food choices for your Doxie.
Exercise Requirements Of The Dachshunds-Cocker Spaniel Mix Dog
Do you know that these 30 pounds-Doxie breeds dogs are supercharged with energy? Right from when they are little puppies, they possess the ability to walk for miles.
Imagine how great it is to walk for such long distances from such an early stage! You must make it a point to take them out on a walk and encourage them to exercise. This will help them to stay away from anxiety and obesity.
Make it a point to bring them to walking sessions for about 45 minutes per day. Engage in playing sessions with your cute pup. Fetching a ball or a toy, playing tug-of-war, catching a ball, jogging as a kind of exercise are healthy activities for your pup.
Doxie dogs are great for socialization. Tend to them and take care of them by taking them on a walk to some nearby parks.
Play with them, and walk with them to ensure they stay healthy and fit. For a healthy dog of breed mixes belonging to the age group of 7 to 12 years, specifying an exercising period of 45 to 60 minutes per day is a good habit.
Training The Docker Dogs
The Docker dogs are way too fond of their owners, but they are pretty aggressive at the same time. Moreover, they are pretty stubborn, so they won’t be following your orders initially.
These docker mix-breeds need to undergo regular training sessions to grow fond of their pet parents and the other family members present in the house.
With proper training, your Doxie pups will use their intelligence and wit in taking care of your home and even your children and other family members in moments of crisis. Is there any better watchdog than a Doxie?
Grooming Your Doxie
The dachshund cocker spaniel mix is not a very high-maintenance dog, but you may have to spare fortune for its grooming to a moderate extent. Being a pet parent, it falls in the purview of your duty to look after its coat color and body fur.
If the Doxie has got exceptionally long, flowing, thick fur, and derives the dense coat of the cocker spaniel, it will likely shed more. So, you need to do regular brushing and sometimes even stripping or trimming.
However, if the Docker inherits more traits from its dachshund parent, it won’t lose much of its fur. In such a case, you can do a little brushing twice or thrice a week to prevent the formation of too many tangles.
The dog’s body hair needs to be washed and shampooed in moderate amounts. Bathing them more frequently than required may lead the skin oil to get depleted and thus triggering the emergence of skin diseases.
In the summers, you may have to apply medicated sunscreen to the nose, ears, and other areas of the dog’s body where not much fur is present. It is better to keep their body coat covered by using appropriate winter garments during the winter season.
The ears of Docker are prone to infection. Make sure to keep a check on its ears to see if any redness, irritation, or foul smell is being noticed. Purchase a good toothbrush for your pups and make it a point to brush its teeth early in the morning, at least twice or thrice a week.
You can clip and cut the dog’s nails belonging to mixed dachshunds and cocker parents only if the nails have grown exceptionally long.
Pay careful attention while cutting the nails, and don’t cut the puppies’ nails too short. This is because the lower part of its nails and paws is highly sensitive due to blood vessels and nerves.
Health Conditions & Diseases Of The Spaniel Doxie
Generally, the dachshund cocker spaniel mix dog is quite healthy and has quite a long lifespan because it is a product of designer breeding, so all thanks to the breeders for giving it an overall good health condition. Sadly, that doesn’t certify that the docker is not prone to any disease.
The diseases that are common in the breeds of its parents are most likely to afflict the Docker puppies. To help you understand the dangers that could strike your pet, we have come up with this disease list. In this way, you will be able to look for symptoms in your pet and get them treated as early as possible.
- Seborrhea
Your dog is prone to this skin disease called know that the dog has contracted seborrhea.
A sticky, wax-like substance forms in the docker’s ears, armpits, underbelly, and elbows, and the skin turn dry and flaky. As soon as you perceive the docker contracting the disease, don’t delay in consulting a vet for proper treatment.
- Hip Dysplasia
Dockers that are more like a cocker spaniel in appearance may get afflicted with hip dysplasia right from the stage when they are just puppies.
This disease leads to great pain in the deformed hip joint, thus making them walk in a weird fashion. Consult a vet so that the disease gets cured by conducting surgery and therapy.
- Acanthosis Nigricans
If the docker acquires a majority of the attributes from the dachshund parent, its health may get afflicted by the disease of Acanthosis Nigricans.
Its symptom is the creation of a darkened patch in the skin, devoid of any hair or body fur, and can be spotted mainly in the leg or groin. The reason for this ailment can be hormonal fluctuations and allergies. Consult a vet immediately, without any delay.
- Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a common disease that affects the health of those Docker dogs that bear more similarity to the cocker spaniels. Its symptoms include lethargy, weight gain, and body hair loss in the docker breeds. If diagnosed early, it can be cured completely.
- Retinal Dysplasia
The most dangerous aspect of retinal dysplasia is that it doesn’t come without symptoms and may lead to blindness in the docker breeds all of a sudden.
Therefore, make sure to bring your docker for eye check-ups periodically. This disease commonly occurs in those dogs that inherit traits more from a cocker spaniel.
- Diabetes
Since its Dachshund parent’s health often gets affected by diabetes, it is not unusual for your Doxie to acquire this disease.
The symptoms include frequent urination, eating and drinking less, and losing weight. Once you spot these symptoms, immediately go to the vet. Proper insulin injections may be given to Docker daily to cure the condition.
- Intervertebral Disc Disease or IVDD
If you notice that your Docker is unable to jump or run properly and is howling out in pain, know that IVDD may be the underlying cause for it.
This happens if a spinal disc gets slipped or crushed somehow, and if not cured immediately, it might lead to paralysis.
Estimated Cost Of Owning A Docker Dog
Collar & Other Items
The amount you need to spend on buying a collar, leash, crate, and carrier for your Docker will be around $185.
Medical Tests
While petting a dog, going for medical tests, if any symptom arises, is an obvious and common thing to do. By considering the vet consultation charges, microchipping, blood tests, CT scans, deworming, spaying, and shots, you may have to spare a fortune worth $270.
Considering pet insurance, regular check-ups, and protection from fleas and bugs, the annual medication costs can be accounted for about $460 to $560.
Non-Medical Costs
Under this section, other expenditures such as dog foods, toys, occasional treats, license, training items, and grooming products such as shampoo, brush, etc., may amount up to $680 to $780.
Distinction Between Male & Female Docker Dogs
Since the physical features of a dachshund cocker spaniel mix depend upon which of the parents it has acquired most of the traits from, it often gets difficult to understand if it is a male or female. Well, so you can quickly identify if a Docker is male or female by taking into account its height and weight.
The male Docker has a height of 11 to 15 inches and a weight of 25 to 30 pounds. On the other hand, the female docker dogs may grow to a height of 9 to 13 inches and have a weight of 20 to 25 pounds.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Do Docker Dogs Shed?
Docker dogs’ thick, dense and soft coats tend to shed at a moderate rate, especially in the fall and spring.
How long does a cocker spaniel dachshund mix dog live?
A cocker spaniel dachshund mix dog may live for 12 to 14 years.
Where does the spaniel doxie come from?
The spaniel doxie comes originally from Germany.
Post Views: 21
