Is Your Dachshund Anemic?

It is not uncommon for Dachshunds to be what is called Anemic. When your dog does have Anemia it means that he has fewer and smaller red cells in the blood, which make the bloodstream lack hemoglobin. It is seen in the pale appearance of the gums, tongue, and mucous membrane of the eyes.

The cure is to give iron in the form of ferrous sulfate tablets, one to three per day according to the size of the Dachshund puppy. You cannot harm the puppy by giving too many.

Iron does sometimes cause constipation, however, so watch its bowel movements and, if necessary, give a teaspoonful of medicinal paraffin per day until corrected. When a dog is taking iron, its stool will be black.

Lastly, you may want to invest in what is called Desiccated Argentine Liver Tablets. These tablets can be found in most health food stores and nutrition supplement stores. Designed to give exercise enthusiasts more B vitamins and iron - these wonderful supplements are also ideal for dogs that may be anemic. Plus, your Dachshund dog will love the taste!

Is Your Dachshund Afraid Of Men?

Dachshunds may be afraid of men because of past unpleasant experiences. If a Dachshund has been traumatized in the past, the issues to be concerned with are: did the event have physical or psychological consequences? Did the Dachshund recover from the trauma, and if so, how long did it take for him to recover from the event? Has the fear of men increased over time?

This fear might also be the result of a total lack of contact with humans during his critical socialization period. A dog shouldn’t usually generalize a fear of one man to a fear of many unless the dog has had multiple traumatic events revolving around men, or the one trauma was significant enough to prevent recovery.

As with all effective processes, you must find the early triggers and begin there. When your dog sights a man, begin soliciting focus toward you. Be sure to greatly reward your dog for that focus. Many repetitions are required to produce a dog that is willing to focus on the owner when a strange man is in sight.

When you begin, the man should be a great distance away in order to achieve focus from your dog. You will be working toward getting closer and closer to the man. Before you pressure your dog with being close to the man, you want to first teach a simple behavior like
“Sit.” During this the man should be quiet, nonthreatening, and non-confrontational. You must require the Sit at the early stage of this work.

The sit position helps to settle your Dachshund as well as create a better platform for your focus training. When your dog is ready and focusing on you, the man may approach quietly and offer your dog a treat. You should free your Dachshund of his focus command and allow him to eat the treat from the man. If your dog is too afraid, then move farther away from the man, and then have him throw the treats from a distance. As your dog comes to expect these treats he will begin to tolerate the man’s presence. Your dog will eventually look forward to the approach of men, generalizing that he will receive a reward from them.

Always be careful with a dog that is phobic. Phobic Dachshunds may bite from the breakdown in their nerve thresholds. The humane thing to do in the case of a phobic dog is to try your best to work through the dog’s problem and get your veterinarian’s advice regarding possible drug intervention during the course of behavior therapy. Many dogs do very well with this treatment. If it works, keep in mind that it is a good idea to keep up the socialization or the dog can break down and resume the old behavior.

If after all your efforts, the dog is extremely unreliable despite professional help, then perhaps the dog should be placed in a situation that would not evoke the response. Containing a Dachshund like this is possible with the help of safe indoor and outdoor enclosures.

Is Your Dachshund A Door-Dasher?

About half of Dachshunds that dash out of doors do so because they are frustrated by captivity. The others are often leader types and either trying to get into the house to socialize with their owners or to continue their social contact by attempting to leave with the owner. Whatever the basic motivation, the act can be both financially and emotionally costly. Such door-dashing has seriously injured children and elderly people, caused premature birth in pregnant women, resulted in injury and death of the dog and, in many cases, causes an automobile accident when a motorist swerves to miss the Dachshund.

When the problem involves a dog that dashes merely to get out there to run about the neighborhood, avoiding its owners’ pleas to return, the pet is usually unruly in other circumstances as well. These cases often involve an independent, self-oriented (spoiled) Dachshund. Other factors may involve an early history of unrestricted outdoor activity, followed by restriction because of some problem that has arisen outside (fighting, car chasing, etc.).

Some cases involve continuous frustration relative to neighborhood activities, such as the dog’s “fretting” behind a gate or at a window. Depending on the excitability of the animal, it may develop the same type of stereotyped behavior seen in fence-running dogs. Simple freedom-dashing may be tension relieving in itself, or the escaped Dachshund may have a frustration target, such as passing cars, playing children, mail carrier or other animals.

