# Potentially first time dog owner here - looking for advice (dachshund especially)



## arachnd (Sep 4, 2009)

Here's a complete run down of what's going through my head right now...

First of all, I'm moving into a new apartment that allows dogs. It'll be my first time living completely alone so I am thinking about buying a small dog. My apartment is 800 sq feet with hard wood floors. I think that's enough space for a small dog. The dog I specifically want is a dachshund, probably short haired (which I'll touch more on in a minute.)

So, I was wondering if a dachshund would be happy with an apartment setting described as above?

Secondly, I'm "slightly" allergic to dogs. Some dogs make me really teary, and some dogs I'm completely okay with. I think this may be related to the hair length.

I really am set on getting this dog and in case I do run into some allergies I was wondering if there was anything I could take that would get rid of it? I'd hate to give up a dog simply because of allergies - there has to be some type of treatment!

Thanks,
A.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

Yay Dachshunds! Are you planning on a standard or a mini? 

A doxie can happily live in an apartment that size, but they'll need exercise just like any large dog. But since you live in an apartment, be prepared to know that Dachshunds are stubborn and it can be a bit difficult to train them, and without proper training, they are BARKERS. Mine can go for hours and you'd be surprised how loud his bark is for his size. 

The thing with allergies is that it's not the coat of the dog, it's the dander of the skin that people are allergic to. You should talk to a doctor about different allergy treatments and spend some time around dogs during treatment to see what works best for you.


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

Wirehaired dogs like terriers and poodles typically shed less and help relieve allergies for some people. I really don't think coat length has anything to do with allergies. Both long and short haired dogs pretty much shed year round, though sometimes long haired dogs shed extra twice a year.

Doxies come in a wirehaired variety, BTW 

And I think lots of dogs do jut fine in small apartments, just so long as they get out enough for exercise and socialization. Good luck!


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## arachnd (Sep 4, 2009)

ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> Yay Dachshunds! Are you planning on a standard or a mini?
> 
> A doxie can happily live in an apartment that size, but they'll need exercise just like any large dog. But since you live in an apartment, be prepared to know that Dachshunds are stubborn and it can be a bit difficult to train them, and without proper training, they are BARKERS. Mine can go for hours and you'd be surprised how loud his bark is for his size.
> 
> The thing with allergies is that it's not the coat of the dog, it's the dander of the skin that people are allergic to. You should talk to a doctor about different allergy treatments and spend some time around dogs during treatment to see what works best for you.


Hmm, I'm not really sure on the size difference between a standard or a mini. Any guage here? What would you say is easier to take care of for a first timer?

How do I properly exercise my doxie?

And regarding training, I don't even know where to begin. How do you train a dog to not bark?


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

arachnd said:


> Hmm, I'm not really sure on the size difference between a standard or a mini. Any guage here? What would you say is easier to take care of for a first timer?
> 
> How do I properly exercise my doxie?
> 
> And regarding training, I don't even know where to begin. How do you train a dog to not bark?


The difference isn't HUGE, but it's something to consider. A standard can be anywhere from 15 to 28 lbs/up to 18 inches tall and minis normally weigh less than 11 lbs and stand less than 14 inches tall. I have a mini, and he stands at 8 inches and weighs 11 lbs. 

Dachshunds are VERY tenacious and a bored dog is a destructive dog, or a noisy dog. They can develop separation anxiety and chew and bark a lot when left alone. They need to go for walks despite their size and a chance to run and play. They're prone to spinal problems, though, so you have to be very careful and not allow them to jump or get into too rough of play. 

You may hear a lot of stereotypes about Doxies being nasty, biting, barking, and unpleasant. They end up this way in some cases because they are not exercised, properly socialized, and trained. Couple that with a stubborn breed and you've got problems. My Jonas is a rescue and he's the stereotype. He is only bonded with me, snarly with strangers, and fearful. It's a lot easier to start off right in the beginning then have to correct severe problems later on. Please check out the training forum and read all you can about dog training and socialization.

