My little 2 year old mini daschund still isn't potty trained! What should I do? Lately he also has been having back problems. We haven't taken him to the vet yet and I was just wondering what they might be. He just wimpers everyonce in a while and somedays he can't jump up onto furniture and walks funny on his back legs! Did anyone else's dog have the same problem? Help me please! I love him to death!

As you probably know, daschunds are prone to back problems. I would certainly have a vet look at him, as it would be tragic to find out later that there was something you could have done to help him out.

It is quite possible that the failure to house train could be related to the back problem. Yet another reason to get a vet on this quickly.

If physical causes have been ruled out, then let us know what you have tried so far. Does he sometimes 'perform' outdoors? Does he have a crate? When do you feed him?

Let us know how it goes.

Guy

I have to go along with getting him to the vet. It is the first step with any behavioral problem. Overweight will cause many problems, and more so with a Dachshund's back. Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest. You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. Each dog is different. Standard recommendations are a good place to start, but each dog
Must have its food adjusted to its individual needs. See
http://www.purina.com/dogs/nutrition.asp?article=292.

Start over again on housebreaking. Dachshunds have a reputation for being difficult. This is meant for younger dogs, but can be made to work with older ones.

Housebreaking starts before you get home with the new puppy. If you don't have
A crate, buy one. I prefer the more enclosed, den like plastic ones. Skip the
Bedding. At first it gets wet, and later it can be chewed into choking
Hazards. A wire rack in the bottom will help keep the puppy up out of
Accidents at first. They are available with the crates, but a piece of closely
Spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. If you
Already have a metal crate, covering it may help. Just make sure you use
Something the puppy can't pull in and chew. Dogs that start in crates as
Little puppies, accept them very well. Never leave an unattended puppy loose
In the house. If nobody can watch it, put it in the crate. I suggest letting
The dog have its crate all its life.

Choose a command and spot you want it to use. The less accessible to strays,
The less chance of serious disease. If it is a female, choosing a
Non grassy spot will avoid brown spots later. When you bring it home, take it
To the spot and give it the command in a firm, but friendly voice. Keep
Repeating the command and let the puppy sniff around. If it does anything,
Praise it. Really let it know what a good dog it is and how much you love it,
And maybe a treat. Note, being out there not only means you can praise it,
But it also keeps it from being snatched by a hawk. If it doesn't go, take it
Inside and give it a drink and any meals scheduled. A young puppy will need to
Go out immediately afterward. Go to the spot and follow the above routine.
Praising it if it goes is extremely important. If it doesn't go, take it back
Inside and put it in its crate and try again soon. Do not let it loose in the
House until it does go.

At first it is your responsibility to know and take the puppy out when it
Needs to go. It needs to go out the first thing in the morning, after eating,
Drinking, and sleeping. If it quits playing, and starts running around
Sniffing, it is looking for a place to go. Take it out quickly. You will just
Have to be what I call puppy broke until it is a little older.

By the time most dogs are about 3 months old, they have figured out that if
They go to the door and stand, you will let them out. The praise slowly shifts
To going to the door. Some people hang a bell there for the dog to paw. If
Your dog doesn't figure this out, try praising it and putting it out if it
Even gets near the door. A stern "Bad dog!" is all the punishment that is
Effective, and only when you catch it in the act and are sure you didn't miss
It going to the door. Clean up accidents promptly. I mostly keep the little
Puppies out of the carpeted rooms. Still I need the can of carpet foam
Sometimes. First blot up all the urine you can with a dry towel. Keep moving
It and stepping on it until a fresh area stays dry. A couple big putty knives
Work well on bowel movements. Just slide one under it while holding it with
The other. This gets it up with a minimum of pushing it down into the carpet.
This works with even relatively soft ones, vomit, dirt from over turned house
Plants, or anything else from solids to thick liquids. Finish up with a good
Shot of carpet foam. Note, do not let the puppy lick up the carpet foam.
Once the dog is reliably housebroken, your carpet may need a good steam cleaning.

You have to get him to a Vet now. Our dog had the same problem. The only thing that saved her from permanent paralysis is a 24 hour emergency vet that gave her IV steroids over night until we could take her to a surgery center the next morning and have 3 of her disc removed.
$ 3000.00 later we built a ramp for her that could have prevented the disc problems.

We operated our dog of the same problem but of 2 discs
And she DIED yesterday :( it was harsh she died we still do not know why

My 4year old female has blown a disk twice now and the second time she lost all use of her rear legs.We chose surgery and now she once again has full use of her hind quarters.We have put her on a strict diet,she has gone from 17.7lb to 13.6lb at this time and is still needing o lose about 3/4 lb.She is no longer allowed to jump off ANYTHING and when we are gone she is put in a private pen in the dining room.She is now much more active and happy.Take her to the doctor right away and have her back checked.It can cost a lot,we needed an MRI before sugery,but is worth it.

