Children may be particularly attracted to Dachshunds. Their typical, yet funny oblong body may cause a laugh or two. They call them the "hot dog"and they eagerly want to pet one as it walks by. One day finally may come then, where children may ask "Mommy can we adopt one?" and as a mom you may say yes because after all, you are very fond of this breed as well.

But do Dachshunds make good family pets? Are they friendly enough to be kept around children?

Well, to tell the truth this past summer we were visiting my sister in law which had just recently adopted a cute Dachshund called Sweet Daisy. She was a very sweet dog indeed. Until, this one day my 4 year old nephew started playing with her ears. The only thing following the play session then was a loud scream and crying as Daisy ran out of the house. My nephew then raised his bleeding finger to the air.

I personally still think that my nephew sort of looked for it. Not all dogs seem to be very tolerant of having their ears touched. Also we do not know exactly "how he was playing with her ears". Was he just petting them and moving them or was he pulling them causing her pain? We will never know, but what we knew for sure was that Daisy had not much tolerance. So we kept an eye on both of them from the day of that occurrence.

The bite wound was relatively small, but with every bite comes the potential for infection. Canine teeth are full of bacteria and puncture wounds are the most difficult to treat. However, my nephew's bite went away shortly thereafter, along with his temporary fear of Dachsunds.

So do Dachshunds make good pets for kids?

Well it all depends on a variety of factors. Usually some appear to be a bit temperamental around very small children, like toddlers. But this may be due to they way they are treated. Most small children do not know the difference between a pet and a stuffed animal, so accidents as the one with Daisy may tend to happen.

Also small children may cause serious damage to a Dachshunds delicate back. All it takes to injure their delicate back is a child mishandling a Dachshund and dropping it on the floor.

On the other hand, some Dachshunds are great with children and make great pets if trained properly. As other small dog breeds they need discipline and leadership. A lack of discipline may cause behavior problems in this strong willed and often stubborn breed.

Some Dashounds accept children in the household very well, but may be stand-offish and temperamental with unfamiliar children. Always keep this in mind, a Dachshund that loves your kids not necessarily loves ALL kids.

As a general rule of thumb, I would be cautious of combining toddlers with Dachshunds. The combination of a noisy child screaming or mishandling a dog and a dog breed not very tolerant may likely result in a snapping dog and a crying child. It would be best to adopt a Daschund once children have passed those terrible twos and threes and wait perhaps a bit more longer.

Ideally, good research is the key to having a stable minded Dachshund. Look for breeders that raise them in a loving home around children. It may take a good dose of luck along with a good amount of discipline to make children and Dachshund live happily together. Sometimes the best solution seems to be adopting adult Dachshunds that have already proven their temperament around kids versus a Dachshund puppy whose temperament may remain a doubtful and uncertain question mark...