The Long-Haired Dachshund is often softer and sweeter-tempered than the smooth or wire coats, frequently carrying a little spaniel in its history, but it has the same long-backed body and the same hardwired scent-hound drive. Most training problems come from forgetting the spine or underestimating the nose. Here are the five mistakes that cause the most trouble, and what to do instead.
1. Allowing jumping from heights
The Dachshund's long back and short legs carry a serious risk of intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), and repeated jumping off furniture or hard stair use can cause spinal injury. Owners who let the dog leap freely store up real trouble. Provide ramps or steps, discourage jumping on and off furniture, keep the dog lean, and manage stairs to protect the spine for life.
2. Trusting it off-leash near scent
Bred to follow a scent underground, the Dachshund's nose overrides a half-built recall the instant it picks up a trail. Owners who trust open ground watch the dog put its nose down and tune them out completely. Build recall patiently on a long line with high-value rewards, and treat reliable off-leash freedom as a fenced-area goal.
3. Making size-based exceptions
Because the Dachshund is small, owners let it break rules a larger dog never would, breeding the pushy, demanding behaviors of small-dog syndrome. Hold the same consistent boundaries you would for a big dog, on furniture (with back-safe access), greetings, and manners, and the breed grows up well-mannered rather than the entitled, yappy stereotype it does not deserve.
4. Impatient potty training
Dachshunds are famously stubborn about house training, and owners expecting fast results often grow frustrated, which only slows progress. Stay patient and consistent: keep a tight schedule, reward success the instant it finishes, never punish accidents, and accept that this breed simply takes longer than most.
5. Neglecting coat conditioning
The long, feathered coat needs regular brushing, and a dog never conditioned to accept handling resists every session. Owners who skip this end up with a matted, stressed dog. From puppyhood, pair brushing and handling with treats in short sessions, so grooming stays a calm lifelong routine and the long feathering stays free of painful mats.
What works with Long-Haired Dachshunds
Protect the long back with ramps and a lean weight, build recall against the scent drive, hold consistent rules, stay patient on potty training, and condition grooming. What ties these together is protecting the long back while honoring the scent hound inside: ramps and a lean weight guard the spine, patience handles the famous potty stubbornness, and recall manages the nose. The softer temperament makes gentle, reward-based handling especially effective, and the famous stubbornness softens under it.
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Related: How to Train a Long-Haired Dachshund · Recall Training · Puppy Training Basics