I have a question about the different types of Dachshunds for those of you that have some knowledge of these little devils....

What are the general differences between mini and standards, such as temperament and health problems?

My preference is to the standards over the minis if it were me looking.

Every standard I've met has been pretty mellow solid temperamented compared to the little guys who seem to run the spectrum of temperament but lean towards nervy. The little minis though are pretty widely byb where the larger size tends to be ignored by the BYBers so my observations are limited to the few standards (30ish) i've met to probably several hundred minis. Generally speaking you have to search, and search some more for those who have standards in the coat type of your choice. I can think of very few in this state who have them in any coat type.

Larger sizes tend to have more bone to break down less and tend to have a little more of a chest clearance on the ground compared to the minis and as such can do some things that the extreme showline minis can't like jump down stairs without slamming their chest into the next step.

Standards are HEAVY for their size much in the way a basset is. So knuckling over can be a bit of a concern. For instance my american cocker and a standard are about the same size dog in bulk but the standard dhs I've met outweighs her by about 10lbs with the same bone size.

Edit added. I think there is a breeder with LH standards in Eastern WA by Tricities if you ever feel up for a look.

Michael W posted a link a while back to an awesome breeder of the little rug rats... Made me really appreciate them for the first time. I'm sure he can repost that link. They were blood trackers, if I remember correctly.

Edited by Barbara Schuler (09/01/2010 11:57 PM)
Edit reason: typo

IME there is a difference in temperament (broadly) between the coat types. The longhaired ones are more mellow, - smooth coats more hyper, more yappy, and some wire-haired ones are almost terrier like in drive to dig.

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

IME there is a difference in temperament (broadly) between the coat types. The longhaired ones are more mellow, - smooth coats more hyper, more yappy, and some wire-haired ones are almost terrier like in drive to dig.

Dachshunds, all coat types, are the only non-terriers permitted to compete in earth dog trials.

A lot of owners seem to have difficulty with housebreaking. I think that could be due to the dog being so low to the ground that it's hard to tell when it squats (plus owner inconsistency of course). They also have a tendency towards back problems (the dogs, not owners LOL).

My niece has a mini, and while it's the only one I've been around for any amount of time, she drives me nuts!

She's cute as can be, but she is nervous all the time...only content on her owners lap, and the rest of the time she's all over the charts. I have wondered if they are all that way. SHe can be quite sweet in the evening hrs when all is calm. Honestly, I've often felt sorry for her because she's so nuerotic! SHe has never been fully house trained either. Something that I can say, they have done a great job with keeping her weight right on track and she hasn't had any health problems. I think she is about 7 years old.

I do know a long hair that is a very nice girl, but haven't spent much time around her.

My husband's family has had dachshunds for years - both standard and mini. For sure, the standard ones had more stable temperaments - not skiddish and yappy like the minis. I also noticed that the minis wanted to be lap dogs 24/7, and were more protective of the one they chose to 'lap' on! They became a 'one man dog' a lot of the time, whereas the standards were a lot more family dog oriented. The standards also showed more of the characteristics of the breed than the minis - what they were bred for, i.e. going after prey, digging, sniffing with their nose to the ground, etc.

Health was also different. The minis had more disc problems in their lower backs - two of them had to have super expensive spinal surgery in their 8th year. The standards seemed to fair better healthwise and lived longer.