Edit: I talked to my Dachshund savvy aunt, and she informs me that 18 inches is freak growth and not common. She says that minis are typically 8-9 inches tall, and the standards are typically less than 12. I apologize for my momentary idiocy relaying those facts.


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## arachnd (Sep 4, 2009)

ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> The difference isn't HUGE, but it's something to consider. A standard can be anywhere from 15 to 28 lbs/up to 18 inches tall and minis normally weigh less than 11 lbs and stand less than 14 inches tall. I have a mini, and he stands at 8 inches and weighs 11 lbs.
> 
> Dachshunds are VERY tenacious and a bored dog is a destructive dog, or a noisy dog. They can develop separation anxiety and chew and bark a lot when left alone. They need to go for walks despite their size and a chance to run and play. They're prone to spinal problems, though, so you have to be very careful and not allow them to jump or get into too rough of play.
> 
> You may hear a lot of stereotypes about Doxies being nasty, biting, barking, and unpleasant. They end up this way in some cases because they are not exercised, properly socialized, and trained. Couple that with a stubborn breed and you've got problems. My Jonas is a rescue and he's the stereotype. He is only bonded with me, snarly with strangers, and fearful. It's a lot easier to start off right in the beginning then have to correct severe problems later on. Please check out the training forum and read all you can about dog training and socialization.


Well, thanks for reminding me on the acquiring part. I keep hearing I should adopt my pet from a shelter. I also hear that it's cost-worthy because they already "house train" the dog from the shelther and take care of all the "baby procedures" as well as shots. 

Is it okay to adopt like this?


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> up to 18 inches tall


Okay, THAT'S CRAZY, lol!! My boyfriend's sister's Australian Shepherd is 18 inches tall, so a Dachshund could be that tall, but also long, too? That's just.. giant, XD More so than I would have expected!


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## arachnd (Sep 4, 2009)

If you mix a dachshund with another breed, can they potentially be less "aggressive?" By aggresive I mean barking. The only concern I have is way too much barking. However numerous people have told me you can train a dog to not bark...


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

arachnd said:


> Well, thanks for reminding me on the acquiring part. I keep hearing I should adopt my pet from a shelter. I also hear that it's cost-worthy because they already "house train" the dog from the shelther and take care of all the "baby procedures" as well as shots.
> 
> Is it okay to adopt like this?


Oh, I didn't mean for the example of my Dachshund to be a reason not to adopt. In fact, he was originally from a breeder, but he spent his first three years in a very small kennel and then was dumped and shuffled from shelter to shelter. He is NOT typical of doxies, but he does reflect the bad life he started with. This is most certainly not the case of all rescue dogs. 

Adopting is wonderful, and if you find a dog you bond with through a rescue, go for it! If you feel you need to find a breeder, please do TONS of research. Are you planning on taking a puppy or an adult, though? Because I can tell you now that if a rescue claims a puppy is completely house trained, they either have a miracle dog or are leaving SOMETHING out, especially if they're talking about a doxie!


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## arachnd (Sep 4, 2009)

ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> Oh, I didn't mean for the example of my Dachshund to be a reason not to adopt. In fact, he was originally from a breeder, but he spent his first three years in a very small kennel and then was dumped and shuffled from shelter to shelter. He is NOT typical of doxies, but he does reflect the bad life he started with. This is most certainly not the case of all rescue dogs.
> 
> Adopting is wonderful, and if you find a dog you bond with through a rescue, go for it! If you feel you need to find a breeder, please do TONS of research. Are you planning on taking a puppy or an adult, though? Because I can tell you now that if a rescue claims a puppy is completely house trained, they either have a miracle dog or are leaving SOMETHING out, especially if they're talking about a doxie!


I'm not sure what age equates to puppy or not.

Typically I'm seeing a lot of posts from the shelter about 6 months old to be house trained.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

Nargle said:


> Okay, THAT'S CRAZY, lol!! My boyfriend's sister's Australian Shepherd is 18 inches tall, so a Dachshund could be that tall, but also long, too? That's just.. giant, XD More so than I would have expected!


Ha! Standard doxies typically DON'T grow THAT tall. The tallest I've met was 14 inches at the withers.


