Many dachshunds do not like unfamiliar people, and many will growl or bark at them. Although the dachshund is generally an energetic dog, some are sedate. This dog's behavior is such that it is not the dog for everyone. A bored dachshund will become destructive. If raised improperly and not socialized at a young age, dachshunds can become aggressive or fearful. They require a caring owner who understands their need to have entertainment and exercise. The best way to prevent future anxiety or stress is to take your Dachshund with you to public places, such as parks, or just running errands. The more socialized your Dachshund is with people and other dogs, the better off it will be around strangers in the future. Although some might say Dachshunds may not be the best pets for small children, like any smaller breed dog they need the proper introduction at a young age. Otherwise they may be agressive and bite unfamiliar child, especially one that moves quickly around them. However, many Dachshunds are very tolerant and loyal to children within their family, but these children should be mindful of the vulnerability of the breed's back and not carry them around roughly.

A 2008 University of Pennsylvania study of 6,000 dog owners who were interviewed indicated that dogs of smaller breeds were more likely to be "genetically predisposed towards aggressive behaviour". Dachshunds were rated the most aggressive, with 20% having bitten strangers, as well as high rates of attacks on other dogs and their owners. The study noted that attacks by small dogs were unlikely to cause serious injuries and because of this were probably under-reported.^[7]

Purebred daschunds tend to stick their hind legs out to the side when lying down.

Here is more info on the Daschund Temperament Dachshunds are playful, fun dogs, known for their propensity for chasing small animals, birds, and tennis balls with great determination and ferocity. Many dachshunds are stubborn, making them a challenge to train. They have a loud bark, making dachshunds good watchdogs. Dachshunds are known for their devotion and loyalty to their owners, though they can be standoffish towards strangers. If left alone, many dachshunds will whine until they have companionship. Like many dogs if left alone too frequently, some dachshunds are prone to separation anxiety and may chew objects in the house to relieve stress. They rank 49th in Stanley Coren's Intelligence of Dogs, being of average working and obedience intelligence. The dachshund will, in some cases, show above-average intelligence, being able to break out of improperly made cages or figuring out how to get their favorite blanket out of a basket. According to the American Kennel Club’s breed standards, "the dachshund is clever, lively and courageous to the point of rashness, persevering in above and below ground work, with all the senses well-developed. Any display of shyness is a serious fault.Their temperament and body language give the impression that they do not know or care about their relatively small size. Like many small hunting dogs, they will challenge a larger dog. Indulged dachshunds may become snappy. The dachshund's temperament may vary greatly from dog to dog. Long-haired dachshunds have a calmer, intelligent character inherited from the spaniel. Wire-hair doxies have much of the terrier's spunky personality.

Coat and color

Dachshunds exhibit three coat varieties: smooth coat, long hair, and wire-hair. Wire hair is the least commonly seen coat and the most recent coat to appear in breeding standards. Many people are unfamiliar with wire-hairs and commonly mistake them for other breeds.

Dachshunds have a wide variety of colors and patterns. They can be single-colored, single colored with spots ("dappled"—called "merle" in other dog breeds), and single-colored with tan points plus any pattern. Dachshunds also come in Piebald. The piebald has a white background with various shades of brown. The dominant color is red, the most common along with black and tan. Two-colored dogs can be black, blue, wild boar, chocolate, or fawn ("Isabella") with tan "points", or markings over the eyes, ears, paws, and tail, of tan or cream. A two-colored dachshund would be called by its dominant color first followed by the point color, such as "black and tan" or "chocolate and cream". Other patterns include piebald, in which a white pattern is imposed upon the base color or any other pattern, and a lighter "boar" red.The reds range from coppers to deep rusts, with or without somewhat common black hairs peppered along the back, tail, face, and ear edges, lending much character and an almost burnished appearance; this is referred to among breeders and enthusiasts as a "stag" or an "overlay" or "sable". True sable is a dachshund with each single hair banded with three colors: light at the base of the hair, red in the middle, black at the end. An additional, striking coat marking is the brindle pattern. "Brindle" refers to dark stripes over a solid background, usually red; if a dachshund is brindled on a dark coat and has tan points, you will see brindling on the tan points only. Even one single, lone stripe of brindle is brindle. If a dachshund has one single spot of dapple, it is a dapple.

Solid black and solid chocolate dachshunds occur and, even though dogs with such coloration are often considered handsome, the colors are nonstandard, that is, the dogs are frowned upon in the conformation ring in the US and Canada. Chocolate is commonly confused with dilute red. Additionally, according to the conformation judges of the Dachshund Club of America (DCA) and the American Kennel Club (AKC) the piebald pattern is nonstandard. However, The Piebald dachshund can still be shown, the ONLY disqualifying Fault in Dachshunds is Knuckling over. While some judges choose to dismiss a dog of color, many choose to judge them and those who are actually judging the dog will look past the cosmetic color of a dog and judge the conformation of the dog FIRST. There were several Piebald dachshunds that became AKC Champions in 2008. All things being equal between the dogs in the ring, the traditional colors which are listed in the Official AKC Standard (governed by DCA) should be put up.

