Seriously, I am so stuck on this second dog thing...

[prosefullstop]

We are finally ready to add a second dog this summer, and keep coming up against a brick wall. Though we still live in our apartment, we plan to move to a Brooklyn townhouse asap, with garden, minutes from a 600-acre park. Despite the extra room, we would like doggie number two to be on the small side as well.

This is where hubs and I cannot make a decision. We like dachshunds but a trainer friend of ours has scared us away. Bostons are brilliant, but we want a bit less energy than the little smoosh-heads can offer. Should we rescue? My only fear is that we plan to have a human child in the next couple of years, so I'd rather have a known quantity. And my husband is resolutely anti-fluffball, especially if said fluffball comes in white.

I'm looking for ideas. If we don't get a x from rescue, what on earth is left in the category of small dogs excellent with kids, good with other dogs, and easy to train? We travel a lot with Stella, often to strange places, so no skittish breeds or ones wary of strangers.

 

[Thistle]

My aunt has always had dachunds, very well behaved delightful little dogs. She used to be a districh nurse and the dog at the time would do her rounds with her. Many of her patients were housebound elderly, they loved their visits from the dog.

 

[FestiveSpirit]

I know you have mentioned a CKCS before - regretably they do match all your requirements, and as long as you go to a reputable breeder then you can avoid lines with potential heath problems.

Although I must say I love dachsunds, all the ones I have met have been fiesty, fun and loving

 

[prosefullstop]

See, I like them as well--largely based on Stella's laid-back doxie boyfriend--but the trainer we know says they're not patient with kids, and she sees far too many for excessive barking and housebreaking problems. I know every breed has its "thing". Problem is I've been completely spoilt with Stella. I could encircle her bed with expensive leather shoes, leave for a week, and she still wouldn't dream of having a nibble.

 

[prosefullstop]

CKCS sound great. I'm terrified about the health issues, though. Saying that, look what happened with Stella and her eye. I suppose there'll always be unexpected health dramas with dogs around.

But then I go ahead and see fantastic little mixes on Petfinder, like this one, and think maybe we should just take our trainer friend with us to a rescue centre and get her help in selecting the perfect companion.

Ramble, ramble, ramble

 

[FestiveSpirit]

You see I avoid this dilemma by just getting yet another greyhound each time.... otherwise there are so many breeds I admire, I could never choose

 

[Skhosu]

I would get a nice rescue, get a young one and tbh the unpredictability will be not a huge difference from a normal dog.
why not go down to your local rescue and see if they have anything that takes your fancy?
What about a mini pinscher?

 

[Lucy_Nottingham]

i know its not low energy, but maybe a jack russel or a cocker spaniel are small, can be easy in terms of energy especially if there is another dog, but at the same time can go the other extreme and be bonkers! hehe
CKCS are good but LOTS of health issues which unfortunatly are NOT that rare.........

X breed seems a good choice, especially if u geta young one you can make your own and train etc to be what you want!

 

[PalominoMare]

I know your OH said no fluffballs but my pomeranian is great! He can be walked all day everyday without tiring in country parks yet he can also just lie around the house all day without getting agitated. For a little person he can still play fetch with a football!!
another plus is he is great with kids despite not being used to them at all - if one approaches him and pats him too harshly or whatever he's very patient and just lets them get on with it.

staffy's are supposed to be good with kids too?

 

[FinnishLapphund]

[ QUOTE ]
We are finally ready to add a second dog this summer, and keep coming up against a brick wall. Though we still live in our apartment, we plan to move to a Brooklyn townhouse asap, with garden, minutes from a 600-acre park. Despite the extra room, we would like doggie number two to be on the small side as well.

This is where hubs and I cannot make a decision. We like dachshunds but a trainer friend of ours has scared us away. Bostons are brilliant, but we want a bit less energy than the little smoosh-heads can offer. Should we rescue? My only fear is that we plan to have a human child in the next couple of years, so I'd rather have a known quantity. And my husband is resolutely anti-fluffball, especially if said fluffball comes in white.

I'm looking for ideas. If we don't get a x from rescue, what on earth is left in the category of small dogs excellent with kids, good with other dogs, and easy to train? We travel a lot with Stella, often to strange places, so no skittish breeds or ones wary of strangers.

[/ QUOTE ]


I know the Swedish Dachshund clubs motto by heart. In a quick translation it goes : Will come called but not soon, because born slave is no Dachshund.

In a book by a rather well known dog psychologist and trainer in Sweden (amongst dog owners), she has described a Dachshund named Fia that she had in a class once. It was very strange, when husband and wife, who knew everything about Dachshunds and their temperament because they had looked up things properly before buying Fia, was at the class with Fia, she could f. ex. not be let off the lead.
Whenever they tried something that husband and wife knew Fia wasn't capable of doing, they first told the trainer why Fia would fail, then they tried, Fia failed and then they told the trainer that they knew that would happen because Fia was a Dachshund and their temperament meant they couldn't do that, they often also quoted the breed clubs motto.

