Port Jefferson Station, New York, United States
MaureenRefior
I am a long-time pet owner and animal lover, and have had as pets everything from dogs to tarantulas and most pets in between. I can give you a pretty good summation of why a pet would or wouldn't be a good match for someone based on the person's personality and the behaviors and personality of the pet.
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![](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://rightpet.com/Thumbnail/BreedReviewsPhotos/18122013_685435814601DogBreed_begley.jpg&media=https://rightpet.com/Thumbnail/BreedReviewsPhotos/18122013_685435814601DogBreed_begley.jpg&description=I don't own Begley - he belongs to my sister in law. But we have to deal with him every single Sunday for the rest of his life to keep peace in the family, because she brings this dog everywhere with her, including Sunday dinner. So it's the baby, the toddler and the barking hysteric every weekend for Sunday Funday.<br><br>To say that Begley is "difficult" is an understatement. He barks incessantly until you pay attention to him, but if you try to pick him up, he growls, snarls and bares his teeth. If he doesn't get taken for a walk every two hours, he will go right there on the floor, usually the kitchen tile but sometimes on the carpeting. He's a mooch, always underfoot and between your legs trying to get food from the table, which is a direct result of his owner treating him like a toddler for 3 years, from when he was a puppy til she had her first baby. She would like him to stop it now, but it's a little late in the game for that. He climbs on empty dining room chairs as if he's waiting for a plate. And he WILL grab food from the table if he's not shooed off the chair. <br><br>On extremely odd thing about Begley: he goes completely ballistic if you sing "Happy Birthday" in his presence. Just "Happy Birthday." He barks like a fiend. And you can change the words and keep the tune and he won't bark. You can put the words to other music: nothing. We've never figured this out.<br><br>Begs also has a lot of physical problems. He shakes, and is on Valium and steroids for that. He also suffers from abdominal hernias.<br><br>His owners bring him for grooming once a month, but Begley will roll in the mud five minutes after he gets out of the car. He's got to be supervised with the children at all times, because they are too young not to pull on his ears or his tail and he has a tendency to snap.<br><br>Admittedly and adorable breed, this is not one I would want for my own.){kind=link}
 chew on things due to separation anxiety. They also whine like crazy if you don't pay attention to you, and will sit in your lap for hours if you let them. They love to burrow under bedclothes and blankets - which must be a throwback to their days of getting badgers out of their lairs.<br><br>A couple of things: this dog is not easy to train. Dachshunds are very stubborn and obey commands maybe 50% of the time, which can be improved with training but never, in my experience, goes about 70%. So be prepared for a power struggle, even if you let the dog know who's the alpha - which should really be done with any dog. Also, housebreaking can be a real challenge and requires consistency and determination. I used a crate to housebreak Fritzi and for the most part she did well, although as she got older she had more "accidents;" she did, however, keep them in the kitchen. <br><br>Then there's the barking. Some dachshunds rarely bark, and some have a constant, annoying bark. Fritzi barked like mad if she was left alone. My brother's landlord used to let her come upstairs to his apartment rather than listen to it. It can be a real problem, and I've never seen nor heard any advice on how to train them to stop it.<br><br>Overall, the dachshund is a very loving, friendly dog, great with older children (7 and up - old enough to know how to treat a dog as a living being and not a stuffed toy) who will give it's owners years of happy companionship and entertainment. Just be sure to hide your good shoes when you go out!){kind=link}
![](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://rightpet.com/images/default/dog.png&media=https://rightpet.com/images/default/dog.png&description=I wish I had a picture of Molly, because you would never believe that a dog that looks so much like an English Lab could come from a Saint Bernard and a Golden Retriever. Her coat was short and nearly black, with a white blaze on her chest. Her head was squarish, like the St. Bernard, and she also had the jowls. Her tail was feathery like a Golden.<br><br>This dog was a rescue dog. The previous owner had used her in a Pet Therapy program at a local hospital for mentally ill children, and she had the perfect personality for it. The owners had to move, and for some reason I will never understand, left her in a kill shelter. I picked her up two days before she was scheduled to be put down. She was initially shy around us, as if she didn't understand why she had been in a cage and then was in a new house. But she quickly warmed up to us, and I signed up for a Pet Therapy program at a local nursing home. <br><br>Up til the end, Molly was a wonderful family dog. She let the kids roll all over her, she was mellow and easy to please, and I don't think she ever had an "accident" the entire time we owned her. I never had to crate her, and she stayed off the furniture (I wonder if she lolled around on the sofa when we weren't home, but she didn't really shed so there was no way to tell).<br><br>Unfortunately, Molly developed an inoperable tumor behind her right eye. It began to metastasize and as her pain and inability to cope with daily living became more and more noticeable, we came to the decision that we would have to put her down. It broke our hearts. I held her head as the vet gave her the shot, and she looked at me as if to say, "It's okay, I really need to go now." I know people put human feelings on to pets when they're not there, but Molly was such a part of the family that you couldn't help doing that.<br><br>She was one of the best dogs we ever had, even for such a short period, and she is still sorely missed.){kind=link}
. The training was a little difficult at first, until we started using a reward system of small treats for good behavior. After that, training Amy was not difficult or frustrating at all (although we did, from time to time, find little "gifts" on the kitchen floor if she wasn't let out soon enough to do her business).<br><br>Grooming became a daily ritual, as the breed tends to shed rather constantly and the fur will mat if it isn't brushed on a daily basis. We took her in once a month for a professional bath/grooming, because frankly no one was brave enough to clip her nails for fear of hurting her. She was always, until the end when she was sick, silky smooth and just a beautiful dog to look at.<br><br>The best times with this dog were when we had her out in our large yard. The yard was surrounded by fencing, which was covered by trees, and Amy loved running around, chasing squirrels and other small animals, and terrorizing the neighborhood cat that used to hang around for scraps. I definitely believe Amy was happiest out of doors, as this breed tends to be very active and most houses just don't have the space for an English Springer to run around the way they like.<br><br>Although she had some problems (ear infections, a lot of barking, and somewhat snappish at first with a new baby), Amy was a wonderful family pet. She developed kidney disease and we had to put her down when she was 11, but until then, she was loyal, fun-loving, and a fabulous addition to our family.){kind=link}