Dear Alecia,
I have a miniature dachshund; her name is Bailey. She is 8 months old; we love her very much and she is a part of our family but house training is been very hard for us. I take her outside, she will go pee, but if she get a little cold she will not go poo then she come in my house and goes to the bathroom.
My rug is a mess but I work on Thursday through Saturday so she has the run of the house. It is wrong to do that but I think leaving her cage is too long. Please help me get this dog potty train. I will try any thing. Yes and I can not stop her from chewing underwear and my baby’s stuffed toys and she has her own toys, too.–Lou Ann
Dear Lou Ann,
I have a Dachsie myself so I can totally relate. Let’s address potty training first. I too sympathize as it was a rough start with my boy as well. Dachsies are sensitive and the cold could present an issue but I have found that once they realize that they are best off going outside and not making a mess they are very diligent about it. So the question is how do we get her there.
The way I would begin is by bringing her back to her crate if she does not poo outside. Then take her out in an hour and try again. If still no poo, back into the crate(not for punishment but for containment and ensuring you can get her to go where you would like her to). Continue until she goes outside and begins doing so regularly, continue mentally visualizing her going outside and do you best not to get upset or impatient. Relax, allow her her choice and don’t take it personally.
Second option, pee pad train her in the house, so that if she does not go outside she has one spot and one spot only (the pee pad) to go in the house and it will save your rugs.
As for the chewing on underwear and your baby’s stuffed toys that is a management issue.
- No underwear left out anywhere and if it is in a hamper put it in the closet where Bailey cannot get to it.
- As for toys, every time she goes to take the baby’s toy take it from her and exchange it for her own. Give her praise every time and you can give her a treat as well when she makes a great choice of choosing her own toys.
- Remember too, she is 8 months old, so still a baby herself. Calm, clear, consistent repetition without judgment generally wins in these situations.
Paws Up! Alecia
Alecia Evans is the inventor of The Walk In Sync™ Humane Dog Walking and Training System with her exclusive 5 Minute Manners Makeovers using the Walk In Sync™ Harness and Accu-Grip Leash, along with her Walk In Sync™ 3 Easy Steps to teach any human/dog duos to Walk In Sync in just minutes.
The former host of the award-winning GrassRoots Aspen TV Series, The Whole Animal-An Alternative Approach to Animal Care, Alecia takes a natural approach to dog training and health care. Her work has been featured on Fox and Friends, The Sandra Glosser Show, NY 1, and in Aspen Magazine, DogTipper.com, The New York Daily News and Woof Report.
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