Welcome to the Yappy Hour, powered by Yappily the podcast for dog lovers who want to better understand and connect with their four legged companions. I'm your host, Nathan Dunleavy, and today we are diving deep into one of the UK's most iconic and entertaining breeds. The d. Joining me is Nicky Hammel a behaviourist and licensed breeder who specializes in long hair, dachshunds. In this episode we'll talk about what makes this breed so unique, the common behavioural challenges pet parents face, and how to raise a happy, healthy, and confident sausage dog. Whether you've just bought a puppy home or you are living with a feisty middle aged sausage, this episode will be for you. We'll also bust a few myths, share some practical tips, and reflect on why working with your dog's natural traits, not against them is the secret to building a long lasting bond. So grab a cup of tea, settle in, and let's get started.

Welcome back to The Yappy Hour, powered by Yappily. I'm your host, Nathan Dunleavy, and I'm so excited to bring you another episode today, even more excited that we've got Nicky Hammel with us. Welcome, Nicky. I. Thanks for being on the yappy hour. Nicky's actually a really good friend of mine, so it is just gonna be like having two friends, just having a chat about our favorite things, which is dogs or in Nicky's case, Dashan or Dashan. I don't gotta pronounce it properly now 'cause I can never spell Dashan, but I struggle saying it sometimes as well, so, brilliant. So Nicky, welcome to the Yappy Hour. I'm so excited to have you. Thanks for joining us. How's everything going in your world at the moment?

Yeah, really, really good actually. Really good dog's. All well, dog's all happy.

Yeah.

yeah, really, really good. Really good.

Perfect. So tell us a little bit about how you came to work. So closely with this iconic little breed and what sparked your love for dash outs.

Well, it's, it's quite a long story actually, so.

We love a long story, so you fill your boots.

so in my previous job I worked for a high street bank as a mortgage advisor and a really, really good friend of mine bought an accent. the more time I sort of spent with him and with her, it, it just, the breed just kind of got me really.

Yeah.

I'd wanted one for quite a while before I got my first one. It actually took me, I think about a year to persuade my husband to let me have a dog. and yeah, that's how, it's just, just kind of escalated from there really. And I became unhappy in my job at the bank and, you know, sort of wanted a way out of it. So initially we kind of decided that we would set up our own home boarding and daycare service

that's right. Yeah.

we really wanted to sort of nail down and specialize in Dexon because they are, they can be a funny little breed and they really, really love their own breed. Not always comfortable around larger dogs. So we wanted

Right.

of, in our search for, for a service for ourselves, we wanted to kind of create something that other people could enjoy. I mean, there were a few services around like that,

Yeah.

Not all that many. So that's kind of where we started. And then as lockdown happened, you know, that had a

Yeah.

impact on the business. So I then kind of took that time retrain as a behaviourist,

Yes. Yes,

decided to kind of step away from that a little bit and then move into breeding. So,

yes. And that's where you are now. So you are still doing a bit of behaviour work, aren't you?

A little bit here and

yeah.

my primary focus really is, is on my breeding program.

Is the breed in? Yeah. So you did sort of specialize in, so I have said it wrong, so I'm saying dash sound, but you've said D Sound, so is it D Sound?

DAXs hun.

D so I wanna make sure I say it right. So DD, it's a bit of a German, German word, isn't it? It's a funny word.

a German word. Yeah, translated. So the translation from English to German is Badger Dog, which

Ah, I never knew that.

bred to.

Yes. Okay, so I'm finally gonna say it wrong all throughout this episode now, but I'm glad I double checked. So, yeah, great. So similar journey to me. I worked in the bank and then obviously started off dog walking. Lockdown hit, had to shut down my business for a couple of weeks, and then I retrained in, in lockdown as a dog trainer and specifically separation anxiety specialist. Yeah, so haven't gone the full hog of you. As being a licensed breeder, but did do a little bit of hobby breeding, hence why I've now got four, two po, two poodles. So we love the little dogs. And yeah, it's great. So we're gonna be moving on to our next section now which is all about getting to know the breed. So what makes a dash a sound, a duck sound. I'm still struggling with that word and I should have mentioned at the start of this episode as well that Nicky is another one of our. Breed specialists or breed experts. So we've had a few different breed experts on so it's really great that we're gonna be delving more into this fantastic little breed. So for those listening, for our listeners who don't know the breed that well, how would you describe a typical dexon in personality and temperament?

Personality. They're absolutely hilarious. They, for such a small dog, they've got such a huge personality,

I have,

every single one of my dogs is different and brings something different. So humans, no single one of them is the same.

yeah.

Within the different coat types that you get within the Dax and there are three.

Yes,

so what I do sort of find with mine is my short hair is a lot more kind of overexcited with life in general and everything. Whereas.

I, I know this one who you're talking about, so

She was my first ever dog, bless her heart, and seven

Kimmy.

Oh yeah, that's Kimmy. And she's an absolute angel. She is just quite hectic. Whereas the long hairs I do find a lot more chilled and a lot more laid back in general.

Yes.

variances between that, but.

Yeah.

And you know, they're, they're just such lovely little dogs. They are lovely and you know, they, they love to have a good run around and they love their exercise, they love playing, but

Mm-hmm.

time, they like the balance of being able to, to chill and cuddle up with you as well.

