Dachshund Puppies: A Buyers Guide

Whether you’re new to owning dogs or you’ve been doing it for years, dachshund puppies require a little research before one joins your family. More so than the usual commitment of getting a dog, there are a lot of things to consider with this breed specifically.

That’s why we put together this buyers guide; with enough stats and advice to make sure you’re making the right choice, and enough pictures of the dogs to remind you that you probably are.

What Dachshund Puppies Look Like

Just one look at them will instantly tell you why they’re commonly referred to as a wiener or sausage dog. Their stumpy legs mean they have a very low body, and even when fully grown won’t be much taller than 9 inches in height. This, combined with their Dumbo-like giant ears make them a very likeable dog. Below, we’ve collected a few images to show you what we mean.

Scroll through the images to see more and click to expand.

"Puppies For Sale" - Finding The Best Website To Buy Them From

Many websites sell dogs, but when you’re buying something like an animal, you want to make sure you’re going to the right place.

To best understand the average cost of the breed across the United Kingdom, we looked at five websites that ranked high for dachshund puppy sale searches. We tallied up the number of dachshund puppies for sale that were listed, at the time of writing, for different pay brackets. Below, you can find the data we collated:

Which Site Charges The Most?

As the data above shows, there are definitely sites that are better suited to different budgets. For example, if you have a budget of £400, then Newsnow will likely be your best bet.

However, if you have more money to spend, then Gumtree might be a better option as they have, on average, a bigger selection of dogs in the £2,000+ price range.

What's The Average Cost Across Those Sites?

Ignoring the specific websites and just extracting the prices of the dachshund puppies from them, you can easily see what the average price is for one. If your budget doesn’t reach beyond £800, then you may still have luck at below the £400 mark.

Nevertheless, there are definitely cheaper dogs on the market; remember a lower price tag doesn’t equal a worse dog, either. A pet that a friend gives you for free could be just as capable as loving you as a dog which costs five figures.

About Their Personality

For this section, we researched everything from dog forums to interviews with competitive breeders. This will provide additional information to support a rating out of five, which we have taken from Pets4Homes; with years in the industry, we trust their research and ratings completely.

Easy to train?

2/5

The ability (and patience) of the trainer will always play a significant role in a dogs acceptance of training. Some dogs are just more perceptive to it, however. In the case of this puppy, there have been many reports of them being slow to take things on board and challenging to train. This may only be an issue for owners looking to go competitive with their canine.

Good with kids?

2/5

One of the most important factors when considering a family dog. A score of 2/5 means that they may need supervision initially, but have a decent temperament to put up with children over time – they just may have less patience when it comes to being yanked around. However, it goes both ways; kids need to know how to behave around dogs. With energy on par with Yorkshire terriers, they’re definitely ready for hours of play though!

Intelligent?

3/5

Scoring 3/5 puts the dachshund breed at around the average level of intelligence, which ties into their previous ease of training rating. Brains aren’t always deciding factors when choosing a dog, so it’s up to the owners to decide how important this is.

Tolerates being alone?

3/5

Good news for anyone that spends time away from the home for whatever reason. We still wouldn’t recommend that you leave a dog for more than 24 hours in their new home, but these can easily get on without supervision during working hours. This is a contrast to miniature dachshund puppies, as they are notoriously bad at being left alone.

The 'Need To Knows'

Similar to the section above, we have combined our deep research with the ranking factors used at Pets4Homes to provide a thorough look at the important considerations when becoming new owners of dachshund dogs or puppies.

Shedding rate

2/5

All dogs naturally shed their hair, as any dog owners will attest to. Dachshunds are definitely on the low end of that scale though, partly due to their size (there’s just less hair to lose). A score of 2/5 makes these dogs a great choice for people that want to keep their house looking nice and not covered floor to ceiling in fur.

Cost of keeping

3/5

At 3/5, these will cost you around the average price of any dog to keep. In arriving at this number, everything from getting them wormed and pet insurance to collars and leads are considered with the specific breed in mind.

Healthiness

4/5

The most important section here is thankfully also the one that they score highest on. Some breeds inherently have to deal with more health issues than others, or at least a higher chance of developing an issue. For example, the cocker spaniel is considered one of the most at-risk dogs around due to things like orthopaedic issues, epilepsy and heart/live diseases.

While not immortal, dachshund dogs do have a much smaller rate of major issues, which is why they score so highly in this section. Owners sometimes report back issues, but these can be subsided by an aware owner – see the section below for more information.

