PLEASE help with my mini doxie male

[iowadoxieowner]

Hi, my name is Stacy and I have a 4 year old male mini doxie that is a handful, and I am just about at my wits end with him. He barks at everything, is hyper nearly all the time, always searching, looking for something, jumping, trying to get food off the table, counter etc. He doesn't mind most of the time, and no amount of discipline training works. He is sneaky and extremely bullheaded. I desperately need some help on how to get this dog under control before I lose my mind!

Thanks
Stacy

[t.pettet]

'A tired dog is a well behaved dog' maybe he needs more exercise such as playtime with a dog friend, more walkies or jogs, dog obedience classes, fly-ball or some form of mental/physical stimulation.

[TeriM]

I agree with tpettet that exercise is probably your first and best step! Is he neutered? If not I would also recommend that. I would also recommend that you enroll in an obedience class. It will help you learn proper techniques for establishing a leadership role with your dog.

Good luck.

[LavenderRott]

Temperament
The Dachshund is clever, lively and courageous to the point of rashness, persevering in above- and below-ground work, with all the senses well-developed. Any display of shyness is a serious fault.

Add to this that they were bred to hunt badgers - gives you one very tough, very active little doglet.

It really sounds like you need to find a GOOD trainer - someone who teaches a well rounded positive reinforcement type of training. Discipline isn't everything and in some cases (especially in strong willed breeds) can make your problems worse.

[SnowDancer]

You have yourself a typical Dachshund - and I am so very, very jealous! Admittedly the Dachshund temperament can range from angelic to the bossy little devil (I like bossy) - we had 4 minis at one time with my main guy being super Alpha - a great supervisor of all of us - brilliant dog. But then, he was my dream dog. After he died, despite having the other 3 Dachshunds, I felt totally lost, and then I was told about another little guy looking for a home who also fell into the bossy Alpha range. We adopted him and he became the second light of my life - and the other dogs also appeared more content because they had a leader - 6 months old - but with the "look" - fortunately both Alphas were benevolent. I was very afraid when I saw your post that your pup was suffering from back/neck disease - my 2 special guys had worst case and I miss them so much. I doubt very much your pup's personality is going to change - so hopefully you can bring yourself to go with the flow. I went to the Woofstock pet show in Toronto 2 years ago and met a huge group of Dachshunds, most though being more mild mannered, somewhat timid and all having stomach issues. Stomach issues were not a problem with my guys - and heck if something couldn't be easily reached, no problem pushing a chair to the counter and swinging up for it - or if in a cupboard, we had a very obliging - and smart cat - made quite the duo. You can exercise of course, bearing in mind that you do not want to overdo it because of the back issues. If you Google Dachshund groups you might find one in your area and perhaps could go to their outings. Such a group was formed in Toronto just after my last little guy died - 10 months to the day of his back surgery - aged 7 years. So please try to enjoy his personality. I do understand that many people are shocked to discover they have adopted a dog with such a big personality - this is why my 2 angels were rehomed - the first 4 times until he was finally living at the vet's - where he supervised all of the big dogs - but for me, only type of Dachshund. We now have an Eskimo because of the pain and heartbreak of the back problems, but not a day goes by that I don't miss the Dachshund antics. I hope things improve for you - and good luck with the food issues! I could hold my guys at the open fridge and they would point to the foods they especially liked - true gourmets.

[Luba]

Exercise, play, dog park, obedience class.

[CearaQC]

Just like a human child won't listen when he/she is hopped up on sugar and hasn't used up their energy, a dog will also not listen when it is full of energy.

In my opinion, all the discipline in the world won't work when there is an abundant amount of energy.

Take him for walks, find play dates with other dogs of similar size and temperament. A tired doggie is a well behaved doggie. lol Don't overtire of course.

Maybe try a crate to hold him while you need to do other things in the house.

After plenty of exercise every day, check out the "Nothing in Life is Free" style training, or the pack style training, where you assert the dog's pack placement in your family with humans as leaders. Otherwise the dog will try to run the household.