Do you own a Boston Terrier or Dachshund?

[Nolcrest]

I have never personally known anyone who owned either a Boston or a Dachshund.

What can you tell me about either breed? The good & the bad.

 

[Patience]

I have a female Doxie who is almost 12. We love her to death and she is very loving but she can be a bit stubborn. Although she is very smart, she took a while to train because of her stubborness. She has never had any of back problems (although back injuries can be a problem with doxies) but she has been prone to teeth issues so she requires frequent teeth cleanings. We have had her since she was 8 weeks old and she is very much a part of our family.

 

[Wadecool]

I have never personally known anyone who owned either a Boston or a Dachshund.

What can you tell me about either breed? The good & the bad.

We have had the pleasure of owning 2 Dachshunds and I love the breed. One of my favorite qualities is that they have the mentality of a large dog in a small dogs body. The bad is that they can be stubborn and hard to train. Very loyal and loving dogs.

 

[Jey12]

Boston Terriers. My mom owns one. He hums which is kind of strange and cute all at the same time. They are obviously terriers and are strong willed. Not all, but a good portion require an experienced owner in training or they will run your house. They should be indoor dogs, no exceptions. They don't have a nose so extreme heat and cold makes breathing difficult for them. They tend to have genetic issues with their eyes and knees. They are prone to being overweight so a healthy diet, no table scraps and regular exercise is a must. Skin allergies can also be common with this breed. They also fart and snore. You get used to it, for the most part. They also are fun little clowns to have in the house. They are loving with their family and tend to be good with kids, of course training helps. Average life span is 12-14 years. Once you have them trained they will test you every chance they get, but usually they listen. They are very active dogs and playful. I always feel a lot of a dog's personality comes back to training and the owner though.

Dachshunds. Aunt and Uncle have had these for years. Breed problems are dental issues, kidney, bladder stones, back and neck problems (for obvious reasons), and knee issues. I would never encourage a dachshund to jump on any furniture. They should come with their own set of little stairs as a puppy. They can be great family pets. They have been known to be nippy but yet again I think it all goes back to training. In general they are a good family dog. It would depend on the child if they should be in a house with children. They can be injured easily with their back and necks and some children don't understand this. They are fun little dogs, come in a variety of hair lengths and colors. Active for their size and enjoy being with their people.

Depending on your personality and what you want out of a dog neither are a bad choice. Just research both breeds and local breeders. When you're done researching, research some more. Make sure the breeder tests for all known genetic issues with the parents and you can see where the puppies are born and raised, and at least one parent. If a breeder will not let you do these things, or they don't test for genetic problems, run do not walk away.

 

[sahmoftwo]

My parents had a dach. when I lived at home. He was a grouchy little thing, but could be sweet when he wanted to. He did develop the back problems and needed to have major surgery. I agree with pp that said to train them not to jump on furniture. That's how ours hurt his back.

We currently own a very badly bred Boston Terrior. I rescued him when he was 4 months old from his original owners who had broken both of his front legs and refused to pay any vet bills, so I did and took him home (I worked at the vet's office at the time). All this to say that my experience is probably not the norm. He is very sweet and loving but fairly anti-social. He hates to go on long (or even short) walks, and I have read they are great for lazier families...perfect for us. We recently took in a stray cat and at 9 yrs old he had no problems accepting the cat into our family.

Good luck with your choice!

 

[birdiegirl9800]

I have 2 doxies, a male and female, both fixed. They are loving, snuggly dogs. However, they are very difficult to train (Potty training/off leash recall). Mine have not had back issues yet at ages 5 & 7, but they both have pretty sensitive skin. I love them, but my next dog will not be a dachshund. I'm ready for a less strong willed pet.

 

[roxysmum123]

I don't own either, but I'm a trainer and have worked with lots of both breeds.