22cm

Avg. height

14 years

Avg. lifespan

10.5kg

Avg. weight

10+

Nicknames

We have also collected the stats above to give you a quick breakdown of what to expect when it comes to elements like weight and lifespan; important things to consider when getting a new dog.

Advice For Owners

Reddit is home to many communities and there are plenty of spaces available for dog owners to discuss news, ask questions, share pictures and more. For this section, we went straight to the source and looked at some of the best tips we found from the community and actual dachshund owners.

“Don’t let him/her jump up and down too much. Notorious back problems that can be expensive to fix! Otherwise all the snuggles!” – Tiffytrox, source.

“Watch the weight, they are walking appetites and being overweight will also cause back trouble.” – Nagrd, source.

“Always check all blanket piles before moving or sitting on them. Good chance he/she will be burrowed in it. Stuffed toys (ESPECIALLY one with squeakers) will meet their demise in minutes. Get unstuffed ones.” – Taylor-Santine, source.

“Brush their teeth every day if possible. Being a purebred makes the likelihood of their teeth rotting out of their face much greater. And it’s not fun to bring your baby to the vet to get their teeth pulled.” – Uhmmnoreally, source.

“Warning! Excitement may lead to urination. Especially in females. This can be brought on by meeting a new person, seeing you after work, setting you for the first time in five minutes, something like that. Don’t get overexcited for a few minutes and they’ll usually find a way to abate the urge.” – MightBeAProblem, source.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main differences between a miniature dachshund and a non-miniature?

As the name implies, miniature dachshunds are smaller compared to the main breed type. While the standard dachshund will often weigh around 10.5kg and reach heights of around 22cm, their miniature version will weigh less than half that amount and rarely grow much taller than 18cm. This may be due to the fact that the standard breed was used to hunt badgers, whereas the smaller breed was used to hunt smaller prey like rabbits.

Are dachshunds long-haired?

Standard dachshunds don’t traditionally have long hair, which is partly why they scored low in the ‘shedding rate’ category previously. However, there are variations of the breed that do have an elegant, flowing coat – appropriately called ‘long-haired dachshunds’.

This long-haired coat variety can even be found in miniature dachshunds, so you can take your pick.

Does the breed come in other colours besides black and tan?

They come in many colours, with some naturally rarer than others. The most common shades, according to our research are black and tan, black and cream, grey, chocolate and tan, red and even lilac.

How do they adapt to a new home that already has family pets?

It may take some time and training, but there are dachshunds that live with other dogs all over the planet – it can be done. Their natural independence helps, although it may come down to the dog’s unique attitude as to whether they’ll gel well with other dogs in your family home. If they’re particularly jealous then they may be less into the idea than if they were frequently lonely and possibly longing for a friend.

In terms of the other breeds that may mix well with them, they prefer smaller dogs; Yorkshire terriers, pugs, Jack Russell’s and small Cocker Spaniel’s could be good picks, then.

Would you recommend getting them microchipped?

Yes, as not only would we recommend it for any and all dog breeds, it is now also a legal requirement for all dogs over eight weeks old in England and Wales to be microchipped (source).

What are some of the most popular types of dachshund puppies?

The traditional miniature smooth haired dachshunds are what you may imagine when picturing the breed, but variations like the silver dapple and wire haired dachshund puppies are still frequent on sites like Gumtree and The Kennel Club.

Should I be concerned about PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) in dachshunds?

Found in dogs, cats and even humans, PRA is a term used for the degradation of the retina which affects the membrane at the back of the eye. Unfortunately, Cord1-PRA is particularly common with the dachshund breed. Tests are easy enough to get though, and only require a sample of their blood or dewclaw to get results.

Closing Thoughts

We hope this guide has helped you make your decision. A lot of effort was put into making sure this guide was for everyone, whether you’re an experienced dog trainer from Staffordshire or a family of new owners from Kent. Introducing new dogs & puppies into your family home can be an amazing time and you’ll want to make sure you’re prepared. Luckily, we can help even more.

We sell everything from dog kennels and dog runs, to beds and bowls. If you need any help with orders or have any questions at all about owning a dog, our customer service team will be more than happy to help; with a five-star rating on Trustpilot and decades of dog-owning experience between us, we know we can assist you.

You can either call us at 0127 035 0206 or email us at sales@kennelstore.co.uk and we’ll get to you as soon as possible!