her housebroken. She's wonderful now, except for an occasional frightened or submissive puddle when someone comes in that she's not sure of (or extremely excited about!) She loves kids and most other dogs. She's extremely smart and intuitive about things and is also, like someone else said, a blanket burrower! LOL

I tell her all the time that she's the best black and tan friend that I have and I do love her dearly. She's had two bad back episodes and after the last one her muzzle has turned so gray. We had had five grandkids here for own whole week and she had just absolutely overdone it, jumping and running and playing. It took her two weeks at the vet's office to get over the back problems. Since then? She's doing fine.

They are like extremely intelligent 2-3 year olds - lots of personality and a little attitude.

OMG!! My Snicky is a mini long-haired baby!! He is 14 now, and I wish I could clone him and keep him FOREVER!!! HE is my baby!!

I would definitely get another doxie!

Let us know what you decide, and be sure to post pics!! :-)

An old GF had a dox and it was a great dog but as mentioned you need to be careful of the back. Obviously the back is the weak spot in the dox "design". Not all have the problem but the breeding starts issues and face it that long back is a potential problem. The vet was adamant with her to not encourage her to sit up and don't let people try to make her do that "trick" either. Friendly and good tempered all in all but definitely wanted her way.

Some other friends have a Standard Poodle and her brother has a dox. Watching those two play together is a riot! My only caution to you is to get them together for a while and see how compatible they are. They can be best of friends or there can be personality conflicts. And the other caution is the size difference if they play together and the Boxer gets a bit rough. Often the bigger dog will stick their snout under the little one and give it a toss and a dox is not built to take much tossing around.

Another friend I know took in a lost/found (depending on how you look at it) dox. She didn't think she could handle another dog, having two already and one other she's watching for a friend. I thought about taking it if the owner couldn't be located. I broke out laughing when I heard on the radio they had a found dog and thought it was a mix of an Irish Setter and a Dox! It was a reddish long haired dox. The owner was located after a couple weeks and they're happily reunited.

If you decide to take your friend's dog, please immediately invest in a set of steps for it to get up onto the couch, etc. (If that's gonna be permitted.) That constant jumping up and down is rough on their backs and they WILL try to leap tall buildings with a single bound.........

well, I wasn't going to say anything but....... we used to have a Male Dachshund and NEVER again. He was a very Nasty dog, or over sexed! If I got another it would be female.

Joann,

If you get a female ... can you imagine being bothered by oversexed males?

Who was it that said that she couldn't bear to get another ... cause s/he couldn't measure up to the current one?

Not to worry - there's about a 97% chance that the new one would steal her/his way into your heart as did the current one.

Sue had Boston bull, but when she referred to that a couple of times after we settled in Canada, and I responded that they looked as though they'd run face-first into a brick wall ...

... she got a mini dachsie, which she took with her when she left ... and got two more after the original one met her end.

Our kids loved them.

When I was lying on the living room floor reading the paper ... the original one would crawl right into the space where I was reading - think that she knew how to read?

If you live in snow country ... better get used to doing a lot of shovelling, to accomodate the dachsie's trips outside, as they're engineered rather low to the ground.

ole joyful ... who cared for Sue's third on occasion after her death, when daughter was occupied in non-dog pursuits

P.S. Want a mini dachsie puppy?

Read the ad below ... Google is right on things, as usual!

o j

Ad? What's an ad???

My Doxies are the best breed of dog I have ever owned. Sweet as can be, always wanting to please. They love their people! Oh, I will add they are like Lay's Potato Chips. You can never have just one. LOL
They are a big dog in a small dogs body. They really think they are Big...They really need rear view mirrors, to help them with their size issures. LOL

Here is more info on a Daschaund...

What Are Dachshunds Like?
It Depends on Who You Ask�

Other Dog Lovers Say: Clingy
Dachshund Lovers Say: Cuddly

Other Dog Lovers Say: Reckless
Dachshund Lovers Say: Fearless

Other Dog Lovers Say: Pushy
Dachshund Lovers Say: Confident

Other Dog Lovers Say: Stubborn
Dachshund Lovers Say: Tenacious

Other Dog Lovers Say: Manipulative
Dachshund Lovers Say: Intelligent

Other Dog Lovers Say: Bad with Kids
Dachshund Lovers Say: Discipline kids that need it anyway

Other Dog Lovers Say: Hard to Housetrain
Dachshund Lovers Say: OK, we'll give you that one

