Dachshund Training and Behaviour

Dachshunds tend to train well when you work with two strong traits, a nose that leads the whole dog and terrier style persistence that does not quit. That means management has to be tighter and last longer than it would for the average dog, and legal outlets like sniffing, digging and shredding do a lot of the work. Reward based training suits them, but a Dachshund will keep testing a rule long after it stops paying. Expect progress in small steps rather than a switch flipping.

The problems this breed's traits make more likely

Somewhere else to start

What actually drives a Dachshund in training

Two things shape most Dachshund training problems. The first is the nose. A scent driven dog picks up information you will never notice, from a crumb under a hedge to what is sitting on the kitchen counter two rooms away. Once the nose locks on, your voice can stop landing for a while. That is not defiance, it is what the dog was built to do.

The second is persistence. Terrier type grit means your dog will brace, hold on and keep trying long after most dogs would give up. It also means one lucky win can fund weeks of repeat attempts. Put those two together and you get a small dog with a big search engine and no quit button.

For training method, this matters more than size. Reward based work suits a Dachshund well, because you are competing with a very strong instinct and you need something worth turning away for. Your rewards have to be genuinely good, your cues have to be practised in easy places first, and your management has to be reliable while the training catches up.

Sniffing does more than extra walking

Physical exercise alone rarely settles a nose first dog. Scent work drains the same battery faster. Scatter part of a meal in the grass, use a snuffle mat, roll kibble into a towel, or hide food around a room and let your dog hunt it out. A slow walk where your dog is allowed to sniff whatever it likes often calms a Dachshund more than doubling the distance covered.

Build the other instincts in too. Terrier type dogs want to catch, shake and shred, not just chew. A toy that is allowed to be won and shaken, a cardboard box with food inside, and a spot where digging is allowed all give those urges somewhere legal to go. When those needs are met daily, the training you do on the harder problems has a much better chance of sticking.

Chasing cars, bikes and animals

A Dachshund can chase with the eyes or with the nose. Either way the chase feels wonderful from the inside, which is why shouting does not compete. Give the urge a legal version first, a chase game on your terms where your dog gets to win, catch and shake the toy, because a chase with no catch at the end does not scratch the itch.

Then teach an orientation cue, a sound that turns your dog's head back to you, and practise it while your dog is mid sniff on an easy trail, not just when it is looking at you already. Around real triggers, use distance so your dog is rehearsing calm instead of the chase. With this breed, solid management around small animals is a long term arrangement, not a phase. There is more detail in the full guide to chasing cars, bikes or animals.

Eating things off the ground

Your Dachshund will find food you cannot see, buried and rained on. Accept that you lose the detection contest and put your effort into what happens after the find. A well paid head turn, practised often, is your real tool. Daily legal foraging counts double here, so scatter meals and find it games are worth the time.

When a Dachshund commits to a find, expect braced legs and a hard hold. Do not get into a pulling contest you cannot win kindly. Make trades so good that giving things up becomes the obvious choice, and practise handing over toys every day so the skill is strong before something disgusting tests it. Management, scanning and distance are doing a lot of the work with this breed, and that is fine. See what to do about eating things off the ground.

Digging up the garden

For many Dachshunds digging is closer to a job than a hobby. Stopping it outright usually fails, and every unsupervised session in the garden is more rewarding practice. Redirect instead. Set up one approved dig spot, bury scented treasures in it so it smells more interesting than the flower bed, and restock it often.

Deal with the reasons too. Heat, boredom and long stretches of unsupervised garden time all feed the habit. Wildlife smells along the fence line will beat almost any alternative you offer, so manage those first rather than expecting the dig pit to win on its own. Plan to keep the pit for life. More on this in what to do about digging up the garden.

Destroying things when alone

Left alone with energy and nothing legal to use it on, a Dachshund will often shred rather than gently chew. Give that a lane of its own, a cardboard box with food inside, a toy that is allowed to be destuffed, or a dig box. Expect confetti and count it as a win. A long sniffing walk before you leave often settles this breed better than a hard run.

One important fork in the road. Destruction can also come from panic, and a panicking dog needs a completely different plan. A short camera recording of your dog alone tells you which one you are dealing with, so you are not guessing. Read how to work on destroying things when alone before you commit to a plan.

Stealing food and counter surfing

A nose first dog knows what is on the counter from the next room, so pushing food to the back does nothing. Sealed containers or the fridge are the standard here, and you will likely need that habit for longer than most owners do.

Then pay generously for the alternative. Teach your dog to settle on a station away from the counters while food is out, and keep that spot worth staying on. Terrier persistence means one jackpot buys many weeks of hopeful checking, so do not read continued sniffing around as failure. Stay boring, keep the counters bare, and let the record stay at zero wins. Here is how to work on stealing food or counter surfing.

A sensible order to work in

If several of these sound familiar, do not attack them all at once. Fix the environment first, then build the skills that replace the behaviour.

  1. Close the easy loopholesClear counters, store food properly, and stop unsupervised garden time while you work. Every prevented rehearsal makes the habit weaker.
  2. Book in daily sniffingFeed at least one meal as a scatter, snuffle mat or find it game so the nose has a job.
  3. Add a shred and dig outletA destroyable box and an approved dig spot take pressure off your furniture and your flower beds.
  4. Train one cue properlyPick the head turn or the trade, practise it in easy places, then slowly add distraction. One reliable skill beats five shaky ones.

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Questions owners ask

How much exercise does a Dachshund need before training will land?

There is no set number that works for every dog, and with this breed the type of exercise matters more than the amount. Because Dachshunds are nose led, sniffing tires them in a way that plain walking does not. A slow walk where your dog chooses where to sniff, plus a scattered meal or a snuffle mat at home, often leaves a Dachshund far more settled than a longer, faster walk. Try doing your training shortly after a good sniffing session and see how much easier your dog finds it to focus.

Are Dachshunds hard to train?

They are not hard so much as persistent. A Dachshund learns quickly when the reward is worth it, but terrier type grit means the dog will keep testing a rule long after it stops paying out. That is why management matters so much with this breed. Keep counters clear, keep temptations sealed away, and keep the legal outlets generous while the training builds. Progress usually comes in small steps rather than all at once, and every dog is an individual, so expect your own dog's pace to differ from someone else's.

Can I ever let a Dachshund off leash?

That depends entirely on your dog, the place and how much recall work you have put in, and it is an honest judgement call rather than something a guide can decide for you. A scent driven dog can lock onto a track and stop hearing you, and a terrier type dog can commit to a chase with real determination. Build an orientation cue that works while your dog is mid sniff, use long lines and enclosed spaces while you test it, and keep management strong around roads and small animals. The full guide to chasing cars, bikes or animals covers this in more depth.

Why does my Dachshund keep digging even after I fill the holes in?

Filling holes rarely works on its own, because the reason for digging is still there. Many Dachshunds dig after underground smells and critters, and that is deeply wired in. Others dig because they are hot, bored, or left alone in the garden with nothing else to do. Work out which reason applies, fix what you can, and give your dog one approved dig spot with scented treasures buried in it so it becomes the most interesting patch of ground you own. What to do about digging up the garden walks through the whole approach.

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Everything here uses reward-based methods only. Dogs are individuals, so we describe what usually helps rather than promising a result.