Did you ever wonder about dachshund dog aggression, why your dog shows this behaviour despite the proper care and love? Dachshunds can exhibit aggressive behaviour for various reasons, they are naturally a bit aggressive in personality. Because they are bred for hunting badgers and other burrowing animals. These hunting traits are deeply hardwired in their brain and make them a bit aggressive. But the problem is when your dog starts being aggressive without any visible reason. If you also feel stressed about sausage dog aggression they you are in the right place. Today, in this article, I will explain all about dachshund aggression cause and their practical solution to overcome.
Causes of dachshund aggression
Fear or Anxiety
Have you ever wondered about dachshund dog aggression, why your dog shows this behaviour despite the proper care and love? Fear or anxiety can both trigger aggression in dachshunds, they are prone to separation anxiety when they are left alone. If they are suffering from fear or anxiety of they are likely to show aggressive behaviour.
Also, your dachshund can show aggressive behaviour like barking or growling when they feels threatened or overwhelmed by someone or something.
Territorial Behavior
Dachshunds are instinctively territorial. When they feel their space, house, or owner threatened, they can be aggressive. If something or someone unusual or strange is seen by your dog around their accommodation, they tend to be aggressive. It is their instinctive behaviour, it can be normal to some extent, but it can be problematic in situations like friends coming into your home, and going outside with a dog. For this problem, you need to create a comfortable space for your dachshund where your dog can feel completely safe and secure.
Dominance or Control Issues
Dachshunds are small in size, but they are big in personality, because they are bred to hunt badgers and other burrowing animals. That’s why they are brave, confident and determined. The nature of the dachshund makes them showing dominance around their area and causing aggression issues.
Poor Socialization
Dachshunds need to be socialised from their childhood age. If they don’t expose to different people in their early age they dont know about outer environment properly and they likely to show aggressive behaviour.
Early socialization is a best way to raise confident and well beheaved dachshund. When you expose your dachshund to different people and animal they are familiar with them and they dont show any aggressive activity when they are same situation in future.
Pain or Medical Issues
Dachshunds are prone to some back-related issues because of their long back and short legs body structure. Sometimes dachshund angry when someone touches their injured part and annoyed when they are in a medical condition like IVDD or pain. Not just dachshunds, any type of dog is aggressive when they are annoyed or at the time of pain.
Resource Guarding
They are protective in nature, they can be aggressive when someone touches their toy, treat. They are protective of their favourite things, whether it’s their toys, treats or owner. They are mainly bred for hunting, that’s why despite their small body size, they are very brave and try to protect everything which they love. That’s why they can be aggressive when someone touches and just gets close to their stuff.
Frustration or Lack of Exercise
Dachshunds are very energetic dogs. They need enough stimulation and exercise to feel well and refreshed. For any reason when we can’t provide enough exercise and mental stimulation, they are very likely to be aggressive.
How to stop dachshund aggression
Address Fear or Anxiety
In the above, I previously shared that your dachshund can show aggressive behaviour when they feel fear and anxiety. The situation is called separation anxiety, where they tend to be anxious when their owner is not close to them. To reduce your dachshund aggressio, you need to manage their separation anxiety first. Managing their anxiety helps to reduce their aggression further.
Sometimes fear can also trigger their aggressive behaviour. When they feel threatened to their home, owner. Not only dachshunds all dogs can be aggressive when they feel threatened. If your dachshund has fear fear-related issue issue it’s important to treat them. For this, you can train your dog to be secure and safe. If the anxiety still persists, it’s important to consult a dog behaviourist or your vet.
Manage Territorial Behaviour
Dachshund are territorial and protective of their stuff like toys, treats, owner, home, and bed. This is their instinctive behaviour which comes from their ancestors. This behaviour was also responsible your dachshund puppy aggression as well as adult dog aggression. It is natural behaviour of your dog to some extent, but remember that in some situations this behaviour can be dangerous, and you need to overcome it. To overcome this issue, you need to train your dog to be calm and not show territorial behaviour.
Here are some tips to reduce your dachshund’s territorial behaviour
Teach basic commands: teaching basic commands like ‘sit’, ‘ stay’ ‘, leave it’ can help to manage your dachshund’s territorial behaviour.
Positive reinforcement: reward calm and friendly behaviour with their favourite treat.
Seek Professional Help: If issues persist, consult a dog trainer or behaviourist who has experience working with Dachshunds.
Establish Leadership (Gently): Establishing a leadership is a key to reducing aggression issue on your dog. When you confidently take on the role of the leader, you dog is less likely to show aggressive behaviour.
Establish leadership
Establishing leadership with a dog can also be helpful for training your dog to be less aggressive. You can follow the tips I provided below to establish leadership with your dachshund.
Here are some steps to establish leadership in your dachshund
Stay Calm and Confident: Always be confident when establishing leadership over the dog.
Set Rules and Boundaries: Stay consistent with the rules of what is allowed and not allowed for the dog.
Control Resources: Make your dog earn a reward like a treat, attention, or a toy. Controlling resource helps to teach your dog that good behaviour earn reward, and we need to respect out owner.
Practice command: Reinforce basic commands like ‘sit’, ‘ stop’, and ‘ stay’. It helps to understand your dog that you are the owner of them.
Leash walk: leash walk also help to establish leadership in your dog because when you leash them, they follow your direction, stay focus on your and respect your control without pulling.
Rule Out Medical Causes
Dachshunds can also be angry when they have a medical issue, Dachshunds are prone to many health issues, like IVDD. When they have a medical condition like this, in this situation they are sensitive to pain, and they are angry at small annoyances. To reduce dachshund aggression, we first need to recognise their health issue and treat them.
By treating their medical we can reduce their aggression issue by extensively. You need to consult your vet for perfectly treat your dogs medical condition.
Reduce Resource Guarding
Dachshunds are protective-natured dogs, they protect their things overly. When someone seems to threaten their toys, food or space, they get angry. This protective nature can sometimes be an aggression problem. To reduce their aggression issue, you must reduce this.
Here are some techniques to reduce guarding
Stay calm: you need to be calm when you approach your dog to train reduce resource guarding.
Use treats: toss their favourite treat when they are playing with their toys.
Avoid grabbing: grabbing can make them aggressive; that’s why you need to use a trading technique.
Basic command: train your dog to release the item when you say the command, like ‘give’.
Be consistent: consistency is key to dachshund training when you are consistent despite challenges a higher chance have their you succeed in this training.
Provide Enough Mental & Physical Stimulation
Dachshunds are very energetic dogs and they need enough mental stimulation and physical exercise to feel refreshed. When they do not get enough stimulation, they are more likely to be aggressive. That’s why you need to provide enough exercise and mental stimulation to your dog. You can provide various types of activities to fulfil their exercise need, like regular walking in the park, slow running, and using interactive toys. With
Consult a Professional if Needed
If the problem of aggressiveness still persists, you need to consult your vet and dog behaviourist for proper treatment.
Conclusion
Dachshunds are very energetic and territorial in nature, they are a little aggressive dog. But sometimes this can be a problem. They can show aggressive behaviour for various reasons, like territorial nature, medical condition, separation anxiety, etc. This behaviour needs to be overcome to make well well-behaved dog. You can overcome this issue by addressing fear or anxiety, managing territorial behaviour, ruling out Medical Causes, reducing resource guarding, and providing enough mental & physical stimulation.
