Are Dachshund Puppies Good With Kids

Apart from their unique body structure, Dachshunds have a larger than life personality. That’s why these lovely canines are recently experiencing a surge in popularity3/4 not just in the United States but on the planet as a whole. However, just because they are exploding in fame, it doesn’t mean that it’s alright to get a Doxie puppy to join your family without weighing out a few things. For instance, if you have juniors in the family, you will need to dig deep to find information on whether these fur babies get along well with the 2-legged young members of the pack. Could that be what brought you here? If yes, you just made the right move. Come with us as we take a journey to discover more about Doxie puppies.

Without further ado, let’s get the ball rolling…

Are Dachshund Puppies Good with Kids? The simple answer here is- It depends!  Just like any other dog, Dachshund puppies will make stellar companions for kids only when they are socialized very well. Also, given that these dogs have a fragile back, kids need proper training on how to treat them right to keep the interactions healthy.

What Makes A Kid-Friendly Dog?

Although dogs are generally termed as men’s best friends, not all canines will interact perfectly with the small colleagues of the family. Therefore, if you have kids in your home, be sure to look into the dog’s character to determine whether they will be a good addition to the family or not.

A kid-friendly dog should be energetic, playful, and willing to run around with the young buddies any time they request for it. Also, for a dog to be child-friendly, it needs to portray high levels of loyalty, not just to their trainers but to the entire family. Finally, before you bring your dog to a family with youngsters, ensure that the dog is sturdy enough to take the rough love from the juniors.

What is a Dachshund puppy, anyway?

Before we delve into our today’s topic, it’s good we agree on the most basic things. First, we need to agree that when we are talking about a dachshund puppy, we necessarily don’t always mean a 2-week or 1-month old canine. Of course, we don’t deny that the two qualify for puppies. However, it’s important to note that any dachshund that is not fully grown is considered a puppy. Therefore, the puppyhood of these lovely dogs extends up to the age of 12 months, similar to most dogs but only half long that of the German Shepherds! Therefore, when talking about Dachshund puppies in this content, it could be a 2-week old canine as well as a 12-month old dog.

Why Dachshund Puppies Make Great Childhood Pets

When we say that dachshund puppies make great childhood friends, we simply don’t mean it’s the case with all Doxies. I mean, although in general these dogs are born to interact well with juniors, of course, every dachshund puppy is different depending on what they pick up for their personality as they grow. Let’s examine a few of the Dachshunds’ inbred qualities that qualify them as excellent childhood pets.

Dachshund Temperament

Although their bellies are only a few inches above the ground, Dachshunds, or sausage dogs (as some prefer to call them) have a personality as big as Texas. For instance, since they are one of the hunting dogs, dachshund puppies display an enormous amount of energy for their size.

While this bundle of energy is intended for chasing down and digging out badgers and other small prey, we must admit that it comes earlier than the role. To expel the energy, Dachshund puppies turn to fun, something that most kids love- and that’s one area that shows these two were made for each other!

Apart from their love for fun, Dachshunds are a very loyal dog breed. They interact incredibly well with all the members of the family. In fact, since they are among the hunting breeds, these dogs are very brave and are ever ready to defend their loved ones even with their small size. This quality makes dachshunds perfect bodyguards for the little ones.

Another thing that favors the interactions between kids and Doxie puppies is the size. When playing together, the small size of the dog doesn’t pose the same level of threat as the giant dog breeds such as the Mastiff. Besides, since they are all young and growing, getting the little member of the family a Dachshund puppy is simply gifting him a friend they will grow up together.

Why A Dachshund Puppy May Not Make A Perfect Childhood Pet

Although most of their inbred traits make them a suitable candidate for your junior’s play companion, there are a few qualities that may inhibit these puppies from forming that excellent partnership with toddlers. Here are a few!

Dachshund Puppies Are Fond of Back Problems

Sausage dogs have a long torso. This makes them notorious to back problems and mobility issues. While most of their back issues are congenital, these canines can also develop the condition at any stage of their life.

A perfect example of a hereditary back problem is Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD). Affecting 1 in every 4 dachshunds, this condition is up to 12 times more likely to happen in Doxies than in any other dog.

Like any other congenital back problem, your dachshund still can obtain this condition from an external source such as injury when playing with your little one. Where the condition is mild, it may not pose much threat to Dachshunds.

However, since its a degenerative disorder, Intervertebral Disc Disease graduates with time to become more severe. At this stage, this back-related disease may attract more complicated health conditions such as paralysis.

Dachshund Puppies are Stubborn

Don’t let their cuteness and small size fool you- Doxies can sometimes have a head of their own. They are ready to ignore there master’s commands a few times a week to follow where their noses lead them.

