anyone know about daschund / daschund cross?

[learntojive]

We had a bad experience last year with a spaniel (some of you may remember advising me - we had to take him back in the end) and an agressive retriever before that We're gonna try again, we love dogs and can give a lovely home, surely we can't get it wrong 3 times?
We went back to the dogs trust last week and found a smashing little cross which has a long body and short legs (although not really exagerated like some of the daschunds) Because he was just found wandering around they haven't a clue about his parentage, they said he certainly does have daschund in him but apart from that they can't tell.
I don't know anything about this breed, it certainly isn't a dog I'd have chosen but we fell in love with him.
I just would like some advise on them from someone who knows them if possible. I have been reading about potential back problems which may be cause for concern as we want a dog that we can take on long walks and we have 2 children (11 and 13 - so not tots) They think he's about 10 weeks old, will he keep the proportions he's got now or is there a chance his body will get longer and his legs stay as they are?
He's georgous but I don't want to just take him because he's cute and end up with a dog that's not right for us again, I want it to be for keeps this time after all the heartbreak.

[lankeela]

If he is a Dachshund cross then he will keep the longer back and shorter legs. They can suffer from spinal problems. He may well have trouble going for long walks and certainly you would have to be careful letting him jump on furniture or going upstairs, and even picking him up has to be done carefully.

Although it is a lovely thing to rescue a dog, I think that with all the problems you have had I would be more inclined to choose a breed and pick a puppy so you can see the adults and judge their temperament and type, and them let the puppy grow up to your ways, rather than take on something that you don't know the background/outcome of.
Crufts is on in a few weeks, why not visit there and go to Discover Dogs, where there are nearly 200 breeds on show, with people their willing to tell you all the good and bad points of their breeds, and you can see the dogs and make up your minds knowing exactly what they will turn out like.

[kita1]

I agree with lankeela, but if you are set on getting a rescue why not consider a greyhound or lurcher?

http://www.greyhoundandlurcherrescue.co.uk/dog s.aspx

They are mostly pretty laid back dogs and are happy to sleep most of the day, but they can cope with decent walks.

When you say 'long walks' what do you mean? Some people would mean a weekend mountain hiking while others mean a couple of hours strolling down country lanes.

[fredpuli47]

There are surprisingly few breeds that like truly 'long walks' Most of 'em like quite a short walk at a time, lots of sniffs, and a good short chase around, at most, followed by pretending to be asleep for hours (no dog ever really sleeps! LOL) always interspersed with a bit of eating.Some breeds are capable of walking a long way, but that's not quite the same as 'enjoying' or 'preferring' . Youngsters of big breeds should definitely not be walked for more than a very short time.

A dachsund is definitely not among the walkers.If you wanted something tireless and quite fond of walking you'd go for a border collie (but that brings it's own amusing/annoying demands for constant mental stimulation, as any owner will tell you !)

[divegirl]

Hi, I remember your posts about the spaniel, I'm glad to see this experience hasn't put you off of rescuing. One other little suggestion for you. Lets say you were to follow Lankeelas advice and decide on a breed, what about applying to a breed specific rescue, there are rescues dedicated to all major breeds[and lots of the not so well known ones], and at least that way you would have a better idea of what you are getting. Good luck.

Lisa x

[learntojive]

Thanks everyone, I think we're gonna go see him again tomorrow and ask if they can tell at all how much dacshund is in him. I've been reading up a lot on them and can tell more by looking than I could last week, I didn't have any clue then about their features or traits.
When I say long walks I mean usually between 3 and 7 miles (that's a long walk for me - having had a hip replacement a couple of years ago!), so certainly not hiking as such.
Some close friends of ours just got a rescue greyhound and while she is a really lovely dog she's far too big for us, we don't have a big house or garden (we have moved since we had the retriever) and she seems to just 'fill' their house with her presence.
There was also a litter of cross collies at the rescue centre which may be a better option for us, I'll see what's there when we go tomorrow and if not maybe consider crufts which is a great idea.
Thanks again everyone, Anne