Coat differences...personality differences?

[KathyK]

Somewhere when I was researching dachshunds two years ago before I got Dora Mae, I read on the internet some differences in generic personality of the doxie based on coat: smooth, wire, long haired.

I can't find that article and wonder if ya'll see a difference in them?

[blazeman]

I am not totally sure on this... but I think it is something like...

Longhairs are the more laid back dachsies...

Wires have more of the leaders... managers of the dachsie crew

Smooths combine the two...

Please... if I am wrong... someone correct me!

[TessieMom]

I believe it is in Dachshunds for Dummies. Yes, longhairs are commonly more laid back (need to occupy position of pillow princess), smooths are intermediate, and good luck with the wire/smooth puppy that is moving into your life! Wires are the activity directors. They are smart and constantly in motion! Dora will have to keep busy from now on with a wire companion,

Rena and the Waco crew

[Frzframe]

My longhair is in constant motion and I've just added the activity director to her life. This could be a gooood thing or this could be very, very bad. Hahahahahahahaha I'll let you know what the final outcome is ....

~Shonda & Mitzi and Dudley

[K.Middler]

If you want the MOST layed back the BEST with kids the sweetest and silly get a Standard Long MALE!!! Yes I said MALE. Our Tray is going to be 13 soon and he is the Giant dish rag as we call him he is 27 pounds of PURE LOVE and has NEVER met anyone he did not like.He is shown in vet. classes by our 9 year old Granddaughter he has LOVED her since he met her when she was 2 and moved in with us.He even got in the bathtub one time with her so she took the bar of soap and scrubed him good he carries tons of coat so it was 2 hours of washing and blowdrying but he LOVED it all.The girls are NOT the same temperment as the boys in any coat that is where the BITCH term came from.:devil:

[TessieMom]

"Faith" looks very outgoing to me.
http://ctdr.org/images/connie_faith.jpg

Rena and the Waco crew

[KathyK]

:lol:

I have to laugh. Dora has been a handful and now that she is 2 years old today, we are into the swing of life with one dachshund.

But of course to make things more interesting, I'm "pending" for adoption of this puppy from the Central Texas Rescue. Her name is "Faith" from the litter of pups from a wire mommy.

Of the litter, several appear to be wire, a few appear to be smooth. "Faith" appears to be smooth but of course I was considering her genetics that although she might appear to be smooth, her mommy being wire was my thought of research.

Activity director, eh? I can hardly wait to meet her!

She's been renamed in our household already....

/sidenote

Dora Mae was named after my grandmother's sister. My brother had already named his red doxie "Ruby"...my grandmother's name. And so, not to be outdone, I named my new puppy with another "Auntie" name.

Now with "Faith on the way, I went digging through old photo albums, remembering other Aunties in my life. My grandfather's sister was Thelma so we've decided to name our new puppy Thelma and add Lou on the end in honor of Andy Griffin, a favorite show in our household. (My husband is alot like Barney Fife. LOL)


And so, meet Thelma Lou. Isn't she a cutie? ;)

[wireweiners]

I look at it this way: Longs are the luxury sedans, smooths are sports cars and wires are the SUV's of dogdom. However, I own the most laid back smooth in history. In standards, longs do seem to be more laid back and the wires are mouthier and busier. Smooths tend to be more aloof.

[TessieMom]

Hey! Welcome back to the Wireweiners!!! The DWD crew have been missing the Texarkana contingent!
Rena and the Waco crew

[Mark]

It's great to see you! :waving: :waving: :waving:

[crock]

Well, I agree, the LH are more laid back. That seems to be the case in our group. Although our one and only smoothy- Laila is pretty calm. We call her Princess Lick-a-lot. Her son, Rudy -smooth (my daughter & family own him), is the most laid back dachsie I have ever ever ever seen in my life. You an do anything to him and he doesn'y care. He generally takes a shower with my 6 year old grandson a couple times a weeks and just stands there.
Char

[Cindi]

:) I may have to disagree with Wireweiners here but it may be the size difference - she has the standards and I'll be talking mini's. I would say activity level is smooths, wires, longs - wires may direct but the smooths normally have 48 hours of jobs to do in 24 hours (way too busy for me), wires have 12 -18 hours of jobs and the longs have 2 hours of jobs to CRAM into 24 hours (do you think they can manage to get them done <G>)? Now I will say my wires are mouthy about directing to get the jobs done and the BITCHES are the worst!!!!! They love to boss!!! That is why I love the boys bestest - and neutered boys :) I don't have a problem with the whole boys but.............

However, I have yet to figure out how to make puppies with the neutered boys. Anyone figure out THAT and let me know!!!!

Cindi

[lotsadox]

I'm not really sure that the personalities run that much along coat lines. I haven't ever had a wire, but I've have smooths and long hairs. One of my smooths was so laid back that after she got done at the vet and got her treat, if I talked to the vet a while she'd lay down on the floor on her side and take a nap! My vet still talks about her. The only dog that took a nap in the exam room. I have a smooth male now who is very active. My two long hairs are both somewhat laid back, but my friend has a female who is a study in perpetual motion and always in trouble. I also have a little smooth male who is very laid back and almost timid! As for how to make puppers with neutered males . . . . you got me.

