You never know what’s going to happen when you’re minding your business and all of a sudden you’re broadsided by a SUV and its rear bumper is crunching down on the top of your hood.  Miss June bug was lucky she was not hurt — other than her cute Lexus IS Station Wagon — but it hit close to home since Chloe usually has her head hanging out the window while we take our weekly ride traversing the same path MJB took.

The pleasant ride down Olsen Road, left onto Moorpark and through windy Norwegian Grade to get some fresh country air.  (I know MJB is wondering how I safely navigate the Grade with a dog on my lap with its head out the window.  Let’s just say it takes a lot of practice and slow driving.)  You never would expect that an accident would occur in the peaceful suburbs of Thousand Oaks.

Chloe, our “riding dog,” truly is accustomed to and an expert at sitting on your left leg while taking in the 40 MPH breeze with her dog goggles on.  The countless rides she enjoyed to her favorite Fast Food — always friendly to the Mc Donald’s cashier — may have to end because she just won’t ride buckled up.

We have a dog seat belt harness — somewhere — purchase because Odie was constantly jumping back and forth from the passenger seat to my lap when he was going to his weekly obedience training at PetSmart.  Somehow he would manage to wiggle out of it by the time we were speeding along on the freeway making it impossible to readjust the belt before hopping onto me.

Odie is somewhat better now that he’s more obedient, but he still hates riding in the passenger seat.  Molly simply likes to ride in the back seat running back and forth from window to window barking at every stranger.  These two Dachshunds are not riding dogs.

But all you have to say is “are you a riding dog?” and she gets more excited than, well, you know what.   I know that a seat belt may save her life someday, but I don’t think she will understand why.

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Yesterday I was at the Thousand Oaks Post Office to pick up my mail and a poster with a Dachshund, along with several other dogs, caught my eye. I picked up my mail and came back to read that next week (starting May 18th) is National Dog Bite Awareness Week.

It’s was strange that a picture of a Dachshund was prominently posted in the upper left hand corner of the poster. I had to ask myself “do Dachshunds bite?”

Now, being owner of three Dachshunds, I have to admit that I’m biased. But like all dogs, Dachshunds do bite.

I don’t think that Chloe would ever bite anything. She is the most passive loving dog we have. Molly is timid, will bark, run away and never bite unless really provoked.

Odie, on the other hand, is very protective. I fear that he would bite someone if they got too close and he wasn’t on a leash. Fortunately, our Dachshunds never have bitten anyone.

It doesn’t mean that they won’t. We’re just careful and introduce them to strangers so that they will know they are not a danger to us. Like all dogs, you really need to keep Doxies leashed and under control.

In this video, Odie demonstrates his canny ability to “go around” objects. He’ll do it on command or by just waving my hand at the object to go around.

This is one of the training steps they teach you at PetSmart if your enroll in the Advanced Training Class. Besides being a very cool that trick you can teach your dog, it comes in handy if you use a long leash and your Dachshund gets wrapped around a tree. Just say “go around” and your dog will “unwind” itself from the tree.

You too can train your Dachshund this trick in five simple steps.

1. Place a chair or stool in the middle of the room.
2. Leash your Dachshund and stand next to the chair.
3. Cue your dog saying “go around” and lead your dog around the chair while you are standing in a fixed position. Reward and praise your Dacshund. Initially you may have to hold a treat in front of their nose to get them moving around the chair.
4. Repeat step 3 until they can do it without your leading.
5. Remove leash and repeat.

Training consists of no more than one 15 minute session per day and takes 1 to 2 weeks to learn.

We’ve had mixed results using housebreaking pads for Dachshunds. They worked very well for Chloe, but Odie and Molly thought the pads were toys and promptly chewed them up.

The best thing to do is to tape the pads down with masking tape. This helps prevent your Dacshund from playing with the pads.

The best masking tape is the “blue painter’s” masking tape that you can buy at Home Depot or some other hardware/paint store.

The two-inch wide painter’s tape holds securely holds down the pad. With Chloe, all we needed to do was tape down the corners. With the other two, we had to tape down all four sides of the pad.

Once your Dachshund figures out that it should pee on the pad, you start moving the pad closer to the door so that it knows to go to the door to pee outside.

Eventually your dog (and you) will associate going to the door as an act of asking to go “poddy.” Usually the hardest part is you watching for the dog to ask to go out.

Su Lum, a columnist at The Aspen Times, keeps a report on her two dachshund puppies, Nicky and Freddie. She’s happy to report that her two 9-month old puppies are almost completely housebroken.

I’m really happy for her and I’m glad that ‘m not the only one who has experienced the long housebreaking cycle with dachshunds.

Chloe and Odie were really good and were almost completely housebroken within 6-months. Odie gets excited and wets the floor when he greets us when we come home. He didn’t have the excitement problem before he was neutered. My guess is that he’s nearly completely housebroken.

