A friend of mine is looking to add another dog to her household she currently has an 8 year old Rhodesian ridgeback and was planning to add another( did the research, found a fabulous breeder) but has decided her house isnt practical for two large dogs so she has fallen for Dachshunds (she shocked me with that turn around). She works from home and lives opposite a park so plenty of company and walks are available, her and her husband go camping too. What health tests should a breeder be doing? She isnt sure what size she would like but does like smooth haired - is there a huge difference between character/ temperament in relation to miniature or standard? And lastly any recommendations on good breeders to point her in the direction of would be great.
Go to the dachshund breed council website http://dachshundbreedcouncil.wordpress.com/ and the dachshund health website http://www.dachshundhealth.org.uk/ Will give her all the info she needs ;-)
What I will say is, whatever size she goes for DO NOT let it get overweight - thats when the back problems kick in
And the socialising they get as a puppy dont think breeding has much to do with it. You can have the best bred pup in the world and turn it into an aggresive dog easily if its not guided/socialised well by its owners.
You can also have a dog from a very poor background in terms of homes/socialization that has a fantastic temperement. It works both ways.
Yes yes I know what you mean about the socialisation part but that wasn't what I was refering to. I DO think breeding has a lot to do with it initially. Prime example my min wires are German bred, now they are TOTALLY different in temprement to the English bred. They are far far harder work and most of the English breeders will happily tell you that they have bred that out of their lines, for that reason. So mine would not be right for a little old lady wanting a lap dog. However if you wanted a hardy hard working VERY stubborn wire, then you would go for the sort of line I have. Our spaniels are very fast stubborn working lines whereas others lines are not so stubborn. We choose the lines we like for a reason, not because I fancy the name. Sorry I'm not coming accross well, but I hope you get what I am trying to say
No problem there she loves walking and is out a few times a day no matter the weather. Thanks Thanks guys, yes i agree its a mixture of buying from a good breeder that breeds for temperament and starts socialising the pups before they leave- handling them and getting them used to household noises etc, and as an owner training and socialising from when you get your pup home. I understand what you mean they say the same about dobes from the continent compared with most uk ones.