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## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

arachnd said:


> Well, thanks for reminding me on the acquiring part. I keep hearing I should adopt my pet from a shelter. I also hear that it's cost-worthy because they already "house train" the dog from the shelther and take care of all the "baby procedures" as well as shots.
> 
> Is it okay to adopt like this?


Yes, it's very much okay to adopt from a shelter, especially if you don't need the dog for its intended purpose (herding, hunting, etc.) and if you don't want to breed or show your dog. I would highly encourage you to take a look at your local shelter. Petfinder.com is a great place to start and you can just type in the breed you're looking for.

I would say that getting a dog from a shelter is generally cost-worthy. They're almost always spayed/neutered, which would probably cost more than the whole adoption fee if you did it with your regular vet. They've usually had their shots and maybe a microchip, vet visit, etc - all that depends on the individual shelter. But all in all, yes, much cheaper than a breeder.

Now...on to the downside:
Shelter dogs are a gamble. Some will be housetrained already by their previous owner, others not so much. You probably won't know until you get the dog home. Some shelter dogs have behavioral issues like barking, chewing, jumping, etc. Some will have more serious issues like separation anxiety, fear issues, biting, aggression towards other dogs, etc. Some will be perfect little angels. My best advice is to choose very carefully. You should be willing to take your time and pass over many dogs before finding the right one. All told, my search took me about 2 months. Well worth the time, though, and I doubt if I'll ever get a dog elsewhere.

Good luck and have fun! Make sure you read the stickies at the top of the first time owner forum. You want to know what you're getting into here.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

arachnd said:


> If you mix a dachshund with another breed, can they potentially be less "aggressive?" By aggresive I mean barking. The only concern I have is way too much barking. However numerous people have told me you can train a dog to not bark...





arachnd said:


> I'm not sure what age equates to puppy or not.
> 
> Typically I'm seeing a lot of posts from the shelter about 6 months old to be house trained.


Barking is not necessarily aggression. And any dog can be aggressive. I would not buy a Dachshund that was purposely mixed with another breed. You CAN train a dog to do any thing. 

Dachshunds are very hard to house train. And 6 months old is still a puppy. They may be trained to ask to go outdoors, or understand the concept, but puppies can only hold it so long.


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## nevb1973 (Jul 3, 2008)

I have 2 dachshunds. They are long haired variety. My sister has asthma and allergies and can only tolerate certain kinds of dogs she has poodle mixes. My girls do not aggravate her allergies at all I think the long hair may be less bothersome to allergies I think short haired breeds have more dander. Plus the long haired dachsies are soo much cuter, they shed less than the short haired variety and require only a little brushing a few times a week.My friend has a short hair and he sheds like crazy. I will say my dachsies are stubborn! They will pee in the house if I do not do my job and take them out on schedule, they look at me like "if you didn't forget about me we wouldn't have this problem". They have trained me very well to let them out every 3 hours now so we are fine, I responded well to their hard work lol. I crate them when I have to leave the house and they are fine. If you don't want to go the puppy route you could rehome an adult dog from a breeder that i s what I did with my girls it worked out well for our family. My girls are 7 and 9 inches at the shoulder and about 10 and 14 pounds apiece.


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## Thracian (Dec 24, 2008)

> Secondly, I'm "slightly" allergic to dogs. Some dogs make me really teary, and some dogs I'm completely okay with. I think this may be related to the hair length.
> 
> I really am set on getting this dog and in case I do run into some allergies I was wondering if there was anything I could take that would get rid of it? I'd hate to give up a dog simply because of allergies - there has to be some type of treatment!


Having just given up a dog because of allergies, I strongly recommend that you spend a lot of time with the dog before adopting, or at the very least, get a dog on a trial period. I adopted a maltese mix and was fine during the two hours I spent with her before making the decision to bring her home. Once I got her home, though, it turned into a total sinus alert plus hives.

My opinion is it's better to find out you're allergic before bringing a dog home and falling in love. 