The good is that they're both sweet breeds that love their people. They also are very good for warming toes on a cold winter nights, they're like little hot water bottles!
The bad (for both really) is that they can be quite stubborn and have a good amount of health risks that are not cheap to correct. Also, if poorly socialized (or not at all) they can be quite.... temperamental.... but that's common in many breeds.
The ugly is some of the worst farters I've ever had in class have been Bostons.

 

[cbg1027]

Dachshund lover here!

I LOVE them...but I wouldn't recommend them for a first time dog owner. You need to really educate yourself about the breed and figure out if dachshunds are good fit for you. And you seem to be doing that, so !

Dachshunds are hounds, and act a lot like terriers too. This means they love to follow their noses, love to dig, and can be stubborn and difficult for the inexperienced to train. Some are difficult to get housebroken. Some dachshunds also get the infamous 'hound smell'. I've noticed this more frequently on the short haired variety and less on the long and wire coat kinds.

They're not usually a good breed for families with small children. They can be easily injured by children who aren't old enough to understand how to properly handle the dog. They also are prone to snap when annoyed...not to say they're vicious by any means...but whereas a lab will try to just walk away or just put up with rough handling, a dachshund is more prone to snap a warning of 'hey you're hurting me!".

Dachshunds are not little froo-froo pets like a Maltese or a Yorkie. They are small, but they're from the hound group and were bred to be tenacious little vermin hunters....not purely companion dogs. Although, they do a good job at both ends of the spectrum! Two of the dachshunds in my family are the best snugglers ever, but they will still run out the door after a squirrel and there is no grabbing their attention until the squirrel is loooooong gone.

Doxies are obviously prone to back issues, so you have to careful not to minimize jumping on or off things so they don't hurt themselves. Their teeth get tartar buildup faster than other breeds, so you need to brush their teeth and might need to have dentals done more often.

That's all I can think of for now....so it's time to share some photos of the doxies that have been in my life over the years!

These are Wire Haired Dachshunds:

Smooth Coats:

More Wire Haired:

A Wire, a Smooth, and....wait a minute! That's no Dachshund!

 

[Annal606]

The good is that they're both sweet breeds that love their people.

 

[minkydog]

My husband was raised with Boston Terriers and he loved them dearly. We had one early in our marriage and I have to say, that dog was dumb as a box of rocks. Sweet,but useless. We never could get him 100% reliably housebroken, bless his heart. Good thing he was so cute.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

We love our mini dashound. Other poster nailed it with the big dog mentality. Ours also is very catish, very smart.
They or at least ours has the bladder of an instant. You get home she so excited shell pee before you unlock the door.

 

[ilovejack02]

My best friend has a boston.. I adore her, good with kids , cat , friendly sweet lovey girl.

I have owned doxies my whole life. Stubborn funny little pups. I think my 11 year old boy will be my last. I haven't had potty issues , but I hear that they can be hard to train. I have done fine with all of mine. My issue is I am tired of dealing with back issues. I lost my girl doxie 4 years ago to a back issue, she slipped a disk, put on bed rest , steroids etc stayed at the vets , next thing we knew she was paralyzed up to her neck. : ( . We have to be so careful about him jumping etc. My mom's doxie is the same way . I don't let my 9 year old pick him up or any of his friends .

 

[ilovejack02]

the good is that they're both sweet breeds that love their people.

yes

 

[kimmyann]

We had a mini dachshund for 12 years & he was the most grouchy, stubborn & difficult dog I have ever had. This dog peed over everything, & if he was upset that we left him would poop more than you could ever imagine. He never had any back problems & he jumped everywhere. He passed in 2009 of a heart condition. He was my husbands dog & I know it's mean, but I don't miss him one little bit (even at 10 years old he would steal my shoes & the kids toys. He took them under the bed to be destroyed) . Now, my sister has one & she is a sweetheart, she is a long haired, mine was a smooth. I have read that the smooth hairs seem to be more difficult.

