I’m sorry Lidzia. It’s definitely a tough situation to deal with. it sounds like she went through a lot of changes in a short time. Sometimes, natural remedies are not enough and anti-anxiety medications from a veterinarian are necessary. I don’t like to medicate my dogs unless it’s absolutely necessary, but anxiety medications can help bring a dog under threshold so any training may be more effective. If you want to try separation anxiety training, this is a good book to reference: https://a.co/d/4SPS49H

Hi Ingrid. Please read this article on making toys last longer: https://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/how-to-make-your-dachshunds-toys-last-longer/ I’m not sure what kind of bones you are using but, in my mind, bones are not as safe as chews because they can be too hard on the teeth. This article on natural chews may give you some ideas: https://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/the-best-natural-chews-for-dachshunds-and-where-to-get-them/

It looks like they moved their website to Good Dog (I will update that in the article) and are still active. I don’t know about their plans for next litters though. You’ll have to contact them. Here is the link: https://www.gooddog.com/breeders/hathor-farm-dachshunds-washington

Hi Jennifer. No pet insurance will cover a back injury while it is active. Many will not even cover a second one, as “back issues” are considered an existing condition. However, there are a couple of insurance companies that will cover subsequent back issues if a certain amount of time has elapsed and it’s a different disk that has ruptured. You will likely have to call a representative directly to find out that information though.

How old is your Dachshund? Unless there is an acute injury from an obvious cause (like a large fall or car accident), Dachshund back injuries are almost 100% cased by IVDD, which is a genetic disease, especially if it occurs between the ages of 4 and 7 years. You might find it helpful to read this article about IVDD: https://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/the-truth-about-dachshunds-and-back-problems/

Good luck with recovery.

Hi Julia. Honestly, because the seizures happen so infrequently and there doesn’t seem to be a clear cause, the best thing you can do is what you are doing – be aware and take measures to keep her safe during an episode. Some dogs just live through the occasional seizure throughout their lives with no knows residual consequences. With that being said, personally, I would do everything I can to video the seizure when it is happening. Even seeing part of it can help your vet explore a possible cause further with you.

I realize you are not an insurance expert, but just thought to ask.

I am so appreciative of your blog! Thank you for sharing your experience!

I hear ya. I stayed a hotel recently and, while I didn’t have my dogs with me, I asked and they said the pet fee was $100 per dog per night. Yikes! That is not “dog friendly” in my book.

Hi there. Wondercide is the best natural flea and tick repellant that I know of. When it comes to ticks, I don’t mess around though and go right for the commercial, non-natural repellants. A flea infestation can make a small dog anemic and tick bites can cause all kinds of illnesses, even if Lyme disease is not prevalent (it is not in WA state where we live). The best “natural” tick preventative is to do regular tick checks. Luckily, we don’t have them in our yard, but if we are hiking in an area with them, I check the fur on hike breaks, after the hike, once we arrive back home, and again in the morning.

Hi Sherrie. Some Dachshunds are just picky eaters. You can try to find a high quality food that your pup finds more enticing, although I would caution against trying many different foods because that can teach a dog to be picky. I dogsit Dachshunds and my strategy with picky eaters is to offer the food, pick it back up if they don’t start eating it within a couple minutes, and put it down later to try again. Usually, the longest I have to wait is a day before the dog starts eating again. They won’t starve in a day. Sometimes they are just picky because they aren’t that hungry (like if you are feeding them too much at meals or too many treats in between). If a dog still refused a food after a day, I would try hand feeding the food. If they continued to refuse, only then might I try a different food. Good luck.

If you are walking, I imagine that they do. This article is about driving across the border though and they do not have to be leashed inside your vehicle.

I apologize for delayed response. The end of the year is always a super busy time for me. Upon first glance, I am definitely not impressed with the website. It looks very unprofessional. However, I know that sometimes people don’t have the money or know-how to produce better looking ones. And some “scammers” out there do when their product is actually garbage. Looking at the specs for this laser, if I am also reading this correctly, the power is only 300mW, which is extremely low.

That sound fun. It’s not something that would fit into my normal routine well, or that is needed because my system works excellent for us, but someone else here might want to try it.