In any case, it sounds like you have fewer allergy problems than I do, but I still recommend spending time with a number of breeds to find out which ones bring on the symptoms. In my case, I'm safe with poodles. A purebred maltese probably would have been fine, but a maltese/terrier wasn't. Sometimes it isn't hair length but type of hair that makes a difference--hair vs. fur, shedding vs. low shedding.

I do take a daily antihistamine and I get regular allergy shots (for grass, trees, and cats in addition to dogs).


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## hbowen87 (Aug 4, 2009)

If you're hoping for a house broken dog I'd suggest what someone else above suggested trying to find an older dog that a breeder wants to rehome, or try looking into dogs that have been fostered through rescue organizations or shelters. Fosters have actually lived in a house and their foster parents can tell you better where they stand on house breaking. 

Star was almost 6 months old and they told us she was "house broken" but she'd been in a kennel at a shelter with concrete floors, but she got to our house and seemed like she didn't realize carpet/linoleum weren't for peeing on like the concrete wasn't supposed to be peed on. Didn't take long to break her of the habit but she's not a dachshund.

Despite the looks of horror I got from family when I said I got my dog from a rescue for $300, when you add up the spaying/all of her puppy shots, a microchip, vet trip, heart worm pills, and months of feeding and care, it really isn't a bad price, just the vet office fee for the three times I would have had to take her to get her puppy shots and her spaying it would have added up to that, so it really is fairly cost efficient.

As far as how to exercise, daily walks and teaching games like fetch or tug that could carefully be played in an apartment. 

Take your time and decide which route is best. If you go for a puppy you'll be looking at months of accidents in the house and having to spend lots of time watching the pup like a hawk to stop accidents and stop chewing, but can be sure that you start training young instead of trying to break potential already created problems. If you get a dog over about a year you'll have less of the irritating puppy stuff, but have to be very careful about which dog you get, but if you ask lots of questions and decide carefully, there are tons of great dogs in shelters. Take your time, and be sure your allergies will be able to cope.


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## LuckyWish (Sep 4, 2009)

I own a longhair miniature dachshund who is 2 years old, and I'm currently living in an apartment of roughly 800 sq. feet. (Though we have carpet, not wood.)

As far as the space issue, my dog seems perfectly content in the apartment. It's a one bedroom and I also live with my boyfriend and his dog, a Corgi. Everyone seems to be perfectly fine, and the dogs get a long walk every morning. It also depends on the dachshund's temperament. Back at home, my dog loved running around in a yard. Ever since we've been at the apartment, he's in heaven just laying on my lap while I watch tv. (And of course running around for Corgi playtime later in the day.) As long as you take care of the dog's basic need to walk for around 30 minutes a day, 800 sq feet is plenty for a mini dachshund.

Dachshunds love to bark. My dog is pretty well trained, but he will always bark when someone knocks on the door, and for the first few seconds when I have to leave the apartment. It's something I can't seem to train out of him. Luckily, we live in an extremely dog friendly complex right now and no one seems to mind the occasional dog barks that occur around here.

Dachshunds are usually pretty stubborn, so you'll be pretty busy with the training at first. Mine would bark non-stop all night as a puppy, but luckily I was living at home at the time. I just invested in some earplugs. I heard they are hard to housebreak as well, but we had two older dachshunds at home and he caught on very quickly.

My sister is allergic to dogs, and when I was living at home she did not have a reaction to my dog unless I brushed him while she was in the room. As far as I am aware, allergies are mostly due to pet dander than actual hair. So the length of the dog's hair doesn't play a big role. However, keep in mind that longhair dachshunds require grooming, and if you can't invest in a groomer you'll have to be brushing the dog yourself to prevent mats. 

Someone mentioned allergy shots. My boyfriend's asthma reacts to pet dander, but he takes allergy medicine by mouth every morning and has been doing very well.

Bottom line, I would go through a "trial version" first. Try to spend time with a few dogs to see their temperament (some are calmer and quieter than others), to see if you have any allergic reaction, and so forth. Make sure you do the homework before bringing one home -- it'll be well worth it for both you and the dog!


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