How to Breed Dachshund Dogs

If you are looking for information on how to breed Dachshund dogs, I did a research and came up with important facts about breeding dachshund dogs. If you want to be a good breeder of dachshund dogs, you should know the background and the characteristics of this dog breed. I would like to begin by a quick summary of the characteristics of dachshund dogs. This will help you know the preferred features of the dachshund dog breed.

The dachshund dog breed was initially bred in Germany as a hunting dog for small game. This was in the 16^th century. The breed became very effective for hunting rabbits and small prey like squirrels. Their aggressive nature could be attributed to their hunting ancestry.

They have a relatively longer lifespan compared to the other large breeds of dogs and have been known to live for 10 to 15 years. Unlike the giant dog breeds that have a shorter life span most of the small breed dogs will have a long life. This is possibly due to their low predisposition to serious canine hereditary diseases seen in the biggest dogs.

Dachshund is a small breed dog that can either be the short haired or the wirehaired dachshund variety. This dog breed is characterized by a long body that is the most distinguishing feature of this breed. The tail is not long and is accompanied by short legs. The head of a dachshund dog breed is elongated and has conspicuously protruding eyes.

The short haired dachshund variety is characterized by a short thinned haired that produces a sleek shiny coat appearance. The standard height and weight of this breed is 20 to 27 cm and 9 to 10 pounds respectively. The weight and the height may however be slightly less than the standard dachshund breed measurements.

Dachshund colors are black and brown as the most common colors but other colors include ; tanned brown with traces of deep red, light colors like golden and cream are also seen in mixed bred dachshunds.

On their temperament, dachshunds are very clever and affectionate dogs do not auger well with kids since they have unpredictable aggression behavior. The other limitation of this breed is they can be hard to train. Unlike other dogs that are easy to train, dachshund will require an assertive owner who will play the role of a pack leader since they can easily take up the role. Although they are not easy to train, they can be trained with available positive reinforcement dog training methods.

Another serious problem you might encounter in dachshunds is separation anxiety. Dachshunds can damage furniture and other household items when left alone in the house due to anxiety. Their nature of being affectionate to the owner makes dachshunds suffer serious separation anxiety when left alone in the house.

Personally my experience with dachshund is terrible, I realized they don’t tolerate strangers and can easily bite and bark at them. This aggressive behavior may also be seen when the dog is left with children they have not interacted with before. So it’s important that you introduce your visitors to avert this aggressive, growling and biting behavior. I also realized that dachshund can be very possessive of their owner and can have serious behavior problems when separated from the owner

I have seen this before; dachshunds are seriously predisposed to increase in weight that poses cardiac health risk. If you have not seen an obese dog, you will probably come across an obese dachshund some day! Dachshunds live comfortably with owners who live in apartment’s lifestyle and therefore don’t have enough space for movement or activity. They gradually develop laziness that leads to increased weight gain. You should walk your dachshund regularly to avoid weight gain.

Dachshund dogs are also predisposed to mast cell tumors and spinal disc prolapse, if you notice the dog having an abnormal gait; you should contact your local veterinarian for examination and advice.

If you are a new breeder to dachshund you probably have understood some background information about this breed. If you want to breed dachshunds properly you should follow the following steps:

Before Breeding Dachshund Dogs

• Begin with Dachshund Reproduction Research

Get to know the background information about this breed. I just provided a quick overview of the breed you should understand particular facts about the reproductive information of dachshund breed and some factors that revolve around dachshund mating, insemination, pregnancy and giving birth.

• Create Contacts with Dachshund Breeders

Dog breeding business is a long confusing maze that might easily confuse you, by talking to people who have bred dachshunds before you can weigh your options and create expectations. You should make efforts to contact dachshund breeders in your local area. You can go to dog shows or local kennel club to find out breeders who specialize in breeding dachshund dogs. If you are in the US or UK you can enroll to Dachshund Club of America or Dachshund Club of UK respectively.

• Buy your Breeding ‘Parents’ Dogs

Considering you have established good contacts with the dachshund breeders, you can either buy a male or a female dachshund dog. The easiest way that is cost effective is getting a female dachshund and you look for a male dachshund stud from a reputable breeder.

• Always involve your Veterinarian in Breeding Dachshund.

If you want to breed puppies that are healthy and in good body condition, advice from a vet who has good experience of breeding dachshunds will be inevitable. You can look for such a vet or request experience breeders to guide you in your dachshund breeding endeavors.

• The Female Parent

Your vet should assess the health condition of your dachshund female before breeding. You should be guided on when the dog will come on heat and the general cycle of the breeding dog. You can read ithere. A healthy parent is a requirement for you to produce healthy puppies.

You should also consider assessing the breed characteristics of the dachshund female to see if they certify the required breed standards. You should never overlook this!

• Mating

When your female dachshund is on heat you should take the dog to the stud male and allow them to mate for 1 to 2 days. My personal experience leaving the male and the female for 4 days is the best way since it’s very hard to predict the exact time of ovulation unless you are keen to see proestrus breeding and you understand the dog breeding cycle very well.

• My Opinion: Practically what works for me is to have them stay there for 4 to 5 days. This is disputable if you can be able to detect heat and precise ovulation time using techniques like Vagina Cytology of the female dachshund.

• Whelping

When the dog is near term you should prepare the necessary warm place that you will keep the puppies. You should watch the dog for signs of delayed labor and associated parturition problems. A vet or and experienced breeder should guide you on what is necessary to prepare before the time for giving birth.

• Puppy Care

After giving birth you should place the puppies in a warm place and allow them to suckle for them to develop to healthy puppies. Usually the first 12 hours are important in the life of these puppies and they should therefore be allowed to suckle for them to acquire the maternal antibodies. A vet should assess them for any health problems and vaccinate them accordingly. Certified as good, healthy, vaccinated and pure breed dachshund puppies they are now ready for sale after a few months.

You can read my guide on How to Sell Puppies, to get more ideas on where and how you can begin selling the dachshund puppies you have just bred.