So they make a bit of a lap dog as well. So there's a wired hair. Wired hair, Dax sound isn't there as well.

there

Okay. And then you've got mini Dak sound and then a standard dexon. Is that right?

do? Yeah, two

Yeah,

So

yeah.

there's two different sizes in this country, and it's the, it's the mini longs that I bring. I don't breed the short hair, but yeah, just the mini longs.

they're the mini long-haired huns. And would you say that their temperament is different from the short hair to the long hair then as well?

Oh, in my experience, yes, but also not only with my own dogs, but from when I used to do daycare and boarding as well,

Hmm.

you know, the majority of the dogs that I had would be the short hairs,

Yeah.

in the daycare. 'cause they, they were more popular at the time. So

But

back to. they were like, albeit they would behave differently in this environment to what they would at home.

mm.

know, just sort of a comparison with how, how I see like my long hairs. Yeah, there, there is

Mm.

a difference there,

And I love it that you had to convince your husband to get like one, seven years ago. Now you've got loads.

you know,

That's brilliant.

don't you, where you're like, well, what's one more.

What's one more? That's what happened to me, but we've actually stopped at seven 'cause we, yeah. We couldn't afford anymore, but yeah, I know what you mean.

I can't even remember a time when I had seven.

Yeah, well as long as I've known you, which is a good few years now, you've always had quite a few. But yeah, I mean, what's, you know, little dogs, they make up a couple of big ones, so it's fine.

they

So my next question then would was around what you think are some of the biggest mis misconceptions around the breed.

I would say. There's probably two, which I see an awful lot. And it's around people just assuming that they're, because of their size, they're a lap dog and they're gonna cuddle up with you and, you know, just want human attention and that's it. Which, to be honest, that couldn't be further from the truth because they are working breed. Okay? You

Yeah.

variance between each dog as an individual and, you know, their, their desire to, to work and be a hound is. It's more prevalent in some than in the others.

Yeah.

the other thing that I see a lot is people calling them stubborn.

Oh, okay. And yeah, I hate that saying 'cause there's no such thing a stubborn dog is there.

No, no, no, no. And that's it. And you know, thinking back to, you know, when I sort of do my behavioural work or I see posts and Facebook groups and things like that, I think people kind of labeling them as that actually. Are you motivating your dog enough for them do what you want them to do? And do they understand what you are actually asking them to do? And yeah. So yeah, that, that's what I see a lot. And you know, people, you know, notoriously say they're difficult to train. They're this, they're that,

Really.

and actually they're not. You've just gotta understand them as a breed and

I said.

how you can motivate them to, do the behaviours you want them to do.

So it's all about tapping into that natural instant, isn't it? It's, yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah. And you know every dog can be trained, but it's, you know, some dogs pick up a lot quicker than others. You've gotta put in the time. And yeah, it's about, and I'm a big believer in sort of people. Doing their research into the breed as well. That's really important, isn't it? So that leads us nicely onto behavioural support for Dak Sands. So you've mentioned that obviously, you know, some people say they're hard to train and they're stubborn, but what would you say are some of the most common behavioural issues that you see in the breed? And what do you wish more owners knew about handling them?

I mean, I think probably the, the top behaviour, you can hear one of mine now

That's okay. I am surprised mine aren't going. That's absolutely fine. It's all about the happy hour.

oh yes, and there's lots of YAP in here. I would say probably the top behavioural problems I see is excessive barking reactivity

Yeah.

probably separation, although I don't tend to see so much of that now. That was a really big thing, you know, sort of around lockdown time when we were

Yes,

You know, everybody. that it was a great time to buy a dog 'cause they were at home and then of course they then went back to work and the dogs couldn't cope.

that's, yeah.

I don't really see an awful lot of that at the moment.

Mm.

the excessive barking, the reactivity perceived aggression and yeah,

Yeah. And obviously they're barking for a reason. It's a natural form of vocalization communication for a, for a dog, so,

course, of

yeah.

you know, particularly with Axon, they're, they're a breed that was specifically to bark. So, you know, when they would sort of go to ground after, you know, sort of rabbits badges and things like that, they had to

Mm,

to bark so their handler could actually locate, you know, sort of where they were.

that's it.

they, they are a breed that. Is gonna be more prone to barking because that's what they've been been bred to do. So

Yeah. Yeah.

that would be a top thing that really, if you are, if you are gonna be looking to get a DAX and one of the top things that you really need to understand

Is it they? Is it they bark?

Yeah, they do.

Well all, all dogs bark. But yeah, I mean there's some that are gonna bark more than others because they've been bred for a certain reason and it's just, just the genetics, isn't it? And what you know.

Yeah, of course.

And you're saying about sa I I hadn't worked with many essays in, in Dxi, but recently I just worked with a short head, short head one. But I hadn't seen many. It was mainly sort of like the cockapoos and the beagles that I'd been working with. Yeah. So yeah, it is interesting. So how could someone strike the right balance between support and their dog's emotions and setting boundaries?

