Many dachshund owner found their dachshund puppy training challenging. I also experienced it a lot when my dachshund was small. I face a lot of issues in training them for the potty. Potty
training is also considered the most challenging for a dog, especially a dachshund, because of their stubborn and independent nature. This is normal behavior if we look at their purpose in breeding them. Dachshunds were bred to hunt badgers; their hunting character made them stubborn and independent in their skill. Which is also important to their successful hunting, even dachshund training is challenging, but dachshund training has some secrets that definitely make the training process easier. In this blog, I will share some of dachshund training secrets that every owner should know to make their dachshund training easier.
Understand their stubborn nature
As we all know, dachshunds are stubborn; their this stubborn is one of the main reasons for making them hard to train. They were bred to hunt burrowing animals. We all dachshund owner face lots of issues because of their stubborn nature. We all want to train them, but they don’t respond to our commands. I also face this issue with my dachshund’s toilet training and crate training. Understanding their stubborn nature can help make their training process easier.
It helps to accept that dachshunds are naturally stubborn by nature, and we can plan their training schedule according to their temperament. For example, if you find it hard to train your dachshund for the crate, you can positively reinforce them to stay in the crate by rewarding them.
Positive reinforcement is key
As I say, positive reinforcement is most important not just for dachshund training for all pets. We can reinforce our dachshund in various ways, such as rewarding them with their favorite treat, giving attention to them (dachshunds are great attention seekers), or encouraging them.
Positive reinforcement works great for me. I use it in every dachshund training, whether it’s for toilet training or crate training. Instead of punishing them, we need to reward and encourage them for good things.
I use positive reinforcement and reward for my dog by giving him his favorite treat. I used to give him a one-piece treat every time he successfully entered in crate. Giving an immediate treat to your dog is extremely helpful to make the training process easier. Avoid giving too many treats at one time this will make your dog less interested in treats, and they will refuse your command.
Giving them an immediate reward helps to release dopamine (a feel-good chemical), which further pushes them to do the same activity and make a habit. For example, if your dachshund digs so much and you are irritated with their behaviour, in that case, you can make a dedicated digging area and encourage them to dig in that area and reward them when they successfully dig in this place. If you want to make a dedicated digging area for your dachshund, you can check out our previous blog.
Short and focused training
Dachshunds are intelligent, but they get bored easily and quickly. Long training sessions can lead them to distraction and frustration; that’s why they need short and focused training. They are known to have an independent and stubborn nature long training session can overwhelm them and make the training process hard.
A long training session can associate training with bad things, which can make the training process even harder in the future. One thing I noticed during dachshund training they only accept our command when they are in a good mood, and long training sessions make them feel bad.
First, you can train your dachshund for 10-15 minutes of session per day. This also depends on your dog’s age. If your dog is have adult, then you can increase their training time, and if your dachshund is very small, 10-15 weeks of age, then you only make their training session between a range of 10-15 min.
For example, if you want to train your dachshund for crate, then you can train them one session in the morning, another session at noon, and the last session in the evening. I am also using this technique to train my dachshund.
Consistency
We need to be consistent in our dog training, as it is crucial for successful dog training. Dachshunds are stubborn, their independent and stubborn nature deeply hardwired in their brain, that’s why we need to be consistent with their training schedule to train them successfully.
Sometimes you may feel your effort is useless, but believe in yourself, your consistent effort slowly builds a habit in your dog, and once a habit forms in your dog, the training process becomes easier.
Early socialization
Maximum dachshund owner neglect early socialization, but this plays an important role in making your dachshund training easier. Socializing helps to make the training process easier in various ways. Early socialization also plays an important role in your dog’s emotional development, which makes your dog confident in social situations and familiar with many animals and strangers, which helps in separation anxiety.
If you don’t socialize your dachshund from their early stage, they become anxious and overwhelmed in social situations. Properly socializing your dachshund puppy from their childhood stage is crucial for raising a happy and well-behaved dachshund.
One of the main reason early socialization help with many dachshund training is socializing them with many other animal and stranger help to boost their confidence, less reactive, and better at focusing. It helps in leash training, it becomes easier when they are less reactive to people, dogs, and other noises.
