As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This guide contains affiliate links to products I’ve personally used with my dachshund.
The Dachshund Training Paradox
So the day Oscar learned “sit” he was exactly 10 weeks old. And I was ecstatic — I’d finally cracked the code. But the next morning, he looked me dead in the eye when I said “sit,” held my gaze, and slowly lay down instead. That was my first lesson in training a dachshund: they’re not disobedient. They’re testing whether you’re worth listening to. Oscar and I have been negotiating ever since.
If you’re reading this because your dachshund is giving you that side-eye, or because you’re on your fifth potty accident today — you’re not doing it wrong. Look, dachshund training isn’t about breaking their will. It’s about channeling it. But these dogs were bred to hunt badgers, alone, underground. They don’t do blind obedience. They do “what’s in it for me?”
And the answer to that question is what this guide is about.
Understanding the Dachshund Brain (Why Your Doxie Isn’t Broken)
But before I talk about methods, let’s talk about what’s going on inside that long head.
The badger hunter’s persistence. Now, dachshunds were bred to track down badgers — animals twice their size with claws like gardening tools — and flush them out. That takes problem-solving, courage, and the kind of stubbornness that makes a Labrador look like a pushover. So when your dachshund ignores you to chase a smell, they’re not being naughty. They’re doing what 300 years of breeding tells them to do.
Selective hearing = hunting focus. “He hears me when I open the cheese drawer but not when I call his name” — I’ve seen this exact complaint on r/Dachshund more times than I can count. Still, it’s not selective hearing loss. It’s selective attention. And your dachshund heard you perfectly. They just decided the squirrel outside was more interesting.
The negotiation mindset. Every command a dachshund follows goes through this internal filter: “What do I get out of this?” It’s not because they don’t love you. My Oscar sleeps curled against my neck every night and cries when I leave for work. But in a training context, love doesn’t override instinct. Motivation does.
The takeaway: if you understand that your dachshund isn’t “bad” — they’re just wired differently — your entire training approach shifts from frustration to strategy.
Training Philosophy: Motivation Over Domination
Look, dominance theory fails with dachshunds. It just does. If you try to alpha-roll a dachshund they’ll either (a) scream like you’re murdering them, or (b) dig their heels in deeper and then plot their revenge. And I’m not exaggerating — dachshunds hold grudges.
Still, positive reinforcement isn’t “soft” training. It’s the only method that works with an independent breed that was designed to make decisions on its own. But here’s what took me a while to learn: it doesn’t mean you’re permissive. It means you’re strategic.
The Reward Hierarchy
Not all treats are created equal in the dachshund world.
| Reward Level | Examples | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Low value | Regular kibble (a few pieces) | Home practice of known commands, name game |
| Medium value | Bil-Jac Little Jacs (< 2 cal each) | Daily training, potty training, general reinforcement |
| High value | Clifford Training Treats (chicken/freeze-dried) | Recall, “leave it,” high-distraction environments |
| Alternative | Open Farm Good Bites | Owners who want limited-ingredient/natural options |
Now, I use Bil-Jac Little Jacs for 90% of Oscar’s daily training — at less than 2 calories per treat, I can run through 30 reps without overfeeding. But when we’re at the dog park and I need a rock-solid “come” while he’s chasing a squirrel? That’s Clifford territory.
Life Stage Training Map
Stage 1: Puppy (8–16 Weeks) — The Foundation Window
Weeks 1–2: Name Recognition + Crate Introduction
So start on day one. Say your puppy’s name, and the moment they look at you — even by accident — mark with “yes” and drop a treat. And within a few days, their name becomes a cue that means “look at me, good stuff coming.”
And for crate training, don’t close the door on day one. Leave it open, toss treats inside, let your puppy wander in and out on their own terms. Oscar walked into his crate on day 3 to check if there was a peanut butter KONG waiting. By day 7, he’d put himself to bed in it at 9 PM. That’s the goal — the crate becomes a den, not a cage.
KONG Classic Small with frozen peanut butter inside is my go-to crate association tool. Keeps them busy, builds positive feelings, and buys you 20 minutes of peace. (I wrote a full KONG Classic Small Quick Review if you want the details on why this specific size works best for doxies.)
