Hello, my name is Terri, and I live in MD with two Dachshunds and 3 cats.
My older Dachshund is Annie, who just turned 16- she was my aunt's dog, and when my aunt moved in with us for a while when Annie was about 1, Annie never really left. Initially she was "shared", but she's been my dog only for a long time now.... though the last couple years I send her to my mom's for "daycare" while I'm at work because she hates being kenneled (either at my house or workplace).
My younger Dachshund is Buster, he's 8 and I've owned him since he was 4. He was a rehome through my work (vet clinic) because his owner lost her home and couldn't care for him anymore. I brought him home with the intention of testing his house manners and contacting dachshund rescue about him, but within about an hour I was hooked. I was still living with my parents at the time, and we had 4 other dogs between us, but I would have regretted it forever if I had let him slip through my fingers, he was the perfect fit!
I've also had a couple APBTs, my other favorite breed; and we had a Cocker (one of the nicest I've known), and a Chihuahua mix- I've decided to keep my dog quota at 2 from here out though, at least that's the plan. I also have 3 cats, one tuxedo DSH (5 y/o), one black DLH (4 y/o), and one lynx point siamese mix (3 y/o).... have totally met my cat quota, no more bringing home orphaned litters of kittens from work for me!
Annie use to be pretty well trained, but has become rather unconcerned with following the rules in her old age- there was a time when I could trust her almost anywhere off leash, but now she's more or less openly defiant, doesn't run away, just ambles around, ignoring me unless I have something she wants (food or toy). She was a retrieving fool in her younger days- she still likes to play ball/fetch here and there (til she gets distracted by duck poop or finds a scrap of food), and roughhouses with Bus regularly. She's kind of aloof, but relatively tolerant of people, and dog aggressive, but trained to ignore them well enough that she was able to get her CGC. I dabbled in tracking and obedience with her, but we stopped due to my work schedule, and though we do a bit here and there just for fun, I can't see ever titling her at this point.
She was very high energy as a young dog, but these days she's more about finding a warm spot to take a nap. She likes going for walks in new places, but doesn't care for walking away from our house... have to coax her along until we get to the point where we turn back, then she leads the way. She use to be an avid swimmer, but in her old age, she only wades unless it's over 90
Bus is mainly my "fun" dog... I've had him for 4 years, and don't think I've ever had a formal obedience session with him. I spent a ton of time building his toy/tug drive, as he was pretty "soft" when I got him, and he's a monster now. He's pretty reliable off leash, but can be impulsive (especially around water/food/toys), so I err on the side of caution. Has picked up enough functional obedience that he's easily controlled (good recall, sits, stays, walks nicely on/off leash, outs off toys/tugs), but he's definitely lacking the refinement for competitive obedience at this point in time. His nickname is "bad manners"- he's got 'em. He's good as gold when I'm around, but as soon as I leave (if I leave him at my parents' house- my house is pretty much Bus-proofed, but I feel bad leaving him there by himself when he can be somewhere with people around), he's raiding the trash, feasting from the litter box, begging, trying to steal food off tables and counters, and knocking the screen door open to run down into the water. I hate to crate him at home, as he's kenneled when he goes to work with me. Luckily, he's awesome in the car, and out in public, and I take him with me a ton.
He's really a nice dog, great with people, and appropriate with other dogs, he's just quick to capitalize on people letting him get away with bad behavior, and cute enough that a lot of people do! I had him certified to do pet therapy work within a year of getting him, and he took up visiting at a local senior center when my old APBT had to retire due to old age/bad health. He's been visiting there for about 1.5 years now, and seems to like it well enough, though I think he'd rather be playing ball and acting like a hooligan- he's a good sport.
He loves the water, and will fetch just about anything. He's also a master digger, which means plenty of trips to the beach so he can dig the sand to his little hearts content- the tide fills it right back in when we leave. He was severely overweight when I got him, and pretty low energy (that was the only thing I didn't care for, as I've always had more active dogs), but as the weight came off, his energy shot through the roof- and he needs a good round of fetch and/or run with the bike most days to keep him sane. If well exercised, he's got a surprisingly good "off" switch- I can play ball with him, barking, slinging spit, jumping all over; then put the ball up and tell him we're done and he'll go lay down. When Annie was younger, she never really settled down unless she was exhausted, so he's a pleasant change.
They really do love each other, and Annie plays with him like I haven't seen her play with any dog since our first APBT who died almost 10 years ago. It cracks me up because she's kind of frail looking, and he's so much bulkier and "big" compared to her, but he'll do something she doesn't like while they're playing, and she'll give him a good roar, his eyes get big and he leans away like he fears for his life, lol! They occasionally have a disagreement, but have never had a serious fight, and it's clear they really enjoy each others' company.
