Archive for June 4th, 2008
Indoor potty training is the way to go if you have a dachshund puppy
Indoor potty training is the way to go if you have a dachshund puppy. This is true for miniature dachshund puppies as well as for those of the standard variety. I love dachshunds in general but am partial to the miniature dachshund. This article is primarily meant for those who have a single dachshund puppy.
Indoor training will spare you some of the unpleasantries of having a dachshund that must go outside. Who wants to get up at 5 AM in the morning, when it is rainy or cold or, when you are watching a great movie? It is also better on the dachshund’s bowels and bladder if they can go potty anytime they want.
Start the potty training as soon as possible once you get your new best friend home. Dachshund puppies are quite small so even if they do make a mess it is no big deal. However, having them make a mess on a hard floor is preferable as it is much easier to clean than if they go on carpet. For the first few days you have your doxie at home, I suggest you have them mostly contained to a room with a hard floor…like in a bathroom. Don’t worry, you can get them out to play and can go into their area to spend as much time with them as you wish. I suggest having some Nature’s Miracle around when a mess on the carpet (it will happen) does occur. You will be amazed at the power and efficiency of this product.
Place everything your dachshund puppy needs in the contained area i.e. their bed, food and, potty. If you are lucky, the breeder has already initiated the paper training which will make it easier for you and your dachshund puppy. Start the puppy’s training off on some newspaper. If and when they make a mess on the floor put a little of the pee or poop on the newspaper or preferably between a few pieces of newspaper. They will smell this and will begin to associate this as the place for them to do their business. Some people utilize wee wee pads but I never did.
Very gently chastise your dachshund puppy when they don’t perform well; they will feel the disappointment in your voice. Never yell at them as they are incredibly sensitive and will be very hurt. They very much want to please you! Do not praise them or give them a treat when they make a mistake. Just keep working with them and your dachshund puppy will soon get it right. When they do get it right praise them and give them a treat. Your puppy will be so happy! It won’t be long until they start getting it right most of the time! You will develop your own little system as times goes by.
One purpose of this article is to spare you some of the mistakes I’ve made over the years. My mini dachshund (Charlie) is almost 12 years old and I have experimented with several indoor potty techniques over the years. I started off with newspaper (paper training) but as your dachshund puppy grows, you will tire of them stepping in their own urine, transferring urine or, having the urine drain off the newspaper onto the floor.
Dachshunds have a quirk where if their front paws are on the paper they think their entire body is on the paper. This causes a number of near misses…especially since their body is long like a hot dog. Improvement was made when I placed a plastic hallway runner under the newspaper. At some point, I then purchased a large litter box and then placed newspaper in that and a hallway runner under the litter box.
You will so love your dachshund puppy that messes won’t matter much. However, as years go by, the messes have a way of growing on you. Once Charlie got into his 10th year or so I started to get quite tired of dealing with the messes. It is a labor of love however and unavoidable.
Just recently, I discovered and purchased a Wizdog Indoor Potty System. How I wish I had discovered this years ago! Wizdog consists of a large plastic pan with a separate plastic grate on top. You place newspaper in the bottom of the device. The dog does it’s business on top of the grate and the urine falls into the tray below. No more wet footprints or urine on the floor. The poop is easy to clean off the top of the grate. This is so much better than the intermediate steps I went through over the years. Charlie is taking to this upgrade well—messes transferred to the floor have decreased dramatically. I’m happier now too as the messes are more contained and much easier to clean. Wizdog and Nature’s Miracle can be found and purchased through my dachshund and pet oriented site.