Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This article contains affiliate links. If you buy something through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products my own dachshund has actually used.

Before you read on: If your dog has ever bitten another animal or a person while chasing, stop and get a certified trainer or a veterinary behaviorist first. This guide is education, not a diagnostic tool, and results vary between dogs. High-drive individual cases can need professional help. What worked for Oscar worked in our case.

The park went quiet for exactly one second. That’s how I knew.

Oscar’s tail shot straight up, his back legs dropped into that coiled crouch, and his body went rigid. Now a squirrel crossed the path, oblivious. Then he was gone before I could blink — dragging me through a rhododendron bush and straight across the wheel of a cyclist who swerved hard. In twenty minutes that afternoon, Oscar locked onto nine squirrels. Nine.

Honestly, my first instinct was to yank the leash. I’m so glad I didn’t. And with a dachshund, yanking a chasing dog can end at the emergency vet with a spinal injury. That’s the red line most prey-drive advice ignores, and I’ll come back to it.

Here’s what four weeks of “look at that” training taught me: the chasing instinct never fully leaves a dachshund. Honestly, I don’t want it to. What I did change is what happens in the split second he sees prey.

Why Dachshund Prey Drive Makes Them Chase (It’s Not a Training Failure)

The name “dachshund” means “badger dog.” These dogs were bred to crawl underground and face a badger — a heavy animal that fights back hard. That’s the breed’s day job, and it runs through four steps:

Orient → Eye-stalk → Chase → Grab-bite.

A squirrel isn’t just a squirrel to Oscar. His nose reads the scent, his eyes lock, his body drops, and the sequence fires on autopilot. So seeing that as a work sequence rather than a misbehaving dog dissolves a lot of the frustration. Because the moment “orient” happens, the chase is already starting — and that’s where you intervene.

So why do yelling and yanking fail? Both add arousal to a dog who’s already over threshold. Oscar isn’t ignoring me because he’s stubborn (though he is). His prey drive has temporarily taken the steering wheel. So a loud noise or a sharp pull just raises his heart rate higher — a dog that’s more fixated, not less.

That’s why the fix isn’t more force. It’s a rewire — teaching him that “see prey → look at me → reward” beats “see prey → chase.” But I only got there because I stopped making it a fight.

The Look-at-That Game: A 4-Week Distance Ladder

The “Look at That” (LAT) game rewards your dog for seeing the trigger and choosing to look back at you instead. And it has to be built outside the trigger’s reach. Here’s the ladder I ran with Oscar; scale the distances to your dog’s trigger.

A few things that mattered:

• The treat has to be genuinely special. At 30 feet, Zuke’s Mini Naturals (affiliate link) got his attention, but Bil-Jac Little Jacs — a chicken-liver mini — beat a squirrel. That’s why I keep two tiers: a daily treat for easy work and a super-high-value one for inside the trigger zone.
• If he wouldn’t look at me, I didn’t push through it. The biggest mistake is drilling inside the threshold and calling it training. My rule: if Oscar stared past the treat, I stepped back to a distance he could handle and started again. Losing distance isn’t failure; it’s the system working.
• Short and sharp. Five minutes of clean reps beat twenty minutes of fighting.

By week three, the change was obvious. Oscar would glance at a squirrel, flick his eyes to me, and take the treat — a beat of hesitation where the old auto-chase used to live. Still, by week four, we walked past a squirrel on a loose leash for the first time in his life.

The IVDD Red Line Nobody Tells You About

Here’s the part that matters more than the training: a chasing dachshund must never be yanked by the collar or the leash.

A dachshund’s long back, short legs, and forward momentum are a torque machine. Even one hard pull at full sprint can trigger IVDD — intervertebral disc disease — which can mean sudden paralysis. That’s why I switched Oscar to a front-clip harness and never looked back.

My non-negotiable handling rules:

• Front-clip harness, not a collar. The Ruffwear Front Range harness has a chest ring that turns a lunging body instead of snapping the neck. When Oscar lunges, it redirects his chest, and I’m not torquing his spine. That’s why I only ever walk him in a harness — here’s my full harness-leash guide.
• Short leash + body block. In the second before a lunge, I step sideways into his field of vision, block the view, then guide him away on a 5-foot leash.
• Never punish the stare. No yanking, no startling, no shock collars — ever. Besides being wrong for any dog, punishing prey drive on a dachshund is a direct IVDD risk.

For more on protecting that long back, my back-health guide covers the full picture.

Give the Prey Drive a Legal Outlet

Here’s the counterintuitive truth: Oscar chased less outside once I let him chase more inside. A prey drive that never gets to run leaks out at the worst moments.

• Flirt pole — a lure on a pole that mimics prey. Let him “catch” the tip and stop — never let him drag it away. Ten minutes, then put it away.
• Tug with a KONG Wubba — the grab-bite outlet. When Oscar won, I rewarded with a “get it!” and praise, then used a drop command.
• Nose work — prey drive starts with the nose, so let the nose work. My scent-games guide has easy indoor setups that scratch the same itch a squirrel does.

