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Ask Alecia: My Dachshunds Are Bullheaded!

July 20, 2011 by  
Filed under Ask the Dog Trainer, Tips, Training

1 Comment

Dear Alecia,

I have two female mini Doxies that are bullheaded, they will let  anyone in the house, but if they try to leave, the girls nip at the person’s ankles, or stand in front of the door and not let the person leave. I have tried everything I can think of to stop them, the only  thing that works is to put them in their room while I have company. –Teri

Dear Teri,

As a Dachsie mom myself I can relate.  Dachsies can get territorial especially in twos.

Have you tried leashing or harnessing them (I prefer harnesses for Dachsies due to their long backs) and sitting on the couch with them without changing the leash length while your guest leaves?

You may need to do this with a close neighbor who won’t get insulted if you don’t see them to the door.  When they get up, you will have to little bullheads by the leash and you will be maintaining a solid boundary on the leash.  The worst thing you can let them do is run around as they will just be dispersing their crazed energy and it will continue to escalate as they egg each other on.  This is also why I recommend a harness, so while they are figuring out that they have a solid boundary that is not going to change there will be no pressure on the neck or throat, it will be a chest level and I find that the pressure at chest level as opposed to throat level actually allows the dog to be much more aware of owning and harnessing its dispersed energy and they calm themselves down much more quickly.

Locking them in a room solves the problem temporarily but it’s a bit more like a band-aid.  Your pups need to understand clear, unchanging boundaries where you set them and you will need to set them.  Take a look at the Walk In Sync™ System.  I like it because of the fact that they use a front clip harness and the leash gives you clear and exact boundaries and it will make it much easier to get your dynamic duo in sync with you, each other and your company.   www.dogwalkinsync.com

Give me an update and let me know how it goes.

Paws Up!

Alecia
Alecia Evans, PDT, MA

Do you have a training question for Alecia? Send it in on our online form!

Alecia Evans is the inventor of The Walk In Sync™ Humane Dog Walking and Training System with her exclusive 5 Minute Manners Makeovers using the Walk In Sync™ Harness and Accu-Grip Leash, along with her Walk In Sync™ 3 Easy Steps to teach any human/dog duos to Walk In Sync in just minutes.

The former host of the award-winning GrassRoots Aspen TV Series, The Whole Animal-An Alternative Approach to Animal Care, Alecia takes a natural approach to dog training and health care. Her work has been featured on Fox and Friends, The Sandra Glosser Show, NY 1, and in Aspen Magazine, DogTipper.com, The New York Daily News and Woof Report.

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DogTipper publishers Paris Permenter and John Bigley are a husband-wife team of full-time writers. The couple has authored over two dozen books and 2,500+ magazine articles.

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  • http://dogproducts.org/ Hanna at Dog Products

    I am somewhat confused here. If the dogs are territorial they should be blocking entry rather than exit.

    And that is exactly how my friend’s Chihuahuas behave. They will block, or attempt to block, anyone from entering their domain but seem to be rather happy when their domain or territory is finally being vacated.

    It’s really funny to watch. When I come visiting and my friend is about to open her front door, her little canines get in the way and bark like crazy. When I finally get in and settle down, they eventually quiet down but will establish a post from where they watch intently.

    But when I’m getting ready to leave, the 2 dogs will pounce up and display joyful excitement with tail wagging furiously. They seem to be saying, “Good riddance. Now we can have our territory back.”

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