If you’re curious about how to train a dachshund and wondering if it’s difficult, the answer is “yes,” it usually is. In fact, dachshunds are known to be one of the most difficult breeds to train out of all of them.

Why?

First of all, these dogs were originally bred to be hunting dogs, which made them extremely independent and even a tad stubborn. But while this can make them difficult to train, the task is not impossible, especially if you learn a few simple tips beforehand.

How to Train a Dachshund?

Training a dachshund is a challenge because even though this is a small dog, they are stubborn and independent and they tend to forget who’s really the boss! Just as with other dogs, dachshunds are easier to train when they’re puppies, but you can train them as adults if you need to. Two of the most difficult tasks to teach a dachshund include potty-training and how to control their excessive barking.

Below are a few tips that can make it a little easier to train your dachshund:

1. Start at the Right Time

Most experts agree that the dog should be 8-12 weeks old before you start the training. If you’ve just gotten your dachshund and it is around this age, you’ll want to give them a few days to get used to their new home before you start the training.

You can start later than 12 weeks, of course, but just accept that it will likely take you a little longer to complete the training.

2. Make the Training Short and Fun

Sessions that are 10-15 minutes long and designed to be fun will be much more effective at training your dachshund. Conduct two or three short training sessions per day so your dog gets the hang of it and learns that you’re the boss, even though they won’t realize they are doing so! Also keep the sessions simple so that your dog doesn’t feel overwhelmed and stops trying.

3. Don’t Place Any Distractions in the Way

As you can imagine, dachshunds are easily distracted, so at least in the beginning, you should train your pet in a quiet and small area, such as a separate room you use just for this purpose. The fewer people, animals, sounds, and smells surrounding the dog, the easier it will be to train them. Try to make the room free of all these things so your training is more successful.

4. Make Sure That They Know Their Boundaries

When you’re not training your pet, you should still help them learn their boundaries. If you don’t want them to jump up on the sofa, then never let them jump up on it — ever. If they jump on it just once after you’ve told them not to, it can confuse the dog and cause them not to listen to this command. To do this, you’ll need consistency and patience.

5. Socialize Your Pet

The more social your dachshund is around people and other dogs, the better they’ll react to the training sessions. Dogs are social animals and need that personalized touch, so to speak, because being without it makes other parts of their lives a lot more challenging.

Make sure that your dachshund gets lots of exercise and walks to the dog park so they can socialize with other dogs.

Dachshund Obedience Training

Training a dachshund to obey commands usually includes both basic and more advanced commands. To start with, basic commands they should learn include:

• Back
• Come
• Down
• Drop
• Fetch
• Gently
• Leave
• Paw
• Quiet
• Round
• Sing
• Sit
• Speak
• Stay

You might consider some of these commands to be unnecessary, and that’s fine. It’s your dog and your family, but you should aim to teach your dog as many of these as possible. The more basic commands they know, the easier it is to teach them potty-training, training for less barking, and crate training, as well as how to avoid behaviors such as biting and other negative behaviors.

Crate Training a Dachshund Puppy

Many pet parents decide to crate train their puppies, including their dachshund puppies, which offers numerous benefits to both the dog and the pet parent. Crate training should be done slowly in steps, and here is one of the best ways to accomplish the task: First of all, always buy a crate that is a good size, meaning that it shouldn’t be too big or too small, but big enough for the dog to be comfortable and to stand up with ease.

Start by putting the crate in your bedroom and put cushions in it so the dog is comfortable. Cover the top and three of the sides with a blanket, and go ahead and remove the dog’s collar. If you add an item that belongs to you and smells like you to the crate, the dog usually gets used to it a lot faster. To lure the dog inside of the crate, use treats or toys.

To begin with, you should only keep the dog inside the crate for short periods of time. Once you build up to an overnight stay, never put any food or water inside of the crate. You’ll need to make sure that the dog potties before they go into the crate for a long period of time, and in the beginning, soothe them if they start to whimper or cry.

In fact, food or water being placed inside of the crate is never a good idea, even in the beginning. Gradually add time to the training until your dog can stay in there all night long if that is your goal. Always use positive reinforcement and never punish them if the dog can’t stay in there for very long in the beginning or even if an accident occurs. Remember that patience and consistency are the key when crate training a puppy.

The Perfect Timing for Your Training

Although training is always personalized, it tends to work best if done in a certain order. Below are some basic guidelines you can follow for training your dachshund:

• Birth to 7 weeks: Socialization.
• Age 8-12 weeks: Crate training, basic handling, and potty-training.
• Next – choose your goals: These can include basic and obedience commands.
• Next – puppy kindergarten, including classes or regular visits to the dog park.
• Next – eliminate negative behavior, including jumping up on other people.
• Age 3-4 months: Learn to groom the dog well.
• Next – train in the basic commands.
• Age 5-9 months: Teaching appropriate digging.
• Next – encouraging any positive behavior you want them to learn.

Naturally, these stages are not set in stone. Each dachshund is different, and you’ll certainly find their behavior different if you get them as a newborn as opposed to later on when they’re a little older. These are simply basic guidelines to follow, but once you learn what is expected of you as a pet parent, it’s much easier and just makes sense to do these things in a certain order.

Conclusion

Training a dachshund can be much harder than training other breeds, mostly because they tend to be fiercely independent, stubborn, and unaware that they aren’t the actual boss of the household.

Training dachshunds as puppies works best, but you can train them at just about any age. The key is to not be timid or hesitant with your dog because they take that as a sign that they are indeed the boss!