Weeks 3–6: Potty Training
Here’s the hard truth about dachshund potty training: their bladders are tiny and their stubbornness is huge. Most generic guides say “take your puppy out every 2 hours.” So with a dachshund, make it every 60 to 90 minutes. Yes, including at night.
The cold/rain problem. Dachshunds hate wet grass. This is the #1 obstacle to potty training a doxie. They’ll hold it for hours rather than step on cold damp ground — then pee on your rug the second they get back inside. So don’t let them back in until they go. Stand there. Wait. Bring treats. And when they finally go — treat explosion with Bil-Jac.
I took Oscar out every 90 minutes for the first two weeks, even during the night. And yes, I was exhausted. But by week four, he was signaling at the door. The dachshund who supposedly “can’t be potty trained” was trained in a month.
But one rule: never punish accidents. Dachshunds hold grudges. And if you yell at them for peeing on the carpet, they learn to hide from you when they pee — not to stop peeing indoors. So clean it up, move on, take them out more frequently.
Weeks 5–8: Sit, Down, Stay Basics
So use the luring method: hold a treat at their nose, slowly move it up and back over their head — their butt naturally drops into a sit. Mark and reward. And for down, lure from sit position straight down to the floor.
And keep sessions to 2-3 minutes. Dachshund puppies have attention spans measured in seconds, not minutes. Always end on a success — if they’re getting distracted, go back to something easy so they finish feeling like a genius. So keep it short, keep it fun, and end before they lose interest.
Stage 2: Adolescent (4–12 Months) — The Testing Phase
The regression is real.
Look, Oscar at 5 months was perfect. Perfect recall, perfect sit-stay, walked like a gentleman. But at 7 months, he looked at me like he’d never heard “sit” in his life. I nearly cried. Turns out, this is totally normal for adolescent dachshunds.
So the strategy: increase reward value, decrease session length, and triple your consistency. Your dachshund is testing boundaries — the same way a teenager does. Don’t take it personally.
Loose Leash Walking (The Doxie Method)
So traditional “stop when they pull” doesn’t work well with dachshunds. They’ll just stand there and stare at you for 5 minutes, then try again. Here’s what actually worked for Oscar:
- Arm yourself with high-value treats
- The moment your dachshund looks back at you on the walk — mark and treat
- Change direction frequently — they learn to watch you because you’re unpredictable and interesting
- Use a retractable leash in locked short mode for training
The FLEXI Comfort Retractable Leash was a game changer. I kept it locked at 3 feet for training mode. If he pulled, I stopped. When he looked back at me, mark + treat + unlock a foot of leash. Over 2 weeks, he learned that “walking near me = more freedom.” At 8 months old, we could do a full 30-minute walk with maybe one or two stops.
Recall: The Most Important (and Hardest) Dachshund Command
So start indoors. No distractions → low-distraction yard → high-distraction park. This progression takes weeks, not days.
Critical rule: NEVER call your dachshund for something they’ll hate.
I made the mistake of calling Oscar for a bath once. And he came running, tail wagging, so happy I called him. Then I picked him up and put him in water. And it took 3 weeks to rebuild his recall. Now when it’s bath time, I go get him — I don’t call. “Come” must always, always predict good things: treats, play, praise.
Use your highest-value treats for recall training. Clifford Training Treats and Open Farm Good Bites are both solid options — I tested the Open Farm Be Good Bites on Oscar and they’re smelly enough to compete with whatever distraction is out there.
Leave It / Drop It
And dachshunds will eat literally everything off the ground. And their nose is too powerful. Oscar once found a dropped chicken wing on a walk, and the way he looked at me said “this is my prey now.”
So the trade-up method: start with something low-value in your hand. Say “leave it.” The moment they stop trying to get it — mark and reward with something better. Then gradually increase difficulty: on the floor, on a walk, near something genuinely dangerous like a chicken bone or a piece of chocolate.
Stage 3: Adult (12 Months+) — Refinement and Challenge
So once your dachshund has the basics, the goal shifts to generalization and fading treats.
Intermittent reinforcement is your best friend. But random reward — sometimes a treat, sometimes enthusiastic praise, sometimes nothing — keeps the behavior strong because your dachshund never knows which “sit” will pay out. Like a slot machine for dogs.
Desensitization Training (Nail Grinder)
Here’s where I messed up. So I waited until Oscar was 6 months old to start nail grinding. It was a disaster — full drama, Oscar the Magnificent-level betrayal performance. I spent a month doing desensitization. Start from puppy hood and it’s a non-issue.