Light-colored dachshunds can sport amber, light brown, or green eyes; however, kennel club standards state that the darker the eye color, the better. They can also have eyes of two different colors; however, this is only found in dapple and double dapple dachshunds.^[4] Dachshunds can have a blue and a brown eye. Blue eyes, partially blue eyes, or a blue eye and a brown eye are called "wall" coloring, not considered a non-desirable trait in kennel club standards. The standard was changed by the DCA in 2007 to exclude the wording double-dapple from the standard and strictly use the wording dapple. The reason is that the double merle gene is linked to blindness and deafness. Wall-eye is permissible. Piebald-patterned dachshunds will never have blue in their eyes, unless the dapple pattern is present.

More on Daschunds to come shortly...get it..get it?

Ok, so now you know all about ze German hound..und Rottweiler..the next breed of dog that I shall enlighten you on is also of German origin, over here ion Malaysia we call it many things...the sausage dog, in America its the weiner dog, here it can also be called the Ramli hotdog!!! Ok I present to you..info on the Dascthund..

The dachshund is a short-legged, elongated dog breed of the hound family. However it is pronounced (variations include däks'hoont ), the breed's name is German and literally means "badger dog", from [der] Dachs, "badger", and [der] Hund, "dog". Due to the long, narrow build, they are sometimes referred to as a wiener dog or a sausage dog. Not withstanding the German origin of the dachshund's name, within German-speaking countries, the breed is known—both formally and informally—as the Dackel or Teckel. While classified as a hound in English-speaking countries, some consider the classification to be in error, speculating that it arose from the fact that the German word hund is similar to the English word hound. In fact, many dachshunds, especially the wire-haired sub type, exhibit behavior and appearance that are far more similar to that of the terrier group of dogs. The standard size was developed to scent, chase, and flush badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals, while the miniature was developed to hunt rabbits.

Appearance

The typical dachshund is long-bodied and muscular. They are also known for their short and stubby legs. There are three types: wired-haired, short-haired, and long-haired.

Size

Dachshunds come in three sizes: standard, miniature, and kaninchen. Although the first two sizes are recognized almost universally, the third size (which means rabbit) is recognized only by non-English speaking clubs like the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (World Canine Federation) (FCI).A full-grown standard dachshund averages 20 lb (9.1 kg) to 28 lb (13 kg), while the miniature variety normally weighs less than 11 lb (5.0 kg). The kaninchen weighs 8 lb (3.6 kg) to 10 lb (4.5 kg). According to most kennel club standards, the miniature (and kaninchen, where recognized) variety differs from the full-size only by size and weight, thus offspring from miniature parents must never weigh more than the miniature standard to be considered a miniature as well. While most kennel club size divisions use weight for classification, other kennel club standards determine the difference between the miniature and standard by chest circumference; some kennel clubs even measure chest circumference in addition to height and weight. H. L. Mencken said that "A dachshund is a half-dog high and a dog-and-a-half long", although many poems and songs refer to them as "two dogs long". This characteristic has led them to be quite a recognizable breed, and they are featured in many a joke and cartoon, particularly The Far Side by Gary Larson.

Continuing from where we left off, here is more on the ever popular Rottweiler :

Although an extremely versatile breed used in recent times for many other purposes, the Rottweiler is first and foremost one of the oldest, if not the oldest, of herding breeds. A multi-faceted herding and stock protection dog of exceptional ability, it is capable of working all kinds of livestock under a wide variety of conditions.

The breed is an ancient one, whose history stretches back to the Roman Empire. In those times, the legions traveled with their meat on the hoof and required the assistance of working dogs to herd the cattle. One route the army traveled was through Württemberg and on to the small market town of Rottweil. The principal ancestors of the first Rottweilers during this time was supposed to be the Roman droving dog, local dogs the army met on its travels, and dogs with molosser appearance coming from England and The Netherlands.

This region eventually became an important cattle area, and the descendants of the Roman cattle dogs proved their worth in both driving and protecting the cattle from robbers and wild animals. However, by the end of the 19th century as railroads became the main method for moving stock to market, the breed had declined so much that in 1900 there was only one female to be found in the town of Rottweil.

The first Rottweiler club in Germany, named DRK ("Deutscher Rottweiler-Klub" — German Rottweiler Club) was created the 13 January 1907, and followed by the creation of the SDRK ("Süddeutscher Rottweiler-Klub" — South German Rottweiler Club) on the 27 April 1907 and became the IRK (International Rottweiler Club). The DRK counted around 500 Rottweiler, the SDRK 3000 Rottweilers. The goals of the two clubs were different. The DRK wanted to produce working dogs and did not emphasize the morphology of the Rottweiler. The main stud dog of this club was Lord von der Teck. The IRK tried to produce a homogeneous morphology according to their standard. One of the main stud dogs of this club was Ralph von Neckar.

The various German Rottweiler Clubs amalgamated to form the Allgemeiner Deutscher Rottweiller Klub - e.V (ADRK) which is recognised worldwide as the home club of the Rottweiler.