After a solid flirt-pole session, Oscar is noticeably calmer on walks — the work sequence already ran at home, so the squirrel is less urgent. So a KONG Classic stuffed with a treat handles the after-session cooldown.

The Gear That Made This Work

None of this is equipment-heavy, but two pieces earned their place:

• Ruffwear Front Range Harness (Small) — the chest clip that redirects lunges instead of risking the spine. It’s the most important physical tool for a chasing dachshund. ([affiliate link] — well-reviewed, and the reason I walk Oscar in a harness.)
• Bil-Jac Little Jacs — the chicken-liver treats that beat a squirrel at 30 feet. My daily-tier Zuke’s Mini Naturals handles the easy reps; Bil-Jac is the super-high-value tier for inside the trigger zone. ([affiliate link] — both widely reviewed training treats.)

The harness redirects the body, the treats rewire the choice, and the flirt pole and Wubba let the instinct run. Together they cover every phase of the prey-drive sequence.

When You Must Stop and Call a Pro

I want to be blunt about limits. This guide worked for Oscar — a mild-to-moderate chaser with no bite history. It’s not a guarantee, and it’s not a substitute for professional help.

Stop self-training and find a certified trainer or veterinary behaviorist if:

• Your dog has ever bitten another animal or person while chasing.
• The target is a cat or a small child in your home — separate them safely today, then get pro help before reintroducing.
• The prey drive doesn’t respond within a few weeks, or it escalates.

Managing a high prey drive around cats or toddlers is a safety situation, not a training exercise.

FAQ

Can I completely stop my dachshund from chasing? Honestly — no, and you probably don’t want to. Prey drive is bred in and doesn’t disappear. What you can do is manage it: redirect the look, build impulse control, and give the instinct a legal outlet. That’s the realistic goal, and it’s plenty.

Can dachshunds live with cats? Some can, some can’t — it depends on the dog’s drive and the cat’s confidence. If the chase is strong, keep them separated and work with a trainer before sharing space.

What if he won’t look at me even at 100 feet? Step back further, or pick a less exciting trigger for the first week. If he can’t disengage, you’re still over threshold — move back.

How long until I see a change? Oscar improved around week three. Most owners see the first “he looked back instead of lunging” moment within two to four weeks of consistent short sessions. But every dog is different, so don’t benchmark against a calendar — benchmark against him.

Part of my dachshund behavior series. If your dachshund also pulls, my loose-leash walking guide and recall training guide cover the other two legs of the hunting-dog behavior triangle.

Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This article contains affiliate links. If you buy something through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products my own dachshund has used and approved.

Before you read on: If your dog has actually bitten someone — not just growled — stop here. Resource guarding can escalate into real aggression, and that needs a certified trainer or a veterinary behaviorist, not a blog post. This guide is education, not a diagnostic tool. For mild-to-moderate guarding (growling, stiffening, freezing), read on.

I was slicing an apple at the counter last spring when Oscar froze mid-chew. His bone — a marrow bone he’d been working for an hour — sat between his paws, and his eyes locked onto my hand. Then a low growl rolled up from his throat. Not a warning growl. The kind of growl that said this is mine and I will fight for it.

Honestly, my first instinct was to grab the bone. I’m glad I didn’t. Though with a dachshund, that instinct can end with a trip to the emergency vet — not for a bite, but for a spinal injury. I’ll come back to that.

What I did instead was six weeks of “trade-up” training. By the end, Oscar still guards — that instinct never fully leaves a badger dog — but he no longer sees my hand as a threat. Here’s exactly what I did, what I said, and what I absolutely did not do.

Why Dachshunds Guard So Hard (It’s Not “A Broken Dog”)

The name “dachshund” means “badger dog.” These dogs were bred in 17th-century Germany to crawl into a tunnel and square off against a badger — a 30-pound animal that fights back. That job rewards one thing above all: possessiveness. A badger dog that hesitates to defend its prize doesn’t survive.

Add to that the stubborn streak every dachshund owner knows, and you get a dog that is genuinely wired to protect high-value resources. No wonder food aggression in small dogs is so common — the small body carries a big guarding instinct.

When your dachshund growls at you near his bowl, he’s not rejecting you. He’s doing his job. That reframe matters, because the shame (“what did I do wrong?”) is what pushes owners toward the exact wrong fix — grabbing, yelling, or “showing dominance.” None of that works, and all of it can make the guarding worse.

The One Thing You Must Never Do With a Dachshund

IVDD red line: Never yank a bone out of a dachshund’s mouth, never grab the scruff, never pull the collar to drag him away. A dachshund’s long back is one wrong pull away from IVDD — intervertebral disc disease — which can mean paralysis. If you must physically separate him from something, use a harness and a short leash, not your hands and not the collar. This is the same reason I only ever walk Oscar in a harness, never a collar — here’s my full harness-leash guide and my back-health guide.

