It’s Training Time!

Training your Dachshund is an essential aspect of taking care of them. It is not only to help you manage his behavior but also to ensure your dachshund grows up happy and healthy.

Of course, training can sometimes be overwhelming. Thus, it is not difficult to see why a lot of pet owners commit various mistakes when it comes to training them. The hardest part is that most of these pet owners don’t even know they are committing these mistakes.

Thankfully, we are here to help you recognize the most common errors in training a Doxie. Recognizing these mistakes early on would help you improve the result of your training and would even make you more efficient in handling your Dachshund.

Using Cues Negatively

Your Doxie finally learns to obey you when you say, “come.” However, one problem is that you may use this cue to punish your dog or inadvertently associate this cue with negative experiences.

For example, your dog happily plays in the park. You call them and put them on a leash and you go home. What do you think would be the effect of that on your dog? Obviously, you are “poisoning” your cue. You are now using “come” command as a way to give them an unpleasant experience. Eventually, your dog would stop obeying you as he will know that you will simply put them away.

So, instead of immediately putting them on a leash, you can call them, “come,” and give them refreshments or treat. You can then let them play again. After 2-3 times of repeating this, you can then put them on a leash. This way, you add more positive experiences to your command rather than just the negative.

Using Punishment

You probably have heard that physically punishing and hitting your dog is not a good way of training. In fact, it doesn’t just worsen the situation, but it could traumatize your dog. However, this doesn’t prevent a lot of pet owners to hit their dogs anyway.  Yes, it’s true that your Doxie can be stubborn at times. However, you need to avoid hitting them as part of the punishment.

There are positive training methods you can use. Instead of hitting your best friend, talk to them in a firm voice to show them that you are not pleased with the behavior. You can then tell them to stay in one corner or get back to his crate as their punishment. Hurting them should never be an option.

Ignoring Bad Behavior

Dachshunds could exhibit a lot of bad behavior. Don’t think that they will eventually outgrow them. If you don’t correct them as soon as they appear, you and your doxie will suffer the consequence.

For example, keep in mind that your Doxie’s body isn’t designed for too much jumping up and down. Their spine is just too long and if you just let them jump on the couch, bed, or chair, eventually they will suffer from back problems.

Other examples of bad behaviors include chewing, aggression, jumping on you for attention, eating food left on the table, and digging anywhere. Remember, the longer you tolerate these bad behaviors, the more they would think that those things are acceptable.

Not Training Early Enough

Dachshunds are known to be strong-willed and independent. The longer you delay your training, the harder it becomes to have them follow you. Dachshunds, or dogs in general, are like children. When you teach them while they are young, they would more likely bring that training as they grow older. So, train your dog early on if you don’t want to have a hard time training them in the future.

Vain Repetition

Calling your dog over and over again when he ignores you won’t do you any good. When you say, “heel” and your dog won’t obey. Don’t repeat it more than five times. If you do, you are simply teaching your dog to ignore your words.

What you need to do instead is show your dog what you want them to do. You can also check what is the possible reason your dog is ignoring your command. By doing so, you would be more effective in teaching your dog to obey you.

Final Words

Dachshunds are among the most special dog breeds in the world. They are smart, adventurous, and comical. Thus, it’s not a great surprise to note that dachshunds are a popular dog breed among pet lovers.

So, if ever you decide you get a dachshund or you already have one, don’t forget the training mistakes mentioned here. Avoid them and if you do, you will have a more behaved, adjusted, and obedient Doxie.