In closing, here are some pics
Annie
In '08
In '10
In '12
Bus
Aug '09, the first day he came to "visit"
In '10
In '12
Both
In '09
In '10
In '12
My older Dachshund is Annie, who just turned 16- she was my aunt's dog, and when my aunt moved in with us for a while when Annie was about 1, Annie never really left. Initially she was "shared", but she's been my dog only for a long time now.... though the last couple years I send her to my mom's for "daycare" while I'm at work because she hates being kenneled (either at my house or workplace).
My younger Dachshund is Buster, he's 8 and I've owned him since he was 4. He was a rehome through my work (vet clinic) because his owner lost her home and couldn't care for him anymore. I brought him home with the intention of testing his house manners and contacting dachshund rescue about him, but within about an hour I was hooked. I was still living with my parents at the time, and we had 4 other dogs between us, but I would have regretted it forever if I had let him slip through my fingers, he was the perfect fit!
I've also had a couple APBTs, my other favorite breed; and we had a Cocker (one of the nicest I've known), and a Chihuahua mix- I've decided to keep my dog quota at 2 from here out though, at least that's the plan. I also have 3 cats, one tuxedo DSH (5 y/o), one black DLH (4 y/o), and one lynx point siamese mix (3 y/o).... have totally met my cat quota, no more bringing home orphaned litters of kittens from work for me!
Annie use to be pretty well trained, but has become rather unconcerned with following the rules in her old age- there was a time when I could trust her almost anywhere off leash, but now she's more or less openly defiant, doesn't run away, just ambles around, ignoring me unless I have something she wants (food or toy). She was a retrieving fool in her younger days- she still likes to play ball/fetch here and there (til she gets distracted by duck poop or finds a scrap of food), and roughhouses with Bus regularly. She's kind of aloof, but relatively tolerant of people, and dog aggressive, but trained to ignore them well enough that she was able to get her CGC. I dabbled in tracking and obedience with her, but we stopped due to my work schedule, and though we do a bit here and there just for fun, I can't see ever titling her at this point.
She was very high energy as a young dog, but these days she's more about finding a warm spot to take a nap. She likes going for walks in new places, but doesn't care for walking away from our house... have to coax her along until we get to the point where we turn back, then she leads the way. She use to be an avid swimmer, but in her old age, she only wades unless it's over 90
Bus is mainly my "fun" dog... I've had him for 4 years, and don't think I've ever had a formal obedience session with him. I spent a ton of time building his toy/tug drive, as he was pretty "soft" when I got him, and he's a monster now. He's pretty reliable off leash, but can be impulsive (especially around water/food/toys), so I err on the side of caution. Has picked up enough functional obedience that he's easily controlled (good recall, sits, stays, walks nicely on/off leash, outs off toys/tugs), but he's definitely lacking the refinement for competitive obedience at this point in time. His nickname is "bad manners"- he's got 'em. He's good as gold when I'm around, but as soon as I leave (if I leave him at my parents' house- my house is pretty much Bus-proofed, but I feel bad leaving him there by himself when he can be somewhere with people around), he's raiding the trash, feasting from the litter box, begging, trying to steal food off tables and counters, and knocking the screen door open to run down into the water. I hate to crate him at home, as he's kenneled when he goes to work with me. Luckily, he's awesome in the car, and out in public, and I take him with me a ton.
He's really a nice dog, great with people, and appropriate with other dogs, he's just quick to capitalize on people letting him get away with bad behavior, and cute enough that a lot of people do! I had him certified to do pet therapy work within a year of getting him, and he took up visiting at a local senior center when my old APBT had to retire due to old age/bad health. He's been visiting there for about 1.5 years now, and seems to like it well enough, though I think he'd rather be playing ball and acting like a hooligan- he's a good sport.
He loves the water, and will fetch just about anything. He's also a master digger, which means plenty of trips to the beach so he can dig the sand to his little hearts content- the tide fills it right back in when we leave. He was severely overweight when I got him, and pretty low energy (that was the only thing I didn't care for, as I've always had more active dogs), but as the weight came off, his energy shot through the roof- and he needs a good round of fetch and/or run with the bike most days to keep him sane. If well exercised, he's got a surprisingly good "off" switch- I can play ball with him, barking, slinging spit, jumping all over; then put the ball up and tell him we're done and he'll go lay down. When Annie was younger, she never really settled down unless she was exhausted, so he's a pleasant change.
They really do love each other, and Annie plays with him like I haven't seen her play with any dog since our first APBT who died almost 10 years ago. It cracks me up because she's kind of frail looking, and he's so much bulkier and "big" compared to her, but he'll do something she doesn't like while they're playing, and she'll give him a good roar, his eyes get big and he leans away like he fears for his life, lol! They occasionally have a disagreement, but have never had a serious fight, and it's clear they really enjoy each others' company.
In closing, here are some pics
Annie
In '08
In '10
In '12
Bus
Aug '09, the first day he came to "visit"
In '10
In '12
Both
In '09
In '10
In '12