Other Dog Lovers Say: Needy
Dachshund Lovers Say: Emotional & Loving

I know all about Dachshunds - the good, the bad (back/neck disc issues). We have had 5 - my 2 special guys being SUPER Alpha - but Benevolent with their Dachshund siblings and the cats. You need to know the temperament of the Dachshund - at age 2 it will be apparent to the current owner - if the pup had been with you prior to puberty you would know this already - and if you do take the little darling in it will probably take a couple of weeks for true temperament to show itself. Personally, I love the Alpha Dachshunds - smart, stubborn, loving - and I was very fortunate to have had 2 of them. The love of my life - passed on Sept. 13, 1997 - leaving behind 3 Dachshund siblings and 2 cats who missed his leadership - and the house felt empty - as silly as that sounds considering the menagerie we had. Then we heard about a little/big guy - who was also Alpha and like our first guy, was having difficulty finding a forever home because the people who took him in thought they were getting a funny, "stuffed toy" type of dog. Many Dachshunds - especially these days are mild-mannered, but then, not always the case. So not the best beginnings. So we adopted him, brought him home and peace was restored. We were very lucky to have found a second soul mate - not quite as close to our hearts as our first guy - but pretty darned close. Of course these 2 special guys were the ones who had worst case back/neck disc disease - and they did have the surgeries. I am very familiar with Boxers because our current dog's groomer has 2 Boxers, loves Boxers - and of course many of her clients are Boxers. Both of her Boxers are of even temperament - but as with any breed, temperaments can vary. I went to the Woofstock dog event in Toronto a few years ago and had my Dachshund fix when I saw a whole group of people with their Dachshunds - all discussing their tummy issues and I couldn't believe how mild-mannered all of the dogs were. My guys did not have any stomach issues - just the opposite - and boy can they eat. We had a Beagle prior to adopting our first Dachshund and figured the Beagle was piggy #1 - not so! And smart - especially our first guy. In your particular circumstances, if the pups get along I would probably take in the Dachshund. And as I am sure you are aware Boxers have their health issues as well. We decided not to get another Dachshund because of the back issues we went through twice and I just couldn't do it again. But Dachshunds will always be the dogs of my life. Re the steps another poster suggested. I would have to disagree based on my experience and recommend ramps instead. A ramp to the bed and to the couch etc. You could move it around. They are easily obtainable these days at stores like PetSmart (even in Canada) due to the number of small (teacup) dogs these days. I would severely limit the climbing of stairs etc. But bottom line is that while you can minimize risk, you can't prevent back disease if it is going to happen. There are many Dachshunds who never experience a back event - but others that do. I don't know the size of the Dachshund you are considering - but I wouldn't go with a teacup - would want the dog to weigh no less than 8 lbs. Ours weighed 10 - 12 lbs (others might disagree, but a dog needs to be able to step up a curb). I once met a 2 lb. designer Dachshund and felt sick - fully grown. I really hope you are able to give this pup a home. I don't want to scare you off by the possible back problems - it is just that we did not luck out with our 2 special guys - I know that sounds awful - as we loved all of our Dachshunds and did not treat any of them differently - it was just that they were our soulmates - the other pups had no back problems. I doubt that there is a Rainbow Bridge, but am hoping that there is. We now have an American Eskimo who gets nervous when we meet a Dachshund because he senses the bond - particularly with the Alphas. They love me - what can I say! Please report back if you take in the big/little guy - and remember Dachshunds are small in stature only. They get along famously with Dobermans. Actually a baby Dobe (before the ears are cropped) resembles a fully developed Dachshund. (I would not bring a baby Dachshund into the house until fully formed if a cat lived there since they do look like mice.) By the way, my 22 lb. Eskie (a boy who looks like a girl) gets along very well with the Boxers - one being one of his many girlfriends.

An example of a typical Dachshund. I took mine to the doggie park today. He gets so excited, and as we were getting out of the car, a couple were leaving the big doggie park with their two enormous Dobermans. Because my Wally has the same coloring, black and tan, they said ..'look a midget Dobie' and brought their dogs over to sniff Wally. Everyone laughed when Wally lunged forward at these two big dogs and barked furiously. He's always doing that. He gets along with the little dogs on his side, but goes to the fence and tries to pick a fight with the big dogs.

Funny, lily316 - my Alphas loved the big dogs - because after all NO ONE was bigger than their 10 lb. selves. Well, except for Rottis - and it was mutual. Actually about 20 years ago a calendar was published which told cartoon-like of the goings-on between a Dachshund and a Rotti - all too true. Of course my guys wouldn't back down - and either would the Rottis - our guys would have been lunch. But any other big dog was a friend - especially a Dobe. Just different temperaments, likes and dislikes etc. - except for the Rotti - otherwise the calendar would not have been published. Loved it. Now my 22 lb. Eskimo wants to be big. However, I am happy to be able to pick him up and move fast if necessary - as was the case with the Dachshunds and the Rottis.

My doxie wasn't like that at all Lily. She thought she was a big dog yes, but didn't have an attitude with other dogs. Neither of DD's do either. In fact Diesel, Willie and Shadow will bark at dogs yes, but run with the wind if the big dog comes to check them out. Mine was a mini and both DD's have standards, they are loves.

My DB has 3 doxies. 2 are quite loveable, but the third is a bossy, barking one. My uncle has one too and it barks constantly if he doesn't know you. Both of them are die-hard Doxie lovers and will always have Doxies.

We had a Corgi mix who had back problems. Any long dog with short legs is prone to that. The ramp YaYa suggested plus limiting any jumping will help in that regard.

Hope you are able to give this little dog a home!

Thanks so much for the wealth of information!! We decided to set up some playdates with Ripper (Doxie) and Kaia (Boxer) to see how they get along. My friend isn't moving out of her marital home until June so we have some time to see if these two will be buddies. Thanks again for taking time to share information.

Maybe that's why my Wally was taken to the kill shelter. He has a big attitude. But in this house he is subservient to the other dog who was here first. But he(and the other one) were in Nazi mode tonight when they went to the vet for a wellness visit. They barked at every dog who entered the office, even the sweetest labs. But he wasn't so tough when he was taken away for blood to be drawn for Lyme and heart worm check. He screamed like a little girl. There goes the image.