Mini or Standard?

[REV]

My husband and I have different ideas on what size dachsie we should get. He would prefer a standard and I am leaning towards a mini. We both had standards as children, but they seemed to be on the smaller side. We do know we want a red female. This will be our first pet together. He has owned large dogs in the past and I've had cats.

My husband thinks a standard might last longer with us on walks (We both love to take long walks). I think he had such fond memories of his childhood dachsie that he'd like to find a similar version.http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/heart.gif I'd love to see a petite little thing running around. We have 3 children (all girls) with us every other weekend. I don't think their ages are a factor here (9, 12, 15). Most of all, we'd love to find sweetie we can cuddle, love and have fun with. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/biggrin.gif

Are there any things we should consider between sizes that might help us make up our minds? (Differences in temperament, health, etc.) I would be willing to go with a standard if we could find one a bit on the smaller side (If that's possible to determine from pups). http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif

[Mickamack]

Well, as owners of all minis, I can safely say that I've never noticed a problem with their stamina or energy. I usually get tired before they do. Mickey loves to take nice long walks and he's a spitfire of constant energy. And my parent's mini, Oscar is a big walker. My dad is retired and goes for hour-long walks every day and Oscar (7yrs old) has no problem keeping up. Rather, it's my dad who has to catch up to Oscar.

I don't know about any personality or temperment differences, but I can say that I like being able to pick them up easily. I can fit 2 on my lap, which is even more to love. I ju love my minis, and wouldn't trade them for the world.

[Krista]

According to the US breed Standard:
Mini's are 11 pounds or less fully grown at a healthy weight.
Standards are 16+ pounds fully grown at a healthy weight.

That leaves a gap between, which most of us call Tweenies.

I have a mini and a tweenie.

Some say that minis are more vocal than standards, but with my boys I don't find that to be true.

One thing is that standards tend to be more sturdy due to their larger size. A few steps is not as big a deal to a standard as they are to a mini. Standards are less likely to be stepped or sat on as well.

My boys both love long walks though, and they walk Fast, but probably wouldn't make good jogging partners.

I think both sizes love a good cuddle, and both sizes think they are much bigger than they really are and will often take on much larger animals. My little guy is a hunter and has killed a bird already. When they are on the hunt -they bascially become deaf to your calls no matter the size.

I like them all.

The best way to guess a dachshunds size is by seeing both parents. However that is not fool-proof.

Tweenies are commonly born from both mini and standard parentage.

Rudy is the size of his father 10.75 pounds.

Roscoe however is larger than both his parents and all his siblings at 10 months. I guess he weighs about 13-14 pounds now, and both his parents were 10-11 pounds. This happens from time to time, even with reputable breeders.

The only fool-proof way to Know the size of the dog, is to adopt/buy a full grown dachsie.

Does that help at all?

[dutchman]

Hi,

I've had dachshunds that ranged from a 9# mini to a currently 17# standard (16 months old). Every one is an individual. Can you define long walks for some people that would mean 2-3 miles or if judging on time an hour or so. For others that might mean an all day hike covering many miles. Dachshunds of all sizes in good health and not overweight can easily cover 3-5 miles unless the weather gets too hot. I've never tried to take my dogs farther than those distances. Frank my standard can be a running partner. He has run up to 4.5 miles at one time and recovers very quickly. I just have to moderate my pace slightly. Frank has run a 5 KM race (3.1 miles) in 24:12. Frank is the only standard I've ever owned. I've seen minis that almost never bark and others that won't stop. Frank tends to be quite. Frank is also in many ways the most outgoing of any dogs I have ever owned. He is an extrovert can't wait to say hello to everyone and everything. Tanner my tweenie 13# a little overweight was shy aggressive when I got him, Aggie the mini 9# girl I had was passive shy. All of three were long hair rescues. Aggie was a mill mother who spent the first 18 months of her life in the mills and was 2 when I got her. I got Frank from the local Humane society when he was six months old (age estimated but he was spitting out the last of his baby molars). Tanner my most recent addition was in foster care for about 2.5 months considered hard to place and had been a night deposit at a Denver area shelter. He has been improving. Our obedience class did a lot to help boost his confidence. He hates his gentle leader but we use it when we are in public since it helps keep him calmed down. I grew up with mini and tweenie smooth again each of the three dogs my parents had each had their own individual personality.

Good luck in your search I'm sure you will both love what every you end up with.

Tom and the boys (Frank and Tanner)

<FONT COLOR="#00FFFF" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by dutchman on February 13, 2001 at 02:15 PM</font>

[Mandy]

Dachshunds are dachshunds whether they are mini, tweenie, or standard. If they have no medical problems and are healthy, they can make a walk of 3-5 miles no problem. We have taken our guys (tweenies) on all day hikes, camping, and Henry has even been on an all day canoe trip with no problem. They love the outdoors. The size doesn't really dictate this as much as the personality. I've known a couple of dachshunds who would rather be in a warm snuggly blanket then traipsing around outside. It just depends on the individual. if you are really concerned about this, you might look at adopting a rescue dachshund...you would have a better idea of their temperament and personality beforehand.

[pkmiddler]

I breed Standard Longs and the smallest bitch I've ever seen in 14 years of breeding and showing is 18 pounds all my girls are between 21 and 24 pounds my boys between 26 and 32.The 32 pounder has litter mates as small as 21 girls 27 in boys.Mini's ideally are 11 pounds but most breeders prefer a small male at about 10 if you can find a small good one.Finding a mini at 13 or 14 pounds is normal.By the way a well bred mini at even 8 pounds can run like the wind at a field trial and my Big Boy the 32 pound has been to the field and can do a 9 inch hole at a go to ground.If they are built right they can do what they were bred for.