So...are dachshunds hard to train?

[Courtknee]

We've all heard that dachshunds are hard or even "impossible" to train/potty train. Do you guys think this is true? I ask because Napoleon is pretty much reliable on the potty training thing, and now that we have started obedience, he is very good at it. Yes, it took a lot of work and a lot of time, but we've never had any real problems with him.

[alfina]

I think it depends on personality. Sabrina is VERY food oriented. They say you can teach such dog anything. But she is very smart but stubborn and independent. She could have been a star in class but chose not to. Seb is not as bright and not so food oriented as her but wants to please so much. So, he did much better in training. Not to confuse obedience traning with potty training. In that area both are just as bad :-(

[tammyb]

Buddy was the easiest dog I have ever trained in obedience class. However, potty training would be an absolute NO! I have just accepted a life of cleaning up [potty messes.

[kpm_tex]

Merry & Badger are very good with obedience, agility and all that good stuff. They learn just as quick as other breeds...they just have different motivation (FOOD)

Bart... well, Bart is a lovable lug and I have given up on being able to teach him anything but sit, wait and down. He is just a box of rocks with anything else... though l love him dearly.

Now... as far as house breaking :faint: I would say they are 90 - 95% reliable depending on the weather.

[Tasha's Mom]

As may know from yesterday's post, Tasha is nearly 100% potty trained (one accident in 9 months!). She did well in obedience class but it seems to me while she knows ALL the commands, she only performs them if she feels like it--or if there's a yummy treat involved. :D

[Orchid Crazy]

Buddy is extremely food motivated so he is quite easy to train. I do think it depends on the personality of the dog, more so than the breed. The breed can have certain characteristics but it is dependant on the dog itself and its personality whether some of those breed characteristics will show their face. I do feel the dachshunds as a breed are stubborn, but I think that ties back to what they were bred for; to be strong, independant hunters, able to stand up to a foe and not back down. That trait I do believe lies within every doxie, it may be closer to the surface in some dogs than it is in others, you may be able to overcome it in a dog like Buddy who is food motivated. I think it is the stubborn streak of the dog that leads to potty issues.

[blueyezz74]

Harley is very good about pottying outside. Since we have snow on the ground he has no problem peeing and creating yellow snow. as for the pooping, well, he hasn't done that outside since Saturday. I don't blame him though. It looks like the tundra outside my house. Snow is everywhere!!! Our snow removal people, are horrible! I know they have been getting lots of complaints but it's obvious they don't care! Isn't that what association fees are for? After checking, ours are higher than everyone else we know too! :angry:

[LUVMYGUNNER]

Gunner is very good in the potty training issues. He makes an occasional mess in the kitchen when we go somwhere and not take him, but not always. I still keep a peepee pad in the kitchen for him but if we get company I remove it.

[pipsqueak21]

I voted yes and no.

I think Peaches is fairly easy to train as far as tricks and general behavior. I just need to be more stubborn than she is when I am training her. :fierce:

Now, potty training is another story. We have had Peaches over 6 months now, and we are still working on that. She goes in a litter box, so the weather isn't an issue. A lot of times I think she goes to get attention. BRAT!

[Tammara]

Ruben still poops on the carpet, away from his annoying sister, from time to time. Trenyce is now completely potty trained, but one of them (we think it's Trenyce) still pees on towels almost daily. We've never caught her. At 18 months, we still give out Potty Treats for using the "potty box" in the kitchen. Trenyce prefers the outdoors, but it's cold and snowy here.

As for obedience. Ruben was the star, until it came to stay. The boy can't do that. He needs to be with us.

Trenyce won't come unless A. she feels like it, and B. your arms are out wide and you make a big deal of it.

Ruben is learning tricks. Trenyce looks at us like we are morons.

[Joyce]

That a tough one. Dudley was easier to train, but we were both working at the time and he just really got on our schedule. We were lucky enough to both be very close to work, so coming home and letting him out was not a problem. Training for tricks was easy he loved treats, but also I think because he was crated a lot during the day he didn't get into a lot that Dexter does because we are home all the time now, because we are retired.
Dexter has been much more of a challange to potty train, because he has free roam of the house, so he does have an occasion accident still at 8 months which drives me nuts. He is great about going out and going when I suggest it, but won't go to the door himself. We have tried bells, and he barks when I ask him to go out, but not on his own.
He is really got at tricks especially anything to do with food.

[onebigmickeyfan]

Because my dachsies have me trained very well but sometimes I do say no. ;)

[pixiey]

Ditto on a lot of the above comments. Justice took next to no time to potty train, and does just great (except he pees at the vet when they baby talk to him). But, he wasn't much for the obidience classes, as much as I worked with him. He knows the very basics, but that is about it. He is very good at staying somewhere if he is told to stay, and knows when we mean it.
But, he is stubborn, and needs lots of attention, so I don't know if that is his fault, or mine, for giving in too easy :bowing2:

[Doxie_88]

Compared to training a dog like Tango, Dachshunds are extremely difficult to train. Tango was completely housebroken by 3 1/2 months or so, and even before then, only had one accident which was all my fault. As far as commands went, she took no more than 15mins to learn something new and still does to this day. My Dachsies have this "my way or forget it" sort of attitude about them. Piper has only learned how to sit in the month and a half we've had her and getting her to stand or lay down is proving to be a difficult task aswell. Her housebreaking is coming along pretty good, but is still taking a while. Tia's still not 100% trustworthy depending on the weather and only knows 3 commands and one trick - she is 7 years old. Some Dachsies are easier than others obviously, but in my opinion and experience, they (and other hounds) are very difficult to train. I lvoe them anyway though, of course!

