New Puppy

[Stressy]

THIS is just what I needed tonight. Kona is a heart stealer. Love the update!

 

[DaveNV]

I love seeing these updated photos! How adorable, and they certainly look spoiled, what with being up on cushions or on the leather furniture. (We were guilty as well. Lost my German Shorthair this past July and I still miss her.)

Thanks! I wanted to share because everyone was so taken with Cody when all this started a couple of years ago.

Not spoiled so much, but certainly well-loved and "privileged." There are very strict rules in the house, but great rewards for good behavior. They haven't suffered for living wth us.

And the leather isn't anything fancy - its from Ikea. This is the family room where we all hang out. The dogs are only allowed up when we're home to supervise. This kind of stuff could easily become a big chew toy.

Dave

 

[Stressy]

Thanks! I hope you'd approve - both boys have a distinctive waistline.

Dave

Spoken like a good dachshund daddy.

(Not heathpack but a fellow dachshund owner)

 

[DaveNV]

Spoken like a good dachshund daddy.

(Not heathpack but a fellow dachshund owner)

HAHAHA! Then you know exactly what I'm talking about. So easy for them to get overweight, and I won't go there again. (My last Doxie was too fat for his own good.) These guys eat great food in strictly measured portions, and no table scraps. It's working.

Dave

 

[silentg]

Thanks Dave, I like dogs but not an expert on breeds. My DD has a pug. For some reason duchsunds do not like him at all. When we have gone to the dog park they get very upset around her pug. Then we went to a friends house they had a duchsund who did not like the pug at all. Is there a temperament thing or could it be just our Pug that sets them off. bTW he doesn't do anything to provoke them they just don't like him!
Silentg

 

[DaveNV]

Thanks Dave, I like dogs but not an expert on breeds. My DD has a pug. For some reason duchsunds do not like him at all. When we have gone to the dog park they get very upset around her pug. Then we went to a friends house they had a duchsund who did not like the pug at all. Is there a temperament thing or could it be just our Pug that sets them off. bTW he doesn't do anything to provoke them they just don't like him!
Silentg

Pugs are great dogs. That sounds more like a crazy coincidence. Nothing in the breed is predisposed to liking or not liking another breed, even though they were originally bred to hunt badgers, so they can be pretty tenacious. Dachshunds can also be fairly territorial, and they can develop a "pack mentality." So their group is fine, but outsiders aren't necessarily welcome. Great socialization is key.

My two are great friends, and good pets, but they don't see other people enough to understand that strangers aren't necessarily a bad thing. They like to bark when the doorbell rings, and that sort of thing. But once the person is in the house and sitting down, both dogs are in their lap in nothing flat, licking faces and generally being a nuisance. A friendly one, but still a nuisance.

But it's their bark that I am drawn to. For their size, a Dachshund has quite a deep chest, and a VERY loud bark. If you can't see them, and know the dog only weighs fifteen pounds, it sounds like a dog of fifty pounds or more. Two or three out of sight indoors, barking at an intruder, will give any burglar reason to go elsewhere.

Dave

 

[Timeshare Von]

Dave they are beautiful! I'm so happy to hear they are getting along fabulously! Thanks for sharing.

Von

 

[sun&fun]

Happy 2016 to the Doxie boys! They are adorable. I just finished reading "Beyond Words:
What Animals Think and Feel" and have serious dog lust right now. Highly recommend the book for any animal lover.

 

[icydog]

My dog Sparkle, a female Bichon aged 12, loves, loves loves dachshunds. I don't know why, but they are always her best friends in the park. She will do headstands to get near a Doxie!!

I love their sweet- silly personalities. I like the longhairs best too. Your puppy is like the cutest thing I've seen. I hope you all have many, many happy years together. Dog Power RULES!!!!

 

[DaveNV]

Dave they are beautiful! I'm so happy to hear they are getting along fabulously! Thanks for sharing.

Von

Thanks, Von. I'm pretty smitten. (Can you tell? HAHAHA!)

 

[heathpack]

The wire-haired variety resembles a Schnauzer type dog, with the rough broken coat and classic bearded chin.

Dave

This is a pic of my wirehaired mini. Her name is Sally. Sometimes we call her Sally Goatbeard.

She looks very sweet but she just stares us down sometimes. Who are we to tell her what to do?!