Molly is way ahead of Nicky and Freddie. She is just about completely housebroken. I hope Su Lum doesn’t have to wait until her puppies are about two before they get to that stage.

Dachshunds are stubborn dogs. Especially when it comes to potty training. Molly still has her occasional “accident” when she forgets to go #2 in the morning. When she was first learning, every night she would wander upstairs and find that special spot in the guest bedroom and leave #1 or #2.

Needless to say, we have a nice urine stains in the room making it somewhat embarrassing to have guests stay in that room.

I just got a link request from PetStainRemoval where they are offering a free sample of their urine removal solution they want you to try. You apply it to the spot and 1 to 8 hrs it’s gone! With three Dashunds, I’m sure I’ll need the gallon solution to clean up that guest room.

I was talking to Pete today (Arfie’s daddy) and he said that Arfie is not potty trained. I don’t know what it is about Miniature Dachshunds, but it they seem to take forever to get potty trained. Just when you think they’re trained, they pee behind your back.

I don’t know how many bottles of PetZyme Stain & Odor Remover we’ve been through, but the product works and cleans up the odor and stain. If you have a Dachshund, order by the gallon!

Of course the disclaimer states that you may have to use more incase the potty went down into the pad below. Or do they just want us to buy more? I know that with Molly, we’re going to be using it for awhile.

Excuse the pun, but it’s raining cats and dogs here in Thousand Oaks today. I expect it will continue well into the New Year. Odie and Molly refusing to go potty is making it difficult for all of us.

I don’t know why these two don’t like the rain and I usually get wet standing outside with them until I make sure they go. Odie is really good and will hold it until the rain lets down but Molly who is not quite housebroken will hold it until she’s about to burst and then will find her favorite peeing and pooping corner.

On the other hand, Chloe seems to like the rain and will go outside. She certainly smells like wet dog when she comes back in.

Happy New Year,
Chloe, Odie and Molly.

tagTRAX: odie | rain | raining cats and dogs | chloe | wet dog

Molly was sick for a few days with diarrhea and vomiting. It started the same night she grabbed a short-rib off my wife’s dinner plate when my wife got up to get a glass of water.

The 2×2x1-inch piece of meat was huge for a Miniature Dachshund. But Molly was too fast for a scolding and she hopped up onto my wife’s chair, two paws on the table and was gone in a red flash of light with the meat.

I made the mistake of trying to get it away from her and she managed to swallow the thing without really chewing. It was too much for her digestive track to handle and she started with the diarrhea that night.

Luckily, she’s more or less housebroken and she woke me up around midnight, then 1 AM, 2 AM, etc. to let here out. She did have an accident when I was too slow opening up the sliding glass door to the backyard.

She’s getting better now that it is out of her system. I’ve been feeding her a mixture of turkey and rice to keep her hydrated and mild on her soft doxie tummy.

Dachshund Dog Food Recipe

Feeds Three Miniature Dachshunds

¼ lb — Buddig Turkey Deli Cuts
½ c — white rice
1 c — water

Combine water and rice and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low for 15 minutes. Cut Turkey into bite size pieces then stir into rice. Total preparation time about 20 minutes. Miniature Dachshund eat time about 1 minute.

dachshund | miniature dachshund | dog food | diarrhea vomiting | turkey | recipe

Molly the Mini is out of her terrible zeros and finally made it to one! That is, today is Molly’s birthday. Molly promptly got us up at 6:00 AM and of course we waited one minute too late and she initiated the floor with the hot stuff you just like to step into.

I really wasn’t too mad since she came over and truly looked sorry for what she did. Plus it’s her birthday and she’s allowed a mistake or two on this wonderful day. I just hope it’s not number two.

I finally faced it that she’s not housebroken yet, but over the past three months she had very few “accidents.” Mostly I think that’s because I’m coming home for lunch to “let the dogs out” but she’s learning to go outside and she’s starting to “woof” by the door to let us know when it’s potty time.

Morning is sometimes difficult to get the Dachshunds outside. The time since Odie ruptured his disk, I’ve taken on the daunting task of carrying our Miniatures up and down the stairs. During the day, the stairs are blocked off, but at night they want to sleep in our (actually their) bed and run up the stairs to hop into it.

I truly believe running up and down the stairs caused Odie’s disk to rupture and I don’t want it to happen again. I guess we’re just going to have to get a single-story house.

Happy Birthday Molly
The Cutest Miniature Doxie

Molly loves sleeping on our couch. Of course she gets away with it ’cause she’s the cutest mini of them all. I know if Chloe could read this, she would disagree.

I sounds like Molly is going to become a barking dog. She still has that puppy bark which makes it sound funny. In a few months she mature into a big miniature doxie.

She’s still NOT housebroken. She has #1 down ok but once and a while has problems with #2.

In the past, when people spoke of training collars, they really generally were referring to “choke chains.” A choke chain is a metal chain with a sliding ring that is attached to your dog’s nylon or leather leash.