Now to the strange part, sometimes the two teenage daughters attended the class with Fia, suddenly Fia could learn both this and that, including being let off the lead without letting the daughters out of her sight! Turned out that nobody had told the daughters about the Dachshunds temperament, so the daughters had read normal dog training books and learned Fia that if she forgot about them she would get lost...

I'm not saying they're not stubborn, but they are trainable. I've read about several hunters with Dachshunds, being able to train their dogs just as well as those two daughters. Because they believe/know their dogs could be trained.

 

[Lucy_Nottingham]

thats true, staffies are great!!!! although not always great with other dogs, so better getting a puppy!!!

 

[FinnishLapphund]

[ QUOTE ]
See, I like them as well--largely based on Stella's laid-back doxie boyfriend--but the trainer we know says they're not patient with kids, and she sees far too many for excessive barking and housebreaking problems. I know every breed has its "thing". Problem is I've been completely spoilt with Stella. I could encircle her bed with expensive leather shoes, leave for a week, and she still wouldn't dream of having a nibble.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think you know the following but just in case, who says another Boston Terrier would be like that? Just because you got a saint the first time, doesn't mean that you'll get another regardless of breed or cross breed.

 

[prosefullstop]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
See, I like them as well--largely based on Stella's laid-back doxie boyfriend--but the trainer we know says they're not patient with kids, and she sees far too many for excessive barking and housebreaking problems. I know every breed has its "thing". Problem is I've been completely spoilt with Stella. I could encircle her bed with expensive leather shoes, leave for a week, and she still wouldn't dream of having a nibble.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think you know the following but just in case, who says another Boston Terrier would be like that? Just because you got a saint the first time, doesn't mean that you'll get another regardless of breed or cross breed.

[/ QUOTE ]

Too true. I know several BTs who've snacked their way through entire wardrobes

My theory with Stella has and always will be, "Knacker the little stinker out". It has worked a treat thus far, and her many hours fetching and running around are neatly counterbalanced with an even greater level of comatose time in bed

It's crazy, but someone was shocked the other day when I told them that I aim for three walks a day: an four-mile walk up the river after work, an hour razzing about at the park with her walker, and a little pootle late at night, with much longer bouts of activity at weekends. *And* the shocked soul had a Cairn Terrier

 

[prosefullstop]

[ QUOTE ]
thats true, staffies are great!!!! although not always great with other dogs, so better getting a puppy!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Stella has a staffie pal, called Dino. He's a lovely sort of cream colour, with black points. While good with female dogs--Stella adores him--he has been known to go for boy dogs. I do love the bullie breeds, though, but I see such a difference between Stella playing with a poodle, say (general wrestling and running around) and playing with another BT (face-biting, body slamming, and almost perpetual levels of play). Not sure my nerves could take a Staff/Bull Terrier/Pit/another BT about the place.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

[ QUOTE ]
Too true. I know several BTs who've snacked their way through entire wardrobes

My theory with Stella has and always will be, "Knacker the little stinker out". It has worked a treat thus far, and her many hours fetching and running around are neatly counterbalanced with an even greater level of comatose time in bed

It's crazy, but someone was shocked the other day when I told them that I aim for three walks a day: an four-mile walk up the river after work, an hour razzing about at the park with her walker, and a little pootle late at night, with much longer bouts of activity at weekends. *And* the shocked soul had a Cairn Terrier

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I used to live next door to an older couple with one or two Cairn Terriers and I would say they walked them the way you describe Stella's walks. On other hand I've met dog owners with, to me, somewhat strange ideas myself. F. ex. I've met a West Highland White Terrier owner who only fed her dog fish-meat, because the white meat would make her dogs coat more white. She was convinced that eating red meat would make the dogs coat less white...

 

[CAYLA]

I would agree with your trainer and say as much as they are mini heat pads and have a cheeky personality

, they can be a little nippy/fiery in nature and less patient/tolerant than say a C.K.C.S, which are a very fail safe breed, as acolyte suggests, my nan has alwyas had them past the 12 years age bracket, inc any with defects, and she has had them all her life, she used to breed and then started taking my mams rescues

I think the most placid little breeds I have ver come across, with not a bad bone in the them have to be Cavs and Japanese chins, im not a small breed lover, but I cannot fault their mild mannered breed traits.

By the way my OH wants a boston terrier, he saw one on the tv in all it's glory

 

[carthorse]

We are having a griffon to go with our shih tzus and daughter is having her beloved breed French bulldog . Well we are going to look this week.