While this is something they make up for through their great loyalty, it’s one thing we can’t take lightly when looking for dogs that will pair perfectly with the innocent souls. So, exactly how does their stubbornness affect their ability to get along with kids?

Well, let me shed light on this…

All dogs need to be trained on how to interact in a friendly and healthy manner with the small youngsters of the family. Experts will typically advise starting the training when the dog is in the puppy stage.

Since Wiener dogs are naturally stubborn, even at the puppy stage, it may be quite challenging to house train their puppies on how to interact well with kids. However, if you can manage to first “empty” the stubbornness from them, Doxies can excel in training considering that they are always looking for an opportunity to impress their masters.

These Dogs Are Possessive

If you have ever owned a Doxie before, you can attest that these fur babies are among the most jealous dog breeds. While this may play a vital role in protecting their loved ones in case of any threat, it’s more likely to do less good than bad. I mean, unless you discourage this behavior right from the very beginning, your Dachshund puppy may turn a threat to other kids from the neighborhood. By the time he switches to adulthood, Doxie puppies are already big enough to scare away almost anything.

Importance of Socializing Your Dachshund Puppy

When talking about dog-human interactions, one thing we can’t afford to leave out is the importance of socialization. Even the most gentle and intelligent breeds need proper socialization to train them on how to interact well with all people and other pets. Therefore, for any dachshund puppy to associate well with the youngsters, you will have to introduce him to socialization sessions. Socialization is likely to bear positive results when begun at an early stage. That said, it’s always a good thing to begin to socialize your dachshund puppy ASAP before there possessive and stand-offish nature around unfamiliar faces solidifies.

Tips On Socializing Your Dachshund Puppy

So, how can you socialize your dog? What are the dos and the don’ts? Now, if these are among the questions racing in your mind, here are a few tips on how you can achieve success in this.

Be Timely

As aforementioned, Doxie puppies were initially intended for hunting badgers. Therefore, they are born with a very strong prey drive and will by default act aggressively towards strangers. To avoid this behavior from growing deep in them, many experts recommend socialization as early as you can. Anywhere between 3 and 12 weeks is a sweet spot for socialization classes.

Make Him Meet New People

When socializing your pup, one of the best ways is to take him to areas where he can meet new people. The market is one perfect public place that will give your Doxie puppy an opportunity to interact with new faces. By walking them to the market occasionally, they will grow knowing that unfamiliar faces don’t always signify a threat.

Involve as many people as possible

When you socialize your dachshund puppy with only men, he may grow up to become aggressive towards females. Therefore, when socializing him, make sure that you introduce him to a wide variety of people- male, female, short, tall, slim, chubby, and so forth. You also need to make him familiar with uncommon clothing like hats, hoods, sunglasses, jackets, trench coats, and so on. One last thing- it’s at this time when you should familiarize him with other pets and dogs.

Importance of Training Kids On Dog Interactions

Most of the time we see dogs as the only cause of problems when their interactions with the little ones won’t go smoothly. However, that’s being one-sided since all interactions are normally 2-way. In as much as some dogs may misbehave, we must also admit that some juniors can mistreat the dog.

Thus, as you direct your relentless efforts to train your dachshund puppy on how to interact with the little members of the family, it will be fair play to schedule classes to train the youngsters on how they should treat the puppy.

First, you need to teach them that dogs don’t always see things from their point of view. Therefore, when giving an affectionate hug, let them not squeeze the dog. The ignorant canines may mistake it for an attack prompting them to react to it as if to any other threat. After all, since Dachshunds are likely to develop back issues, such hugs are a potential source of life-long back problems.

Also, let the little ones understand that they should never approach the dog when eating. Although we don’t condone food aggression in dogs, we should come to the fact that even the most gentle and friendliest trained dogs may show some aggression when approached during meal sessions. The likelihood of dachshunds behaving this way is even higher considering that they have a huge appetite.

Lastly, ensure that you put it clear to the juniors that Dachshunds are like other dogs and that their larger backs don’t mean that they can make good hobby horses. They need to avoid riding on them as this may easily push them to their limit making them react in a manner they didn’t intend.

Final Word

Although most Dachshund puppies will get along well with the smallest humans, it’s important to note that this ability doesn’t necessarily lie on the dog’s inbred qualities but it’s own character, rather.

Here is the good news- considering that we are talking about puppies, it’s easy to shape the character of your Dachshund puppy to conform to the way you want it. But beware, kids are also a potential cause of problems in their relationship. That’s why you will need to invest a considerable amount of time to train each of them on how to deal with the other in a good way.