potty training a dachshund
Potty Training a Dachshund can Be Tricky
Mike JerryBecause of their innate stubbornness, potty training a dacshund is not easy. Housebreaking any dog requires patience, consistency, and a regular feeding schedule. Positive reinforcement is essential to train young pups. Owners should be prepared to expect some accidents to occur while the dog is learning. Using a crate helps to teach them to only relieve themselves outdoors so that the indoors stay clean. The process can be lengthy, but as long as the owner is persistent, it will eventually be a success.
If stubbornness were a virtue, dachshunds would be the saints of the dog kingdom! Typically, our long little friends do what they want, when they want. In short, they are the dog that is most like a cat (at least when it comes to having their own agenda). On the other hand, they are spunky, fun, and full of life! Their keen tendency to learn things quickly would cause one to think that potty training a dachshund would be a breeze. This isn’t the case. If you’re thinking of getting a dachshund, you'd better read on.
Due to their individuality, potty training a dachshund can be tricky business. It is not an easy task so it may be good to know what you are in for. Potty training a dachshund can be like trying to teach a stubborn, self-willed child to pick-up after himself following play time. It takes consistency on the part of the trainer to make it happen. A regular schedule and repeated behavior is required to make “going outdoors” a normal part of your dachshund’s life.
How to Make it Happen
Preferably (almost out of necessity) you should begin potty training a dachshund as a puppy. To start with, let your puppy outside at regular intervals to relieve herself and reward her with a treat for doing so. Eventually your puppy will develop the habit of asking to go outside to go potty (as much for the treat as anything else). Negative reinforcement, i.e. spanking and yelling, can create a fear of you in your dachshund puppy. It is best to stick to positive reinforcement as it almost always eventually brings positive results. Until it does, you may have some messes to clean up in the house but it is all part of potty training a dachshund!
It is advisable, at least until you feel you can trust your dachshund to not make a mess indoors, to not let it roam free in your house while you are not there. One tried and true method of implementing this has come to be known as the “crate” method. Your puppy is given its own space in the form of a crate. If the crate is associated with treats and affection from the beginning, it will become a sort of house for your puppy as opposed to a place of unwanted confinement. Place your puppy in the crate whenever you leave your house and/or whenever it is necessitated. It is often the case that your puppy will actually begin to see the crate as a place of safety and comfort.
Be Patient!
It won’t happen overnight. It most likely won’t even happen in the first few weeks but rest assured, with consistency and patience, potting training a dachshund is a very achievable task.
Due to their individuality, potty training a dachshund can be tricky business. It is not an easy task so it may be good to know what you are in for. Potty training a dachshund can be like trying to teach a stubborn, self-willed child to pick-up after himself following play time. It takes consistency on the part of the trainer to make it happen. A regular schedule and repeated behavior is required to make “going outdoors” a normal part of your dachshund’s life.
How to Make it Happen
Preferably (almost out of necessity) you should begin potty training a dachshund as a puppy. To start with, let your puppy outside at regular intervals to relieve herself and reward her with a treat for doing so. Eventually your puppy will develop the habit of asking to go outside to go potty (as much for the treat as anything else). Negative reinforcement, i.e. spanking and yelling, can create a fear of you in your dachshund puppy. It is best to stick to positive reinforcement as it almost always eventually brings positive results. Until it does, you may have some messes to clean up in the house but it is all part of potty training a dachshund!
It is advisable, at least until you feel you can trust your dachshund to not make a mess indoors, to not let it roam free in your house while you are not there. One tried and true method of implementing this has come to be known as the “crate” method. Your puppy is given its own space in the form of a crate. If the crate is associated with treats and affection from the beginning, it will become a sort of house for your puppy as opposed to a place of unwanted confinement. Place your puppy in the crate whenever you leave your house and/or whenever it is necessitated. It is often the case that your puppy will actually begin to see the crate as a place of safety and comfort.
Be Patient!
It won’t happen overnight. It most likely won’t even happen in the first few weeks but rest assured, with consistency and patience, potting training a dachshund is a very achievable task.
