Housebreaking

Miniature Dachshunds are a small breed of dog with small bladders, even as adults. Housebreaking can be difficult, but it is never impossible.

A good start to potty training your puppy will begin with crate training. When coming to a new home, a puppy is unaware of your rules and your schedule. Be patient with the puppy while they learn. They may have accidents especially the first few nights while home. A good preventative to this the is to keep them in a mostly confined or smaller area for the first week or two (crate, playpen, or keep them in one room with you instead of letting them wander the entire house). Obviously, do not leave them in a crate or otherwise very small space 24/7 whenever they come home, but unless they are actively being watched, played with, or resting, then it may be best to give them a bit more crate / playpen time than you do your other or older dogs. Leaving them in a smaller space will make them less likely to have an accident. Dogs naturally will try to stay clean, and thus are not likely to have accidents in the same area that they live or sleep. This is why most dogs, if they have an accident in the house, will have it in the same spot repeatedly, usually away from the areas that they spend most of their time. 

If your puppy does have an accident, it is important to remember that dogs communicate differently than we people do. We often hear of people rubbing their dog’s noses in it and telling them “no”- but your puppy has no idea what “no” means! They also have no idea why you are showing them their accident. The best method of training is to redirect and reward. You should consider yourself a teacher and your puppy a student. 

If you catch your puppy WHILE they are pottying on the floor, then immediately pick them up and move them to where you’d like them to potty at. If you do this during the act then they will learn that they are not supposed to potty in the spot that they had chosen, and instead should potty where you move them to (outside, on puppy pads, etc). Whenever they potty in a correct location, praise them lots and make them excited about it! Positive reinforcement will always teach them well. Dogs already get positive reinforcement from themselves whenever they go potty, because it is relieving or can feel good especially if they have been holding it for a while. Inadvertently, your dog can train itself to have accidents in the house in this way. It is important that you reward your dog a lot whenever they have accidents in the correct area to “override” the positive reinforcement they would usually get from pottying anywhere else. 

Most dachshunds are highly treat and praise motivated, so try giving your dog a treat and petting them a lot whenever they go potty in the correct area. It may take a while for your dog to learn exactly what they are getting rewarded for, which is where light negative reinforcement can also be beneficial. Negative reinforcement can look like picking your dog up whenever they are pottying, lightly tapping them on their nose or haunches, spraying them with a water bottle, or talking to them in a loud or stern voice (but not 'yelling' or getting angry). Dogs are very intuitive and although they do not understand, “no,” they CAN understand that a loud or stern tone of voice means that they’ve done something wrong. While some might think this is mean, scolding can be an effective way to communicate with your dog as long as you are gentle about it and as long as you are ALSO rewarding your dog whenever they do something correctly. Consistently rewarding and lightly scolding your dog for the first few weeks that they are home is important to set good habits for the future. 

You should only scold your dog if they are ACTIVELY in the process of doing something wrong. If you scold your dog afterwards, then they may not understand what they are being scolded for. It is also important to remember that your dog’s crate is their safe space and should never be used as a punishment. You should never hit your dog in a way that hurts them. Gently tapping their nose or haunches with your fingers can inform them that they’ve done something wrong without scaring them and without hurting them. Think of yourself as a mama dog that growls lightly at your puppies whenever they are misbehaving. This is how dogs communicate with one another. Negative reinforcement should only be used as a form of communicating with your dog- NOT as a form of punishment and NEVER out of anger. All dogs are different. Some may respond really well to negative reinforcement, while others may not. It will be up to you to decide what is best and most effective for your dog. 

The goal with using negative reinforcement is to let your dog understand that something they did is wrong without hurting or scaring them. Although we hate our little pooches to feel guilty after doing something wrong, guilt is an important motivator and a good learning tool which will prevent them from doing it again. Communicating with your dog in a gentle way that they can still understand is very important. Dogs are not people and need to be taught in a different way than people do. 

When taking your puppy outside to potty, you may want to use a paper towel with their scent on it to teach them where they should go. For example, if your puppy has an accident in the house, then take the paper towel you use to clean it up and place it where you want him to go instead. This way, the puppy will smell it and it will encourage them to potty there. 

Your puppy will need to be given an opportunity to go potty right after eating or drinking, first thing in the morning, after naps or upon waking up, and before bed at night, as well as periodically throughout the day. Some puppies may whine, dance, sniff around, scratch at the door or at the floor, or bark to alert you that they need to go. Other puppies may stay silent. It is best not to wait or rely on your new puppy to always alert you whenever they need to be let out. However, if they let you know that they need let out, you can definitely reward this behaviour by taking them out as soon as you notice it. Some people will even put jingle bells on their doorknobs for their dogs to ring whenever they want out. It is all about praising your dog for doing right and redirecting them whenever they do wrong. 

If your dog is having frequent accidents, it may be a sign that they are not being let outside often enough, or are eating / drinking too much or too close to a certain time, or it may even be a sign of a UTI. For example, letting your puppy eat or drink a lot right before bed may make them have accidents in the night. It is best to take them out before bed and after every meal. 

When cleaning up an accident, use powerfully scented disinfectant and cleaner. It is important that the puppy cannot smell the accident after it has been cleaned up- remember, a dog’s nose is much more powerful than ours, so even if you cannot smell an accident, the puppy may still be able to. If your puppy smells where they or another pet have had a previous accident, then they may feel inclined to toilet there again. 

Even adult dogs do this, often known as marking. Intact adult dogs may hike or scent-mark, which means that they might pee in the house even if they don’t have to go. If you intend to keep your male intact, then it may be best to buy a belly band or male wrap to keep him from hiking and peeing on furniture. Otherwise, make sure to redirect this behaviour any time you see it, and get him neutered soon. Intact females may also mark in the house, but it is less likely and usually only occurs if another dog marks first. Males are also be more likely to mark if another dog does first, or if a strange or unfamiliar dog enters the home, especially if the strange dog is also intact. Intact adult dogs may see unfamiliar dogs as competition for their house/territory, causing them to mark or have accidents more often. To prevent this and other behavioural problems, crate your intact dogs while other dogs are over.