The reason this matters for training: if reaching toward a guarded item is scary and painful, you’ve taught him that your approach is a real threat. Here’s the thing: the whole goal of the next six weeks is the opposite — to teach him that a human hand approaching his bowl is the best thing that can happen.

The 6-Week Trade-Up Protocol (What I Actually Did)

Honestly, the core idea is dead simple: trade. He gets something better when a human approaches, so “human near my stuff” stops meaning “human takes my stuff.”

I built every session around high-value treats. My go-to was Zuke’s Mini Naturals — check current price on Amazon (affiliate link) — because at 2 calories per piece I could run twenty exchanges in a row without blowing Oscar’s daily calorie budget (he’s prone to weight gain, so small treats matter). Then, for the top-shelf items, I stepped up to Bil-Jac Little Jacs chicken liver treats — check current price on Amazon (affiliate link) — because chicken liver outranks a marrow bone in most dogs’ heads.

The exact movement that made the difference: I never reached over him. Instead, I held the treat low, at his nose height, and tossed it a foot to the side so he had to leave the guarded item to get it. The instant his mouth was off the bone, I picked the bone up, said “good,” and gave it right back — now with the treat. Dozens of repetitions of “hand near bone = bone comes back AND I get a treat” is what rewired the response.

Sure enough, by week two, Oscar was lifting his head and looking at me expectantly when I walked toward his bowl. By week six, I could take a marrow bone out of his mouth with zero growl — because he’d learned the trade always paid.

The Scenarios That Need Management (Not Just Training)

Yet training is only half the picture. While his brain catches up, you manage the high-risk moments. Here’s how I handled each:

Food bowl: Oscar ate in a separate room for the first three weeks, door closed. No guests, no kids, no other pets near his bowl. In practice, this removes the pressure so training can actually take hold.

Toys and his crate: He guards his crate like a den. Even then, I never reach into his crate for something while he’s inside — I call him out first. Plus, a stuffed KONG Classic Small — check current price on Amazon (affiliate link) — doubled as both a trade target and a way to keep him busy in his crate during training breaks.

Tug games: Rather than fight over a toy, I redirected into structured tug with a KONG Wubba — check current price on Amazon (affiliate link). Tug with rules (“drop it” ends the game) built impulse control without asking him to surrender a claimed item.

Counter surfing: If he jumped for food on the counter, I didn’t chase him — I walked away and ignored him, then set up a “leave it” session. Chasing turns it into a game he wins.

Guests: For the first month, Oscar was on a harness and short leash (CollarDirect 5ft leash (affiliate link)) when people visited, and high-value bones only came out when he was alone. A visiting Ruffwear Front Range harness (affiliate link) in Small let me guide him gently away without ever grabbing him.

When to Stop Training and Call a Professional

Look, this is the part most articles bury, and I won’t. Still, trade-up works for mild-to-moderate guarding. It is not for every dog. Get professional help if:

• Your dog has bitten anyone (even a “light” nip that broke skin)
• Growls escalate to snapping or lunging when you’re more than an arm’s length away
• The guarding appears suddenly after being fine for years (this can signal pain or a medical issue — see a vet first)
• You have young children in the house (kids move fast and don’t read warning signals)

Those cases need a certified trainer or veterinary behaviorist. Honestly, there’s no shame in it — managing a hard case well is better than forcing a bad outcome.

FAQ

Does resource guarding ever fully go away? In my experience, management beats “cure.” Oscar still gets tense with a new, ultra-high-value treat on first exposure. Yet it’s a brief pause, not a growl — relaxed within minutes. That’s a win worth celebrating.

Can I prevent it in a puppy? Partly. Also, trade-up games from day one (trade a toy for a treat, give the toy back) build the “hand near = good” association early. It’s easier to build than to rebuild.

What do I do when guests come over? First, separate your dog from the resource before guests arrive. High-value bones disappear first; if you can’t supervise, your dog goes in a crate or separate room. And never test a guarding dog’s tolerance with visitors.

Is growling always aggression? No. A growl is communication — it’s your dog saying “please don’t take this.” Even so, it’s far better than a bite with no warning. Listen to it, back off, and train the trade. The dog who growls is giving you a chance to help.

This guide is educational content, not a substitute for professional behavioral advice. Every dog is different and results vary; severe resource guarding needs a certified professional.

This section contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I only recommend products my own dachshund has used and approved.

Training Gear That Made the 6-Week Trade-Up Work

Why Most “Small Dog Toys” Fail a Dachshund

Dachshunds were bred to crawl into badger dens and fight a 30-pound animal with claws like fishhooks. That heritage sits inside every wiener dog — including mine.