Correcting The Problem

1. Approach the door or gate. (Of course, the door-dasher will be close by.)
2. Given an inward-opening door, abruptly open it no more than 2 inches and abruptly close it. An outward-opening door should be opened no more than an inch and then closed very quickly, or the dog may push through or get a pinched snout.
3. As the door is closed, the owner must abruptly move away from it at least 8 feet and praise the dog for following, after which the owner should be encouraged to remain still for at least a minute. If the dog remains at the door, steps 1, 2 and 3 must be repeated until the dog retreats along with the owner.
4. Step 3 must be repeated until the Dachshund stays away from the door when the owner approaches it and when the door is opened. When this occurs, the door should be opened a full foot. If the pet dashes, the door should again be slammed shut and Step 3 applied with this larger opening.
5. Step 4 is repeated until the door can be opened to its normal exit width, with the dog staying at least 8 feet away from it. When this is accomplished the owner must stay inside, close the door, return to the dog and praise it quietly. Then the owner should remain in the house, going about some other activity for at least half an hour before repeating the procedure.
6. When the dog stays away from the door on the initial approach, the owner should then proceed outside, close the door and stay away for at least 15 minutes, after which she should return as nonchalantly as possible

If this method is applied daily for a few days, most Dachshunds begin to ignore the comings and goings of their owners. dogs that are extremely tenacious in their efforts to dash through a door ahead of people often have a long history of frustration about barriers, or are highly motivated by a strong stimulus on the other side of the door.

Does Punishing My Dachshund Really Work?

Punishment is the use of an adverse stimulus on your Dachshund in order to reduce the probability of a problematic behavior in the future. Punishment is generally considered to be only marginally effective in dog training due to the time gap between behavior and reinforcement. An example of punishment might be: An owner comes home to find some shredded paper on the floor. He angrily proceeds to drag the Dachshund to the mess and both verbally and physically reprimand the dog for the mess.

This dog will almost certainly be afraid of his owner’s actions. This Dachshund dog may show subordinate behavior or even aggression as a result of the forceful nature of the punishment. The dog may not make the association between the act and the punishment. The timing between events makes it extremely difficult for the dog to make a connection.

Punishment should be avoided whenever possible. Those who have used punishment as a training tool often say it rarely works out, admitting that the technique may not teach the Dachshund anything and may very well cause conflict in the relationship between the dog and its owner.

Do Not Rush Your Dachshund Puppy’s Socialization Process

The big buzz word these days is socialization. Many owners are in a hurry to socialize their puppy. Nowadays, owners go through great lengths trying to socialize their puppies by placing them in every possible situation, such as walking them down every busy street, taking them to street fairs, meeting lots of different people, and meeting different dogs. Yes, a Dachshund puppy becomes more confident when properly socialized in the city, but it must be done slowly and in small increments. Some situations are just too stimulating and challenging for a puppy.

There is no need to walkDachshund your Dachshund puppy down the busiest downtown streets if you can’t control her from jumping and pulling toward people on side streets. By working on side streets first, you can more easily move to the challenges of busier streets. It’s also not wise to go rushing young puppies - under four months of age - to the park to meet other dogs. A young puppy will merely be in the way as big and more assertive dogs try to play together. There may be a more suitable area in the park where other puppy owners gather together.

The best place to start the socialization process is in your home and on your own block. Your puppy will have adequate opportunities to meet strangers when guests visit you or when meeting the neighbors on your block. As you may have heard before, the best place to socialize your puppy is by enrolling her in a puppy kindergarten class.

Stress Of Meeting New dogs

Most owners think it’s cute when their Dachshund pulls them along to reach another dog. An owner will often say, “My dog just wants to say hello.” But they don’t realize they are creating a stressful situation for the other dog. From my own personal experience, my dog Indy does not like other dogs pulling on their leash or racing up to her to get in close to sniff her. In the dog world, this is viewed as aggressive behavior - not respecting one’s space. When this happens, simply give a polite “Good day” greeting to the owner and quickly move on.

Some puppies cower or pull away when a strange dog approaches. If your dog begins to cower, use leash control to your advantage. A cowering puppy is showing submission. Move her away from the strange dog by stating the “Back” command. As you walk backwards, you open up more space between you and the other dog. This will make your puppy feel more safe and give her a chance to regain her confidence.

Never hold a Dachshund puppy in your arms when a dog moves in an aggressive manner toward her. By holding her in your arms, your puppy becomes an accessible stationary target. Tell the owner how you feel about this aggressive dog. It may be the dog’s nature to be aggressive, but it isn’t right for a city environment. I believe owners need to be told when their dogs are too aggressive. If they hear it enough times, maybe they’ll right the situation by taking their Dachshund in for training and spare other pups from being frightened.

Do Dachshunds Have Emotions?

Trying to determine if your Dachshund is experiencing anger, love, or any other “human” emotion is difficult. To date, no one has been able to provide convincing scientific evidence that we can distinguish one emotion from another by what our brains or hormones do. We obviously feel differently when we’re in a loving versus an angry mood; however, what our brain does to influence us to feel those very different emotions is less clear.