So again, I think it's that piece around understanding your dog and, you know, understanding what is natural behaviours for them. Understanding that, you know, with natural behaviours, you know, you can't, I. Train those out of a dog, they're there and that's it. I think, you know, in terms of, of, of setting the boundaries and, and being clear with what you want them to do is, you know, actually realistic with what you're expecting. going back to the whole barking thing, you know, if you are gonna expect that a dog is never gonna bark, then. You know, it, it, it makes it difficult, doesn't it? But

Yeah.

you know, being able to work with your dog and actually teaching them that they don't have to bark all the time and actually, kind of having a bit of control over that and rewarding them, you know, for example, when they're quiet and you know, so on and so forth.

Yeah, tapping into that, you know, those natural instance and giving them a different outlet with some sort of enrichment and brain games and stuff like that. Really?

Yeah. A hundred percent. A hundred

Yeah.

you know, another example of that is, you know, they're a breed that you know is specifically bred to chase things because they're a hunting breed

Yeah,

You know, this is something that I've experienced myself before I knew any better. You know, one of my dogs would kind of be off chasing everything on a walk. And actually you can almost like flip that and give your dog kind of access to things where they can chase things so they don't then have to kind of go off and make their own entertainment. So

definitely.

setting those boundaries, giving the dog the proper outlet

Yeah. Yeah.

the natural behaviours

Yeah.

you know, showing them alternatives.

Yeah, and like you say, it's about understanding what those natural behaviours are as well, so understanding them and then sort of setting your dog up for success and playing to those strengths and giving those, those given those those outlets, which, you know, I love that. Perfect. Yeah. Brilliant. So we're gonna move on to our next section. Thanks Nicky for that. So life as a responsible breeder. So you are a licensed breeder of long-haired dins. What does responsible breeding mean to you, Nicky?

I think breeding, I would say, I mean, kind of taking it right back, I mean, when I first started breeding I had my first litter. And then I didn't require a license for that. And I thought, right, I'm gonna, I'll have a support from a really, really good friend of mine who

Yeah.

and mentored me through it because, you know, you, you know yourself, you know, it can be quite scary when you're

it's, it's very scary. Yeah. Stressful.

especially, you know, if things don't quite go as they should do. So I had my first litter and I actually contacted my animal welfare officer and I was kind of like, okay, I really, really wanna apply. For a license. And even at that point, she, she kind of said to me, she, she was like, well, how many litters are you gonna be having? I mean, I didn't have that many dogs at that point. and she was kind of like, well, because you're not gonna be having litters regularly. You don't actually need a license. And I was kind of like, well, I know I don't probably need it right now, but

But you want, you wanted it? Yeah.

not so I can just say to people, oh, I've got a breeding license. But was, it was more around having, you know, something in place where I. You know, I knew I was following what the government kind of set out as regulations to protect animals from a welfare perspective. I mean, it's not to say if I wasn't licensed, I wasn't gonna be doing that, but, you know, you, you know, I would've followed it anyway. But,

Yeah.

obtain a license, you have to have the animal welfare officer come round and inspect your premises. They

Yeah.

with a vet who spends a good amount of time inspecting your

Oh, okay.

all of

Oh, I didn't know Yvette did as well. Wow.

Yeah.

Yeah.

when I first had mine, I had my animal welfare officer around who I already knew because I was a licensed boarder.

Of course it's the same person.

Yeah, so she come around and did an inspection and you know, sort of gave me some guidance about, you know, sort of things to put in place. And then the vet then comes round and I think she was probably here with a vet for about a good hour, hour and a half, you know,

Oh, okay.

everything. They'll look through policies, procedures, they'll look through your premises and you know, all sorts of things like that. And then they'll put together a list of recommendations of, you know, further things that they may want you to put in place or things that you want, they want you to change. And then once you've done all of those changes, the animal welfare officer then comes back again and reinspect what you've already done and decides whether they're happy to, to sort of

Oh,

license. So for

quite, quite a rigorous process.

yeah, that, that

That's good.

Was one of the most important things to have in place. But then, you know, sort of following on from that, it's making sure that all the breeding stock that you've got are. Good examples of the breed,

Mm.

to, you know, select the best candidates for your breeding program. looking at things like health tests, the temperament of the dog, and, you know, all bits and pieces like that. then, you know, it's

Yeah.

then sort of made that commitment to breed, you know, I think one of the most important things for me is, although I'm. Breeding puppies and bringing them into the world, and you know, they'll go off to their new homes and things like that. because I'm the breeder and I've brought them into the world, ultimately I have a responsibility for that dog from the day they're born right up until the day that they're, you know, they pass away. So,

Yeah, and that's good.

One of the things I have in place with my puppy owners is I have a contract in place, which basically says, you know, if at any point in your puppy's life you are unable to care for them, they must come back to me as the breeder and I will

That's amazing because

point

I, I don't, I don't think a lot of breeders do do that, and I think that's important. That sets you apart.

And I think as

Yeah.

know, with the amount of pressure that's on rescue centers and

Yeah.

that at at the moment as well, I think, you know, as a breeder, if you are just gonna sell a dog to someone and then just almost like wash your hands and say, well, there you go, then you know that that's not responsible really. And. You know, just sort of following on from that as well, it's the whole process that you go through when you select suitable families and owners for your puppies as well.