When I brought home my first dachshund three years ago, I bought a cute squeaky toy labeled “small breed.” It lasted 12 minutes before the squeaker was excavated and stuffing was scattered across my living room. And I realized then: dachshund toy shopping isn’t the same as toy shopping for a Maltese. You need toys that respect three things:

• Bite-to-size ratio: A dachshund’s jaw strength relative to body weight is among the highest of any breed. Thin plush toys never stood a chance.
• Prey drive: The shake-kill-dissect sequence is hardwired. Toys that trigger this safely last longer.
• Back safety: Long spines mean jumping and rough tug come with IVDD risk.

After three years of trial and a dozen murdered squeakers, here’s the shortlist of toys that actually work — with real test results and stuffing strategies that kept my dachshund busy for hours.

The Dachshund Destruction Scale

Match your dog to the right products:

Mine sits at Level 2 bordering on 3. When he wants something dead, he goes for the seams first.

1. KONG Classic Small — The Foundation

The KONG Classic is not a secret. But most guides skip the part that matters most: the stuffing strategy changes everything.

So I tested three filling approaches and timed the results:

But the KONG Popsicle trick? That one changed everything. Honestly, I prep 3-4 on Sunday evenings. And each one gives 45-60 minutes of quiet while my dachshund works through frozen layers. Plus, the licking and chewing burns mental energy — by the time he’s done, he wants a nap, not my shoes.

And the Small red rubber is the right fit for a standard dachshund. Mine has dents but no tears after 8 months of weekly use.

Already read my full take? Here’s the KONG Classic Small quick review.

2. KONG Wubba Friend — Prey Drive Fulfillment

So the Wubba is basically a tennis-ball-like head with floppy fabric tails and a deep squeaker. And from a dachshund’s perspective, it’s a perfect prey surrogate. The floppy body triggers the shake response. The squeaker sounds like a wounded animal.

Spinal safety note: Keep tug-of-war low to the ground. Don’t lift the toy — dachshunds jumping for toys land hard on their front legs and twist their spines. And let your dog win the tug on the ground.

That said, the fabric tails are the weak point. After 4 months, one strip frayed at the attachment point. For Level 3 chewers, supervise play and retire at first fray.

3. KONG Cozie Alligator — The Surprising Survivor

Honestly, I almost didn’t buy the Cozie. After watching my dachshund disembowel cheaper plush toys in under 15 minutes, spending $13 on another plush seemed like throwing money away. I was wrong.

But the Cozie has survived 6 months with my Level 2 dachshund — a record no other plush toy has come close to. The trick is minimal stuffing and reinforced seams. But most plush toys are overstuffed, giving seam-ripping instincts something to grab. The Cozie’s microfleece fabric doesn’t snag on teeth easily.

And mine uses it as a carry toy — picks it up by the head and walks around the house. This natural denning behavior satisfies the instinct to carry prey back without encouraging him to carry shoes.

For more details, check the KONG Cozie Alligator quick review.

4. Treat Showdown: Zuke’s vs Bil-Jac for KONG Stuffing

My call: Buy both. Zuke’s works as the top layer (easy to latch onto) and for scatter feeding. Bil-Jac packs into the middle and creates a sticky barrier the dog has to work through. In practice, I use about 10 Zuke’s pieces (20 cal) or 15 Bil-Jac pieces (45 cal) per KONG session — manageable for a 15lb dachshund on a 350-400 cal daily diet.

For a deeper look: Zuke’s Mini Naturals review and Bil-Jac Little Jacs review.

5. SnugTail Dachshund Tunnel Bed — The Play-to-Rest Transition

Look, you might not expect a dog bed in a toy guide. But for dachshunds, the SnugTail Tunnel Bed closes the enrichment loop.

After a KONG Popsicle, my dachshund’s instinct is to find a dark, enclosed space to settle with his prize — the denning instinct at work. And the SnugTail (86x86x26cm, designed for the long dachshund body) gives him exactly that. He crawls in, turns around, and curls up with KONG remnants for hours.

So I use it as the “game over” station. Play ends → toys away → treat in the tunnel → he settles in. It took a week to train, and now he goes there voluntarily when tired.

Full review here: SnugTail Dachshund Tunnel Bed.

6. Three Freezer Tricks That Triple Playtime

The freezer is your best dachshund toy accessory:

1. Quick Freeze: Stuff a KONG with PB + treats. Freeze 2 hours (not overnight). Semi-frozen consistency. Good for 25 minutes.
2. KONG Float: Mix low-sodium broth with Zuke’s in a bowl. Submerge the stuffed KONG upside-down in it. Freeze overnight. The dog licks through an ice block before reaching the KONG opening. My record: 90 minutes.
3. Scent Trail + Freeze: Scatter 5-6 Bil-Jac in a snuffle mat, then give the frozen KONG as the “main course.” The scent hunt primes the drive — the frozen KONG becomes the climax.