[doxunzX3]

Thanks so much Zor! :flush: I don't think doxies for the most part are easy to house break. But depending on the individual as far as how easy they learn things. Personally I think a dog that doesn't do everything we ask is smarter than the one that waits for a command. On the most part Goldens are pretty dumb. IMO but Border Collies are smart because borders can reason and figure things out. A Golden just does anything to please you. Doxies do it if they feel like it. Do you want me to chase that ball? Nay go get it yourself. Except for my Con who is addicted to chasing anything.
One of the reasons I got my first doxie is because after her Championship she didn't want to do OB or anything else. Her granddaughter Ivy is the exact same story.
But I am not complaining! I have gotten 2 wonderful doxies over the years because of their lack of interest in OB.
So I am happy and the lucky one! :cheer: :cheer: :cheer:

[Deckersmom]

Because Decker is hard to train at everything. He will be 2 on 11-15-06. I still do not have him totally potty trained. He won't use puppy pads, we have to have hospital bed pads. He will pee on them but he just misses with poo because he thinks he is all the way on it but the poo is just off the edge of the pad.:sorry: We have tried bells, he will use them occasionally but not much. He will potty when we take him out, if he wants to. We are gone during the day but someone is always home by 3:30 p.m.(I leave at 8 a.m.) As far as obedience, he can do the usual tricks but when he is outside & sometimes inside, he listens to us when he wants to.:crsfnger: He is very good at ignoring you.:pullhair: Unless you have snacks or squat down, arms open wide & call him.

When we first tried puppy pads, we bought the special ones. They were shredded on the floor whenever we came home, no matter how short a time we were gone. Why hospital bed pads work, I don't know. And as far as listening, well,... :devil2:

There is always hope!!!

[ND_Mom]

I said no!! Angel is just that, an "angel." But I agree it more depends on the personality of the dog, rather than the breed. But I do believe dachshunds are a very good-natured dog. Many of you know Angel was sick last weekend-she did not mess the house once even though she was vomiting and had severe diarrhea. She cried at the door each time to go out-even to throw-up!!! But she was the "runt" of the litter and so sweet from day one!! Being the runt, may have something to do with her personality! But all dachshunds are so worth the effort!!! God Bless them all!!!:angel:

[longtimecouple1]

I agree with ND mom, our Coco is the runt of the litter, and has such a sweet personality, as long as he gets his own way. LOL Last night my granddaughter was heading upstairs to go to bed, she had been home all day with a virus, so coco had her all to himself all day and loved it. When she started out of the kitchen to go upstairs, he sat, looked at her and growled, he never growls. It's almost like he was saying "what! you're leaving moi!" He did not make any threatening gestures, as a matter of fact his tail was wagging, he was just letting her know he didn't want her to leave him. It was so cute.

[Dachsiemom24]

Harley was so easy to train and he is 99.9 % trained. It all depends on the weather. He has only had one accident in more than a year when it was snowing/raining for a few days straight and I guess he decided he was going to try to hold it. I kept trying to get him to go, but he would trick me and run under the porch (like he always does) and then run right back. Minnie is only 4 months old now and I don't think she will ever be trained. We just bought hardwood flooring but we are going to wait to put it down until she is house broken. I dont think it will ever happen.

[NJLady]

Winnie is my first dachsie and compared to the other dogs that I have had over the past 35 years, she is by far the most difficult, both housebreaking her and training her. She is a highly individual little munchkin who has her own agenda. Treat training didn't work, praising her works just a little better. I tried obedience - she really didn't care who was at the other end of her leash, unless something scared her - like a big dog. Only then would she pay attention to me. Even the trainer of the class wished me luck!!!!! She was in a small class with 3 other dogs, and even that didn't make a difference. Had to really tire her out before class in order to get her to focus on the lesson. Perhaps if she was the only dog my house it would be different, but since I have 2 others, will continue to muddle through. I had hoped that she would follow their lead and pee and poop when they do, but no such luck. That being said, wouldn't trade the experience for anything - I luv her to death.

[jzutis]

Penny is super food motivated so training her to come and sit and stay were pretty easy. I can usually get her to go potty on command with a treat, but she will still sometimes go in the house. For some reason I can't fugure out how to get her to ask to go outside. Rudy was a snap to train, I got him the POOCHIE BELLS and he started using them immideatly to go outside for potty or whatever else was interesting him outside. He is good with commands but can be bratty on the leash with other dogs around.:angel:

[Jones Beach LG]

Im having a harder time with my partner :crsfnger: getting her to use the right commands and being consistent and not to confuse the puppy.

As for the Puppy he is doing great training wise so getting him at 10 weeks , helps because the bond is at a early age and no prior baggage to deal with to correct. Basicly a skull full of mush to mold how you want. As well as investing the time with him so their is a good repor.

[Dogmother]

This poll came up on my home page and even though it is an old one I had to respond and add my two cents worth to it.

I am a dog trainer and I voted yes that Dachshunds are harder to train than other dogs. But it is not just Dachshunds. I have actually found that hounds in general are harder to train than other breeds. There is also a reason for that though. Hounds as a rule are used as hunters and have to be able to think and reason for themselves so they do. If they don't want to obey your commands they won't. Although is isn't necessarily that they don't know or don't understand what you want from them, it is because hounds are more self oriented and don't really care. If they feel like obeying they will, if they don't they won't. This is where their reputation for stubbornness comes from, I don't really think of it so much as stubbornness as they just think they are above what they feel are needless "dog and pony" tricks. I guess after my explanation maybe I shouldn't have said they are hard to train because they are smart and pick up the commands right away so in that essence they are easy to train. It is obeying that is the issue. They only obey if they feel like it. Gotta love them hounds. lol

Terri

[xsnmodr8tion]

Its the owners that are the problem when it comes to Training....:sofunny:
Sad but true.....

I think Cesar Says, Train the owners educate the Dog.