Hello

I wonder if I may ask for some advice please?

My husband and I and our seven year old would love another dog after sadly losing our beloved Labrador a few years ago.  I have always loved Dachshunds particularly the Mini Wire Haired.  We now live in a flat and we can't decide whether we would be better opting for a standard wire haired dachshund or a mini wire haired dachshund.  I would like to know if both are good with families and around children and if both can live in an appartment.  Also do they moult/shed a lot?  Is there much difference temperament wise between dogs and bitches?

I would dearly love to hear from owners of both as I read differing info on different breed info sites so am getting somewhat confused?

Thank you so much for any help.

I can't answer your questions I'm sorry,  but feel I must ask you one.

Regarding your living in a flat,  do you have stairs to navigate to go outside?

This could be a problem with both the mini and the standard Dachshund as their legs are so short,  stairs can put a bigger strain on their backs.    Of course,  if you don't have stairs to navigate,  then it won't be a concern ;-)

Being rough-haired, they would need stripping to retain their lovely coats, but that can be learned and it can be very rewarding to keep your dog's coat looking as it should :-)

If stairs are an issue then a Mini would be more easily carried up and down to avoid back damage.

Thank you for the advice I know that they can suffer with back problems but we are in a ground floor flat so there are no stairs.

Personally I love the standard wires. 

Compared to the standard longs which often seem to be very large, like an Irish setter with short legs, the standard wires appear to be more a compact working size. 

My preference would be for the standard, but I like medium size breeds, with poor eyesight I don't do little.

Just wanted to say make sure you choose a breeder who tests for Laforas as well as PRA if you decide on a miniature wire. 

As an owner of a mini smooth haired who lives in a ground floor flat I can honestly say we have no problems with her living in an apartment. I do love the wire hairs though, they're so cheeky. But a standard wire haired would definitely be my choice over a mini wire haired.

Standard for me too :-)

Standard here also, minis are too mini for me had one visit us recently & kept loosing it under kitchen units & sofas!

Hi just curious but why standard over mini is it just the size issue or are there temperament differences?  Also is there any preference with wires over dogs or bitches?
Thank you

I looked after a friend's dogs last week for a few days -4 Papillons and 3 Mini Longcoat Dachshunds. The Dachshunds weren't much bigger than the Papillons, so very much toydog size. The Standards I remember from home in Sweden (where Dachshunds are a VERY popular breed but come in 3 sizes, not just two) were very much working dogs mainly kept for practical work (i.e. hunting) -and so much bigger.

I had a mini-wire (Muffin) 26 years ago and we all loved him dearly. He adored my daughter, who was 4 yrs old when we got him. He lived with 2 GSD'S and was a wonderful little dog. He could walk for miles, and didn't suffer from any health problems at all. He was monorchid, I had him castrated when he was around 2 yrs old. I would recommend the breed to anyone.