Hello we are going to pick our standard wire haired dachshund puppy in a couple of weeks and I am not sure whether to go for a dog or a bitch.  We have never had a Dachshund before but have always had females in the past.  I am not sure if there is a difference in temperament and would be grateful for some advice.  For example is one or the other more affectionate etc?

Secondly as we plan to crate train our puppy can anyone please recommend the right size crate and where would be good to get one from?

Thank you

The Savic dog residence is a very good product (we have several now), at a good price on Amazon.

I would say get one about 50% bigger than the adult dog will be long.

The breed-specific questions I can't answer.

I'd say that your breeder ought to be the first port of call for questions like this.  Although there are clearly differences in temperament between dogs and bitches of a particular breed, some of it can be family specific and you'd need to be talk to your breeder and/or stud dog owner about dad and granddad or mum and grandma to get a feel for the differences with this particular mating.

When you went onto the waiting list for a puppy which sex did you book?  Usually a breeder will have allocated sex quite early on in the discussion.  IF you are still able to choose at this late stage it is quite unusual so perhaps just take a little extra time to reassure yourself that your breeder is a good one.  There are a number of things to be cautious about so do come back and ask more questions if you need to but red flags would be multiple breeds from the same breeder, very regular production of puppies, reduced prices for no KC documentation, breeder owns both parents.  Others might include the address of the breeder (hard to explain without sounding overly judgmental but some counties have more than their fair share of puppy farms), breeder not asking you enough questions or telling you can have a boy AND a girl from the same litter.

The breeder should be able to advise you about the best crate size too but I agree, Savic are excellent and certainly my preferred brand :)  I've bought several different sizes on eBay...

Good luck - I love wire haired breeds myself and always like the look of whiskery chops!!  That said, another thing to look at and discuss with your breeder is coat development and coat care.  I think your breed is hand stripped (like my wire haired Vizsla) so do get some tips from the breeder and start acclimatising your puppy to this from day one.  

Hi Thank you so much for your advice.  I hadn't thought to ask about the coat development that is something I will flag.  This breeder is definitely 100% above board I have absolutely no doubt in my mind.  I have spoken to owners of male and female wires and the owner of the male said get a male and the owner of the female said get a female.  I met one lady who has only had wires and is now on for number 5 and she said definitely get a girl but I really need to know if there are any differences for example having never had a male dog before do males cock their legs and pee all the time, do they scent around the home, are they more friendly or more prone to get Into a fight.  These are the things I would like to find out but ultimately I think we will be able to tell more when we go to see the litter.