The protocol:
- Week 1: Leave the Dremel on the floor. Toss treats near it. Let them sniff it.
- Week 2: Turn the Dremel on in another room while you feed treats. They associate the sound with good things.
- Week 3: Touch the (off) Dremel to their paw. Treat. Repeat until they’re bored.
- Week 4: Quick brief touch while running. Treat explosion.
- Week 5+: Full nail grinding routine.
The Dremel PawControl is quiet and gentle enough for dog nails. My full Dremel PawControl Quick Review covers the desensitization process in more detail. Worth every penny if you can put in the prep work. Even so, if your dachshund is extra sensitive, start with a manual file — the sound is the biggest hurdle, not the sensation.
Separation Anxiety Foundations
But this isn’t a full treatment guide — if your dog shows severe distress when left alone, please consult your vet or a professional behaviorist. Still, two things that helped Oscar:
First, the crate as safe space. Oscar’s crate is never used for punishment. It’s where the peanut butter KONG lives.
Second, a comfort object. The KONG Cozie Alligator Small lives in Oscar’s crate. When I leave, he grabs it and takes it to his bed. It’s his “Oscar is home alone but not alone” buddy. Many owners find it helpful for reducing anxiety symptoms during departures.
Troubleshooting: Common Dachshund Training Problems
| Problem | Why It Happens | What Actually Works |
|---|---|---|
| Selective deafness | Hunting focus — they’re tracking a smell or sound | Do attention-getting before giving commands: make a kissy sound, tap your leg, pat the floor |
| Leash pulling | Hunter instinct — they follow scent trails | Direction-change method + FLEXI locked mode (see loose-leash section) |
| Barking at visitors | Territorial instinct + guard dog heritage | Guest-entry routine: “sit” → “wait” → release to greet |
| Eating everything off the ground | Nose-driven 24/7 | “Leave it” training with progressive difficulty — start in house, move to yard, then walks |
| Potty training regression | Environment change, stress, or medical issue | Go back to basics. More frequent outings, more rewards. If persistent, check with your vet |
5-Minute Daily Training Routine
| Exercise | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name game + attention warm-up | 1 min | Say name, reward eye contact — sets the tone |
| Known command review (sit/down/stay) | 2 min | Quickfire — 5 reps each, reward every other |
| Current focus command (loose leash / leave it / etc.) | 2 min | Whatever you’re currently working on |
| Free play or scent game | 1-2 min | Let them win. Toss treats in the grass and let them “hunt” — mental stimulation |
Dachshunds don’t need hour-long training sessions. Their attention span is short, and they get bored with repetition. Five focused minutes every day beats 30 minutes once a week — and your doxie will agree.
What NOT to Do (Training Anti-Patterns)
| ❌ Don’t | Why | ✅ Do This Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Yell or punish | Dachshunds hold grudges. Punishment makes them fearful, not obedient | Ignore wrong behavior for 4 seconds, then redirect to something they know |
| Repeat commands | “Sit sit sit SIT SIT SIT” teaches them the first 5 cues are optional | Say it once. Wait 3 seconds. If no response, re-lure |
| Punish after recall | “Come here” → punishment → they learn “come” is dangerous | “Come” always predicts good things. Bad things go get them yourself |
| Wait too long to start training | 8–16 weeks is the prime socialization window | Start name game and crate introduction on day one |
| Compare to other breeds | Every dachshund learns at their own pace | Celebrate small wins. Your dog isn’t a Lab. That’s the whole point |
Bottom Line
Training a dachshund is different from training any other dog. It’s not harder — it’s just a different game. Your dachshund isn’t broken because they don’t obey like a Golden Retriever. They’re doing exactly what they were bred to do: think for themselves.
The secret is understanding their motivation, working with their instincts instead of against them, and building a relationship based on trust — not dominance. Give your dachshund a reason to listen, and they’ll surprise you.
For a complete list of everything you need before bringing your dachshund puppy home, check out our Dachshund Puppy Essentials Checklist — it covers potty training setup, crate essentials, and the first-week supplies I wish someone had told me about.
Need the right leash setup? See our Dachshund Harness & Leash Guide.
Already using a Dremel? Read my full Dremel PawControl Quick Review.