Bottom Line

Dachshunds want to hunt, destroy, carry, and den. But the toys that actually work satisfy those instincts in a way that survives their jaws.

The starter kit: KONG Classic Small + Zuke’s + Bil-Jac + freezer space. About $35 total, weeks of enrichment.

If your dachshund has already destroyed everything, start with the KONG Classic and the Popsicle method. Let me know in the comments what your destruction level is — I’m curious if mine is normal or if I just have an unusually determined chewer.

I spent the first year with Oscar trying to train his nose off. “Leave it.” “No sniffing.” “Heel.” Every walk was a tug-of-war between his nose and my patience. I thought I had a stubborn dog.

But honestly? Turns out, I had a perfectly normal scent hound being asked to do the impossible.

Dachshunds were bred for 300 years to track badgers underground using their nose. Telling a dachshund to ignore a smell is like telling you to stop breathing. So it’s not disobedience — it’s biology.

Here’s the shift that changed everything for us: instead of suppressing Oscar’s nose, I started giving it a job. Problem behaviors dropped. Walks became peaceful. And Oscar started coming home actually tired.

This is the opposite of generic nose work guides. Everything here is built for the scent hound brain — from the Sniff-Tire-Sleep cycle to the three-level game system Oscar and I developed together.

Why “Walk Them Harder” Backfires on Dachshunds

Most enrichment advice for high-energy dogs says the same thing: more exercise. But dachshunds don’t burn energy the same way herding or working breeds do.

After months of trial and error, I noticed a pattern. A 45-minute walk left Oscar wired — still pulling, still sniffing, still looking for something to chase. But 15 minutes of focused nose work? So he’d crash on the couch for hours.

The Sniff-Tire-Sleep Cycle became my organizing principle: mental exhaustion beats physical exhaustion for scent hounds, every time.

Walking more doesn’t tire a dachshund’s brain. It just builds stronger pulling muscles. But nose work hits the engine that actually drives their behavior.

The Three-Level Scent Game System

So I built this system by trial and error with Oscar, starting in my living room and working up to an open field. Each level builds on the one before it.

Level 1: Indoor Scent Games (5 Minutes)

Start in a low-distraction room. No other pets, minimal noise.

Game 1: Which Hand? Put a few Zuke’s Mini Naturals in one hand, show both closed fists. Let your dachshund sniff and pick. (affiliate link) Plus, Oscar figured this out in about 30 seconds — the treats are tiny (2 calories each) but smell strong enough that even a beginner gets it right.

Game 2: Scatter Find Toss 8-10 Zuke’s across the floor while your dog is in a sit-stay. Then release with “find it.” The first time I did this, Oscar’s tail went into what I call tracking mode — stiff, wagging fast, nose to the ground.

Why Zuke’s: at 2 cal per piece, I can run 20-30 repetitions without blowing Oscar’s daily calorie budget. I’ve tried bigger treats and they either add too many calories or the dog finds them too fast and loses interest.

Level 2: Backyard Scent Stations (10 Minutes)

Once your doxie reliably finds scattered treats, level up to stations.

Setup:

1. Take a KONG Classic Small and stuff it — I use a mix of peanut butter, a few kibbles, and a smear of canned pumpkin. (affiliate link)
2. Freeze it overnight (this extends the challenge from 2 minutes to 8-10).
3. Place 3-4 stuffed KONGs at different spots in your yard.
4. Let your dog into the yard and watch their nose go to work.

Key insight for scent hounds: don’t hide them too well at first. Oscar got frustrated when I tucked a KONG behind a bush on day one. He walked past it three times. So I moved it to open grass and he found it instantly. Build confidence before you increase difficulty.

Worth noting: dachshunds search low. Their nose is optimized for ground-level tracking — they’ll miss things at eye height. So keep KONG stations on the ground, preferably in grass or leaf litter where the scent lingers.

Level 3: Outdoor Scent Trailing (15 Minutes)

This is where scent hounds truly shine.

Before you go: outfit your dachshund with a Ruffwear Front Range Harness in size Small. (affiliate link) The front clip lets you gently guide a nose-to-the-ground dog without pulling their neck — important for a breed prone to IVDD. Oscar wears this and I can redirect him with a light tug on the front ring instead of yanking his collar.

The trail:

1. Take a KONG Wubba Friend — the fleece tail picks up grass scent beautifully, creating a natural trail. (affiliate link)
2. Walk across a patch of grass dragging the Wubba behind you. Start with a 10-foot straight line.
3. Have someone hold your dog (or use a long line). At the end, hide the Wubba in tall grass or behind a bush.
4. Bring your dog to the starting point. Say “track it” and let them follow the scent.

The first time I dragged a Wubba across the park grass, Oscar froze. His ears went up. Then his nose hit the ground and he followed that scent line like it was the most important thing in the world. When he found the Wubba, he pounced on it, shook it, and looked up at me with an expression I can only describe as satisfied.

