How To Stop Dachshund Behavior Problems
Many Dachshund owners would agree that doxies are the most loving family dog, but they can sometimes act out of spite and have choosy listening skills.
It can be very frustrating when experiencing Dachshund behavior problems. Luckily, by using some positive training techniques, many behavior challenges can be corrected…even in a Dachshund.
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Table Of Contents
Common Dachshund Behavior Problems
The most common Dachshund behavior problems include: Separation Anxiety, Excessive Barking, Eliminating Indoors, Digging, Destructive Chewing, and Aggression.
Let’s look at each of these issues and discover some helpful ways to resolve them.
Dachshund Separation Anxiety
We all want our dogs to feel calm and comfortable when we have to leave the house. So, it is important to understand what to do when Separation Anxiety strikes.
Separation Anxiety training is needed to help your dog learn that you will be back and they don’t need to panic when you are away.
Training Tip: If your dog has separation anxiety, most of the destruction will occur in the first 30 minutes of your departure.
Tips For Treating Separation Anxiety
Avoid Triggers
Certain noises, like getting your keys out or saying “Good-bye” can trigger a separation anxiety episode in your Dachshund.
Avoid direct interaction with your pup right before you leave.
Dogs reflect your behavior and will start to get upset if you indicate that you are leaving.
Walking
Taking your pup on a 20-minute walk each day before you leave and when you return will help calm their stress and anxiety.
Hired Help
Don’t let your Dachshund “hold it” for more than 4-5 hours at a time.
This can cause major panic and anxiety in your dachshund and it will cause them to have embarrassing accidents in your home.
If you work full time or are unable to let your doxie out during the day, hire some help or take your pup to a doggie daycare.
Search online for some local dog walkers in your area. I like to use Rover.com for dog walkers and boarding.
Catching Them In The Act
If you catch your Dachshund in the act of destroying something in the home through the window or remotely on a doggie camera, don’t go back inside your house!
This will reinforce the behavior. This will teach them to destroy something to get you to come back home…and you don’t want that.
Modern remote doggie camera systems (From Amazon) allow you to speak through a microphone so you can tell your dog to stop when they are up to no good.
Keeping Your Dog Occupied
Interactive dog toys and puzzles can help your dog stay mentally stimulated, so you don’t have to worry about them getting bored while you are away.
Dog IQ Puzzles: I found some great Doggie IQ Puzzles, Boredom Buster Activity Mats, and Interactive Tech Dog Toys worth checking out on my Dog Gift Post.
Treat Toys: Consider giving your dog a frozen peanut butter Kong toy treat before you leave. This is one of my favorite ways to keep my Dachshunds occupied for hours while I’m away.
Consult A Vet
For more severe cases of separation anxiety, consult your vet for some help. They may recommend some medications that can help keep your dog feel calm.
Natural Antidotes
You can use natural methods to calm dog separation anxiety too.
Calming Supplements
- Dog Calming Chews from Ready Pet Go help promote relaxation and helps reduce hyperactivity.
Sleeping Habits
Make sure your pup is getting enough sleep. Give them a comfortable dog bed and blanket to feel safe and warm at night or during nap time.
Excessive Barking
Why Do Dachshunds Bark So Much?
Dachshunds tend to bark excessively when they’re bored, excited, or simply craving some extra attention. But let’s be honest here, barking is one of the most well-known Dachshund personality traits. Along with their obsession with food, a doxie’s booming bark is practically built into the breed!
Dachshunds are naturally territorial and will bark to protect their pack (family members) and home. If your little long dog struggles with separation anxiety, this can also lead to excessive barking.
How To Stop Excessive Barking:
If your Dachshund’s needs are all met, but they still insist on barking at you…avoid responding verbally or physically.
Attention:
If you give them attention, they will continue barking to get more attention…creating a bad habit: Constant Dachshund Barking.
Give your dog positive attention and praise when they are showing good behavior (being quiet, not barking).
Exercise:
Dogs that constantly bark in the evening may be doing so out of boredom.
They need to have some playtime and more walks during the day to tire them out and help promote a good night’s sleep.
Distractions:
Dachshunds have “super senses” that help them do what they were born to do…Hunt, Track, and Guard! Their goal in life is to protect you and their home.
When your doxie barks at the door or window at something outside, tell them thank you (for keeping you safe), and lead them away from the area of distraction. This allows them to use their bark alarm a couple of times, but helps stop it from carrying on too long.
When they go potty outside, doxies are easily distracted by all of the sights, sounds, and smells of your yard. Try to find a quiet area of their yard so they can concentrate on the job at hand.
Post You May Like: Are Dachshunds Still Used For Hunting?
Eliminating Indoors
Dachshunds can be very temperamental. So, sometimes it can be hard to tell what the true cause of an indoor potty accident is.
Dachshund accidents in the house can be related to separation anxiety, undesirable weather outside, lack of training, Illness, or extra excitement.
It’s not always out of spite or payback.
Digging
Why Do Dachshunds Dig? Dachshunds were bred to hunt badgers.
