Dog / Pet Insurance  Dog and pet insurance plans cover costs such as: - veterinary (vet) fees in the event of your dogs illness or accident
- third party liability if you dog causes injury
- funds to for advertising and reward in the event of loss
- compensation for death from injury or illness
- holiday cancellation cover
The price you pay depends on where you live, breed of dog, age of dog, illness duration covered, agression history, business use, etc. A rough guide to what insurance companies charge can be obtained from online pet insurance sites such as PetPlan, Morethan and DirectLine, usually online quoted rates are around the £ 10 - 20 a month mark which is cheap when compared to the cost of a veterinary operation. Cover provides reassuring peace of mind that your dog will be cared for and you need never be faced with making difficult decisions based on cost. You will need to keep you pet vaccinated and wormed. If you plan to breed your dog then do check whether these expences are covered by the policy, and do get your puppies onto a policy as soon as posible.
Grooming the wirehair Coat A miniature dachshund's wirehair needs regular grooming to clean the coat and skin, and remove lose hair. Miniature dachshund wirehair doesn't shed seasonally, because the wirehair remains in place after the hair has died. This is good news for the carpet but every 3 to 4 months it needs to be "stripped". Stripping can be quick and easy using clippers or a skilled process if done by hand. The more time and effort you put into your miniature dachshund's coat the better and longer it keeps it's looks! Methods - Clipping
- Stripping Comb
- Hand Stripping
- Clipping Wirehair
Clipping is possibly the least desirable way to groom your wirehaired dachshund, but the quickest (approx 20 mins). It rarely gives a clean finish to the coat and the reasons are to do with the way dog hair grows. Dog wirehair grows from the inner skin layer and out through follicles in the protective outer layer. Each hair follicle has a primary or guard hair that makes up the outer wire coat, and several softer secondary or accessory hairs that make up the under coat. Clipping removes the bulk of the dead hair but leaves the thin dead hair base in place. This detracts from the appearance of the coat. The tops of young hairs may be removed and this is a problem for coats with multi colored hairs. - Stripping Comb
The use of stripping comb to remove the old wirehair coat of a small dog is relatively quick (approx 90 mins) and straight forward, but has the disadvantage of breaking many new hairs in the process. The stripping knife or comb has a small handle and a small thick serrated blade or a guarded razor blade. The hair is grasped by the thumb against the blade and pulled with a twisting motion. The dead hair comes out and the live hair is trimmed. With small dogs such as the mini wire it is important to only grasp a little hair! Some wire coats have different colors along the hair, Bonnie's coat is made up of mostly black tipped white then brown hair and this gives her a silvery appearance. A stripping comb will break off the black hair tips and alter the coat's natural appearance. - Hand Plucking
Many grooming guides don't really tell you the truth about the effort required to get a wire coat to looking great and it is only achieved with a hand strip. This is definitely not enjoyed by the dog for a start, and will feel difficult for you the first three or four times. After that you both get more used to it and it gets a whole lot easier once your dog isn't searching for an escape route every few seconds. Hand stripping wirehair brings out the clean sheen of a dachshund wire coat and the clean body line. It is worth the time it takes to do it (approx. 4 x 60 mins.). There are several techniques, the quickest is to firmly pinch a small amount of long/dead hair between thumb and finger and pull it quickly with the direction of the hair, TIP: use a good pair of Marigold gloves then it is much easier for your dog and you! start at the head and move towards the tail. Hold your dog in your lap and under one arm. At first do several short sessions to get your dog used to the procedure and make sure you win a struggle. If you accidently pull too much hair it can cause your dog to yelp, but carry on with smaller amounts of hair. We have noticed that Bonnie is more sensitive the first time each individual hair is stripped, even now occasionally we find long hairs which are sensitive and haven't been stripped before. Generally though she can relax and stand or lay facing outward on my lap. A slower method to get your dog used to being stripped, is to hold a line of hair between two fingers like a hair-dresser would, and quickly pluck the longest hairs out of the line. To completely strip Bonnie takes about a week because we have whole day breaks which she prefers. I think her skin gets a little sore if stripping is done in one go.
N.B. Remember to keeping some feathering on the back of your dogs legs. Comb hair to the side and cut to a finger width.
If a coat needs just a tidy up you can also use a stripping comb to comb the coat. Some people use talcum powder or rubber gloves to improve grip on the coat. Wash your dog after stripping is finished to clean the coat. Eye Brows The eyebrows of a wirehaired dachshund can grow rather long. To cut them comb them forward, from the center of the head and with a pair of scissors carefully cut straight across. Aim to leave about an inch of eyebrow. Pluck between the eyebrows and top of the nose to improve appearance.
