Buying a dog- advice, experiences desired

In My Humble Opinion
1

So, after much thought and long desire, I recently decided to get a dog, a dachshund, specifically. I figured this would be easy. I’m a fairly responsible adult, I’ve put thought and research into this, I’m willing to pay up to 500 dollars. Capitalism. Supply and demand. It is not easy. There are only, like, five breeders in all of New England (I live in So. Maine), and they either do not have nor anticipate any litters, or they only have obscenely priced “show dogs”, which I am not interested in. I probably should have started this process earlier, but now is the time for me to get a puppy; I have time on my hands and there is someone around to watch the dog when I’m not home.

I assume some of you have been through the process of finding and buying a healthy purebred dog, and I’d appreciate your thoughts and input.

Is it ever okay to buy from a pet store? I’ve talked to a guy in the area (The Dog House, if you’re from here) who seemed knowledgeable and responsible, and I know a few people who’ve had good experiences with his dogs. I’ve read too much about puppy mills, though, and I’d like to meet the breeder and see the dame and sire, if possible.

Because of health problems, I’m leery of getting a rescue dog. If you’d like to convince me otherwise, I’m willing to listen.

Yes, my heart is set on a dachshund.

Thanks in advance.

“toque”

2

I don’t have much to offer other than this: During the most recent Westminster Kennel Club dog show it was remarked that while mutts are nice, one of the benefits of a purebred is predictibility. I.e., you have a pretty good guess of what sort of dog it will turn out to be in terms of temperament, etc.

My sister’s neighbor got a rescue dog, a German Shepherd, and that thing needs to be put down. Because of the treatment its former owners gave it, it is a menace to the community.

3

Check out breederweb.com or just search dachshund breeders in google. Pet stores are never a good idea, IMHO. You should give the recues a chance…although, there aren’t a lot of dachshunds in rescue…they are great dogs. Check petfinder.com to see what is out there. If you need convincing on rescues, just search for rescues here. As a dedicated rescue mom, I’m definately in the pro-camp.

There is no way to guarantee a healthy purebred. Even when you get an outstanding breeder, you still run the risk of large vet bills and so forth. Just do your research and find the right kid for your family. Oh, and be sure to get good Halloween costumes for your pup…and post the pictures…and make yourself the same outfit…

4

http://ledgehaven.homestead.com/PUPPIES.html

These guys seem pretty good: dedicated to raising the pups with their family. 8 years experience, pups available (with pictures!) and in Central Maine.

5

a Wienerhund! Or as the german baker referred to mine yesterday, “A Veenie!”
I think the breed name should be changed to that, cause mine’s not hunting badgers, that’s for sure.

I have an almost 2 year old wienerdog. Love him to death. Got him from a breeder who home raised him, had the beeyach and the beeyach’s beeyach there so I got to see three generations of temprament. I paid $300, but there is no shortage of breeders here.

Temprament is key. Dachshunds can be kinda loud and bark at noises outside quite a bit, can also be a bit stubborn. Get a feel for the parents’ temprament.

AKC registration is a good thing, tells you that the dog’s not inbred, if you want to you can trace his roots (most adoptees like to be able to do that).

Pet stores aren’t ok, get him from a breeder and one that seems like they know what they’re doing. Travel if you have to. Remember, you’re making a 15 year investment in a family member.
confession we got the first one we looked at, but he really was perfect, everything we were looking for.

Read up on the breed as much as possible, read up on puppy training as much as possible. I think petsmart.com has good articles on training IIRC.

Are you going longhair, smooth, or wirehaired? Ours is red, smooth, we hardly notice when he sheds unless we’re wearing black. I’ve heard there are temprament differences between the coat styles though.

Back problems- They often have them. Ours needed a steroid shot a few months back. We subsequently built him a ramp to get up on & off the bed (yes, he sleeps with us), he still jumps when excited, but that cuts down on the jumping somewhat.

You need to have an enclosed yard, a doggie door is the best investment we ever made.

DO NOT let him wander off leash, he won’t come back (individual results may vary).

I could go on forever, and I’ll probably check back to ramble some more.

6

Oh yeah, and we were NEVER going to be THOSE people who dress up their dog for haloween, or buys their dog outfits…

it turns out we are, you will be too, you will become one of us, you’ll see!

7

Wow, I wish I had asked the dopers earlier.

sj2, I had not heard of that breeder. Thank you very much, I will call them today.

greck- Ja! Ich brauche ein wienerhund! Jetzt!