Nonetheless, we believe that our pets love us, they appear to be embarrassed when we dress them up in silly clothes, and they certainly look like they’re feeling guilty after doing something wrong. But do they know right from wrong, and when they do the wrong thing, do they really feel guilty?

What would it take for us to be convinced that our pet actually experiences a specific emotion? Is it possible that his appearance, the way he looks in his body language and behavior, leads us to confuse guilt with submissive, defensive behavior? Do we think that he’s experiencing guilt from the way he looks or from the situation that seems to call for guilt? Do we think that our dog actually feels emotions such as guilt, love, shame, hope, pride, relief, regret, or revenge? It’s an interesting question, and behaviorists are still working on it. But let’s look at it in terms of revenge.

When we think of getting revenge against someone who has “done us wrong,” we think of doing something to get back at the person. We decide on the appropriate revenge by imagining how it would make the person feel to have such-and-such happen to him. If we think it would really make him feel bad, and it would get back at him in an appropriate way, it makes us feel good, even if we just imagine it. We don’t actually need to get revenge, we just need to imagine his reaction if he were to get what he deserves.

Your Dachshund probably doesn’t have the ability to imagine how you would feel if he were to soil your bed as revenge for leaving him alone all weekend. And he probably wouldn’t chew your favorite shoes as revenge for locking him in the bedroom and keeping him from enjoying that piece of chicken you had last night. The ability to look into another’s psyche to imagine one’s emotional response to a planned endeavor is what behaviorists call revenge. Revenge requires a “theory of mind” that dogs do not have.

dogs see the world from their perspective. That’s why arranging their daily lives from their point of view works so well. Not only would it seem strange to understand why you won’t give him a dog biscuit before dinner because it would spoil his appetite, but it would seem even more strange if he is seen planning something later that evening to make you feel bad in some way for your stinginess. Yet we often find ourselves believing that this is exactly what our pet must have done when we discover that he’s chewed our best shoes. In reality, our pet’s behavior is probably caused by a disruption of his routine, an increased arousal or excitement, or a way to relieve discomfort or frustration.

Now that you understand your Dachshund’s emotions, you can go about changing them to create a mood that is incompatible with the mood that drives his misbehavior. The concept is called the principle of competing motivations: A dog cannot be angry, fearful, or depressed and happy or exited at the same time!

Dachshunds - Distemper Disease: Symptoms, Treatment, & Prevention Tips

Distemper is a viral disease that attacks the cells of the skin, respiratory tract, intestinal tract, and brain. It can cause a change in the dog’s appearance, nervous disorders, and death. Young puppies are at highest risk of catching distemper, although all unvaccinated Dachshunds are vulnerable to it.

Distemper is sometimes called the “canine plague” due to its contagious nature. Infected dogs and many other animals, including wolves, raccoons, foxes, and minks, can spread the virus, mainly in their breath. A Dachshund’s breath contains the virus particles in minute droplets, much as is the case with human measles. If the infection occurs through inhalation of the virus, it is spread throughout the body by the defensive cells that are trying to capture and kill it. However, you can rest assured for your personal safety because humans are not susceptible to contracting distemper.

What are the symptoms of Distemper?

A Dachshund puppy may survive a very light infection showing only listlessness and a slight temperature. In acute cases, however, a wider variety of symptoms may appear. In the early stages of the infection, Dachshunds will suffer from fever, a loss of appetite, lethargy, dehydration, vomiting, and diarrhea. A white or green pus-like discharge may run from the eyes and nose, the skin may become spotted with red, pussy abscesses, and the dog’s nose and footpads may become broken and dry. In the advanced stages of infection, brain damage and nervous disorders may develop. Your dog may shake nervously, become restless and moody, and experience blindness and paralysis.

How can Distemper be treated?

If your dog shows any of the symptoms of distemper, don’t delay. Call your veterinarian immediately. Treatment will be based on the stage of infection. Your Dachshund may be administered canine distemper anti-serum, anti-convulsants, antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial infection, fluids to cure dehydration, medications to stop the diarrhea and vomiting, eye ointment, and vitamins. If your dog survives this lethal disease, she can recover gradually from the symptoms with constant home care under the direction of your veterinarian.

Are there any preventative measures against Distemper?

The key to preventing distemper is vaccination. The first distemper shot should be given shortly after weaning and before a puppy is brought into a new home where she
will be exposed to other dogs. Start vaccinating your Dachshund puppy against this disease at six to eight weeks. This will consist of a series of shots that end when your puppy is about fourteen to
sixteen weeks old.

During this time, keep your puppy out of any situation where she could come in contact with the disease. Afterward, annual booster shots are necessary to adequately shield your dog from infection. Ignore anyone who tries to persuade you that early immunization will last a lifetime - that myth was repudiated long ago.