Hi Rene. The behavior you describe is very common with separation anxiety. Unfortunately, in this case, training your Dachshund specifically to be more attached to your husband than you may be what is causing this issue in his absence. All of his behaviors may be helped by trying to bond with him more and balance out his attachment to be more equal with you. The other suggestions I would have are crating him (or put him in a pen) any time you can’t directly supervise him and/or talk to your vet about the anxiety and behavior. Perhaps your vet may think anti-anxiety medication would be helpful.

Hi Laura, Personally, I am very happy with the jackets that we use, so I am not looking for another, especially since so many out there do not work when you hike miles, or hours, like us (cause chafing). Feel free to share the information though and I will check them out.

Hi Ferne. Unfortunately, the majority of dog dental health (or not) comes down to genetics. Personally, I help keep my Dachshund’s teeth clean like you, although to be clear, I don’t use commercial “dental chews” because they aren’t tough enough, or last long enough, to scrape sufficient tartar off of the teeth. I use natural chews like bully sticks, tendons, cow ears (fur on), etc. Brushing your dog’s teeth is what most veterinarians recommend but, it my experience, that is not always superior to the system I am using. You could try doing both though.

Hi Cathy. Glad that you found us! For legal reasons, I can’t manually add you to our mailing list, but you can join by clicking this link: http://eepurl.com/huPqLP Thank you

I wholeheartedly believe that a quality diet can definitely have an impact on health. I’m sorry to hear your boy has heart disease, but I am glad to hear that you’ve had more time with him than you thought. Happy Holidays!

Congratulations Carrie! You are absolutely correct that there are responsible breeders out there. I hope you have many wonderful years with your “dream” Dachshunnd.

I like that a dog can lay flat in the Ugo. The backpack option shown makes me nervous though because there doesn’t seem to be much, if anything, holding the dog in and you can’t closely monitor if the dog is on your back. No carriers are ideal though, and this looks like a good option compared to a lot of others out there. I don’t think we can order it here in the US and I don’t think I would ever want to pay that much for a dog carrier. There are other options out there (that I list) that are good enough.

These are also the backpacks I would recommend for shorter durations during travel or around the city. If your pup was in it for longer, there could be less concern for the back so you may have more options. You could also try a dog sling, or dog tote bag carrier, if you don’t plan on hiking with it, but I find the backpack more comfortable for me to carry.

Hi Joan. Have you read my article on stairs? If not, here is the link. https://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/can-dachshunds-use-stairs/ In short, preventing the use of stairs will not eliminate the risk of back injuries and, in fact, less active Dachshunds may have more issues. All of my Dachshunds run up stairs instead of walking slowly step by step. In the case of the Dachshunds that I know, going faster with more momentum seems more comfortable and safer for them (stability). So, sorry, no, I don’t have any advice for making your Dachshunds go slower. You could try training slow walking with treats.

I’m always surprised when I hear that a dog won’t eat raw meat. Like, are you even dog?? Ha, ha. I can see that yours might have a refined palate though 🙂

Hi Linda. Your situation indeed sounds like a challenge. However, the veterinarian’s advice doesn’t sound very helpful when, in fact, I would assume they should have better advice for you. I’m also surprised that walking your pup on sidewalks a lot has not caused the quick to move back at all. Unfortunately, I only know what the “tried and true” method of moving the quick back is, and it sounds like your situation may not be helped by it. Basically, you trim off as much of the nail as you can without hitting the quick, then you walk your dog on concrete like you are. The constant pressure on the nail should cause the quick to recede a bit, and then you can trim a little more. Have you tried cutting the nails at all? I’m perplexed by the nails bleeding but perhaps I am not understanding correctly. I would think if they are too long now, they may be scraping as she walks, thus exposing the quick and causing it to bleed. Perhaps once the nails are a proper length, this bleeding would stop. Also, here in the US, although not ever vet does it, the nails can be cut under anesthesia past where the quick is and cauterized to stop the bleeding. Some people think this is cruel, and the nails can be sore for a bit after (pain medication can help manage that), but the benefit often outweighs any temporary discomfort. Good luck!

Hi Linda. I can see the confusion. I can’t share a photo here, but here is a link to a photo showing the kind of green beans that I am talking about. https://www.cascadianfarm.com/product/frozen-cut-green-beans/ They don’t have to be purchased cut to be used in your dog’s meal, but I would cut them into bite sized pieces before feeding. I hope that helps.