Bella & Diesel....mini dachshunds...

[Dixies momma]

ok so i got 2 year diesel(male) aprox a month ago and 1 year old bella(female) aprox week & half ago.. they are so sweet and cute etc..this is the first time i have ever owned let alone dealt with mini dachshunds. i was attempting to teach them the sit command and noticed right away it appears they are stubborn. seems they were bound and determined to not sit. and i also noticed that when taking food from my hands they dont take easy. lil snappy like someone else will take it away. and b4 anyone says it, i know it takes time and patience. so basically the purpose of this thread is....what do i need to know about this breed. are they easy or difficult to train. what else do i need to know about them. any advice? they get along with each other and love each other. give each other kisses, sniffs. and i discovered bella was trying to hump diesel a bit ago(his head, and butt..lol) one cant seem to go out with out the other. seems they were made for each other. oh and one other thing, it appears bella does not like my pit dixie. so whats the best way to try to get them to get along? appreciate any and all tips, advice, suggestions and knowledge will post pix of them later

[Leigha]

I have two minis. Neither of mine care for dogs that are bigger than them. Mine also "shark" when they try to take a treat (especially small ones). It is possible to get them to take them softly though. I've learned it's easier for them to take a treat that's flat on my palm instead of trying to take one I've pinched between my thumb & first finger. I don't know if it's their big noses or what, but it i shard for them.

Be careful how you pick them up b/c it can hurt their backs. Try not to let them jump up and down on the furniture--this has not worked for us because their previous owner allowed them to jump up and down so that's all they know to do. We bought them stairs and worked with them using the stairs for a month and nothing worked to get them up and down the puppy stairs.

[Dixies momma]

well dixie and diesel met b4 bella came home so they played ok. just for some reason bella growled at dixie. so i will have a friend come over and help me properly introduce them and see what happens. as for the jumping, they jump no matter what my concern really is my waterbed that is higher than the rest of my furniture.i got a box for them to use as a step up. u mentioned being careful picking them up, whats the proper way to do so btw, thanks?

[Leigha]

I watched this video on youtube to learn how to do it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q1jV0VDpMQ

I've heard that picking them up like you would a toddler (from the front armpits) can hurt their backs.

[Sabrina]

Hi there! Did you see this thread? viewtopic.php?f=23&t=7090

As for the "stubborn" part - for Charley, he really needs to see a "point" to training. Usually earning a piece of food is enough of a point for him , so if you are doing training sessions definately do them before meals! Charley is our only dog, but when visiting my folks (they have two dogs) I noticed that he got really sharky about treats - so if you aren't already I'd do training sessions with them separately (and away from your other dogs). Also, Charley does really well with "situational" training... like sitting and watching me before I open the door to take him outside.

I just got Charley a Kong ball you can fill with kibble - he loves working out how to get his meal out of it! The thread about exercising the mind is great. All the doxies I've ever met have been super smart, and Charley is so much happier at the end of the day if his mind had a workout!

[Sabrina]

Exercise the Mind: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1135

[Dixies momma]

thansk all. one other question. its about the eyes. like a green filmy dried stuff in the eye? the girl i got bella from was told by her vet it was allergies/ dry eyes and to use this drops for it. i would've thought it would get better but seems the same. was wondering if anything i can do b4 going to the vet office. also seems bella has this obsession of humping diesel. she supposed to have gotten out of heat about a month ago so is this normal?

[ankoi]

I don't get the video about picking them up. Is my other hand supposed to be under his tummy? That's gotta hurt. When I pick my dachshund up, my other hand is under his chest and other one is under his hind legs or butt. He hates being picked up, but well, he's a little oversized for a lapdog (he's a standard)

[Dixies momma]

ok so heres a story from the other day. as u all know i mentioned about bella wanting to fight dixie when i first brought her home. anyways, i got in the shower one afternoon and while in shower i heard the doggy door and did not think about it(figuring it was either bella or diesel), in the meantime i could hear bella whining some but no clue why. so i get done with the shower wrap one towel over my head and another around my body. i see bella watching the living room from the hall for some reason...i ask her what the problem was and she just looks at me like huh? lol.....lo and behold here come dixie playing with one of the stuffing free fox toys ....can u imagine what went thru my mind while standing in a towel? i finally decided that they were going to have to learn one way or another.and was taking it as a good sign since they were still standing while i was in the shower so imagine to my surprise, bella played with dixie....its almost as they are best friends. who knew? dixie had been on a runner outside and the runner broke hence her coming inside. they act like sisters, they get along but now and then...bella may snap at her. dixie absolutely loves them to no end. she watches and plays and protects them......who knew? lol

[pmkya058]

I went into a bookstore the other day and asked the woman behind the counter where the self-help section was. She said, "If I told you, that would defeat the whole purpose." (note: "self-help" has two meanings 1) you take without paying 2) you can choose as you like)
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[Dixies momma]

an update.
very very sad news. few weeks ago my lil bella got out of the fence while i was gone. when i came home i discovered 2 of 3 of my babies greeted me. bella nowhere to be found. well we finally found her,had been hit by an unknown car and she could not use her lower end of her body. when i moved her she would cry and holler and bite the jumper cable as i set her down in the van. i was so broken hearted. helpless. we took her to the vet er(it was on a sunday) and they verified my worst fears. not only was one of her legs completely broken. the other shattered(hips and all) her belly swelling too. they said they could do surgery and there was no guarantee it would be success. i had to make a choice and i cant figure if it was easy or hard.hard because i loved her. easy because i had studied the breed. she would have lots of pain and back problems. i could NOT watch her suffer like that. all the babies love to play and rough house so i knew that it would hurt her if we were to try. so we made a choice and now she is in doggy heaven and pain free. i cry as i write this because 1 i miss her. 2 it was hard decision to make and 3 i feel bad saying it was also an easy choice cos it makes me sound horrible like i did not love her. i could not let her be in pain the rest of her life.. so she plays in doggy heaven to her hearts content romping where she pleases with no worries to cars.
diesel and dixie are doing well. playing as always.

[Mattie]

HUGS, of course it was an easy choice, you couldn't see her in pain for the rest of her life, that was your love for her coming out. Making the decision at the right time is the best gift we can give to our dogs, she would have had a life of pain if you hadn't and the recovery after the operations, there would have been more than one, isn't a life I would inflict on any animal.

I had to make this decision 3 times in a year, none were hard to make because it stopped my dogs from suffering, the guilt you are feeling is part of the grieving you are going through. What helped me each time was Rescue Remedy, take it yourself it will help you through this.

[***Melissa***]

(((hugs)))

I know this is a very sad time, but I too believe you made the correct choise - you put what's best for your dog above your own feelings.

[Dixies momma]

thanks. and i know. i came across this site and was really thinking about trying to help out. i need to research it and study it to see if it is legit and go from there. well i am off back to working on a blanket i started earlier.