Safety rules I follow:

• Enclosed area only (fenced park or long line — never off-leash unless fully enclosed)
• Under 15 minutes in warm weather (short noses overheat faster)
• I use Bil-Jac Little Jacs as the “jackpot reward” — one piece of freeze-dried liver after a successful track (affiliate link) — Oscar knows finding the Wubba means a Bil-Jac and that keeps him engaged

Progress over time: we started at 10 feet. But three months later, Oscar tracks 50-foot trails with turns. Week over week, I extend by 5-10 feet — not every session, but when he’s consistently hitting the mark.

Why Problem Behaviors Improve (Not Disappear)

Before nose work, Oscar was a digger. Plus, I was patching holes in my garden every weekend. He’d bark at fence gaps and pull on walks like the leash offended him.

After three weeks of consistent nose work (Level 1-2 daily, Level 3 on weekends), the digging dropped to almost zero. He dug exactly one hole in the six months since I started. Before that, it was every week.

I’m not saying nose work cured anything — no single activity replaces comprehensive training. But what I noticed is that when Oscar gets a legitimate outlet for his hunting drive, he doesn’t feel the need to invent his own. The digging wasn’t misbehavior. It was unexpressed prey drive.

Nose work won’t fix every behavior issue. Still, it helps manage tendencies by giving your dachshund’s brain the job it was built for. If your dog’s a digger like mine was, check out my deep dive on why dachshunds dig and how to channel it.

Quick Gear Reference

The Bottom Line

The biggest mistake I made with Oscar was treating his nose like a training problem. But it’s one of his most powerful tools. Give your dachshund a legal hunting outlet — scent games, tracking trails, nose work — and watch what happens. The digging goes down. The pulling eases. Even the constant “I need to find something” vibe turns into “I found it and I’m tired now.”

If your doxie is anything like mine, they’re not trying to be difficult. They’re trying to do their job. Give them one, and the rest falls into place.

A note on safety: always supervise nose work sessions, especially outdoors. Enclosed areas only for tracking. If your dachshund has back issues (IVDD), consult your vet before introducing nose work — some dogs in spinal rehab benefit from it, others need restricted activity. And if your dog shows respiratory distress or overheating signs, stop immediately.

Looking for more enrichment ideas? Check out my Dachshund Exercise & Activity Guide and Dachshund Toy Guide by Play Style.

Let me guess — your dachshund is at the window right now, barking at a leaf that dared to fall in your yard.

I’ve been there. Oscar, my mini long-haired dachshund, used to bark at everything. The neighbor’s cat across the street. The Amazon truck three blocks away. A dog on TV. I once counted 19 separate barking episodes in a single Tuesday.

Here’s the unpopular truth: dachshunds were bred to bark. They’re not being difficult — they’re doing exactly what centuries of badger-hunting genetics wired them to do. But that doesn’t mean you have to live with non-stop noise.

So after three years of trial and a lot of tiny training treats, I got Oscar’s daily barking from 15+ episodes down to about 4–5. Here’s exactly how.

Why Dachshunds Bark — Instinct, Not Attitude

Now, dachshunds were bred in Germany to hunt badgers underground. Their job was to track the badger into its burrow, bark loudly so the hunter could pinpoint the location, and hold the badger at bay. That embarrassingly loud bark coming from a 12-pound dog? It’s a hunting tool, and it’s hardwired.

On top of that, dachshunds have:

• Territorial instincts — everything around their home needs announcing
• High alertness — they notice everything, from a squirrel 50 feet away to a new car across the street
• Sheer stubbornness — they don’t obey on autopilot like retrievers; they need a good reason to listen

The 5 Types of Dachshund Barking (And How to Tell Them Apart)

Plus, once I learned to tell why Oscar was barking, training got much easier. Not all barks are the same:

So identify which type you’re dealing with, and you’ll know which method below actually applies.

8 Training Methods That Actually Worked

1. Control What They Can See

The biggest single improvement in Oscar’s barking came from blocking his view of the street. So I applied static-cling window film to the bottom half of our living room window — $12 and 15 minutes of work. Half his triggers disappeared overnight.

2. The Quiet Command — Dachshund Style

But standard “quiet” training doesn’t work on stubborn dogs. Here’s what clicked for Oscar:

Let him bark 2–3 times. Calmly say “quiet.” The moment he pauses to breathe — even for a split second — mark it with “yes!” and give a high-value treat. Repeat in 3-minute sessions, twice daily. I saw real progress after about two weeks.

Now, the treat needs to be worth pausing for. I use Zuke’s Mini Naturals Training Treats (affiliate link) — 3 calories each, tiny enough that Oscar finishes in one bite and looks up for the next. The peanut butter flavor keeps him engaged through a full session.