Yeah.

not, I mean, I'm sure there's breeders out there that aren't as thorough, but for

Yeah.

I have to know everything about family and be completely comfortable with them before I'm gonna let them take one of my puppies.

Yeah, no, that sets you apart from everyone else. And I think as well for us it comes down to ethics as well. 'cause we are part of like similar go government bodies and obviously we've got like a moral compass and a certain ethics that we follow. So I think from your perspective as well, the reason you did that is because it comes down to your. And ethics and what you believe in are your values.

Yeah, absolutely. And you know, just sort of going back to, you know, the taking back of a puppy, you know, if I, I mean, I always keep in touch with my puppy owners. You know, when someone has a puppy from me, I always say to them, look, you, you are literally part of my family now and you're stuck with me. You're having this puppy

That's lovely.

know, always keep in contact with them. You know, people that send me updates, videos, all sorts of things.

Yeah.

you know, if I. I out that someone was struggling and they hadn't come to me and that one of my puppies had ended up in a rescue or something like that. Not that I'm saying there's anything wrong with rescues 'cause there's absolutely not. But you know, if I found out that one of my puppies had gone to a rescue, I would be so upset

Yeah. Yeah.

I would like to have that opportunity to always have them back myself.

You are so invested in, in the puppy and their, and their new guardians. Perfect. So that mo, that mo moves us on nicely to the next question, which is about how do you support puppy guardians to feel more confident and prepared when taking home their new puppy?

So when people have a puppy from me, I mean, depending on when the puppy owner comes into it, I mean, some people I'll be in contact with. before a matings taken place, or a puppy's born or anything like that. you know, some people it will be, you know, a little bit further down the line when the puppy's a few weeks old. you know, I have a lot of contact with my puppy owners prior to them taking their puppy home. You know, they have the option to ask me questions at any time whatsoever. and that's, you know, prior to them getting the puppy, whether it be, you know, sort of around. Feeding equipment set up at home, anything like that? I mean, when people come, 'cause normally people will come for a visit before they take the puppy home. So a lot of this will, we'll talk about on that initial visit when they first come to meet their puppy. So we'll go through a lot of information at that point, and people will have a lot of questions, but also when they take their puppy home, you know, they go home with a, a full information folder of, of information around vaccinations, worming, health tests,

Yeah.

sorts of things like that. And you know, I always say to my puppy owners when they go, you know, you, you've got my phone number. You can ring me or message me at any time. You know, if there's anything you're not sure of, anything you're worried about, any support I can give you. You

Yeah,

only ever a phone call or a message away, so they know that they've got me basically.

I think that's fantastic. 'cause not everyone offers that or does that, and it's nice that they can feel supported and it, it just says more about you as well, that they're getting their puppy from, you know, a really ethical reader. Perfect.

And not

Okay.

you know, for as, as a breeder, and you'll probably know from, you know, when, when you've bred yourself, there's nothing nicer than somebody got one of your puppies sending you a photo or a little

Yeah, I still get, yeah, I'm still in groups now and I get updates, so I mean, it could be a year down the line and I then get a message and it's lovely. It's quite, quite heartwarming and.

so lovely. And do you know what, one of my puppy owners for Christmas this year, it actually made me a little bit emotional when I opened it. So I dunno if you've seen them, but you can get these like. Plates or plaques and things and you know, you can do like dog footprints on it or your

Yes.

and stuff like that painted. And they'd sent me like this little plaque with their dog's like footprint on it and I was just like,

Oh, that's cute.

So lovely. So

That's nice. Yeah. So you've picked, you know, like you say, you do your research on the, the owners, they get vetted. So you've picked a, you know, you've picked some good people there.

Yeah, absolutely. And you know, I've had people that, well, I think one person who's actually come back for a second puppy as well,

Yes. Yeah. That's good.

that's been lovely as well.

Yeah, that's really nice. Perfect. So moving on to our next section. Thank you for that. So it's all around puppyhood to adolescent. So raising a happy and fulfilled dexon. What are the key things you recommend for the new Dexon guardians to focus on during those early weeks?

So early weeks, I would say take things slowly. Don't expect too much, at the same time, you know, sort of start doing things as you know, as soon as you, you take pup home, because I mean, obviously while the puppies with me, I will have done a certain amount of socialization and habitation. So, you know, puppies will sort of leave me with, you know, sort of being comfortable around a variety of different people. Particularly children as well. You know, I'm very fortunate in that respect because, you know, a lot of the time you, you can hear stories about people's Dax ands not liking children and, and, and things like that.

Right.

you know.

Okay.

If they've never been around children or the new home doesn't have children, that actually be quite difficult, especially if they've got family that have got children that then sort of visit

Mm

So, you know,

mm.

kids are, well, they're nine and nearly 10 and nearly 18. So, you know, they're, they're very, very much hands-on with the pups. They get handled by them, you know, they get to spend a lot of time with them. So.

Yeah.

