The sausage dog's long body was for them to burrow into fox holes to
sniff out the foxes. Their legs may be short and stubby but they have
a good body weight. They are able to fight with the foxes and they are
not afraid to get into fights.
My main concern is to make sure that my dog has a long and healthy
life. I watch out for any sign of back problems. Usually, the gait of
the dog can tell me. If the gait of the dog is not the usual gait,
then there might be a problem with the back bone. It was a good thing
that I don't have foxes in my garden. My dog only chased after the
birds and yes, the occasional rats that came from the area. I never
had to put up a rat trap. The dog was good with its nose and its
hearing. It also had a predator's instinct. It kept quiet, watched and
waited. I didn't train the dog to be that way. I think it is their
nature.
There is a trick which I taught my dog. The dog likes to jump up on
me. It is short and when it jumps up, the body weight will rest on my
thigh. I used to catch the dog's weight with my left arm held across
my stomach. This happened every time it jumped up. The two paws would
rest on my arm and its hind legs would support its body. This may
injure its back because the back is longer than most dogs. I taught it
to sit on its hunches and beg....
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