I’ve done some research, and a dachshund seems right for me and my lifestyle. That they’re the cutest damn creatures on God’s green Earth is a bonus. “Dachshunds for Dummies” is in the mail from Amazon, and in case any people lurking are considering a dog, this is a pretty good website to start at: http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeds/.

I’d ideally prefer a shorthaired, but any dachshund other than a mini is cool. I’m totally ready to be a dorky dog person. I’ll start making a walrus costume now!

Please keep stories and advice coming, people!

8

My broken record advice is always: Join a mailing list!

When I started researching Dobermans I decided to try joining a list and learned more there than any book I had read.

There’s a doxie list here. On a good list, all your questions will be answered and there’s also the chance you may meet a ethical breeder in your area who doesn’t advertise her litters other than word-of-mouth.

Don’t be put off by a breeder bombarding you with questions, that’s a good sign. They are concerned for their pups and want the best home for them possible.

9

Please don’t buy from a pet store. A lot of the pet stores stock their shops from puppymills, not breeders. Not only can puppymills be terribly cruel, but then can often produce animals that are not as healthy. I got a dachshund puppy for my 9th birthday. He’s 14 now and still kicking. Be warned, they are a breed notorious for their potty training woes! Also, if you are interested, there are purebreed rescues for all kinds of dogs (including dachshunds) where you might be able to find an younger adult dog that needs a home. Sometimes adopting an adult dog works out well for a lot of owners (puppies are a lot more work). You also might find a mix or something at a shelter. I’ve had the best of luck adopting my other dog (a 3 legged mutt) from a shelter. He is much smarter than Dodger, my doxie dog! But I can totally understand wanting a dachshund puppy…they are so much fun!

10

Hi - dog trainer here.

If you want a dachsie, go to a responsible breeder. Ask these people what they do with their dogs… showing? scent work?

Be sure to ask for the following:

a) health clearances for BOTH PARENTS - this includes registration of hips with the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals), hearts and thyroid and eyes (usually this will be CERF). Request a copy of their certificates.

b) don’t go with a breeder who won’t offer you the following: Help with the puppy, at any time. First right of refusal if you can’t care for the puppy any longer at ANY TIME during your ownership (i.e. if you have to give up the dog, contractually you MUST give it back to its breeder)

c) ASK THE BREEDER ABOUT BACK PROBLEMS IN THEIR LINE. Honest breeders will tell you both the good and bad about their lines.

d) ask the breeder if she/he belongs to a breed club. Stay away from people who breed a large number of litters a year.

e) check out the following link: Getting a Dog Tips - Checklist for the Responsible Breeder PLEASE PLEASE DO. It will help. :slight_smile:

Remember that a good breeder will have as many questions for you as you will have for her/him. You should likely fill out a questionnaire, too, so they can get to know you better. Remember you may wait a while before getting your puppy - but you may feel better knowing that it will be the proper match for your family.

Good luck on your quest for the perfect pup!

11

Gulo gulo- Sounds like good advice, but, um, what’s a “mailing list” exactly?

Laurenfair- Thank you for your words of wisdom and the link; that’s a great site!

12

You might want to consider using a harness with your hound right from the start. Dachshunds have so many back problems and leashes can put strain on the neck vertebrae. I don’t have a Dachshund, but my hound-mix has Canine Disk Disease, which is a somewhat common congenital disease in Dachshunds. Her C4 is out of alignment. She had one really bad flare where her spinal cord was compromised, but we were lucky and she regained almost all use of her back legs. Anyway, checking with the breeder about back problems is necessary with this breed, but I just thought I’d throw in the idea of a harness, too.

If I were in the market for another, smaller dog, I’d be buying Weiner all the way! Hounds are really fun dogs.

Post pics once you get the little pup!

13

This is a small breed that doesn’t know it is small. They also tend to be territorial, so the dachshund sometimes will courageously/foolishly get in-the-face of a much bigger dog to defend his yard. Take care to avoid such a situation, for your pooch’s safety.

14

Ok, this is a side-track but I just have to share…

I once house sat for a standard, shorthair Dachshund named Lucy. She was really sweet. Anyway, she had really bad allergies. She was also a little overweight. It turned out the thing she was most allergic to was grass. This poor dog had to be walked on the gravel driveway and the street because if you took her in the yard, her belly touched the grass & she’d get a rash.