You know, and they get to meet a different variety of people. You know, we have visitors and things like that. And, you know, they have a lot of the time they, you know, they're, they're downstairs in an area of the living room where they can see everything that's going on, all the sight sounds, smells, everything like that. I mean, some breeders you know, will sort of have dogs and kennels and things like that, and, you know. I dunno how much they get to experience a home environment. But you know, we make sure when our puppies leave that, you know, they've kind of experienced most things that they sort of need to experience and it's really about the owners, you know, sort of keeping up on top of that and

Yeah.

to build on that, but obviously not doing things too quickly.

Yeah.

So for them to sort of start doing that. And also as well, know, sort of getting them to build the pup's confidence, you know, sort of alone and things like that. So, you know, the, the most tempting thing to do when you've got a new puppy is just to pick, pop up and cuddle them all the time, which saying is wrong. all do it.

We do.

them have that little bit of independence where they can kind of. Go and do own thing and actually put proof in the home so you know it is safe for pup and you're not sort of almost like telling them no every five minutes or Come here, don't do that. It's, you

Yeah.

opportunity to be confident and, you know, sort of go and explore

Yeah.

getting into trouble, if that makes sense.

Yeah. And I think the, from my experience working with puppy owners, the things they struggle with initially is probably like toilet training and yeah. So have you got any tips on sort of toilet training at all?

I mean, in terms of toilet training with, with mine, I will just sort of, you know, af probably every sort of 15, 20 minutes

That's it. Yeah.

them outside particularly after they've eaten or had playtime or they've just

Yeah.

up and things like

Yeah.

I mean, we start toilet training with the pups around sort of three or four weeks. So we have them, you know, sort of, kind of in a welcoming box up until three or four weeks till they get a little bit more mobile and then. really good at cleaning up after them, you know, sort of

Yeah.

they're there. But

Yeah,

a little bit older around, you know, sort of three and a half, four weeks,

yeah,

of create in a pen, you know, a separate sleeping and toilet area. So, you know, they do start to understand the difference of,

yeah.

of where to go and where not to go.

Yeah.

and one thing I do sort of say to my puppy owners is, don't fall into the habit of using puppy pads. I'm, I'm

I know.

I think they've got a place,

Yeah.

Nelly, I'm not a fan of using a puppy pad indoors because I think it's confusing and it kind of teaches the pup that it's okay to go to the

Yeah, your, your encouraging to go indoors, but I know that like for some people that were using them, I, what I used to say was, we'll put it by the back door and then slowly move it outside so that the puppy knows to go. But I. With a lot of this, it is for long getting a new puppy and we don't know what we don't know. So it's all about sort of education and research and stuff like that. And, you know, getting a reputable sort of dog trainer positive reinforcement dog trainer. Early on, that's mine. Sort of probably having a scrap down there now on the floor. Yeah, getting help early on doing, I'm really big on sort of education, doing your research into the breed. Particularly obviously if it's like you know, a breed that, like you say, you've not got kids or, you've not got a garden, you, you're just in a flat that's gonna make toilet training harder. Yeah, that's what I was gonna say. So people don't realize that you have to be so rigid and get them out every sort of 15 to 20 minutes. So I, I'd say like you just have to put 'em out. And even if they don't do anything when they do go, you've gotta fully praise them and reinforce that with a nice, tasty treat. But like clockwork, you have to set a, a timer and get them out every 15, 20 minutes. And they, they, like you said, after any form of excitement, play eating, they've just woken up. You need to just put 'em out. 'cause they don't, they can't control their bladder straight away.

Absolutely. And then, you know, not getting upset if they do have an accident

Exactly.

it is gonna happen.

It does. I used to say create the party outside and all your neighbors probably think you're crazy, but you know, when they do go outside, just wave your arms around and get all, get all excited. So you picked, I picked up on some, as you said, so some of our pet parents listening, they may know what's of, they may have heard the word socialization, but you mentioned habit. It's another word I can't say habitation. Yeah. Are you able just to tell us what that word means if you don't mind?

the difference, I mean, socialization, pretty much everyone knows what that means.

Yeah.

introducing the dog to all living creatures, whether that be humans, dogs, cats, any other animals you might have in the house. But habituation relates to, you know, sort of things that are in the environment. So, sight, sounds, textures, all bits and bobs like that.

Yeah.

well. So what we sort of tend to do with our puppies as well, we do do a bit of the early neurological stimulation and the early scent introduction. So the early neurological what you call it the early

a,

neurological stimulation.

that's A-N-S-A-N-S, in other words,

I was trying to use the correct name.

that that's.

you know, there, there's various exercises that you can do which kind of relates to touch. So it's kind of touching their feet, holding them in different positions and whatnot. And it's designed to, you know, sort of create. A little bit of stress, but also to help build but good stress, not stress in a bad way, but good to help build their resilience a little bit. And then, you know, you sort of do that for the first week from day three up to day 10. And then you can also do that with scent as well. So you pick a different scent for each day, whether it be. You know, sort of household things like, you know, some of your herbs, not the ones that are like really strong, like cayenne pepper or chili powder or something like that, but your na, your natural herbs that you get, you know, like your

Yes.

and things like that. You can grab bits and bobs, you know, sort of from outside

Yeah.

would be, you know, you can record the pup's reaction to it. So it's things like, you know, if they have no reaction, whether they move towards the item or sent. Or, and whether they sort of like move away from it. So again, it's just building that little bit of resilience there as well.