The build up to World War I saw a great demand for police dogs, and that led to a revival of interest in the Rottweiler. From that time the breed has become popular with dog owners, and in 1935 was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club. In 1936, Rottweilers were exhibited in Britain at Crufts. In 1966, a separate register was opened for the breed. In fact, in the mid 1990s, the popularity of the Rottweiler reached an all time high with it being the 1st most registered dog by the American Kennel Club.

So there you have it..what do you think of the Rottweiler now?

I am considering getting a dog as the two that we currently have are of retirement age, one is 13 and the other 14…so please bear with me as I share with you some of the various dog breeds that I am considering..please feel free to let me know what you think. The primary functions that the new canine member of the family should fulfill are:

1. Protector and friend to the kids
2. A good guard dog
3. Have a sound temperament
4. Bring me beer
5. Not too difficult to maintain

So there you have it. Lets get straight into the candidates for entrance into the Karan household. The first dog I considered was a Rottweiler. Here’s a bit about the Rott.

The Rottweiler, or Rottweil Metzgerhund (Butchers Dog), is a "medium to large size, stalwart dog" breed originating in Germany as a herding dog. It is a hardy and very intelligent breed. Rottweilers also worked as draught dogs, pulling carts to carry meat and other products to market. "Rottweiler breeders aim at a dog of abundant strength, black coated with clearly defined rich tan markings, whose powerful appearance does not lack nobility and which is exceptionally well suited to being a companion, service and working dog."

The Rottweiler was kept busy in these traditional roles until the mid-19th century when railroads replaced droving for getting livestock to market. Although there are still Rottweilers working stock all over the world, many other roles have been found for this versatile breed.

During the first and second World Wars, Rottweilers were put into service as guard dogs. Currently they are often used as search and rescue, assistance, guard and police dogs in addition to their traditional roles. More to come on the Rott soon…………keep your floppy ears peeled.

I am in a quandry..and once I find out what that means I shall share it with you!! Anyway, I find that I am increasingly drawn to purchasing another old piece of junk..by that I mean another classic car..please please help me beat this disease. I fail to understand why we men will never learn. I mean, my MG just broke down on me last weekend and I can STILL contemplate buying another old car..do I need therapy? Well, regardless, I am going to fight the urge..for the time being at least because my will is strong, but more importantly..my bank account is empty!!! By the way, I shall be attempting to video stuff on my car and car reviews as and when I do them, so please watch this space. Thanks.

With a power output of 170PS at 5800 rpm, it certainly is not lacking in the power department. This Honda pulls smoothly from a standstill and acceleration is brisk. While on the highway to Port Dickson, slower traffic was disposed of with ease, the Honda’s mid-range urge powering us past slower traffic that obviously had a later tee time than we did.

After spending a great day and a half with the Honda Accord and a rather disappointing 18 holes, I am pleased to report that unlike my short game, the Honda never let me down. It is an accomplished highway mile muncher, and most certainly has the pace and pick-up to make it fun and entertaining to drive.

With suspension that is geared more to comfort than all out aggressive driving, it is commendable that the Honda handles as well as it does. When pushed, it remains neutral under cornering and if really pushed hard, there is a tendency toward mild understeer. In short, this is a comfortable and safe handling vehicle; no nasty surprises await should you be too aggressive while attacking a set of corners.

The Honda Accord is indeed a car that would be easy to live with day to day. It is good looking, comfortable, spacious and has decent performance. While other things in life come and go, like your putting, this Honda should prove a reliable and entertaining companion.

The driving position is fine, and the seats offer adequate support and comfort in order to ensure that one is bereft of aches and pains when driving long distances.

I must add that I had the opportunity to take the new Accord out for a drive to Port Dickson for a round of golf. It proved to be a comfortable and spacious ride for 3. Its large boot had no problem swallowing up 3 golf bags, with some room to spare I might add. My friend at the rear, and I use the term friend somewhat loosely, since he won all of my money, commented that he had loads of leg room and was most impressed by the comfort levels offered by the rear seats.

The version that I tested was the mid-range model, the one with the 2.4 VTi-L engine( there are also 2.0 and 3.0 variants..but that’s another story). This unit is a DOHC i-VTEC 16 valve in-line 4 cylinder. However, the manner in which it performs and its inherent smoothness belies its 4 cylinder configuration.

Suffice to say that Japanese interiors have most certainly come a long, long way. The interior, while not class leading, is nevertheless a pleasant place to be in for either that short trip to the driving range, or that long distance trek to visit the dreaded in-laws, oops! Sorry, I meant to say beloved in-laws of course.

The gauges are clear and easy to read, as we have come to expect from Honda, and all instrumentation is easy to use and fuss-free. While the overall look and feel of the cabin is that of quality, one must say that perhaps Honda should have opted out of using wood veneer, or in this case faux wood veneer, on parts of its interior, as it looks a little out of place in this particular model. I feel that wood, especially that of the variety used in cars should be left to the likes of Bentley and Rolls Royce, and the rest should be firmly left in the forests.