3. A Tired Dachshund Is a Quieter Dachshund

So adult dachshunds need 30–45 minutes of exercise daily, but the type matters. The mix that worked for Oscar: a 20-minute brisk morning walk, a 10-minute midday training session, and a 10-minute evening play session. Days I skip the walk? Double the barking, without fail.

4. Give Him a Job

Here’s the thing — dachshunds are working dogs. So without a job, they invent one — usually “guard the perimeter.” I taught Oscar “place” — when the doorbell rings, he goes to his mat instead of charging the door. It cut doorbell barking from full panic to two barks and a trot to his spot. He gets a treat for staying. Everyone’s happier.

5. Puzzle Toys for Boredom Barking

Now, boredom barking is the easiest fix — give them something interesting.

I stuff a KONG Classic Small (affiliate link) with plain Greek yogurt, a few kibbles, and a dab of peanut butter, then freeze it overnight. Oscar gets it when I’m on a Zoom call or cooking dinner. He’s too busy with the yogurt to care about the window.

Also, the small size is essential — regular KONG is too big for a dachshund’s mouth. I’ve been using the same two for over a year and they’re still intact.

6. Desensitize Slowly to Known Triggers

Oscar used to lose his mind at other dogs on walks. So I found a spot where he could see a dog at a distance where he wasn’t reacting (about 50 feet), gave treats while the other dog was visible, and gradually decreased the distance over weeks. Slow work, but his on-walk reactivity dropped by about 60% over two months.

7. A Cave Bed for Anxious Barkers

Still, when barking comes from anxiety, training through it doesn’t work — Oscar’s past his learning threshold. What helps is a den-like space to feel safe.

The JOEJOY Hooded Cave Bed Small (affiliate link) was worth every penny. Then Oscar crawls inside the hooded cover, and I can see his breathing slow within two minutes. The cushion is removable and washable — important because he drags it into his crate when he’s really stressed. At 20 inches across, it’s cozy without being cramped.

8. Emergency Treats for Stubborn Cases

So for situations where Oscar is locked in and ignoring everything, I need higher-value bait. Bil-Jac Little Jacs Small Dog Training Treats (affiliate link) are soft, smelly, and Oscar will do backflips for them. I save them for high-distraction scenarios like passing another dog on a walk rather than daily use.

What NOT to Use (IVDD Warning)

Now, I see shock and vibration collars recommended in forums. Do not use them on a dachshund.

Plus, these dogs already have a high risk of IVDD (intervertebral disc disease) because of their long spines. A vibration collar can make them flinch or twist suddenly — exactly the kind of movement that triggers a disc issue. I had one IVDD scare with Oscar when he jumped off the couch before I got dog stairs. $3,000 in vet bills later, I don’t take risks with anything that could startle his spine.

How Long Does It Take?

So I started seeing real improvements around week 2 of consistent quiet-command practice. By week 4, Oscar’s barking dropped from 15+ episodes daily to about 4–5 — roughly a 70% reduction. That’s with daily 3-minute training sessions, window film, white noise, and adequate exercise.

Look, he still barks. He’s a dachshund. But now it’s manageable: a few alert barks at the door, a quick greeting when I come home, and the occasional protest when dinner is late.

The Bottom Line

So breed-specific training makes a real difference with dachshunds. That said, start with the window film and the quiet command. If your dog is bored, stuff a KONG and freeze it. If they’re anxious, give them a cave bed. Skip the punishment tools entirely.

And stock up on those tiny treats — you’re going to need a lot of them.

Got a method I didn’t cover? Drop it in the comments — I’m always looking for new tricks to try with Oscar.

Related reads:

• Why Dachshunds Dig: A Complete Guide to Understanding & Managing the Burrowing Instinct
• Dachshund Separation Anxiety Guide: 7 Tips That Helped My Dog Cope
• Dachshund Potty Training: What I Learned From a Stubborn Wiener Dog

Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This article contains affiliate links. If you buy something through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products my own dachshund has used and approved.

I came home one Tuesday afternoon last June and found my backyard looking like a miniature archaeological dig site. Seven holes. Seven perfectly excavated craters, each one deep enough to fit a tennis ball. My mini dachshund Oscar was sitting in the middle of the chaos, covered in dirt from nose to tail, looking utterly satisfied with himself.

My first thought? He’s punishing me for leaving him alone all day. My second thought, after a few weeks of frustration and a lot of reading? He’s not being naughty. He’s being a dachshund.

Here’s the thing nobody told me when I brought home a dachshund puppy: you’re not just getting a dog. You’re getting 300 years of badger-hunting instinct wrapped in a sausage-shaped body. And that instinct includes digging.

The Dachshund Heritage: Why Digging Is in Their DNA

The name “dachshund” literally means “badger dog” in German — Dachs (badger) + Hund (dog). These dogs were bred in the 17th century specifically to hunt badgers underground. Not retrieve birds, not herd sheep — crawl into dark, narrow tunnels and fight a 30-pound badger in its own den.

That’s not a background you can train away with a few “leave it” commands.