 

[heathpack]

Thanks! I hope you'd approve - both boys have a distinctive waistline.

Dave

A dachshund can never be too skinny. I'm always telling clients that they want to go for the sleek racing look.

 

[DaveNV]

Happy 2016 to the Doxie boys! They are adorable. I just finished reading "Beyond Words:
What Animals Think and Feel" and have serious dog lust right now. Highly recommend the book for any animal lover.

I'll look up the book. Thanks!

I know dogs definitely have emotions they express, and it's amazing how they think. Watching how my two interact is a laugh riot. Cody loves to lay next to me on the couch, and resents when Kona gets there first. So when Cody discovers Kona has taken his place, he looks around, finds the current chew toy Kona loves, and proceeds to wrestle with it, chew on it, and throw it around. This, of course, gets Kona's attention, and he runs over to see what's happening with "his" toy. He takes it away from Cody, who lets it go with only a minimum struggle. And while Kona is occupied with the toy, Cody runs over and plops down next to me, looking at me with a smug grin, as if to say, "There! That'll teach him!" It's a hoot, because he does it time and again. Kona falls for it every time, and hasn't figured out he's being played.

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

This is a pic of my wirehaired mini. Her name is Sally. Sometimes we call her Sally Goatbeard.

She looks very sweet but she just stares us down sometimes. Who are we to tell her what to do?!

Great picture! She's a good-looking girl. And that "stare down" is what we call "Dachshund Mind Control." As in "What do you MEAN you don't know exactly what I want??? Do it. NOW!"

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

My dog Sparkle, a female Bichon aged 12, loves, loves loves dachshunds. I don't know why, but they are always her best friends in the park. She will do headstands to get near a Doxie!!

I love their sweet- silly personalities. I like the longhairs best too. Your puppy is like the cutest thing I've seen. I hope you all have many, many happy years together. Dog Power RULES!!!!

Thanks! I love Bichons. Such expressive eyes. More grooming than I prefer, but they sure are pretty dogs.

For reasons I can't explain, I'm drawn more to longhairs than the other two Doxie coat types. I like the looks of wires, but haven't spent much time with them. And I know sweet smooth coats are out there, but it seems every one I've ever met wants to bite me. Someone once told me the origin of the coat type has something to do with personality, too. Longhairs were due to introduction of Irish Setter blood way back when, and brought the goofiness with it. Wirehairs are more terrier-like, so are a tougher kind of dog. Or so the rumors go.

Dave

 

[heathpack]

Thanks! I love Bichons. Such expressive eyes. More grooming than I prefer, but they sure are pretty dogs.

For reasons I can't explain, I'm drawn more to longhairs than the other two Doxie coat types. I like the looks of wires, but haven't spent much time with them. And I know sweet smooth coats are out there, but it seems every one I've ever met wants to bite me. Someone once told me the origin of the coat type has something to do with personality, too. Longhairs were due to introduction of Irish Setter blood way back when, and brought the goofiness with it. Wirehairs are more terrier-like, so are a tougher kind of dog. Or so the rumors go.

Dave

Wirehaired dachshunds definitely have a terrier personality, they have a bit of sass to them. Sally has actually tried to pick a fight with a swarm of bees.

All three doxie coat varieties are just great little dogs. I definitely don't have issues with one coat type trying to bite any more than the others. But I rarely have issues with any dachshunds at all. Maybe it's just because I've worked with hundreds of them over the years. We have figured out how to get along.

 

[heathpack]

Oh and as to the grooming, I have a set of clippers and I do it myself at home. Every now & then, I just shave her very short in all the parts where a Schnauzer is close-trimmed. Then I tidy up the eyebrows, beard and legs with scissors. Takes maybe 15 min every 6-8 weeks.

I have no training in dog grooming but figure if I do a hack job, the hair will grow back eventually, right?

 

[DaveNV]

A dachshund can never be too skinny. I'm always telling clients that they want to go for the sleek racing look.

For as active as my guys are I can't believe they'd have much weight to lose. I have a quarter acre fenced yard, and they use every square foot of it. The favorite game is "Catch me., then I'll catch you!" These guys chase each other all over the place, up and down the yard, under the deck, on the deck, in the bushes, behind the trees - and just when I think they're exhausted, they reverse order, and start all over again with the other one in hot pursuit. It wears me out just watching them.