Yeah. Brilliant. I love that. I was gonna mention as well, is that when the puppy goes home, if that's either eight, 10 or 12 weeks, and we've got this thing with vaccinations now that they have to wait or they get spaced out, and that's quite a key, what we call the sensitive period for, for dogs. And they need to sort of, you know, have all these different novel experiences. So don't get so hung up on that. You can't take your puppy out. You should put it in like a puppy sling so they can

sling. I

Yes.

all of

That's, yeah. So I just thought it would good to touch on that, that even though they don't have their second vac, you wouldn't let them interact maybe with other dogs or out on the street, but take them out so they can experience those novel sounds. Sight and smiles.

Or you know, if you've got vaccinated dogs in the family. It's fine for them to come in and, and and visit pup? absolutely. As long as they're vaccinated, it's just, yeah, pup can't go on the floor outside,

Yeah,

wrong with, you know, bringing in novel things from outside as well. You know, sort of like leaves other

good idea.

you know, sort of stones and anything like that at all that, you know, sort of pup can explore.

Yeah. Brilliant. Perfect. So moving on then to when the Dak sound goes through adolescence, so it's quite a tricky time for them. So it can be a lot for the, the dog and the owners the pet parents. What tips do you have or would you like to share for this tricky stage?

so I, one of my dogs was quite a difficult adolescent dog, and yeah, I can completely relate to anybody who. May struggle with this and you know, from my own experience, the only thing I can say is, first of all, it doesn't last forever. And you do come out the other side of it,

Yeah.

being aware that it's gonna happen. Behaviours and things that the dog was maybe happy to do before could go

Mm.

Things like toilet training could go backwards.

Yeah.

Know, particularly with my male dogs, I've found they can all of a sudden become more fearful of things.

Mm.

You know, they, they can be seen as, you know, sort of ignoring things that you are asking them to

Right.

And just in general. You know, being able to do the things that they could do previously. And again, you know, it comes back to that thing that we were sort of talking about right at the very beginning when we were, you know, sort of saying that they get branded as stubborn and things like that. It's,

Hmm.

it's not about them being stubborn, it's about they are not understanding. you are wanting them to do.

Yeah.

how the brain and everything is developing and all the hormonal changes and, and, and things like that, it, know, everything just kind of tends to go backwards. So again, it, you know, it's being really, really aware of that and that you might have to go back to basics with a lot of your training. Things like your toilet training and things like that. You know, if they were happy with being alone before and they may not be happy with. sort of being alone right now. Again, that

Hmm.

a factor and I

Yeah.

just about being patient

Hmm.

expecting them to do too much and just having that real understanding. And it's not them being stubborn or a difficult dog or doing anything to fight you.

Hmm.

just one of those, you know, developmental things that everybody goes through and, you know, you know, humans go through it as well,

Yeah.

All sorts of stories about teenagers getting up to

Yeah.

next thing you know when they go through adolescence and when you know they're in their teens and things like that. And it's

Yeah.

for our dogs.

So yeah, obviously it happens a lot earlier. So I wanted to touch on the point you said about males being a bit more fearful. So they do go through, and not a lot of pet parents may know this, it's the second fear cycle. It's normally from about eight to 10 months. Is that right?

And although it's kind of called a second second fear cycle, it is more to do with adolescents and the hormonal changes.

I did wonder that, because I was thinking they've got this second fear circle. I don't really know what that means. But then they've got adolescents, they've got all this brain fog, and like you say, they're by no means meaning to, to ignore you or to do like things that they shouldn't be. But they're, they've got a lot that they're, they're dealing with. So you, you are saying it's actually sort of more of the same then the, the,

Yeah, I think so. And you know, again, I like to make the comparison to humans. 'cause I think a lot of the time when you're speaking to people about it in relation to their dog, if you can link it. To the human concept, it's either something they've gone through themselves or they know someone that's gone through it.

Yeah.

interesting what you were sort of saying about the brain fog and things like that. You know, obviously when women go through perimenopause and menopause and, and things like that, you know, I'm at that age now, you know, you kind of become a little

My.

You

My mum. My mum, bless her, she's in her sixties. She's been going through it for years, and she's still having problems. Bless her. So I've, yeah, you've got my, you've got my respect you ladies.

But you know, it all joking apart, it is exactly the same for the dogs.

Yeah.

you know, if people can kind of relate to that and understand that, I think that gives people a deeper understanding of their dog.

Yeah, it's always good to compare, make comparisons. And can you is it with smaller dogs, do they tend to start adolescents in six months or does it just vary?

It varies. It varies.

Hmm.

you know,

I know with bigger dogs it's like a Yeah, go ahead. My love.

no, no, no. I was just gonna say, you know, with some of my dogs, I've not even noticed them go through adolescence and hormonal changes

Oh,

same and you know, they've not been any different.

that's interesting.