During the hunt, they had to do a lot of digging to help track down their prey.
Nowadays, doxies may dig out of boredom, hormones, temperature, or protecting their property.
Boredom:
Your dog may be bored and need something more constructive to do. Keep up their daily exercise, walking, or play routine to tire them out.
Hormones:
They may be hormonal or in-heat. Of course, the solution to this would be visiting your vet to get them spayed or neutered.
Temperature:
Your doxie might be too hot on a summer day and wants to dig and lay in the cool dirt. Be careful though, if that cool dirt is moist, it may contain nasty parasites or worms that can burrow into your dog’s skin, eww!!
Help your doxie find some cool shade or air conditioning so they are more comfortable.
Protecting Property:
A Dachshund may want to bury their favorite toy or bone.
My dachshunds love to dig and bury their toys in the couch cushions or cover their food bowls with a towel…it’s just something they do.
Chewing
As young puppies, Dachshunds use their mouths to explore their surroundings.
It is important to have lots of chew toys and bones available that your dog is allowed to chew, so he doesn’t go looking for your shoes or furniture.
Excessive Dachshund chewing can also be caused by Separation Anxiety.
Aggression
Dachshund Aggression is the worst! So many doxie owners feel lost and upset when their loving Dachshund literally turns into a vicious brat. If your Dachshund shows their dominance towards people or dogs, they may have issues with submitting to authority.
Why Is My Dachshund Aggressive?
First, we need to look at some possible reasons for aggressive behavior in your Dachshund. Then, we will review some helpful tips to tame it.
What to Do About Dachshund Aggression
More Exercise:
Adding some more exercise to your Dachshund’s daily routine will help reduce stress and anxiety.
By walking, you are meeting your dog’s physical and mental needs. If your dog is cooped up all day, they may become more aggressive, bored, or depressed.
They need to get outside and move, just as much as you do.
One-on-One Training:
Your Dachshund loves spending time with you and earning yummy treats. So set aside some special training time each day for some one on one with your dog.
Professional Help:
If adding more exercise and revisiting command training still isn’t working for your dog, it’s time to seek professional help. Ask your vet to recommend a specialized dog behavior trainer in your area or you can do it right online. Dog training programs can be a great resource for addressing Dachshund separation anxiety and other behavioral issues.
To avoid any legal ramifications, get some help to cover yourself before your dog is the cause of any injury.
Cover Yourself: If your Dachshund is known for biting, consult your vet and keep them away from children. Post signs on your property to warn visitors about any potential dangers when they enter your home or yard.
Educate Yourself: Become more familiar with canine resource guarding and conditioning techniques. Here is a great post from Dr. Patricia McConnell called The Other End of the Leash.
Dachshund Possession Aggression
Friends, if you notice your Dachshund getting a bit possessive over their food or toys, check out my post called “The Dark Side of the Dachshund in Your Bed.”
In this article, I explain why it’s essential to address signs of possession aggression (aka resource guarding) early on. I share insights on how this behavior can escalate to other belongings, like your furniture and explain what steps to take to handle this type of behavior.
Bonus Tip
Many of the unwanted behaviors listed above are caused by doxie hormones and can be reduced or even eliminated by getting your Dachshund dog spayed or neutered. But, it is recommended to wait until a certain age to prevent serious health risks and developmental issues.
Read More: 5 Reasons Why You Should Wait To Fix Your Dachshund
When Do Dachshunds Calm Down?
In my experience, Dachshunds start to calm down around 1 year of age. As with most small breed puppies, that 1 year mark can be a game changer for many.
I get it! Dachshund puppies are so darn cute, but that first year takes a lot of patience to survive puppy training.
Dog Breed Comparison:
When I was first married, my husband and I had a mini dachshund, a dachshund-beagle mix, and a German Shepherd. We went a little overboard on the doggie family.
My mini dachshund had less puppy energy, less chewing and less potty training issues when he turned one.
My German Shepherd’s energy didn’t really calm down until he was 4 years of age. Everything else was tamed by 9 months.
My beagle-dachshund mix adapted to his brothers potty time routines and learned everything super quick by 9 months.
Disclaimer:
This post enables people to ask for and discuss dog health-related and behavioral advice, with the aim of connecting with other dog parents who may have faced similar situations. Our position is that the readers of this post fully understand that Dachshund Station does not endorse taking any advice given or received over that of a veterinarian or a certified dog trainer. Dachshund Station (Ava Jaine) is not responsible for the consequences of anyone choosing to implement any advice they receive.
The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding dogs. For an accurate diagnosis of your dog’s condition, please make an appointment with your vet.
Are you struggling with Dachshund Behavior Problems? Please let us know in the comments below.
Helpful Links:
References:
- Schweitzer, Karen. 2010. Our Best Friends The Dachshund. Pittsburg, PA: Eldorado Ink.
- Pinney, Chris. 2010, 2000. Dachshunds. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.