There’s a reason it’s called a choke chain. Because there is no limit on how tight the training collar can pull against your dog’s neck, there exists a very real possibility it can choke him, as well as cause other injuries, such as:

• Severely sprained necks
• Tracheal and esophageal damage
• Injured ocular vessels
• Cases of fainting
• Transient foreleg paralysis
• Laryngeal nerve paralysis
• Hind leg ataxia

And if you think I’m kidding about any of these injuries: I’m not; they’re all well-documented cases taken from hundreds of veterinary practices who have treated the dogs injured by choke chains.

Bottom line? In the hands of an experienced trainer, a choke chain can be used appropriately, but for the most part, your average person has no idea what an appropriate use of a choke chain entails.

My own personal preference is for a flat buckle collar, either nylon or leather, which can be used for training and everyday use. It should fit snugly, but leave room enough for you to slide two fingers between the collar and your dog’s neck. Any looser than that, and it may slide off over your dog’s head. Any tighter and it may cause chafing and discomfort.

The choice of nylon or leather is simply a matter of personal preference – nylon comes in a variety of bright colors, and is a good choice for dogs that spend a lot of time in the water (or mud!) Leather is durable and will absorb oils from your dog’s coat, making it more flexible over time.

The width of the collar should be appropriate to your dog’s size. For example, a wide, heavy or thick collar just won’t work on a Chihuahua, in fact, it would look ridiculous. By the same token, if you have a Rottweiler, a diamond- or rhine-stone-studded poodle collar is going to look pretty silly. And don’t forget an identification tag – if your dog is lost or stolen, this is a quick way for authorities to notify you when your pet is located.

Another terrific solution is a harness – a device that goes around the neck and ribcage, thus eliminating the possibility of choking. Harnesses are an excellent resolution to the problem of having a large dog that hasn’t been well-trained and pulls or lunges when out for a walk. It’s a great way to restrain the pulling without getting in that choking “tug of war” that you sometimes see. Harnesses are also good for small dogs, which can have serious problems with collars pressing on their small and fragile airways.

Now for the proper leash. As with collars, you have a choice of flat nylon or leather (or braided leather is also available), and as with collars, it’s largely a matter of personal preference.

I use a 6 foot nylon leash for training my dog. I find it’s the perfect length for walking, heeling and virtually all of my training sessions.

Many dog owners prefer a retractable leash. These are nylon leashes that are encased in a plastic casing, and vary in length up to about 25 feet or so. The best models of this type have a one-button “braking” system that stops your dog from going beyond a set distance, as well as a spring mechanism that allows you to adjust just how far you want to extend the lead.

Retractable leashes are a good idea if you walk your dog in a variety of settings: you can “reel” him in if you’re on city sidewalks or in situations where there are a lot of people or other dogs around, then you can expand the distance between you when you get to the park or an open space.

(c) 2004 by Charlie Lafave, author, “Dog Training Secrets!”

To transform your stubborn, misbehaving dog into a loyal, well-behaving “best friend” who obeys your every command and is the envy of the neighborhood, visit:

http://www.DogTrainingZone.com

Pete, a colleague at a company we’re consulting for, just got a new Miniature Dachshund for his son. “Arfie” is a male, red shorthaired Miniature Doxie with a black racing strip (just like Odie). Pete is crate training Arfie to housebreak him. (Good luck Pete, Molly is still having poop “accidents” now and then.)

It is raining again in sunny Thousand Oaks, CA. With all the wet weather, Molly’s scents are washed away and she just doesn’t know where to do her business. If you watch her carefully, you can tell when she has to go: she just starts sniffing around.

After sniffing for about an hour and a half, I took her to the garage where it was dry. The wet sidewalk would not get consummated today with her “B” but right next to my car. Watch your step.

We officially named Molly “Ann’s Molly B” when we registered her with the American Canine Association last Saturday. There was another “Molly B” registered. I wonder if they chose “B” because it followed “A” or was it symbolic of “number 2.”

I have to admit that housebreaking Molly is becoming a chore. She has the peeing down pat but she still likes pooping around the house leaving wiener dog sausages for us to clean up. She knows it’s the wrong place to poop and should go outside but insists on doing it in one of her favorite corners or under the dining room table.

She’s figured out how to sit and how to shake. How come she just can’t poop outside?

Read: “How to Housebreak a Dachshund”.

Molly is not housebroken and has frequent accidents. Part of the problem is that we do not pay attention to her all the time and when she and Odie stop playing she heads to the door and lets it go. When we catch her in the act she gets scolded otherwise all praise when she does her business outdoors. Today I had to scold her for peeing on the carpet. My wife got a picture of Molly watching me clean up her mess. She was truly sorry and promptly gave me puppy kisses. After that, I forgave her.

It’s been very difficult potty training her. I think that the rainy weather in Southern California hampered her training. When house breaking your dog, you need to be patient.

Read: “How to Housebreak a Dachshund”.