In case your Dachshund is peeing in the home, you may think your dog needs more potty training.
But do you understand that your Dachshund is probably not peeing in the home for the rationale you think that?
I’ve seen a big uptick of individuals posting in Dachshund Facebook groups about their dogs peeing on the rug, on the couch, on the bed, or another place in the home.
UPDATED: January 17, 2023
Photo Credit: Depositphotos/SAM-73
The owners are especially frustrated because, in numerous cases, they only took their Dachshund outside, their dog went potty, but their Doxie still peed in the home as soon as they left.
These people posting in Dachshund forums are on the lookout for potty training advice.
While this may occasionally indeed be a potty training issue, in over half of the cases I see it’s almost certainly not.
In a a lot of these cases, the person’s Dachshund pees on the ground or furniture as soon as they leave a room or walk out the door, the cause is probably going separation anxiety.
If this describes what your Dachshund is doing, read on for more information.
My Dachshund Chester’s Story
This exact scenario happened to me with my first Dachshund Chester and it made me steaming mad.
I’d take him outside before I left for work and he would each poop and pee.
Once I left the apartment, I’d come back to search out a giant pee spot by the door.
Naturally, I assumed he needed to pee and just couldn’t hold it anymore.
Or he didn’t know he was alleged to – a results of incomplete potty training.
So I committed to increasing my potty training efforts.
I read several books (the web wasn’t an excellent info source for dog potty training advice back then) and tried all the ideas.
My efforts to potty train my Dachshund weren’t working so I began to search for other possible reasons he was peeing on the rug.
But he continued to pee on the rug.
Then I began to notice it didn’t matter how long I used to be gone.
My apartment had a communal laundry room so I had to depart for a pair minutes to clean my clothes.
I’d take him out to go potty right before I ran out the door for a minute in hopes of eliminating the natural must go from the potential cause list.
I’d return to still discover a pee spot right contained in the door.
I kept reading more because the entire potty training on this planet wasn’t stopping him from peeing on the ground.
Then I discovered somethin g called separation anxiety.
What’s Separation Anxiety in Dachshunds?
Separation anxiety is a sort of anxiety that overcomes a dog after they are separated from their owners, the people they’re attached to, even for a moment.
The trigger is the separation, not the length of time.
Separation anxiety in dogs can occur even if you find yourself gone for “only a minute”.
It could actually escalate the longer you might be gone – your Dachshund gets an increasing number of upset – but your dog may act out for this reason anxiety the moment you permit the room.
Doxies with separation anxiety may attempt to inform you they’re upset by:
- Barking and howling
- Chewing things they aren’t alleged to
- Digging, including attempting to dig a hole within the carpet or under a door
- Ruining partitions or furniture
- Peeing in the home
Once I see people posting pleas for help because their Dachshund is peeing in the home, and the behavior is related to the owner leaving the room or house, the separation anxiety red flag at all times goes off in my head.
While there are several different reasons and triggers that could possibly be causing your Dachshund to pee in the home, if coupled with an owner’s absence, it’s almost at all times separation anxiety.
So what can a Dachshund owner do to treat separation anxiety of their dog?
How I Stopped My Dachshund from Peeing within the House On account of Separation Anxiety
I used to be in a position to prevent my Dachshund from peeing in the home attributable to separation anxiety.
The #1 thing that prevented potty accidents and destruction attributable to separation anxiety was training my Dachshund to be comfortable in a dog crate.
I used to be in a position to find an answer to my Dachshund’s separation anxiety through trial and error as an alternative of coaching.
Once I left the home, even for a minute, I put Chester in his crate.
The speculation is that a dog won’t go potty where they sleep and, in Chester’s case, this was true.
Putting him within the crate meant no accidents on the ground to wash up or accidents within the crate.
Now, a dog crate won’t solve the basis cause – the separation anxiety – however the comfort of the dog crate is enough for some dogs to minimize it in order that they aren’t stressed if you leave.
That was not the case with my second Dachshund Gretel who also had separation anxiety though.
Her separation anxiety was more severe than Chester’s.
In Gretel’s case, I attempted putting her in a dog crate like Chester after I left the home since to maintain her from peeing on the ground but she freaked out.
Despite the fact that the rescue said she was crate trained, she destroyed 2, and hurt herself greater than once, trying do dig her way out.
I had almost given up but then tried what I did with Chester – use a crate that’s technically one size to big for her and use an open-wire crate so she could easily see her surroundings.
The opposite thing that actually helped was giving the dogs a stuffed treat toy after I left the home and leaving the radio on for some background noise.