But then of them you really, really do notice the change. And like I was saying, one of my dogs really, really sticks out for me, and you probably know who that is. Anyway, my dogs, yeah. Yeah, it, it does vary so much. And you know, even with like, some of the girls, I mean, the girls mature at different rates. You know, I've, I've had dogs that have come into season, you know, and had their first season when they've been five months old. And then at

Oh wow.

you know, I've had a dog that didn't have her first season till she was 13 months old. So, you know, it is all

Mm.

very, very different. Very, very

Yeah.

what

Do female and male D Dashon Ds go through adolescents at different ages or.

would say some of the girls earlier,

Yeah. Mm-hmm.

I mean, I start to notice things with the boys around sort of seven, eight months. And like I say, with the girls, they can come into season sort of as early as five or six months. So

Yeah.

it does. I do think in general the girls probably go through it a little bit earlier.

Yeah. And what I was saying earlier is that I think the bigger dogs tend to be later around about 18 months, or 12 to 18 months, but the smaller dogs do tend to start earlier. So, yeah, that's really interesting. So if there's one thing that you w that you, if there's one thing you wished all D and pet parents, guardians knew, what would it be?

I would say probably the biggest

I.

Is whatever you are going through, you're not alone. You're not, and know it's absolutely fine for you to reach out for help. Don't sort of

Yeah.

by yourself or think you're the only one that's going through it. You know, a lot of the time. You know, when people get a new puppy, it, it is very overwhelming. You know, it's like when you have a child for the first time, it is, you know, it's very, very emotional and, and you know, sort of very, very similar. And, you know, people struggle and, you know. like to call it the puppy blues, but you know, that is something a bit like the baby blues, again, the human analogy. It's,

Yeah.

very real for a lot of people. And you know, if you've got a dog or pup that's keeping you up half the night and you know, you're sleep deprived and you know, you can't get your dog to do what you want them to do and they're not doing this and they're not doing that, you know, it is, it is really, really emotional and you know, to anybody, I would say don't suffer in silence. Reach out for help.

Brilliant. My God, we've literally sailed through this episode. It is literally been jam packed with information. It's so, I love it. So we're gonna spend the next sort of five minutes or so just sort of wrapping up. So for someone who might be struggling right now, what would you say to them to make them feel more hopeful or to help them feel more hopeful?

just. Whatever it is that you're going through at the moment, it is just a point in your pet's journey,

Mm.

know, and you know, just sort of reiterating around, you know, the adolescent side of things, you know? Yes. That can start at any time from, you know, 5, 6, 7 months and go on, you know, until sort of 18 months to two years and,

Yeah.

you know, it's, it is just that moment in time and. You know, once you've kind of gone through that and things settle down, you know, you'll kind of look back on it and think, it wasn't that bad. I probably would do that again.

Yeah.

you know, whatever anybody's going through, you know, it, it isn't forever. And like I say, it is just that point in life.

Yeah. I love that. And basically if someone was looking at getting a d you, you'd, you'd recommend them researching the breed, wouldn't you? And doing their homework.

percent. And you know, I think particularly just sort of going back to what we were talking about earlier with how I select my puppy owners, so I have a form that. A potential puppy owner has to fill in because I basically wanna know everything about this person, you know, what they do, what their work is, what their family set up is, and this, that, and the next thing.

That's good. Your father.

one of the questions that I do ask on there is around they aware of the potential health issues that DAXs can have? And there

Yes,

know, sort of some quite serious health issues that they can have. So I think.

that's right.

You know, not to put the sort of downer on someone wanting to get a puppy, but I think, you know, with anything, you've gotta go into it, you know, with your eyes wide open and actually, you know, be prepared for the fact that, you know, we as breeders do as much as we possibly can around, you know, selecting dogs for temperament confirmation. We do all

Mm.

health tests to make sure you know that we're. Breeding the healthiest puppies that we possibly can, but

Yeah.

only so much we can do because there is still a small chance that, you know, some, something might happen, you know, sort of later on down the line. So really it's, you know, sort of nailing people down and, you know, making sure that people are aware of that. And

Yeah.

does go wrong, are they gonna be prepared for it?

Yeah.

and what that's likely to involve. And then, you know, it's around sort of researching the breed. You know, things like how much exercise the breed needs, what, what sort of exercise they need, what sort of things they're gonna find most rewarding, what sort of mental stimulation are they gonna enjoy. You know, I. Things like, for example, you know, the fact that they're a scent hound and they're very, very cent driven. So tapping into that sort of thing and you know, just getting people to research so they can understand what. The dog is that they're getting and how

Mm.

provide the best possible enriching life for that dog. And,

Yeah.

we can educate as much as we possibly can, you know, as breeders and, you know, there's, there's probably breeders out there that maybe don't go into as much detail and give as much information as I do.

Mm.

you know, I of like people to. everything before they then make a commitment.

Yeah. I just want to quickly, really touch, quickly touch on just about IVDD. So we mentioned about obviously they're doing their research, but IVDD is something that potential people should know about, isn't it? 'cause it could happen.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah.

And you know, it's also as well being aware of the condition you know, it's a condition that. Affects their back and can

That's right. Yeah.

dogs need surgery for it. Other times, you know, they can be rehabilitated with, you know, sort of conservative treatment like pain relief, crate rest, things like that. I mean, I've seen dogs recover without surgery and then I've seen

Oh.

have needed surgery. You know, I've seen some that have had surgery two or three different times. So, you know, it is being aware of that.