Hello. Our 12 year old male mini doxie suddenly started growling and barking at us this evening. His eyes appeared completely black. He didn’t even look like himself. We have him in a kennel right now due to his sudden aggressive behavior. What could cause this sudden, scary change ? Thank you in advance.
Hello Becky, So sorry to hear this, I understand this new behavior can feel scary.
This new aggression could be because of a new pain or illness or because of possession aggression towards a toy, bed, or food.
My dachshund, Eko, has possession aggression. He gives me that very same look (it’s seriously scary, like he goes from Jekyll to Hyde instantly) when he has a dog bone or any new toy. Some doxies are this way when sitting in their favorite spot on the couch.
If you believe it may be possession aggression, watch this vet video for some tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU7XGpWoLbc&feature=youtu.be
If it is illness or pain / soreness related, have your doxie visit the vet for a check up.
Also, has he had any recent experience with a person or another animal that may have bothered or scared him? That may have caused anxiety or a difference in behavior.
This is also a helpful video to help you narrow down what may be going on with your dog.
“Why is my dog SUDDENLY aggressive towards me?” from Dog Liaison :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeCTwfU9y4E
Hi,
My girlfriend and I own an 8 year old male Dachschund, he was her childhood dog that I adopted when we moved into our apartment together. He would have occasional bathroom accidents here and again whenever we were out of the house for a few hours or more (which I didn’t find too unusual), but as time went on some underlying issues that I am struggling to tolerate began to surface. On one particular night, he attempted to bite my girlfriend in the arm after she tried to pick him up while he was on our couch. I’ve never owned a Dachshund so I’d be lying if at that time I told you I was familiar with all of their usual tendencies, but what I do know is that it’s universally unacceptable for an 8 year old dog to try and bite its owner. As a result, I decided in that moment that the best way to curb that behavior was to pick him up myself and move him off the couch and onto the floor to reinforce that that wasn’t okay and that if you try and bite either one of us, you will not be allowed to sit with us for a short period of time. As you can probably guess, when I picked him up and put him on the floor he bit me on the hand and continued to snarl at both of us aggressively for several seconds. While I was initially angry at his behavior, I gave him space and let him calm down on the carpet and after a few minutes he began to whine and show remorse, and eventually we let him back up on the couch with us. Since then, he still has sporadic aggressive outbursts (which I’ve discovered is common with Dachschunds especially when treats/toys are involved) that need to be addressed. It has gotten to the point where he resorts to threatening to bite us when we make him do something he doesn’t want to do, and as his owner I don’t want that to accept that level of aggressive behavior to be considered normal. I understand it’s in the breed’s nature to growl or indicate in some other way that they are uncomfortable in a situation, but biting isn’t okay. How do I effectively respond when he gets like this, and how can I train him to gradually approach indicating he is uncomfortable in a less aggressive way?
Hello Jack,
Being 8 years old, it could be that he was protecting something, like a toy (possession aggression) or that he didn’t want to leave the couch.
Thank you for being patient with him. Yes, some dachshunds do act aggressive towards anyone, even the ones they love when it comes to food or toys. They literally become wolves, or as my husband says: “Jekyll and Hyde.”
I actually am going through this same thing with my dachshund puppy, Eko, who is 1 years old. So, I’m currently trying to understand the behavior and stop it, because you are correct, biting is not acceptable.
I am currently following this helpful video created by a vet on YouTube to work with my dachshund, Eko. It starts off talking about puppy possession aggression, but then half way through the video, it discusses adult dog aggression.
Please check this out. I hope this helps you, take care.
Dog Possession Aggression: What To Do (By: Veterinary Secrets)
https://youtu.be/xU7XGpWoLbc
If the aggression is not towards a toy or food, and just sitting on the couch… per the video, he should have access since it causes aggression. The other thing I would try is to have a ramp up against the couch, and call to your dachshund with a small treat to have him leave the couch safely without having to pick him up. If he doesn’t budge… then no more couch time.
Here is another good video about possession aggression: https://youtu.be/JcWs6rRDfMQ
I have a three year old female and a 9 year old male dachshund . They have always gotten along very well. However, in the past week or two the female is suddenly showing aggression towards my poor boy. I don’t know what to do, or understand the reason for it. It’s not constant by any means but I don’t trust her alone with him anymore . Suggestions would be appreciated .
Hi Lisa,
It seems to be a trend that I hear from others that as their dachshunds age, their attitude changes and sometimes causes more aggression.
I have seen where the female dachshunds do tend to be more independent and dominant over the male doxies at times.
Question: Are they both fixed? If not, you may want to consider it…it can help lower aggression.
I agree that keeping them separate would be best to keep them safe from each other. Still allow for some ‘supervised’ social interaction time during the day when you can. I would suggest adding in some positive playtime with their toys or some favorite treats for some playful command training. This will add a positive spin on their together time so they don’t bother each other.
I would also make sure to walk both dogs 1-2 times per day for at least 20 minutes. If your female isn’t getting enough exercise, this could make her more grumpy.
Also, always ask your vet about a sudden change in behavior just in case this could be an indication of a possible health issue. Good luck with your dachshunds.