When your dachshund digs in the garden, burrows under the blankets, or scratches at the couch cushions, they’re not acting out. They’re following an instinct that’s been hardwired for three centuries. The problem isn’t the instinct — it’s that our modern homes and gardens weren’t designed with badger-hunting dogs in mind.

5 Reasons Dachshunds Dig (And How to Tell Which One It Is)

Not all digging is the same. Here’s the framework I’ve developed after three years of observing Oscar and talking to other dachshund owners:

I’ve seen Oscar display all five at different times. The “burrowing instinct” digging is the most common and the most intense — he’ll tunnel into the sofa cushions until only his tail is visible. The temperature digging is a close second in summer months.

Layer 1: Give Them a Legal Place to Dig (Safe Instinct Outlet)

The single most effective change I made was giving Oscar something he’s allowed to burrow in. This is the cornerstone of the “management, not suppression” approach.

SnugTail Dachshund Tunnel Bed — Check price on Amazon (affiliate link)

This bed is specifically designed for burrowing breeds. It’s basically a 34" × 34" Sherpa-lined cave with a non-slip bottom. Oscar discovered it within seconds — he shoved his nose in, rotated three times, and disappeared inside. I measured the interior depth at about 10 inches of crushable Sherpa fluff, which is exactly what a den-seeking dachshund needs.

Within three weeks of getting the SnugTail, the garden holes dropped from 7 per week to maybe 1 or 2. He wasn’t digging in the yard because he was bored — he was digging because he didn’t have a tunnel to crawl into. The SnugTail gave him that tunnel.

What to look for in a tunnel bed:

• Enclosed or cave-style design (hooded is okay, fully enclosed with a single opening is better)
• Washable cover (dachshunds drag dirt in)
• Non-slip bottom (they push hard when burrowing)
• Medium/firm fill — too soft and it flattens, too hard and they can’t burrow

Layer 2: Mental + Physical Alternatives (Redirect That Energy)

A tunnel bed satisfies the location instinct. But digging also burns physical and mental energy. If your dachshund is still digging after getting a tunnel bed, they probably need more output.

KONG Classic Small v2 — Check price on Amazon

I stuff Oscar’s KONG with plain yogurt + a few blueberries and freeze it overnight. A frozen KONG buys me 25-35 minutes of quiet brain time. More importantly, it redirects the energy that would otherwise go into digging. A mentally tired dachshund digs less. I’ve tested this: days with a frozen KONG = fewer holes. Days without = more holes.

KONG Wubba Friend — Check price on Amazon

For physical exhaustion, the Wubba is Oscar’s favorite. It’s a floppy, tug-friendly toy with squeakers in both ends. A 10-minute full-sprint fetch-and-tug session in the yard burns more energy than a 30-minute walk. The key insight: structured play tires them out faster than unstructured yard access.

Daily structured walks matter too. I use a Ruffwear Front Range Small Harness (no collar — dachshund necks need protection) and do two 25-minute walks per day. A dog that’s walked, played with, and mentally stimulated has very little motivation to dig craters in your garden.

Layer 3: Environmental Management (Breed-Proofing Your Yard)

If the first two layers aren’t enough — or while you’re still transitioning — here’s what works:

Designated digging zone. Pick a corner of the yard (about 3×3 feet), loosen the soil, and bury a few treats or a KONG Wubba just under the surface. Let your dachshund “discover” it. When they dig there, reward with a Zuke’s Mini Naturals treat (2 calories each — perfect for training sessions). Repeat for a few days. Use a verbal cue like “dig” when they dig in the zone. Oscar learned the command in about a week.

Protect the rest. Chicken wire laid just under the topsoil in flower beds. Heavy rocks or decorative stones around plant roots. Raised garden beds that are physically inaccessible. These aren’t punishments — they’re environmental boundaries that remove the temptation.

What Didn’t Work for Me

I’ll be honest about the failures so you don’t waste money:

• Filling holes with poop — This old internet trick did nothing. Oscar just dug a new hole next to the old one.
• Punishment (scolding, spray bottles) — Made him dig more, just when I wasn’t looking. Dachshunds are stubborn. Punishment creates sneaky dogs, not well-behaved ones.
• “Just exercise him more” — On its own, this didn’t stop the instinct-driven digging. The SnugTail was what actually made a difference.

Final Thoughts

Your dachshund isn’t digging to destroy your garden. They’re digging because it’s the most natural thing in the world for a badger dog to do. The goal isn’t to stop them — it’s to give them a better place to do it.

Start with the SnugTail tunnel bed as your primary outlet. Add KONG toys for mental stimulation. Structure their exercise. And if they still dig a hole or two, honestly — fill it in and smile. That’s 300 years of instinct you’re looking at, not a behavior problem.

Got a dachshund digging story of your own? Drop it in the comments — I’d love to hear what worked (and didn’t) for your wiener dog.