[Lali07]

Hi there,

We live in DB and are considering getting a Miniature Dachshund... At this stage we're just weighing up the pro's and con's..

We love dogs and want to make sure we're making the right decision, considering we live in a flat, and go away every few months for a few days each time.

We'd like to hear from other dog owners, things like:

- How does your dog feel being left home alone while you go to work, shop etc? Do you leave the aircon on all the time to keep her comfortable? What if she needs to poop while you're out? How long would you leave her alone for during the day?

- When we go away, we'd leave the dog at a boarding place like DB Dog Dayz, but what if its a little dog and gets picked on by bigger dogs?

- Is it expensive caring for a dog here i.e. food, vet etc?

Obviously its do-able considering so many people have dogs in HK, we just want to weigh up whether we can do it too.

Thanks in advance for any advice or exeriences you can share...

Cheers, Lali

PS If anyone knows of where we could get a Miniature Dachshund (Miniature because we live in a flat) please let me know. We've looked at the rescue centres no luck, just bigger dogs... We don't mind if its a puppy or older dog...

[hello_there]

Originally Posted by Lali07

Hi there,

We live in DB and are considering getting a Miniature Dachshund... At this stage we're just weighing up the pro's and con's..

We love dogs and want to make sure we're making the right decision, considering we live in a flat, and go away every few months for a few days each time.

We'd like to hear from other dog owners, things like:

- How does your dog feel being left home alone while you go to work, shop etc? Do you leave the aircon on all the time to keep her comfortable? What if she needs to poop while you're out? How long would you leave her alone for during the day?

In the summer, definitely need the aircon on for the dog. You can paper train a dog so that they can use the toilet indoors while you are gone if necessary. Basically its like teaching a dog to use something similar to a litterbox. A puppy will have to go to the toilet every few hours. It will be difficult to successfully housebreak if you are not home to take the dog out every few hours. Older dogs can go 6-8 hours without needing to use the toilet. Generally, smaller breeds need to go out more often. Toilet needs aside, puppies can get bored and destructive if you leave them alone too long. Some people crate train to avoid the destruction, but the pup will still be lonely and bored if left in there too long, and behaviour problems can result.

- When we go away, we'd leave the dog at a boarding place like DB Dog Dayz, but what if its a little dog and gets picked on by bigger dogs?

Find a boarding place that monitors the dogs to prevent this. I think that DB Dog Dayz carefully monitors the interaction between their dogs, and checks that a new dog fits in before accepting it. Other kennels keep dogs separated in separate kennels and minimizes interaction between dogs .

- Is it expensive caring for a dog here i.e. food, vet etc?
Food isn't too expensive. Vet care can get very expensive if you have an illness or injury. Routine shots should also be factored in. There is another post on here detailing approximate costs for keeping a dog in HK.

Obviously its do-able considering so many people have dogs in HK, we just want to weigh up whether we can do it too.

Thanks in advance for any advice or exeriences you can share...

Mini dachshunds, despite their size, need considerable exercise to keep them fit and happy (at least two half hour walks per day).

Cheers, Lali

PS If anyone knows of where we could get a Miniature Dachshund (Miniature because we live in a flat) please let me know. We've looked at the rescue centres no luck, just bigger dogs... We don't mind if its a puppy or older dog...
Hong Kong Dog Rescue gets mini-dachshunds pretty regularly (have homed 5 or so of this breed this year already). Give them a call and they should be able to let you know if one comes in.

See above.

[hello_there]

If interested, a lovely one year old mini dachshund girl has become available through Hong Kong Dog Rescue.

www.bravenet.com

[Lali07]

Thanks for your replies...

We're just waiting to hear back from HKDR to see if we can meet the little dachshund...

[Lali07]

We're now the proud owners of the little sausage dog from HKDR.. She's such a sweet girl.

Are there any other dachshund owners on geoexpat? We'd love to hear from you, we've never owned a dachshund before and I'd be keen to ask you a couple of things.

Thanks

[luxelush]

Hi Lali,

Good to hear you found your little darling. Congrats!
HK dog rescue is great.

I'm not on DB but in Central there's a very popular dog street called Princes Terrace. A nice little cafe there called Lavande makes for a lovely weekend brunch, and there's dogs a-plenty for your bebe to play with.
I've seen a few dachshunds and there's a lot of other small dogs as well as some lovely gentle giants too.

Also, when we go out of town we have our helper or a friend stay at the flat so our pup doesn't feel so displaced.

We have in the past placed her in very good kennels; Ferndale. They were truly excellent, and sent us emails letting us know how out pup was doing, and which staff members she liked etc.

Having said that, she was still very uncomfy at the kennels- all shy and quiet and she took a few days to bounce back to normal on return.

On the weekends a great thing to do is catch a slow ferry out to Cheung Chau- hire a tri-bike and get the dog to run along. She can sit in the back when she needs a rest and run when she likes.
I swear, when we take our dog her bum won't stop waggling all day- she loves it.

All the best!

[Lali07]

Thanks Luxelush,

Yeah maybe we'll take the little bebe there - she likes other small dogs but is a bit wary of doggies bigger than her (understandably hehe)...

I don't like the idea of leaving her at all yet, but I was looking at Ferndale's website and it looks good. If we go away I'll probably board her there.

Cheers,

Lali

[BettyInToronto]

Glad you were able to adpot Soya.

We are the proud owners of a 6-month old miniature dachshund named Missy. She is red too but a long hair.

dailydoxie.com - Free daily dachshund pictures / doxie pictures and dachshund resources

It hasn't been updated lately as she is now older and MUCH BIGGER. I have to get more recent pictures from hubby as his Mother in Taikoo Sing keeps asking for new ones.

We will be moving to HK in about 4 years once our house is paid for here. We are using it to fund our retirement. We are looking at buying a Village House in one of the villages outside of Mui Wo so we won't be far from you in DB.

We are visiting HK in September to do more research and for my husband to get his HKID card. We will spend one week in Mui Wo at Silvermine Beach Hotel and then the other 2 weeks in CWB.

Maybe we can meet up? We are planning to do the walk/hike from Mui Wo to DB as I want to visit DB as we've never been there.

Where are you originally from?

[kadler]

Having a dog in Hong Kong is pretty easy, as long as you have enough time to spend with it. Little dogs (like mini dachsunds) don't need two walks a day - maybe one for 20 min or so, as well as a few potty trips (more when they're younger, fewer when they get older). My dog is almost 3 and he only needs to go out 3 or 4 times a day.

During the day, when people aren't around, it's my impression that dogs just tend to sleep, so going away to work wouldn't be a problem, as long as he or she is crated properly (or knows how to behave himself in the apartment). And when you travel, there are plenty of dog-sitting options available. As long as you choose a reputable one (feel free to ask for references), they should watch over your dog to make sure he/she isn't getting picked on.

Mainly, do make sure to check out Hong Kong Dog Rescue before going to a breeder - there are so many wonderful dogs that would love homes.

Hope this helps!

[Miss P]

Re the mini dachshund - glad someone could direct you to the rescue people.Good work .Now I am going to make myself unpopular because my message is that HK dogs on the whole come from a very very small gene pool or puppy farmers and you are way better off importing from a Western country if you want a healthy animal .However most reputable breeders won't send/sell dogs to HK because of the appalling track record of this throwaway society here and the awful way some HKers treat their dogs - some I mean.i am a dog owner and was involved in dog showing before in my home country and I had trouble convincing folks back home to let me have a dog from them - and they know me ! So rescue is an obvious solution but make sure you have the resources,patience ,commitment and funds for the problems which can and will arise.And please don't buy from a pet shop!