Hi everyone, we have a gorgeous 9 week old mini dachs pup (Archie) who we have had for one week. We are head over heels in lvoe with him but do need some advice so here goes...

we haven't been good at leaving him on his own the last week and i fear we are causing some real problems. He goes to work with my husband all day and apparantly sleeps on richard's lap all day. richard has tried to confine him in the office kitchen (where he can still see everyone, he has his crate (a plastic travel cage) toys & newspaper etc in with him) but he cries and they can't really have the noise while they are on the phones to clients!
Last night i confined him in our kitchen at home (again he could see me walking about) and he immediately began howling. i ignored this at first and waited for quiet moments to praise him but these only lasted a few seconds so it was quite difficult. after 30 mins he had really worked himself into a frenzy so i stood by the door and spoke to him - he immediately fell fast asleep. then i open the gate a little and sneaked off. when he woke he came to me but i swear he had tears in his eyes and he looked at me as if to say "how could you" and it breaks my heart.

I am wondering if perhaps richard should stop taking him to work and leave him at home. he only works 5 mins away from home so could easily come back. is it a really bad idea to change his routine now and if not how long should richard leave him? is an hour too long to start with? The other thing that worries me is that he could hurt himself when trying to escape as he does seem to get in quite a panic - he jumps up onto the bars of the gate and i know this is not good for their backs and he tries to stick his head through the bars although he can't get it through.

He sleeps in his crate next to my bed and has been really good so far. Do you think i should try to get him to sleep in kitchen from now on, maybe this would help him to be left at other times?

Apart from this he is such a great dog - really lively and happy. he is quite independant and will happily go exploring without us but equally he just loves to be cuddled.

I know it is very early days but i am very aware that what happens now will set him up for life and i don't want to ruin him.

my other question is how to start introducing walking on the lead - he has started wearing his collar everyday now and while he scratches a little something quickly distracts him - how do i introduce the lead - i know he is going to think it's another chew toy!

hope all this makes sense and i'm sorry it's so long but want to give as much info as poss...can't wait for some advice!

Could your husband put him in the crate under his desk as a starter and then start to move the crate nearer to their kitchen? That's one possibility as having him on the lap all day could cause more separation problems down the line (as you're already aware).

As he only works 5 minutes away and could come to let him out it may not be a bad idea to start off leaving him at home in the mornings and maybe bringing him in in the afternoons or something like that? You do need to get him used to spending some time on his own though. Have a search through old posts on separation and crating etc and you'll find some good advice on how to go about it.

WEndy

awwwww bless I love Dachshunds :)

Hello!
I've just got a mini daschund too! She's a 8 1/2 week old red smoothcoat and I've had her since she was 6 weeks. I must say she isn't the best socialised little pup as her mum was kennelled and she wasn't handled much but as I wanted a pup purely for showing she seemed to match my requirements ok. She's quite nervy around humans but at the moment as there's plenty of time to socialise with new people. My 2 BC's male and female haven't accepted her into their pack yet and keep snapping at her which hasn't helped. I've had EXACTLY the same problem as you with Pippa's separation anxiety. I can't afford for her to be making any noise as a little while ago I had a complaint about noise from the neighbours. At the moment I managed to lay my hands on this calming stuff, tablet form, it is used to calm stressed dogs in the car and at shows where they'll be left in benching areas. It's worked really well and has also meant that in the last week that I had her I've been able to catch her and she hasn't been able to run and hide in the most silly of places. I once heard of someone with a young dog who kept barking, he deviced a contraption that went above the cage, that had a long rope coming from it, when the dog whined or barked he pulled the rope and the bucket above it tipped down onto the dog. After two slushings the dog didn't utter a sound.
Alot of dogs realise that their whining means someone will come and save them from the situation, so as long as you don't keep going back to them they'll eventually get fed up. Do you leave him toys/bones/toys with food in to keep him amused while you're away?
Charlotte

Hi guys - thank you so much for your advice it really is very much appreciated!
well we are just going to steel ourselves against the crying now - it is very sad but of course he will get used to it. I spoke to our neighbour at the weekend who is great about it - i explained to her that it's a couple of weeks of crying if we do this now or the next 15 years if we don't! We are very lucky that richard works only 5 mins away so can easily go back - i don't think we could go through if not - i really feel for other owners who are out all day, it must be so hard.
we tried leaving him alone twice yesterday (confined in the kitchen with babygates and with his crate with the door open) and both times richard came back to find archie merrily exploring the house - how he escaped we will never know - he can't through/over/under the gates, i think we may have to change his name to houdini!

Thats a dachsie for you.

You'd be surprised how they can squeeze their bodies and get through those things. How were things the rest of the week?

Wendy