New "Dachshund" owner needing help

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Member Since
11/18/2012

Barked: Sun Nov 18, '12 8:41am PST


	Hello all! I recently adopted a 1 yr old "Dachshund". The vet said he could be a mix but thinks more likely Thor is a poorly bread dachshund. And by that he only means that he doesn't meet the standard because his legs are too long. Other than that he look exactly like a dachshund. And I'm finding out ACTS like a dachshund. I have never had a dachshund and until Thor started acting strangely and I did some research my knowledge of dachshunds was limited to 1. German dog breed to burrow after something. and 2. Good dogs for almost any person/family leaving almost anywhere. Whatever Thor is doesn't matter to me but his happiness does. He acts just like any other dog except for this burrowing thing. If he's sleeping he wants to be burrowed under something. I have never had a dog small enough to sit in my lap (at least not comfortably). If I'm stiiing in the recliner and he wants to sleep he burrows between me and the arm of the chair and if he can push and squeeze under my back he will. At night (or when no one has the decency to be sitting somewhere comfortable when he wants a nap) he hops up in bed and burrows under all the blankets. At first I was worried he couldn't be getting enough oxygen and that he was getting too hot. He gets so hot at night it reminds me of when the kids would be sick and I'd let them sleep with me to keep and eye on them and I'd wake up to this very hot kid and just know they had a high fever and needed Tylenol. He gets really hot feeling! Then I realised he burrowed himself in. If he doesn't like it he will burrow himself out. So..... After that long babbling my questions are 1. Can I (should I) do something to meet his burrowing need? Is he happy burrowing under arms, between bodies and furniture, under beds, and blankets or does he need something more? 2. Is there anything else I should know about this specific breed? I'm assuming all precautions for long backed dogs should be taken. But what else? What should I be doing to fulfill his dachshund needs? What should I not do? Any helpful hints would be appreciated.

my posts

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Frankie

1276158

Barked: Thu Nov 22, '12 4:57pm PST


	We (Me and Ellie) love to burrow under the blankets too. When we get hot, we stick our head out from under the covers to get air. I have heard that Dachshunds are prone to have teeth problems as well and that is good to have a good oral hygiene routine in place. We don't like to have our teeth brushed much, but Mom uses a nice gel and rubs in on our teeth and gums. She's talking about using gauze wrapped around her finger to brush our teeth and gums because we hate the little toothbrush she brought home for us. Also, keep nails trimmed. Nails that are too long affect the way we walk, and can put extra strain on our backs.

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Frankie

1276158

Barked: Thu Nov 22, '12 5:19pm PST


	Oh yeah, Mom tries not to feed me too much either. I'm already a stocky boy, and she says that if I get too chubby it might put too much strain on my back. She's also always trying to keep me from jumping off of the furniture and wrestling on the furniture with my Sister. She doesn't want me to slip a disc in my back or hurt my knees. She's a bit protective of me!

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Abby

The long short- of it is...

Barked: Mon Nov 26, '12 1:51am PST


	My momma has been raised around Dachshunds. She tells me i am an odd ball for burrowing. I just do what comes natural. as far as meeting his burrowing needs, My mom would get me a cat bed. It was a rounded tent like bed. I loved it! I would sleep in it and it met my burrowing needs to a T. And yes we do have some odd teeth things. I actually didn't lose two of my baby teeth. one fell out on it's own while playing and the other is.. well just there. It hasn't given me too many problems. and our back is VERY fragile. Though we are a hardy breed our backs are our weakness. In my lifetime of 4 years i've had to be taken to the e-Vet over 5 times. i like to jump off the back of couches. it usually isn't a TERRIBLE thing other than i have to get a pain pill and an injection of muscle relaxer. but the good out weigh the bad. My momma is my very best friend. PS; since we like to burrow we are the best cuddlers out there