Gretel was so engrossed in getting the food out, she barely noticed me leaving the home in any respect.
Perhaps by the point she finished, they forgot that I left or were mentally drained to the purpose that it no loner upset them.
Next Step: Separation Anxiety Training
To be able to minimize or eliminate separation anxiety altogether in your Dachshund, you will want to coach and desensitize them.
It’s essential to teach your Doxie that there may be nothing to fret about if you find yourself gone, or not less than that nothing terrible will occur.
You would like to teach her or him to enjoy, or not less than tolerate, being left alone for each short and long periods.
That is achieved by separating your Dachshund from you starting with short periods if you find yourself still near and progressing to more.
For instance, start by putting your Dachshund in a dog playpen, a dog crate, or using a dog gate to dam them in a room, after which go into the opposite room for a minute (literally).
Return to where your Dachshund is and, in the event that they remained quiet and calm, praise your dog and provides them a treat.
Progressively spend longer and longer away out of your Dachshund (still contained in the house).
Once your Dachshund may be left alone for not less than 5 minutes, you’ll be able to graduate to leaving the home.
At first, you’ll put your Dachshund in the identical spot you probably did before and merely walk out the door.
You’ll start this training by closing the door for a couple of seconds, and walking back in to praise your dog in the event that they are calm.
Eventually, you must have the option to depart your Dachshund for longer and longer, with the last word goal of driving away and spending an prolonged time away from the home.
The inspiration of separation anxiety is sort of at all times desensitization training, although the instructions for doing that may vary by dog trainer.
Also, this straightforward desensitization exercise (and possibly trying what worked for my Dachshunds) may not work for all dogs.
Dog Separation Anxiety Resources
I’ve learned so much about separation anxiety over time, but I’m not a dog trainer so I can’t accurately explain more advanced separation anxiety training methods.
For that, I suggest testing the book Be Right Back!: The frustrated dog owner’s guide to understanding and overcoming separation anxiety by pro-trainer Julie Naismith.
In Be Right Back!, certified dog trainer Julie Naismith outlines a series of coaching exercises that may help steer you and your four-legged friend toward independence.
Naismith uses a proven, evidence-based approach and descriptions a step-by-step program that permits you to gently move your dog from a spot of fear to a brave latest world of completely satisfied home alone confidence.
Naismith also runs a Facebook group and provides additional separation anxiety training suggestions there.
Another helpful resources include:
Article: Why Does My Dog Bark or Pee On the Floor Once I Leave?
This can be a temporary overview of separation anxiety training and suggestions for products which will help your dog right away, even before you begin any training.
Article: The right way to Stop Your Dachshund From Barking, Scratching and Peeing When You Leave the House
In this text, Tracy Krulik, CTC, CSAT, a Certified canine separation anxiety trainer, explains her beneficial technique to cure separation anxiety in dogs.
Dog separation training advice is straightforward to search out online and there are a lot of books on the market written in regards to the topic.
Final Thoughts
I do know it may well be frustrating when your Dachshund pees in the home or is destructive if you find yourself not right there with them.
I mean, you might have a life, right? You’ve to go to work, run errands, and visit family and friends, all which take you away from the home.
Step one in resolving any issues, and providing you with freedom to depart the home again without worry, it to discover why your Dachshund is behaving this manner.
Once I spotted the difficulty with Chester was one in all separation anxiety, not poor potty training, each of our lives became less stressful.
Truthfully, proper separation anxiety training just isn’t a fast process.
The number of coaching steps may feel overwhelming, it might be frustrating since the “fix” doesn’t occur overnight, or you could feel such as you don’t possibly have the time.
But please don’t surrender in your dog.
By peeing in the home, barking and howling, and being destructive, your Dachshund is trying to speak they need assistance from you.
They’re not doing it to be bad. They’re doing it because they’re really upset and feel desperate.
Anything you’ll be able to do to assist ease their anxiety is a step in the best direction.
The excellent news is, it might not take as long to show your Dachshund to be okay alone as you think that.
Also, numerous the training may be achieved in only 10 minutes a day.
In case your Dachshund is peeing in the home and it’s not associated along with your absence, or the absence of an important person to them, the difficulty may indeed be general potty training.
Listed here are my best suggestions for fully potty training a Dachshund.
In case your Dachshund suddenly starts peeing in the home after they hadn’t been before, it could signal a medical condition like a urinary tract infection, incontinence, or cushing’s disease.
Please see your veterinarian to rule out any medical causes if peeing in the home is a brand new, sudden change.
Good luck!