Also, there are rescue organizations that work with just Dachshunds. I found this link and it looks like they have a few younger dogs in the New England/NY area:

http://www.drna.org/available/available.html

15

Definitely ask if the breeder has contacts for happy customers, as it were. Although not a dachshund, our first dog was a purebred golden retriever “guaranteed” not to have hip dysplasia, which turned out not to be true at the first vet exam. The dog also suffered from various joint stiffnesses and other issues, and was dead at 2.5 years old due to some still-unknown but likely genetic cause.

I suppose part of the blame may have been on my family, but the kennel seemed reputable by all evidence, and it was our first dog. Our second dog came from the same kennel as our cousin’s dog (and in fact they are brother-and-sister, 3 years apart). No medical problems have shown up in either of them ( The female is nearly 8 and the male is 5) other than injuries they do to themselves :slight_smile:

Basically, make sure your kennel is a good one. You might fall in love with the puppy you find, as we did with our Nike, but it was truly heartbreaking to lose him to things that shouldn’t have happened in the first place. I suppose at least we can be comforted in that we gave him a good home, and he was a great dog, while he was with us…

16

I guess one way of explaining it is an “email message board”. You sign up and start getting group emails. When you sign up, the listmaster should send you a list of all the commands to help you begin. :slight_smile:

I found that listening to people’s personal experiences, breeders’ woes and just fun little tales really helped with more insight into the breed.

Best of luck!

17

Please reconsider adoption. There are so many wonderful dogs who are litterally dying for a home.

Personally, I have always preferred mutts. In my experience, they’re less prone to genetic health problems, and are all-around heartier dogs.

Your dog’s temperment depends upon you. Unless you buy a breed which is intentionally bred to have a certain characteristic, you should, with patience and love, be able to turn almost any dog into a great pet.

18

The best dog-buying advice I can give anyone is this: Don’t. Just don’t. There are too many beautiful, healthy animals being put down in shelters every day for me to ever condone going out and buying one. And you know what? A fair number of those dogs dying in shelters are purebreds. Odds are pretty good that with some patience you can find a dachshund at the shelter.

That said, dachshunds tend to have extreme sort of personalities. They’re either full blast, or couch potatoes, with little to no middle ground. And they’re either incredibly sweet, or they’re nasty little fuckers, with little to no middle ground. No, the nasty ones aren’t just nasty 'cause they’re at the vet, the only nice ones I’ve ever seen were at work. The ones I’ve known in my personal life have all been nasty.

Of course, I’ve never really been sure if it’s the breed, or if it’s the people who tend to own the breed. If I had a dollar for every time an owner giggled and said, “Oh, he’s awful. He bites us all the time,” I could buy a friggin’ Mercedes. What on earth are you giggling about, you nitwit? A biting dog isn’t funny. My take is that the breed tends to be sort of aggressive, with a strong desire to be the alpha-dog, and for some reason tittering fools with no clue about dominance patterns are attracted to them. So they buy these dogs and never do anything to curb these aggressive tendencies.

We see lots of dachsies at work; I’d say nearly 70% of our neurologist’s surgeries are dachsies. They tend to go down in the back end, get one-side paralysis, all sorts of back problems. A lot of his patients can be managed medically, but most of the dogs he has to cut are dachshunds. Back surgery is nothing to sneeze at, either. It’s usually a long, long recovery along with a pretty whopping bill. The day vet I used to work for charged around $800, and he was a general practitioner. I shudder to think what a boarded neurologist charges for that surgery.

19

Yes – please consider adoptions. My shelter alone has to euthanize almost twenty animals every single day of the year because of the animal overpopulation problem. Nationwide, we’re talking several million animals yearly euthanized at shelters – many of which are perfectly adoptable animals. YOu have the opportunity to save a life.

Check out www.petfinder.com for a searchable database of US shelters. Or check out Almost Home Dachshund Rescue Northeast for specific animals. Researching doesn’t involve making a commitment – and you may find the perfect animal for you, and save a dachshund from the needle.

Daniel

20

I also have found that mixed breeds (mutts!) tend to be heartier and a little less prone to genetic health problems. Smarter too in many cases!
I was also going to say, if you do get a dachshund, take great care of its back. If you have stairs, carry the dog up and down the stairs when you can (my dachshund hurt his back a couple times romping down the stairs), lift him/her up onto the bed or the couch (don’t make them jump/climb up), and lift him/her down off the couch. Do NOT let them take a leap down from a couch, bed, or other elevated surface. We have a rule in the house to never leave Dodger, our 14 year old dachshund, on the couch unattended because if he jumps off it, his old and previously injured back could be seriously injured.