Yeah.

that, you know, the disease does exist and whilst we do everything we possibly can to, to minimize it,

Mm

you know, as a breeder, given your puppy owners advice on how to mitigate against the risks. So the types of exercise, the activities you allow your doctor to do. Things like

mm.

their weight to a good weight, looking at diet and, you know, sort of everything like that. And it, you know, it's kind of given people. That awareness around that.

Yeah. I just thought it was really important just to touch on it because it is something you know that you do see, and I just think if someone was new to the breed, it is something they should really be aware of and they wanna look into.

But also, you know, sort of off the back of that as well, you know, there is another condition that they can suffer from, which is a condition that affects their eyes. So it's called progressive retinal, a trophy.

PRA.

ERA, so you've

Yeah.

So yeah, basically what that is, that that's a condition that affects their eyes. So what, as a breeder, what you have to do is you have to test all your breeding stock to see whether they carry the gene or whether they're clear of it and what you have to do within your breeding program. Dogs that carry the gene, absolutely fine. They won't be affected by it. They just carry the gene and they, it means that they can pass it on to their offspring. But what you have to do with breeding is you have to then put them to a dog that's clear of the gene. So what will then happen is each puppy within that litter has a 50 50 chance of being a carrier or being clear of the gene. But what you can't do is if you've got two carriers of the gene. can't breed them together because there's a 50 50 chance that the puppies will either be carriers or they'll be affected. And if they're affected, it means they could go blind at some point later on in their life.

Oh gosh. Yeah.

yeah, again, health testing and you know, if anyone's looking to get a puppy, these are the sorts of questions that you know, that people need to be asking

It,

And

it

what help

should,

been done.

yeah. The only reason I knew about, 'cause the toy peles had to be tested for it.

Yeah.

So it is important, like you say, if you are, if you are getting a puppy that you do ask that they've had these relevant health checks and stuff. Yeah.

absolutely. And not only just ask him, but actually ask to see

the result.

it.

Yeah. See the evidence. Yeah.

Yeah,

Yeah, definitely. Brilliant. So I absolutely love the breed. Obviously I've met your, I've obviously helped look after your guys a couple of times and seen them when I come around for a couple, but, and Kimmy like seems to love me. But I'm sure she's like with everyone, she likes to gimme a wash.

She loves everyone. That dog.

So I mean they're just, I, I walk a few as well, so we've got a few Dax on our books and like they're just full of character. I just think like they're just really, they're really spirited.

They, they really are. And they're so funny.

Yeah.

funny. And you know, each, like I say, each of my dogs, they bring something completely different. To

Their own personalities.

I mean, I've, I've got dogs that make me laugh from the minute I get up to the minute I go to bed because they're just so funny and the things that they do. And then, you know, you've got the real, like soft ones that are like really, really cuddly. And then you've got the others. That are more scent driven than the others. So, you know, you can go out and do some training and have some real fun with them. Whereas some of the others, they're kind of like, they're, they're not too fussed about it. They'd rather sit and have a cuddle on the sofa. But you know, each one of my dogs brings something different to the table and yeah, they're amazing. I'm

they're,

they aren't.

yeah, I love, I love them as well. They're such, such, such little characters. So I'm Nicky. Where can our listeners find out more about your work or to follow your gorgeous gang?

So I have a Facebook page, which is opi d din, so that's O-P-I-E-D-X, dins. That's my

Yeah.

And then I've got a website, which is www.opax.co uk.

Oh, and they can reach out to you if they wanna get a, a new gorgeous Dexy puppy or join your waiting list,

Oh, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, our waiting list for this year and next year is already open.

right.

so, you know, if anyone is looking for a part and they want to join a waiting list, absolutely get in touch. But also as well, you know, if, if there's anybody sort of listening that's struggling with any element of their Dixon's behaviour,

Yeah.

like I said, you know, don't suffer in silence, reach

Mm.

you know, I'm more than happy to, to help anyone. So yeah, feel free to get in contact.

Brilliant. They can just get in touch with all your website or on Facebook. Yeah.

Yeah, Eva is absolutely fine.

Oh brilliant. So do reach out to Nicky Nicky Hammel one of our breed specialists. It's been fantastic talking to you about the danne today. Thank you for joining me on the Yappy Hour powered by Yappily. It's been a great conversation and we will chat again soon.

Thank you for having me. It's been lovely.

Thank you.

I.

What's a brilliant episode with Nicky Hammel. Here are just a few of the takeaways from our chat today. Number 1D sounds are bold, bright, and deeply sensitive. Understanding their emotional world is the key to supporting them. Number two, common struggles like barking or reactivity, often stem from fear or frustration, not naughtiness. Number three, early support enrichment and positive training can make a world of difference for both puppies and adults. Number four, responsible breeding plays a huge role in setting up dogs for a lifelong success. Nicky, thank you so much for joining me. Today and for being such a brilliant voice for this amazing little breed. If you'd like to learn more about Nicky's work, be sure to check her out on social media and follow along with her fabulous Dashan GaN. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to leave a review. Share it with a fellow dog lover and sub and subscribe so you never miss an episode of the Yappy Hour. Thanks for listening, and I'll see you next time.