 

[Robinrs]

My first and only dog was a dachshund we named Peppy after Peppy Le Pew.

I got him when I was eight and he died in my last year of college.

He was the sweetest, most loving loyal animal I've ever known. Everyone loved Peppy, everyone except the neighborhood boys, because he wouldn't let them get anywhere near my sisters and me... He was little but he was TOUGH.

He became sick when I was in college. One weekend we were planning a family picnic and I stayed home with him.

I'm so glad I did because he laid down next to my foot and died.

I don't think I'll ever get over losing that dog and it's been over 30 years. I've never owned another one, either, because I never want to get THAT close to an animal and lose him again.

He was an angel.

 

[jpgpmpcp]

We have a Dachsund that is 7 years old. The biggest issue we've had is skin problems. He is now on meds every other day to control it. He is the best natured dog we've ever had, and he gets along great with the Morkie.

 

[Jex]

We have two doxies, and they both have personalities that are totally diffrent. One has an unhealthy obsession with my wife, and the other is a therapy dog. Growing up one set of my grand parents has them, so when my wife decided we needed a new dog I suggested a doxie, from day one she loves them and that's why we rescued another. I'm sure we will always have one in the family due to thier personality and honestly you cant look at one without laughing.

 

[Coconut36]

Doxies are big in my family. We had one, my aunt has had 4 to date and my other aunt 2 of them.

Overall I would say I tend to find them to be somewhat attached/loyal to a given person. Ours really disliked everyone but my Mom. My aunts are only bonded to her and my other aunt both of hers bonded to my younger cousin. My Mom's flat out hated my Dad..would even growl at him. I was tolerated but she did not want my affection or attention and would run away. Same with the dogs my aunts had..they had their "person" and others were barely tolerated if not flat out disliked. Our doxie was not a bad barker but my aunts dogs were horrible...a breeze, a doorbell, someone walking outside and then if someone came into the house they would not.shut.up! I do blame that on poor pet parent vs a breed thing though.

We got ours when I was about 5 but I would really not advise a doxie if you have small children in the home because they can be prone to back issues that can shorten their lifespan if they receive a serious injury. All of them in our family (none of them from the same place/breeder so unrelated genetically) have all been fairly hearty health wise with just some skin type allergies all around for all of them and all pretty long lifespans as well.

The back issues can be your biggest issue..jumping is a huge no no and being handled by young kids who don't "get" how to support them can contribute to it so managing that is important.

 

[NC State]

I had both. The Boston Terrier (Button) was a female and she was so faithful. She would snore really loud at night but she was a great dog. I now have a mini dachshund (Molly). I love Molly, she is so much fun and she's very active. Loves to play fetch with a tennis ball, and I think she would eat 24 hrs a day if I let her. She's very smart but if she has her mind set on something you may as well forget it...Molly is going to do what Molly wants to do.

I would recommend both breeds, both are very loving.

 

[pixiewings71]

As I type this DD12's mini doxie is sleeping by me. She's a sweet little doggie and we love her but man she is stubborn! lol She is a short hair, her Momma was a short hair and her Pappa was a long hair, Autumn's hair is silky smooth (from her Pappa) but short as can be. She can be stubborn, she does pee at the drop of a hat but she's very loving to all of us and she's a good little dog for the most part. She barks when the neighbor's dogs bark, she barks when someone comes to the door, she barks at one of the cats but not the other two. lol We have 1 cat that we found at 4 weeks old, the dog helped DD take care of him and now they are best friends. I have some of the best times watching the dog and cat chase each other around the house..... We got Autumn for DD12 when she turned 8, Autumn knows who her "Momma" is but she loves us all equally. Last summer we took Autumn to Idaho when we went for my oldest DD's wedding, she fit in just fine and had no problems traveling. She is a great little dog, energetic and happy to be our family dog but also just fine being outside while we are gone during the day. She runs and jumps on the furniture, we have stairs but she only uses them sometimes.