How to toilet train a Dachshund

We get asked ALOT how to train your Dachshund to go potty in the correct area, If you own a Dachshund then you know the struggle of how long it takes to get it 100%. 

My Personal Experience:

When I first got Kingsley I was living in a penthouse with no garden or yard, So I compromised. I purchased some fake grass (Actually a role roll of it - haha) and I also purchased a play pen. We were lucky enough to have a private balcony off the bedroom, So I left the sliding door open slightly barricaded a small area with the play pen and left the fake grass there. It didn't take Kingsley long to understand that is where he must go. I also had some pee pads just near by the door just incase he made any mistakes (which yes, he did).

I was very fortunate to have very little accidents on the carpet (PS Soda Water and stand on a Towel will get rid of ANY STAINS), Of course being a new puppy in his first couple of weeks he thought that the bed was a nice place for him too also release himself...

Once Kingsley hit 5 months old we moved into a bigger home with stairs, This is where we went wrong! We left a pee pad upstairs for night times and one downstairs during the day...(He was too little to go out into the yard by himself) The mistake we made was allowing Kingsley to have two areas that he could release himself and this is when mistakes started to happen more frequently...Basically we confused him! From this moment we made him like in the apartment a little compacted area down the side of the house for him to do his business, this worked for a little while, until the cat taught Kingsley how to use the carpet to poop on (oh dear) After lots of frustration and paitence we finally decided that allowing him to have full access of the house wasn't the best idea...So during the day when no one was home he would be put inside his play pen with access to the backyard through a doggy door. It wasn't long that he finally understood that the backyard was were he had to do his business. Now please bear in mind this took us a year to perfect and since then Kingsley understands that grass is where he does his business.

 

(Picture of the pre-setup before Kingsley arrived home)

Advice/Tips:

Bringing a new puppy home can be very daunting and scary... especially when it comes to Toilet Training, From my experience you should purchase:

- Play Pen

- Fake Grass (If you are in an apartment)

- Pee Pads

- Doggy Door

- Soda Water

With these key pieces you will get potty training down packed! If you have the chance to allow the puppy to start with a yard I would teach the puppy to use the doggy door (When they are big enough of course) for toilet time, While they are still growing to that stage I recommend using the Pee Pads when you aren't home by the door or if you are home take them out to the grass every 15-20mins. Once your puppy is big enough and knows how to use the doggy door I recommend when you are going out to barricade the doggy door with the play pen inside and allow the puppy to go in and out. If you have a big yard you can also buy another play pen to allow him/her to reach the grass and have a little outdoor area. 

Please bear in mind that owning a Dachshund can take patience especially with Potty Training. Stay calm and remember if you didn't see it happen you can't get upset with the dog...They do not understand. 

 

We hope you enjoyed this little blog,

Lots of Love King Kingsley and Ma xx

 

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