In recent years the Dachshund has really risen in popularity, social media has definitely contributed to their appeal with Instagram feeds bursting with adorable little Dachshunds.
Today we are joined by Eveline and Loulou who will be helping to answer some questions for our Dachshund blog!
Pet: Dog
Breed: Dachshund
Age: 9 months
Likes: food & hugs
Dislikes: cold & rain
What's the history of the Dachshund?
The Dachshund originated in Germany. In the UK you have a miniature Dachshund and a standard Dachshund, with many, many coat colourings available (we should know, we’ve drawn most of them!)
Today we are joined by Eveline the owner of an adorable Miniature Dachshund (LouLou) currently taking Instagram by storm. We asked Eveline some question about what you need to know before considering the Dachshund breed as a pet.
Finding a dachshund breeder:
Dachshunds are an extremely popular breed, how did you go about researching a reliable breeder?
Eveline: I looked for a breeder for one and a half years. If there is a good breeder, you will find they work with long waiting lists.
Loulou is a Kanichen Dachshund (narrower than a miniature) and there are not many of them. Suddenly I found a breeder and they had puppies. We were so lucky!
Our top tip: Do your research and ask for recommendations. A long waiting list is always a good sign of a reputable breeder.
They should have plenty of information about the breeds health issues and have health tested parents. They should also be able to provide you with pedigree information and may also be a member of recognised breeding schemes, such as the Kennel Club.
What are dachshunds personalities like?
We’ve read that Dachshunds are very sociable pets, especially with other animals – and we can certainly see that Loulou loves playing with her friends on your Instagram and Youtube!
Would you suggest a secondary pet in the house is a necessity when owning a Dachshund?
Eveline: Dachshunds are actually hunters. With some, you notice it stronger in the character than with the other.
Loulou is a very calm dachshund. She hardly feels like hunting. She has been with our animals from the start. She is not with the animals all day, but when she is, she loves to play with them.
A buddy to play with is fun for all animals.
OUR TOP TIP: Dachshunds are good with older children but can be more aggressive with strangers and other dogs, you will find they will bark at someone they don’t know.
They are extremely intelligent, so with the persistent training they will adapt, but even with training they can be stubborn. They are extremely loyal to their owners but can suffer the anxiety left on their own for too long.
What is the dachshund temperament like?
Dachshunds have a few bad habits such as a jealous streak or being possessive of toys unless trained from a young age. Have you experienced this sort of behaviour with Loulou? Could you tell us about her character and how it has changed as she’s gotten older?
Eveline: We were prepared for this in advance. Until now, Loulou is the easiest, most beautiful dog I know. She has almost no dachshund behaviour and in the beginning, we thought something was wrong with her. It is really just her character.
She is calm, not wild and does not have much to do with toys. She wants to be on my lap and with me all day. We have not followed training with her (of course we have rules) and she runs without a belt. She is always looking for food (not our animals) on the table and the trash can.
How about the health issues of dachshunds?
Dachshunds are known to have back problems, so lots of jumping is not advisable for the breed, urine infections are also common. There is also a serious eye disease that can occur, progressive retinal atrophy, which is particularly common in the miniature Dachshunds.
Were you aware of any possible health conditions for the Dachshund breed?
Eveline: They say that the back is a weakness of a dachshund. I do not know.
The parents of Loulou did everything and had no problems at all. We also let her do everything.
How much exercise would you say a miniature Dachshund needs?
Eveline: I think that makes a difference for each character. Loulou could sleep all day, but for her health, it is good that she moves.
We live in a nature reserve and walk with her several times a day, more so with good weather, because she hates rain and cold haha. I think 1.5 hours a day is good.
If you had to use 5 words to describe your Dachshund what would they be?
Sweet, calm, gentle, thief (haha she steals food), cuddler.
Do you have any funny stories about Loulou that you’d like to share?
Eveline: It is more a beautiful and sad story. We have rabbits and have had a litter. They had made a hole and I could keep an eye on everything with a flashlight in it. It went so well. As soon as they could jump around and get out of the den, 1 bunny was bitten by a weasel.
So sad. The bunny was seriously injured and fled to her den. The hole was too deep and I could not reach it. We took the risk of sending Loulou into the den to retrieve the bunny for us. She did it and proudly came out of the den with the bunny.
She didn't harm the bunny and we wouldn't have been able to reach her otherwise. But sadly, the bunny did not survive the weasel attack.
If you are adding a Dachshund to your family, we have everything you need for your new arrival HERE.
Check out Loulou's Instagram: YouTube: Facebook:
And of course not to forget the lovable Pawsonalised Dog Mama gifts we design too over at Hoobynoo!
