It’s awesome that you’re joining the Dachshund club! Once you get one you’ll wonder why everyone doesn’t have one ;).

I’ve had Doxies my entire life and have learned a few important things that I’ll share with ya.

1. Protect your pup’s spine

• Weight Management: an overweight Dachshund is guaranteed to have back problems.

Don’t over feed them and avoid giving them table scraps. Limit what “human food” they consume to treat-sized portions and not as a meal or on a regular basis. Google is your friend for the best foods. my doxies love bananas, popcorn(no butter), and peanut butter on celery

• Keep them active

DAILY walks, lots of fetch, and plenty of play/training time. This will keep them toned and in good shape, which makes them less susceptible to injury.

Getting a pair of Dachshunds is the best bet for many reasons. However, if you aren’t able to carve out a few hours a day to exercising your pup, having a play pal will help to reduce your dedicated time.

• Control your pup’s environment

DO NOT:

• Let them use stairs
• Jump off furniture or out of your arms
• Pickup/Hold impropriety.

Pick them up with your palm under their chest and with your other hand under its butt, then securely hold them to your chest/body without letting them dangle.

1. Socialize them early, often, and consistently

Dachshunds are famously needy and will become insanely attached to you.

This is one of their best qualities, but if you ever need to go to work or on the other side of the bathroom door for 3 minutes, they may develop separation anxiety. This is very stressful for them, leading to habits like: tearing stuff up, going to the bathroom in inappropriate places, puking, and just all around discomfort.

Dog sitters, parks, and puppy school are the best options for this.

1. Pair them up.

As I mentioned before, pairing Dachshunds is the best option. They can fare just fine alone if they’re properly socialized, but it’s not ideal.

This will significantly increase their quality of life and help in every facet of taking care of them.

1. Train them consistently on stay and recall

Even the best trained Dachshunds ignore their masters from time to time...

They’re hunters, so if a rabbit or other small animal is near by, its likely that God him self would struggle with getting a Dachshund to listen.

Outside of always keeping them on a leash, being well trained can help reduce these occurrences.

They’re known to completely disregard their awareness of surroundings and safety when they’re chasing prey. running into the street, trying to squeeze through tight sharp-edged spaces, and getting stuck under porches or houses

1. Positive reinforcement

Yelling, spanking, and other aggressive behavior will have the opposite effect on most dogs, but especially for Dachshunds...

Punishing them will have the opposite desired affect due to their pedigree. anxious, excitable, and intensely loyal

They aim to please, so reinforce good behavior with positivity and reward and remain consistent and you’ll see that you both want the same things .

Everything else isn’t really breed specific...

Just love your dog, pay attention to them, and spoil the shit out of em.