The Dachshund has a Great Sense of Smell
Let’s first remember that the Dachshund is classified as a ‘hound’.
Being a hound, their sense of smell is one of their primary and sensitive senses they use when hunting. The Dachshund’s ‘olfactory bulb’ (the part of the brain for perception of smell) is about forty times larger than that of a human ‘olfactory bulb’. Though they were bred to hunt badgers, their curiosity of scent can get them to hunt just about anything.
The Dachshund is a scent hunter and when they catch a scent and start to ‘hunt’ they are single minded. This is one of the main reasons why many owners have a hard time potty training their Dachshund. They are at the door wanting to outside to go potty. You let them out, they catch a scent and they are off to track it down the scent, completely forgetting they had to go potty. Your patience and redirecting them back to the potty area is the only thing that will work.
When you walk a Dachshund, you will soon discover that they are all about smelling things. In fact, if they are off-leash, they may just go off on a scent trail without ‘hearing’ you calling him back. They are one-track that way… so be careful about that. When they catch a scent they are focused.
Remember, the Dachshund doesn’t realize they are small. They are bred to hunt, so they are formidable when hunting. Their jaws and teeth are strong and powerful. Even though, as your pet, they are not hunting, their sense of smell pretty much drives their day (along with their desire to be with you, of course). Scents that appeal to them strike their curiosity.
They are bred to follow scents, so in your home, you may play a game with them and dangle a sock in their nose and then hide it nearby. See if he finds it… If they’re in the mood, it’s a fun little game. You may find your Dachshund either chewing on your clothing or using it as a bed to snuggle in. You will probably find it easier to keep your things away from him rather than keep him away from your things!
As a Dachshund parent, one thing you need to remember is that no matter how obedient your Dachshund is, if he picks up a curious scent, he will track it!
(((Dachshund Gifts For Dachshund Lovers))) (amzn)
Hello, we currently have two adorable mini doxies, George & Gracie, who are brother and sister. We love them dearly, but had a very unfortunate and HORRIBLE situation occur about 6 mths ago.
We noticed early on, that George & Grace were very curious and liked to chase our two cats. And we found out quickly that we needed to keep them apart, or they got pretty keyed up and cornered the cats – which led to considerable hissing, yowling (from the cats) and yelping and increased frenzy (from the dogs).
Sadly, one evening, we accidentally left the cat’s bedroom door open, and came home to find that they had attacked and severely injured our sweet cat, Clarice. Her condition was grave (multiple puncture wounds on her hind legs) and she wound up dying in spite of the vet’s best efforts to save her. WE WERE DEVASTATED, AND FILLED WITH GUILT AND GRIEF!!
We still have one cat, Simon Peter, and I am so terrified and over-cautious at protecting him. I NEVER leave the house without knowing who is where, and insuring that they are all safely separated.
I would be interested in any input, learnings, advise you can give on what has happened, and any potential to train George and Grace to live in harmony with our cat. I want so badly to be able to enjoy all of our pets together, and not have to isolate them from each other. Any ideas would be much appreciated!
Thanks so much for your time!
Cynthia
@Cynthia, I am sorry for your loss. Here’s the thing… dogs are pack animals – even dachshunds… they are animals with animal instincts. Although they can be very loving, and even though may seem almost human, they can quickly revert to predator instinct. Dachshunds were bread to HUNT (Badgers). This is still in their blood lines – their genes. Don’t feel guilty, although I know it was devastating. I know that you want them all to live in harmony… but… what you must remember is that when more than one dog gets together… suddenly you have a PACK. They WILL (BEYOND ANY SHADOW OF A DOUBT) compete for hierarchy and establish a pecking order. A pack is much more likely to bring on aggressive behavior for a number of reasons. Also, cats and dogs rarely get along too well. Even though we all see those YouTube videos of cats and dogs snuggling, etc., it’s NOT the norm. A problem now is that your dogs have tasted blood, so to speak. They will never forget it. You will simply have to be diligent. You should also establish yourself as the pack leader in the home (if you aren’t already). Otherwise it is MUCH harder to control your dogs.
First and foremost sorry for your loss…. I lost a cat as well but due to my dad throwing her in the street in the winter time and she’s always been a house cat. She frozen to death and I found her and took her to be creamated they gave me her paw prints😔😢. But we have a Doxie named Minny and we also have a cat Misty. They do fight and chase each other and there are times when Minny over powers Misty but Misty fights back. We interfere and tell Minny to STOP. She knows stop and would listen. But there are times that she is so wrapped up in playing with the cat that she doesn’t hear when we yell STOP. Then Minny would be in trouble but overall she listens so maybe you need a word to teach your doxies to know when you don’t want them to do anything. They’re really loving dogs and loves to be around and involved with people. Minny hates being left alone I believe they all have anxiety issues. But we’re working on leaving her alone(with the cat) but Minny would have to be placed in her cage while she’s alone her anxiety will cause her to get into things and tear things up. I wish you well with your doxies
I have a dachshund named moselly he part chichua too and loves cats even kisses them
Hi,
I have a 6 month old dachshund mix named Cooper and he has begun stuffing his nose in the rug and bed each evening. He keeps smelling and digging. At first, I was worried we had bed bugs. i am curious as to why he has just started this intense behavior.
Dachshund’s generally love to ‘dig’ into blankets, etc.. it’s in their instinctive DNA.
I have a 2 year old dachshund, he has always been amazing with his nose. He’s working a scent line like a champion tracker, but I can’t get him to signal me that he’s on the track. Nissan is by far the most stubborn dachshund I have ever owned! And I’ve owned a few. When you think of stubborn, then triple the meaning of the we’d.
My Dachshund could find me anywhere, I would hide from him ,
and he would track me following a fixed pattern and find me each time.
He was amazing !
Our mini dachshund will be 12 1/2 years old 7/10/2022. We adopted him when he was about 10 to 12 weeks old and soon discovered that his right rear leg was longer than his other three legs. A surgery was performed to remove a section of his abnormal limb and he has done quite well at walking and running. The surgery, along with X-rays, ran about $3200. This was done in early summer of 2010. That may seem spendy but it was well worth it. He became a real character making us smile and laugh everyday. Absolutely love that little guy. A super family member.