Nails If nails get too long they can break and affect the nail bed. Bonnie signals that her nails are getting long by incessantly biting them. Most of Bonnie's nails get worn down naturally but the nail that grows in our index finger position seems to grow very quickly. The tip grows to an extended narrow point and despite it being black, so you can't see the quick, it is obviously too long. Another test for length is to have Bonnie stand an a flat floor and if any nails touch the surface they are too long. If her nails were white then the pink quick could be seen and avoided, but they are dark and so rather than use a vet. the obvious excess gets regularly trimmed (including the dew claw which grows in a circle). The best tool for trimming is the enclosed double bladed nail clippers that are especially made for pets. Scissors are not only dangerous - because sharp points and reluctant pets don't mix - but also bad at the job because nails are tough SOB's.
Toilet training There are many methods advocated for toilet training a puppy. Our favored method was found on the net two years ago after a difficult time was had with the newspaper method. Bracken didn't like the paper, it's sound, feel and especially being picked up and moved to it mid squat. We assumed Bo would also dislike the method. The method that worked like a dream was: - First - being there because mini wire dachshunds are not solitary dogs and need company.
- Keep the little one in a closed basket when play or activity is finished.
- Each time the basket is opened go strait outside and wait up to 15 mins for the pup to toilet, then do an activity indoors before putting the pup in the basket to sleep.
- Following meals when pressure might increase on the bowls, go outside with the pup for up to 15 minutes.
The aim of the method is to get the puppy use to toileting outside. Dogs rarely go in their sleeping area and they get used to going outside, plus you avoid accidents that can scent the floor and encourage a habit to form later. The method only took a week to learn and Bo was happy to sleep and be put in her (cat) basket. Sure there were re-lapses, but re-educating again with this method took only one or two toilet sessions. Miniature dachshunds have small bladders and an occasional accident is inevitable, so never punish or get angry, simply put the dog outside for a few minutes while you cool down and clean up, then return to the basket method, putting the dog away after some play. The basket shouldn't become associated with punishment, but rest and safety. If you drag your dog to the accident spot and scold or rub its nose in the mess your dog can't link the process of going to the toilet, the mess, and your behavior - even 30 seconds later. If your dachshund is severely punished this can lead to "submissive urination" and cowering, which can be a very difficult problem to solve. The aim must be to educate the dog and not to relieve anger or frustration through punishment. A carpet cleaning spray will clean and de-scent a carpet. If you catch you miniature dachshund about to go indoors, a sharp hand clap and "No!" should do the trick. Some male dogs may always have a tendency to cock a leg on furniture. Castration is not a sure solution, but your vet can advise. Bitches in our experience like to sneak off and empty their bladder at night, while you sleep. Bo in a month sleeps 80/20 - basket/bed, we can judge when a puddle is due depending on whether she goes during the night-time walk. And there is the real solution, a routine where your dog understands an opportunity to go in it's favorite place (outside) is not too far away.
Milk Teeth Teething begins at about the second week with the milk teeth. At about 4 months, adult or permanent teeth begin growing. In many small dogs such as the mini dach the milk teeth roots are large and often won't show signs of falling out. In which case it is important to have them removed. If the milk teeth aren't removed they will force the permanent teeth out of position and affect your dogs bite. Bo didn't lose her milk teeth and we failed to have them removed through our ignorance, so her bottom molars don't create a sissor bite but nestle on the top gums. Not only that, the two top molars abut and encourage tartar build up. Advise to get pet insurance to cover dental work or operations.
Pond and Water Safety You often hear of dogs drowning after falling through frozen ice. Sadly - heart-breakingly - miniature dachshund's are in great danger around normal, small, shallow ponds. We've had to rescue Bo several times struggling in a neighbour's pond and recently we heard a story where a mini wire was not so lucky and the owner is still distressed about it several years on. The difficulty miniature dachshund's have once in the water is that their front legs are too short to reach onto the pond bank (often a slab). They simply cannot get the grip they need to pull or lever themselves out. Add to this their height and it takes only a shallow pool for them to be out of their depth and having to swim to keep afloat. We haven't seen advice elsewhere about this danger to dachshund's but know it is lesson individuals are having to learn at a high cost to their dachshund and their own hearts. When seen it is frightening how quickly they are rendered helpless. Cover or fence ponds, and provide ramps should access be gained. Don't count on your miniature dachshund learning it's lesson, they are about as pond wise as they are street wise. |