The Mini Dachshund is a very happy intelligent little dog that thrives on love and attention. They are fantastic companions and when well socialized they love the company of other dogs, cats and children. They love exercise but are equally as happy curled up on your lap. Miniature Dachshunds are within the hound group; they can be traced back to working dogs that used to go to ground to track badgers and rabbits. This means they can be active little dogs and love to go out on walks so do require at least 30 minutes exercise a day. They are also incredibly faithful and loving so when they are not spending time playing in the garden they love to be curled up on your lap. They make very good family pets and are fantastic with children. They are not suitable for full time workers as they thrive on interaction and crave attention and love from their family. The breed standard states they should be within 4.5kg (10lb) and 5kg (11lbs) Miniature Dachshunds can suffer from Progressive retinal atrophy - cord-1 otherwise known as PRA this is a disease of the retina, which causes initial night blindness but usually progressing to complete blindness. It is therefore incredibly important that all breeding dogs are tested to ensure that any offspring are free of this condition.