And don't get me started on their attempts to keep squirrels out of the yard, or those pesky birds! It's like they were sent just to taunt them.

But in the house they're lumps. Well, slower moving lumps, anyway. Love to snuggle and get cuddled, with lots of chin scratches and belly rubs.

It's a rough life for a little dog and his brother...

Dave

 

[Stressy]

Ohhhh...I like Sally too. Very pretty. I'm drawn to Wires. I think it's the beard I like I had a mix as a child that was bearded. I have mini smooths. LOVE the no grooming part. We call them spit shine dachshunds. We do their nails at home. Where else are you going to get a cookie after nail triming? "That's a good dog!" I'd still like a b/t wire though but it might be too much energy for my Seniors. One day.

 

[DaveNV]

Wirehaired dachshunds definitely have a terrier personality, they have a bit of sass to them. Sally has actually tried to pick a fight with a swarm of bees.

All three doxie coat varieties are just great little dogs. I definitely don't have issues with one coat type trying to bite any more than the others. But I rarely have issues with any dachshunds at all. Maybe it's just because I've worked with hundreds of them over the years. We have figured out how to get along.

Bees? Wow! Tough girl!

My exposure to smooth coats is admittedly limited. Because I'm more fond of the longhaireds, I think my opinion is swayed a little.

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

Oh and as to the grooming, I have a set of clippers and I do it myself at home. Every now & then, I just shave her very short in all the parts where a Schnauzer is close-trimmed. Then I tidy up the eyebrows, beard and legs with scissors. Takes maybe 15 min every 6-8 weeks.

I have no training in dog grooming but figure if I do a hack job, the hair will grow back eventually, right?

Yes indeed! And I'll bet Sally looks very smart with a haircut like that. My guys are pretty easily kept, except for the tail. Cody's tail drags the ground when it's fully grown out, so we have to trim it. Kona is just growing into his longer coat, so we'll see what he ends up with.

The best thing about them is that I had both of them neutered. I don't need the aggravation that goes with an intact Dachshund. Talk about tenacious!

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

It's been a few months, but I wanted to share an updated picture of my boys Cody and Kona, the McPaddlefeet brothers. Cody turned three on September 1st, and Kona is 18 months old now. Time sure flies!

Their newest occupation is playing with Kai, the Snowshoe Siamese kitten we adopted about a month ago. At first I was concerned they'd be too rough on the kitten, but Kai is nobody's chew toy - he keeps the dogs firmly in their place, and is training them to be his personal toy. The three of them are getting along great.

Dave

 

[DaveNV]

And here's Kai. He's about five months old.

Dave

 

[heathpack]

That is a good looking bunch!

Beautiful blue eyes on Kai.

 

[DaveNV]

That is a good looking bunch!

Beautiful blue eyes on Kai.

Thanks! They make a fine trio.

We had two cats we'd adopted back in 2002, a brother and sister kitten pair who had claimed us during a spontaneous local pet rescue adoption visit. We gave them a fine life for thirteen years, but sadly, they passed within a month of each other last year, shortly after Kona came to be with us. (One had a severe stroke and had to be put to sleep, and the other had an undiagnosed thyroid condition that left us no choice but to put her down, too. Very tough time for us.)

We waited over a year, till we were sure it was time to adopt a new kitten, and then the hunt began. We discovered Kai at a cat rescue group in Seattle, when he was posted on their website. (We're both firm believers in adopting rescue animals, and in spay/neuter programs. All three of our animals are neutered.)

We drove the 75 miles to Seattle early on a Saturday morning, and stood first in line for more than two hours at the rescue group's doorway, waiting till they opened for adoptions. During the wait, Kai repeatedly came to the screen door and made friends with us through the screen. When they opened for adoptions, we had first pick - he was our only choice, and we adopted him. The dozen people behind us in line were a bit upset, since they'd come for him as well, but we knew Kai would be the first kitten adopted that day. And we knew he was meant to be ours.

He's an amazing kitten, extremely self-confident and interactive, and we couldn't be happier. Cody and Kona were a bit unsure of everything for the first several days, but once they figured out the cat wasn't leaving, they settled down, and now everybody is good friends with everybody else. It's a good thing. If the forces of nature come together, I hope I may be able to get a decent picture of them sleeping in a heap sometime.

Dave