At the risk of sounding uneducated, can someone explain a tweenie to me? I have heard of the standard doxie and I was told my babies are minis but where does the tweenie come in? Thank you, Bev
Here in the USA the dachshund breed standard says that:
True minis are 11 pounds or less, fully grown.
True standards are 16 - 32 pounds, fully grown.
We dachshund lovers often call dogs that are more than 11 pounds, but less than 16 pounds, "Tweenies." This class is not really addressed in the US breed standard at this time.
Hi Bev, thanks for the post on the other board! A mini by AKC standards is 11 pounds or under at 1 year old. A standard for show purposes is 16 pounds or above. The 11+ pounders to 16 pounders are the so called "Tweenies". A Tweenie can be shown but only in "All American Dachshund" or in puppies where there isn't a weight restriction! I hope this helps! I'll send you a new message tomorrow, today my daughter started 5th grade and 3 of the boys went back to college and I worked all day I am so tired tonight! I can't wait to hear more about where you teach and all! Doxie licks to all!!! :doah:
Thank you so much for the clarification. Is there such a thing as a toy? I will be surprised if Beemer gets to be between 5-7 lbs and I do not look for Mercedes to get more than 8. Or is that the normal mini weights? These are my first doxies and I am still learning about the breed. Bev
anyone that says they have "toy" dachsies, "tea cup" dachsies or "teeny minis" is probably just trying to make a buck.
Whether they are 5 pounds or 11 pounds, they are considered "miniature." As with all dog breeds, sometimes they just are smaller than other dogs.
I personally prefer the miniatures that are 10 - 11 pounds with a good solid bone structure, as opposed to some of the more delicately bones minis that weigh less.
Thanks Krista. I really did not know. I did not choose these guys -- they were given to me. I was just going to help them get weened and get on their paws. However, I fell totally in love with them and the breeder gave them to me. They may surprise me and totally grow and develop to a much bigger doxie. Their mom is small though -- not sure of her weight. Oh well, it doesn't matter. I love them anyway. Believe it or not, I always wanted one but fell in love with the blue dapple wired hairs. I swore that is what I was going to get when my two older dogs went to the bridge. Beemer and Mercedes are smooth reds. Who knew? HAHA Thanks again, Bev
Hi Bev,
When we got our first dachshund, the breeder said she was a mini, and said her parents were both 8 and 10 lbs. Weazelle was so tiny in her first year, to year and a half, about 7-8 lbs. Then after 2 years she ended up at 14! She was on a diet and we got her down to 12. The vet doc said she's at perfect weight, it's just her bone structure is built on the wider side that our other two dogs. My Beau also was at 10 lbs for the first year and six months. He's now almost three years old, and 12 lbs. I really don't think they stop growing at a year, but it does depend on how their bones are built. My little Mr Mauser is only 8 lbs, but we can already tell he won't get much bigger. He's 11 months, and his bones are really tiny. Look at the rib cages and how wide they are, that's a good indication. My Tweeners are pretty big around at the ribs, but they are quite fit everywhere else. I love all my pups, but the little one is my baby because I can easily scoop him up with one arm and pack him around. He likes to ride up on my shoulder like a parrot! :2funny:
Have a good day!
Georgia
:thumb: Thanks for sharing with me. I have had dogs for years -- all my life basically and yet I feel like the preverbial new mom here. I do this with all my animals -- I try to find out all that I can and ask a million questions. Thanks for having patience with me.
I know that it does not matter what size they are -- I will love them regardless -- it is just that I would like a general idea so I know what to expect. I want to make sure that they are not over or under weight in a way that may effect their health.
For example: my Border Collie, Harley, weighs 110 lbs. He is definitely full blooded -- his grand sire and dam came from Scotland. Everyone here of course is used to much smaller versions of the breed. I was told he could not be purebred because of his size. Not true!! After research, I found out that the original Border collies were a much larger stock and bigger boned as he is. His grand sire and Grand dam from Scotland are out of the original larger stock. Harley inherited those genes. As with other breeds, people saw that the smaller dogs were more agile and quicker thus resulting in the down sizing of the breed. Because of his bone structure he should be 90 lbs -- he is over weight and we are working on that diet now.
Quote from: Dottiesdoxies on August 29, 2005, 08:36:18 PM
Hi Bev, thanks for the post on the other board! A mini by AKC standards is 11 pounds or under at 1 year old. A standard for show purposes is 16 pounds or above. The 11+ pounders to 16 pounders are the so called "Tweenies". A Tweenie can be shown but only in "All American Dachshund" or in puppies where there isn't a weight restriction!
Tweenies can also be shown in Bred By Exhibitor Class if you are the breeder and owner of the dog :thumb:
So if Annie was 16 pounds, would she be a standard or an overweight mini? I always thought she was a mini. She was the same length as Berman, just bigger around. Are the classifications determined by lengths too?
Jenny, the way I understand it is that a dachshund, even if the parents are mini's, that grows to 15 or 16 + pounds is considered a Standard. I have been studing about gentics of dachshunds and have way tooooo much to learn, but I in reading and talking to breeders have learned that many mini's will have "through back" pups to the standards! It is common and the reason for the "tweenies". Most standards will only produce standards,, with a once in a while "tweenie". I have also started attending shows and talking to show folks and judges to learn.. I intend to start showing Grace. If your dog is overweight, or hate to use the word, but fat, it could weigh standard weights but still be a mini. A dog that appears to be a normal weight for it's bone structure, that weighs over the 15 to 16 pounds is a standard! There aren't show requirements that I have learned yet, concerning length or height. In akc standards they mention a "usual", length and height that is considered normal. From what I've seen so far, the judges are looking for a dog with a proportioned appearance for their weight, be it a mini or standard. Jen is also right about the class she mentions for "tweenies", but since I didn't breed Grace, I can't enter that one. We are hoping Grace reaches the standard for standards, or we'll show her all american! Hope this helps, maybe Jen can shed more light on this!
Ok - I think Annie Angel was just a fat mini. It's okay - she knew she had a weight issue - she just liked to be referred to as pleasantly plump! :snorting:
Oh she is precious and that is too funny -- thank you for sharing Bev
Oh what a adorable girl yes I would say she was a pleasantly plump mini :angel4:
As far as size goes any dog that is over 11lbs would be considered a standard as it would not be able to be shown in the open miniature class (11lbs or less at 12mos of age) the AKC breed standard says that the standard dachshund usually weighs between 16-32lbs but doesn't disregard those dogs that are less or more than that. Any dog bred in America whether standard or miniature qualifies to show in the American-Bred Class, Puppy Classes are open to all puppies regardless of size and Bred-By Class is open to any dog regardless of size just so long as the handler is the breeder and owner of the dog. The only difference in a miniature and a standard is the weight which only matters if one is planning to show or desires a smaller dachshund since both should ideally be conformationally the same. When I register a litter of puppies the litter forms from AKC do not say miniature or standard on them they just say "Dachshund" the only time the size comes into play in this country is in the show ring. In other countries the dachshunds are divided into 3 different sizes according to the job they would perform in the field they measure the dogs chest circumference to determine which size the dog is.