Disclosure: Some links below are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Interactive Dachshund Toys: 7 Tested Picks That Entertained By DachshundOwner | Updated July 30, 2026 My wire-haired dachshund, Piper, has this thing where she’ll stare at a new toy for about thirty seconds, sniff it from every angle, then decide if it’s worth her time. Nine times out of ten, it isn’t. She walks off to her bed, and I’m left with a $12 felt thing she’ll never touch again. ...

👉 This Review’s Pick: Ruffwear Front Range Harness on Amazon — XS fits mini dachshunds under 12 lb As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links in this article are affiliate links — if you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I’ve actually used and tested with my own dachshund. I used to walk my mini dachshund, Charlie, with a regular collar. Every time he lunged after a squirrel — and with a dachshund’s prey drive, that’s every walk — I’d wince. That much force on a long, fragile neck is exactly the kind of thing that scares every dachshund owner who’s read up on IVDD. So I grabbed the Ruffwear Front Range Harness (ASIN B0CLB65P5L). Here’s what three weeks of daily walks taught me. ...

Disclaimer: I’m not a certified dog trainer — these are games I developed with my dachshund Oscar based on what worked for us. Always consult your vet before starting any new activity routine, especially if your dog has back or respiratory issues. Disclosure: Some links below are affiliate links. If you sign up through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Zuke's Mini Naturals — Level 1 high-frequency scent game treat KONG Classic Small — Level 2 frozen stuffed puzzle station Ruffwear Front Range Harness — IVDD-safe outdoor tracking harness KONG Wubba Friend — Grass-scent drag toy for tracking trails Bil-Jac Little Jacs — Jackpot trail completion reward 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. ...

Disclosure: Some links below are affiliate links. If you sign up through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Zuke's Mini Naturals Peanut Butter — Training treats for small dogs Training a dachshund means working with one of the most stubborn breeds on the planet. My mini dachshund Oscar—three years old and opinionated as they come—will outright ignore me if the reward isn’t worth his time. That’s the reality of living with a breed bred to track badgers underground for hours. So treats are currency in our house, not snacks. ...

Disclosure: Some links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products my own dachshund has actually used. But I didn’t notice at first. That’s the honest truth. So at his 1-year checkup, the vet said my dachshund, Charlie, was 2 pounds over. Sure, doesn’t sound like much — except a 2-pound gain on a 16-pound dachshund puts roughly the same spinal stress as a 20-pound gain on a 60-pound Lab. Plus their back is that long relative to their body. Honestly, I walked out feeling like a terrible owner. ...

Disclosure: Some links below are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. My dachshund Milo has one obsession that beats treats and walks: burrowing. He’ll tunnel under any blanket, pillow, or laundry pile he can reach within seconds. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve found him completely hidden under the couch cushion, with just the tip of his tail poking out. So when I spotted the JOEJOY Hooded Cave Bed (ASIN B08VDL6LS6) on Amazon, I knew it was designed for exactly this kind of dog. ...

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I’ve actually used with my own dachshund. See my full disclosure [here]. I remember Month 1 with Oscar like it was yesterday. So I was holding a leash attached to a 12-pound sausage with the pulling strength of a sled dog. But my right elbow ached for two weeks. YouTube trainers kept telling me to “stop when he pulls” and “be more interesting than the environment.” Though easy for them to say — I was competing with 300 years of hunting instinct. ...

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This guide contains affiliate links to products I’ve personally tested with my dachshund. If you purchase through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. When I was searching for Oscar’s breeder three years ago, I opened twelve breeder websites in one afternoon. Eleven of them looked like they were built on Windows 98 and never updated. Comic Sans headers. Auto-playing MIDI files. A guestbook from 2003. ...

The first time I took my dachshund on a road trip, I made every mistake. I clipped his collar into a standard dog seatbelt tether, cranked the AC and called it good, and pulled over at a rest stop where he launched himself out of the barely-open door and chased a squirrel across the parking lot. He was fine. I was not. That trip taught me one thing: traveling with a dachshund is not the same as traveling with a golden retriever. ...

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links below are affiliate links — if you buy through them, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products my own dachshund has actually used. Products mentioned in this guide: Product Link Price (approx) Dremel PawControl 7760-PET Nail Grinder Check price on Amazon → $49.99 Zuke’s Mini Naturals Training Treats (Peanut Butter) Check price on Amazon → ~$8 Bil-Jac Little Jacs Training Treats (Chicken Liver) Check price on Amazon → ~$10 Ruffwear Front Range Harness, Small (Red Canyon) Check price on Amazon → ~$35 KONG Classic Small v2 Stuffable Toy Check price on Amazon → ~$10 JOEJOY Hooded Cave Bed Small (Grey) Check price on Amazon → ~$21 The first time I tried to trim Oscar’s nails, I held him like a baby — belly up, legs dangling. He squirmed, I slipped, and the clipper caught the edge of his quick. He yelped like I’d betrayed him. ...