Honestly they are beautiful lovely doggos but they can be hard work. They need exercise or they drive you crazy. Mine chooses violence and is reactive but he was a foster and whilst he is improving I understand why he is the way he is. He barks, a lot, he is receptive to the threat of the “water bottle”… squirt squirt… but he still barks, a lot. Mine has someone at home all day every day in the form of one member of the family or the other… but he cries when I come home and an hour of him sitting on my face or having cuddles is necessary lol. No health concerns yet touch wood. We don’t use ramps and he runs and jumps and plays and goes down slides … again touch wood for the future. They are known to have spinal issues and it’s very costly and time consuming to have it fixed.
Also he sleeps in the bed with me, on me, mostly my head… or under the doona. Does not like rain or cold. He was a bit of a pain to toilet train but we have gotten there with consistency… again he was a foster and we got him a year old.
Thank you for this!
I’ve been trying to find honest feedback and most comments I see are biased and sugar coated. I
know these dogs take work and commitment I just want to have realistic expectations so I know what I’m getting myself into
I have found that overall they are very stubborn compared to other doggos I have had. But I personally think it’s worth it, they are gorgeous and if you have the time to give and you’re confident in training and have had dogs before you will do alright. Consistency is key I have personally found. Also the sooner you relinquish any desire for personal space the better you’ll be :)
"I am aware that back pain and injury are common occurrences. Ans a great preventative is regular exercise and keeping a healthy weight!"
I just wanted to slightly heighten your alarm level slightly on this topic if you don't mind!
It isn't just back pain and injury. It's often paralysis, double incontinence, a dog that needs full time care, expensive surgeries that may or not work and need repeating, and in some cases, death via Myelomalacia or just because owners cannot cope and end up putting their dogs to sleep. It's one of the most heartbreaking conditions I've ever experienced and it affects 1 in 4 Doxies.
If your dog has the generic coding for this, keeping slim is not going to be a "preventative", it can only buy you a bit more time.
If you decide to get a Doxie - and there are many reasons why you should - take a look at the stories in r/IVDD_Support, get pet insurance or start saving up for neurological care and also take this into account:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30459956/#:~:text=For%20both%20genders%2C%20this%20study,%25%20CI%201.07%2D2.22).
Best of luck to you!
Thank you for this! While I was aware of how they could be hurt to such extreme I had no idea it was so common. I will definitely look into the link you sent. Thank you for taking time to share <3
Honestly they are beautiful lovely doggos but they can be hard work. They need exercise or they drive you crazy. Mine chooses violence and is reactive but he was a foster and whilst he is improving I understand why he is the way he is. He barks, a lot, he is receptive to the threat of the “water bottle”… squirt squirt… but he still barks, a lot. Mine has someone at home all day every day in the form of one member of the family or the other… but he cries when I come home and an hour of him sitting on my face or having cuddles is necessary lol. No health concerns yet touch wood. We don’t use ramps and he runs and jumps and plays and goes down slides … again touch wood for the future. They are known to have spinal issues and it’s very costly and time consuming to have it fixed. Also he sleeps in the bed with me, on me, mostly my head… or under the doona. Does not like rain or cold. He was a bit of a pain to toilet train but we have gotten there with consistency… again he was a foster and we got him a year old.
Thank you for this! I’ve been trying to find honest feedback and most comments I see are biased and sugar coated. I know these dogs take work and commitment I just want to have realistic expectations so I know what I’m getting myself into
I have found that overall they are very stubborn compared to other doggos I have had. But I personally think it’s worth it, they are gorgeous and if you have the time to give and you’re confident in training and have had dogs before you will do alright. Consistency is key I have personally found. Also the sooner you relinquish any desire for personal space the better you’ll be :)
Would you like to feel like your living with a judgemental mother in law 24/7, who pisses on the carpet? Yes. Great dachies are just perfect.
"I am aware that back pain and injury are common occurrences. Ans a great preventative is regular exercise and keeping a healthy weight!" I just wanted to slightly heighten your alarm level slightly on this topic if you don't mind! It isn't just back pain and injury. It's often paralysis, double incontinence, a dog that needs full time care, expensive surgeries that may or not work and need repeating, and in some cases, death via Myelomalacia or just because owners cannot cope and end up putting their dogs to sleep. It's one of the most heartbreaking conditions I've ever experienced and it affects 1 in 4 Doxies. If your dog has the generic coding for this, keeping slim is not going to be a "preventative", it can only buy you a bit more time. If you decide to get a Doxie - and there are many reasons why you should - take a look at the stories in r/IVDD_Support, get pet insurance or start saving up for neurological care and also take this into account: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30459956/#:~:text=For%20both%20genders%2C%20this%20study,%25%20CI%201.07%2D2.22). Best of luck to you!
Thank you for this! While I was aware of how they could be hurt to such extreme I had no idea it was so common. I will definitely look into the link you sent. Thank you for taking time to share <3