DB and I did give the thought of getting another puppy, but I shoved it off. The two big boyz are more than enough for me to walk, bathe and split my attention-giving for them. DB insisted that we should at least get a puppy within the smaller breed category, but I was persistent, No means NO.
Having another puppy right now is not the right time for us. If I want another puppy I would check out other dog breeds besides Labrador Retrievers. Labs are great dogs, but they are high maintenance dogs. I love all kinds of breeds and especially the one our friend, Dorothy has, a miniature Dachshund name Greta. Greta is such a loving dog, so affectionate and very playful. Probably she was still a little pup then when we last saw her. (Dorothy and family have moved to South Dakota.) Greta has long hair and she is black with tinge of brown patch on her paws and belly.
I remember my cousin has a Dachshund dog, too, named Sparkle, a brown colored pure bred with smooth short hair. I remember dogsitting Sparkle for a day or two. He was the most well behaved dog I have ever encountered. He obeys all voice and hand commands so well. Bathing and drying him was so easy, and it could be because he was an older dog, he was around 8 years old then, he stood still for me to wash and dry him, no fuss at all. All I can say now is Sparkle was a very loved dog. At his age, he was still very playful – loves to play fetch and enjoyed all his walks. My cousin maintained his weight so he wouldn’t be overweight. Dachshunds should not be overweight. When trained from a pup, Dachshunds will enjoy their exercising time. My cousin tossed a tennis ball and Sparkle would run for it for hours. That was one of the ways he stayed so slim and maintained the muscles that made him looked so fit and trim.
My cousin told me training him was very easy, too. Dachshunds and with any other puppy, when train from young they will be happy and so will the owners. Sparkle was trained to stay at a position, either sit or down, when he was only 8 weeks old. Dachshund puppies are very smart. When training a dachshund puppy, Dorothy told me she used quite a bit of food to motivate Greta, but once she got it, she can make to without the food and she did very well too.
Caring for the Dachshund puppy is the same as caring for all other puppies. Patience and consistency are the keys to successful training them. Initially they will at a lost when they set paws in your home, but once they get their surroundings checked, they will start looking towards you for everything from food, play/walk, bathroom, and attention. Do not misjudge their short legs. These Dachshunds can run with those short legs of theirs. I remembered chasing Greta in the backyard, and that backyard was a huge .5 acres, she was able to run the entire yard, zig-zagging all over the place. Dachshunds are hound breeds, they are bred for hunting. They know how to dig holes, a burrow in your yard if you are not careful of execising them enough. They can be very noisy when bored. That was why Greta was able to run me down, a human who is so much bigger, taller than her, to run her energy off!
