SUPPLIES
- Small crate
- Towel or pillow
- Properly fit collar and leash
Overview
Housebreaking your dog is often one of the "make or break" issues that determines whether your new friend will be a cherished pet or an aggravating nuisance. Nobody likes dodging puppy bombs, especially after the first few weeks when the cuteness factor wears off. Training small dogs is especially difficult because they are small, active and hard to catch. It doesn't have to be that way. Training your dachshund puppy is easy if you do just a few simple things to prevent problems right from the start.
Step 1
Buy a good sturdy crate that is the right size for your dachshund puppy. Be sure it is big enough for them to stand up, turn around and lie down but not big enough for them to wander around in. That is the key to crate training and why so often attempts at using this method of potty training with any puppies including dachshunds fails. If the crate is too big the puppy will simply move to the other end to do what he needs to do. If the crate is the proper size she will not soil the area she sleeps in unless provoked beyond reason.
Step 2
Take your new puppy out every two to four hours and immediately place them in the area they are supposed to use to potty. Put a leash on them if it is out of doors in an uncontained area. Do not leave puppies under eight weeks of age in their crate without relief longer than four hours at any given time.
Step 3
Praise him when he does his potty business where he is supposed to. In spite of popular beliefs, yelling and punishing a dog that has relieved himself in the wrong place is not useful unless you catch them in the act and react immediately. Even then it is far better to train for good behavior than it is to punish bad ones. Once your puppy has left the scene of the crime and even if you drag her back there and yell or even rub their nose in it they will not associate what they did with why you are yelling. It is simply beyond her scope of association.
Step 4
Buy an older puppy if you cannot meet the demands of crate training a dachshund puppy younger than eight to twelve weeks of age. If you are gone at work all day, or cannot make yourself get up in the night every few hours a three month old puppy is a better choice. He will be able to control his bladder longer and as long as you are good about taking them out immediately when you get up, or get home they will be fine.
Step 5
Lock up your puppy whenever you cannot actively keep an eye on them. When she is out playing with you and begins to search for a spot whisk her to her appointed area to do her business and praise her lavishly when she completes her mission.