[Mack]

A couple of you touched on the personalities of standards vs. minis. Would you say it's a general rule that standards are more laid-back than minis -- or maybe I should say more predictable. I would think that because minis are more "popular'' -- right or wrong -- there has been a proliferation of breeders who want to produce minis, sometimes to the detriment of the breed. They have produced in many cases mousier dogs or more timid dogs. Standards, on the other hand, may be closer to what the breed is intended -- and you're more likely to find a dachshund's dachshund (if that makes sense) among standards.
Am I off base, or is there something to this?

Oh, and happy Fourth of July, everybody!

[Mark]

We have to agree with much of what's been said. Having had or having minis, tweenies and standards . . . and having had both smooth and wires . . .

The wires seemed to be deeper thinkers . . . that is when something new is going on, I could see (in their eyes) they were *working it out* in their heads to understand it. They were neither laid back nor hyperactive. Instead it depended on the situation . . . they could "laze " around all day or be on the go all day. While one was the General Manager of the house the other was the servant.

In the smooths . . . our laid back boy is Star. We have ones that are hyper, brave, cowards, managers, bossy one, demanding, subserviant, etc. No rhyme or reason for the attributes . . . they just are who they are.

[Cindi]

If we talked only reputable breeders, I would think that the miniature smooths I know have more energy than the standard smooths BUT that is because that is the way the breeders I know breed - they like them busier and higher energy. However, EVERY mini smooth I have seen IS that way although I always hear about the laid back ones :) The longhairs are known for being basically more laid back. My girlfriend raises them and it is the unusual one that is not although it does happen. She always looks at the occasional spurt of energy as a wild hare :) My wires have always been in between the two and the smooths from the wires have always been a combination - higher energy than the wires but not as high energy as a normal smooth :)

There are always exceptions and individual cases. And in bloodlines there are certain traits that run strong that will run counterpoint to what I say. There are high energy longhairs that do great in agility :) There are wirehairs that you can't get to move off the couch. I have one that doesn't want to move off the start line in agility - the little witch. Her son is a speed demon. Could be a sex linked thing <G>

Commercially bred dachshunds on the whole are the miniatures (they are easier to warehouse and there is a bigger demand) and yes, they can be poorly bred, temperment is sometimes not as good or as stable as we would like because they don't live with them (they just sell them) AND the people are not told what is necessary ie take these puppies EVERYWHERE for the next 5 months and get them used to EVERYTHING. What people normally do is take them home and keep them in the house and don't socialize them from day one and expect them to accept everything which just doesn't happen. On the whole, the commercially bred dachshunds are not as sound in temperment - on the whole y'all not individually!! And there are a lot more of those produced than from reputable breeders.

Cindi

[Mack]

One more question: What is your definition of "commercially bred?'' (Does it just extend to the large puppymills? Or is it more than that?)

[Cindi]

This is a sticking point for many people - I don't believe in breeding for pets and commercial breeders are doing just that. Sorry but it is my opinion. The reason is that most people who do that will not do the research that is necessary for genetically carried structural problems or health problems and they don't rule out temperment problems because they don't realize THEY are also genetic. They normally don't know the history behind their dogs further than maybe their dog's mother, maybe the mother and father and genetics is MUCH more than that. Therefore, even BYB's could be considered *commercial breeders*. Those who advertise in the paper time after time are *commercial*. The one time breeder (yes that is still a breeder) is not commercial although they did just add to the population and we all know they didn't ask for a spay/neuter contract :) on those puppers.
Using the term *commercial* gets me out of using the non-PC term puppy mill <g> However, it is commonly known I'm not the most PC talker around :sarcastic

Cindi

[lotsadox]

I agree with Mack's assessment of the minis and standards. I believe that the standards are closer what was originally intended to be the dachshund personality. This may be due to the popularity of the minis. Popularity has changed many breeds and almost done in others with too much indiscriminate breeding.

[K.Middler]

What Cindi means is a TRUE breeder KNOWS all the pedigree for maybe 20 generations on both the sire and dam of a litter they plan. Where as someone who just breeds their girl to the guy up the street may have a AKC pedigree on both do they REALLY KNOW what is in that pedigree well most likley NOT. With my dogs I can tell you what was in the litters I have produced and what was in their Grandparents litters.Not just size but health and personality.If I use a outside stud as I usually do I have seen or ask people I trust what made this dog and what was in the litter he came from if I have not seen it myself.I breed for health and personality plus the conformation that will make a GOOD SOUND dog NOT just a CHAMPION that to me is just the iceing on the cake as many of my puppies thru the years are CHAMPIONS of the home they live in.The loving home and wonderful family that owns them.

[willsana]

When considering the differences between standard and miniatures I do not believe the main cause of the higher energy level of the minis can be completely "blamed" on their popularity. (I do not believe "blamed" is correct. It is not a fault)

The game or prey that each was bred for is at the root of it all. The standards were the true badger hounds. The miniatures were bred to hunt smaller faster prey. Hares and rats and mice. The badger is a strong slow moving creature. The standard dachshund did not have much of a chase to catch one. But a BIG old fight once he got it! The miniatures had to be fast with quick reflexes to catch a hare or a mouse. All of the breeds that were bred for rodent control are what one would called hyper. (Almost all terriers for example.)