Max - New Dachshund Foster!

[xteacher]

Time for a new foster! I got Max, a standard dachshund puppy (4-5 mo.) old yesterday. He was in another foster home, but started being WAY too interested in the lady's elderly cats, so he had to go.

Max looks to be at a good weight, and he has a shiny coat.

He's not reliably house trained (from what I've read and heard, this is a common doxie problem), so we're going back to House Training 101. I don't think the former foster was consistent, so he never became reliable in the house, which is a shame. He should be trained by now, don't you think? She's had him since being rescued from a puppy mill at around 5 weeks old.

Also, she free feeds all her dogs, so she couldn't tell me how much to feed Max. :R Since I've never had a doxie before, I don't have a clue. I know the amounts on the dog food bags are usually excessive, so I'm having to guess. I don't want him to become overweight, due to their propensity for back issues. Also, should he still be fed 3x daily at 4-5 months old, or is he ready to be fed 2x daily?

Any advice from dachshund owners is welcome! I'll post a photo whenever I can get him to hold still long enough for one to not be blurry - lol!

[NAUTIQUE]

xteacher wrote:
NAUTIQUE, thanks so much! I liked the page and posted Max on it. He didn't get adopted yesterday (got several looks, though), but he'll be shown again next Saturday. He's really a cute little guy!

Best of luck to little Max!
Saw your post on their facebook page.
DLC also has an excellent active forum with loads of info. Doxie Lovers Club

[xteacher]

NAUTIQUE, thanks so much! I liked the page and posted Max on it. He didn't get adopted yesterday (got several looks, though), but he'll be shown again next Saturday. He's really a cute little guy!

[NAUTIQUE]

Xteacher,
I'm presently in a situation where I may be adopting a brother/sister mini-doxie combo, so I've been doing a lot of research over the last couple of weeks.
A few things I've seen....
Feeding - keeping them lean & fit - is very important.
Jumping - Big No-No!
Stubborn, but addicting little guys! :

Check out this forum for lots of great help: Doxie Lovers Club.

[xteacher]

Thanks so much for everyone's advice! I really appreciate it. We're focusing on house training right now, and I'm trying to get my husband not to let him jump off the couch. Easier said than done...

Hopefully, he'll get adopted soon. I'm not really a doxie person, although Max sure is a cutie!

[Charlie_D_]

Our "Ouiser" is now 15 this month. Never a problem with her destroying or chewing anything. Trained quickly and easily by taking her outside after every drink of water or eating. Once trained she would go to the door and signal that she wanted to go outside. After I retired, she would not go outside if I was home and the wife opened the door. Had to be me. Now, if we don't watch closely and she gets out of sight she will have an occasional accident. Loved to be outside and chase lizards. Last year she hurt her back but she quickly recovered and we no longer allow her to jump up or down. Vet said she has Degenerative Disc Disease but is is a normal progression based on age. Sadly her muzzle, feet and back of her neck is white. She has had no illnesses. She is deaf and at times will just stand around like she is lost.

Such a wonderful companion and had brought such joy to our lives. It will be a sad day when she is gone but we are determined that when the bad days outnumber the good we will put her to rest.

[Charlie_D_]

xteacher wrote:

dtappy3353 wrote:
If he is not neutered, please have it done.

Please check the second photo. I think you'll find a couple of things missing - lol!

True story. Friend got a rescue dog and had him spayed. Vet asked if he wanted him to perform plastic surgery to artificially add back what was removed.

[donandmax]

If you keep a dachshund long enough they will develop bad backs. We had 2 and when they got to about 10 yrs old. We had them in the vets office with bad backs the bill for a back operation is about 3500.00 Most people can't afford that so we had the dogs put down..This was very hard on us since dachshunds are very lovable and my wife and I cried when they were gone. Because this is so hard on a person we decided not to have anymore animals especially doxies..Think long and hard before you buy one..And if you buy a puppy look forward to having your rugs ruined, They do not take good to house training. They do what they want when they want. But they sure are funny characters. We used to laugh even when they were asleep.

[nabi]

thanks for taking him in...he certainly is a cutie...

[Scottiemom]

He is a cutie. Thank you for taking in this foster. Getting started in a good home is important. Our dog, growing up, was a standard red doxie. Fritz was as gentle as they come. He came to us by train from my aunt in Arizona who had his dad. She housebroke him before sending him to us. Dad picked him up at the train station and brought him home. What must have been going through that little guy's head? My baby sister was just about 18 months I think and Fritz lived till she left home at 18. We guessed he felt his job of raising three girls was done and it was his time. Best dog ever. RIP Fritzie!

Dale

[doxiemom11]

We have had 2 minature doxie's that we adopted at ages 7 and age 14. Both were housetrained with minimal effort. We were also told not to let go up and down more than 3-4 steps as long flights of stairs weren't good for the back either. We lifted them on and off the sofa right from the beginning. One of ours did develop back problems that the vet thankfully treated successfully. Our vet would take us at a moment's notice with no appointment so that swelling and damage as a result of swelling could be decreased. There is also a correct way to lift them to keep their backs straight. Do not encourage them to stand up on their hind legs as many people do with other dogs when they teach them tricks.

Common symptom -- laying and not moving around, not getting up when you call, not even to eat. Yelping if you try to pick them up. It is very painful for them. Important to get them to the vet ASAP to minimize damage to the spinal cord.

They were the most loving little dogs.

[Luv_Campin]

Please train him not to jump on and off the furniture. We have always just put ours up on the couch and put her down to the floor. I work with someone who had a wiener dog when he was growing up. They always let him jump on and off the furniture. He messed his back up at 7 years old and they had to put him to sleep. Ours is almost 12 and doing fine, back wise. Knock on wood anyway.

[Crowe]

Cute!

[xteacher]

Pawz4me wrote:
Oh he's a cutie! At his age I'd stick with three times a day feeding for a few more weeks.

Thanks - that's what I thought.

[xteacher]

AZPops wrote:

magnusfide wrote:
Great looking photos. I noticed his tail is longer than usual for a dox. Is that something they grow into akin to big puppy feet?

I just noticed that. Man is his tail long! Should give him more straight line stability while runnin in them races though. However, it could cause him to have some tail dragg'in, which may slow him down abit as well.

Anyways, you won't really know till you start race'in him.


Pops

I noticed the same thing about Max's tail - it's insanely long! His front feet are also big, and he looks like a Tennessee Walking Horse when he's running - having to pick them up really high to keep from tripping over them - hilarious to watch!