Working Through Challenges
As awesome as the experience of adopting an adult dachshund is, you are bound to have some challenges. The greatest have to do with boundaries. Many owners have trouble ignoring a new dachshund and her pleading eyes when she wants more food, keeping a cuddly dog off an expensive, upholstered white chair, or helping the dachsie brush up on her housetraining.
If you've adopted a dog without the benefit of a dachshund expert or an experienced placement staff member from a shelter, you may run into other challenges you didn't anticipate — particularly from a dog who is timid, shy, or unused to living in a home with lots of activity. Even if you've adopted a dog with the help of a knowledgeable dog expert, difficulties occasionally arise once the dog has gained some weight (if he was previously malnourished or emaciated) and no longer feels so weak and sickly, or when the dog begins to feel comfortable in his new surroundings and begins flexing his muscles, so to speak.
Challenges an adopted dog presents to his new owners are generally manageable. Those problems that are more severe, and which may require the assistance of a professional trainer or behaviorist, can also often be solved. The key in meeting these challenges lies in anticipating your dog's potential responses and knowing ahead of time what to do in virtually every instance.
How long does it take for an adopted dachshund to feel comfortable in a new home?
It is very possible that your adopted dachshund will have figured out within 24 hours where the softest couch is, who is most likely to drop crumbs at the table, and where all the love comes from. However, more typically it will take about a month for her to make a smooth transition. The process can, of course, be much slower in the case of a dachsie who has been badly mistreated or is in very poor health.
Home Life
You will find adoptable dachshunds who haven't had experience with some of the most basic facets of home life. These dogs may be terrified to step on a slick floor. Others may not know how to negotiate steps and stairs. Sliding glass doors can present problems to dachshunds who don't realize they are there or to older dachshunds with failing eyes who can't see them.
Typically a rescued dog figures things out pretty quickly. Her initial reaction may be fear. The second reaction may be more inquisitive. By the time she has been exposed several times to what initially was a scary situation, she will most likely ignore it.
Dirty Dog Syndrome
This isn't a medical syndrome, strictly speaking, but it is a situation that occurs when a dog is forced to live for extended periods of time in her own urine and excrement. Dogs typically dislike sleeping anywhere near their own eliminations. This is why even a tiny puppy will defecate or urinate in a far corner of the crate if it becomes absolutely impossible to hold it any longer.
Some dogs, however, are raised in foul conditions. As a result, the “dirty dog” doesn't appear to mind living in her own eliminations, and you get a dog who might be covered in filth any time she is crated — even for short periods of time. This situation can be improved, but it involves a lot of patience, strict adherence to a housetraining schedule, careful timing of meals and walks, and restricted access to water within a couple of hours of bedtime.
If your dachsie appears to be having difficulties controlling his urination or elimination, have your veterinarian give him a complete examination. The dog may very well have an underlying illness that is contributing to or even causing this situation.
Water Gorging
Some adopted dogs may exhibit a strange behavior known as water gorging. After the dog has been in his crate for a while, he may charge out and appear to want to drink every ounce of liquid in sight, subsequently causing profuse urination.
If there are no underlying health problems, it could be that the dog was raised in a situation where he did not have ready access to cool, fresh water all the time and feels the need to gorge on water whenever he can get it. If this is the case, make sure you give him constant access to water. The problem should resolve itself over a period of a few days or so, when the dog realizes that he will always have a clean water source.