My little daschund just injuried his back. He has received x-rays, 2 IV injections for anti-inflamation, 1 submuscle injection, predisone pills, etc. He appears to have improved very slightly. Can you give me any idea on the cost of the back surgery? And what the options were presented to you. We have visited only one vet at this time but are considering seeking another option.

Did you consider the doggie wheel chair or did you get any fedback on trying it before surgery? I have 4 other dogs (all but one have been rescued) so price is a concern. I had read that the little wheels can have a great deal of help in allowing the back to heal without the stress of weight while allowing him the freedom of movement. We have been keeping him in his crate most of the time allowing him out only to lay on his pillow bed or sleep at night in our bed.

Any information you can provide would be appreciated. I am in Tennessee so the clinic I would be taking him would be the Univ of TN Vet. School.

You may email me directly at your convenience.. [email protected]

Thank you,
Jamie Payne

Potty training your Doxie right now is secondary. Early detection is key to saving a back so I've read. Sometimes steroids can save from expensive surgery if treated early. Vets are well worth the money and your babe depends on you. Please keep him out of pain.

Wheelchairs or carts are something I have read work well. Here are some links that may help.
http://WWW.K9carts.com>
http://www.eddieswheels.com

My little guy, Schnitzel, is 4 1/2 years old. He is fairly housebroken (except when you go out and don't take him, then it's a "rebel piddle"). After yesterday, when he received his 3rd shot, this one was submuscle, he seems to have improved again. We are still keeping him confined mostly to his crate even when we are home and he is taking the predisone now 3 a day for another 3 days, then it will be to a day for 4 days, 1 a day for 4 days and then 1/2 a day for 4 days.

I'm really needing advise on the wheel chair to help him heal and use to play in the future. Hubby is making a ramp so he can go up and down the back steps to the yard. How long is the average time to heal from a back injury?

Thank you so much for any advice you may have.

we operated our dog of the same problem but of 2 discs
and she DIED yesterday :( it was harsh she died we still do not know why

Oh, I'm so very sorry for your loss.
You are right... the loss of our pets is harsh!

My dachshund is 6 months old today actually, she goes from not peeing inside to peeing inside and she still poops. I go to school so my classes aren't too long, every time I leave her alone in my room, she never has a problem. She only goes inside when someone is home, its like she needs me satisfaction. Sometimes she goes to the door when she has to go out, but sometimes she doesn't. How can I break this habit of hers? Thanks
-Liz

Lizzie,

I'm a Dachshund owner, too, having had seven over the years. They are very hard to house train, and the only luck I have had has is with the crate training method. I had to look it up on the 'net. Sorry I don't have any URLs for you at the moment, but you might doing some Google searches.

my dachshund is 6 months old today actually, she goes from not peeing inside to peeing inside and she still poops. I go to school so my classes arent too long, everytime i leave her alone in my room, she never has a problem. She only goes inside when someone is home, its like she needs me satisfaction. Sometimes she goes to the door when she has to go out, but sometimes she doesnt. how can i break this habit of hers? thanks
-Liz

You need to learn the signs when she needs to go out. Then you must keep a close eye on her when she is loose in the house, and crate her when you can't. Use doors or gates to keep her in the same room as you. Some people even leash the dog to them.

On the first page of this thread, I posted material that will help you learn the signs she needs to go out. If you need more help, post back.

This is my first time posting so I hope I am doing this right, I have an 11 month old baby girl mini daschund and lately have noticed she wake's up or if she's just kicking back she will get up and start breathing like she has a stuffed nose and can't breath right, keep in mind I also have an 8 year old Boxer girl (that love's her new mini sister) and my boxer Penny had done that before I even had ChiKali; and so it goes on and on until it goes away on it's own. I took both Penny & ChiKali to the vet and the Vet tell's us that it's normal for a short (Boxer) musle or long (ChiKali) musle to do this and there is nothing that I or they can do for them, we are thinking of taking them to another vet for a second opinion. Anybody else have this problem with their's. Thanks in advance for any suggestions! Mari

Hello, My 6 year old male just had surgery on Friday for a blown disc. Everything went well but I would like to know what is the recovery time.
He is still at the vets as of today, 5 days later. He is eating and drinking with some feeling in his back legs. The vet said he will stay at least another week. Is this normal?
Thank

The 2 questions above are both out of my experience and training. I do know the short muzzle dogs have breathing problems, and I guess the Mini Dachshunds could too. Unfortunately, not all breeders concentrate on producing the healthiest possible dogs, and many problems are perpetuated instead of being bred out.

Jennapbt or Korinia may be able to give better answers on these than I can. They are vet techs. We have some good people here, but sometimes we can only give sympathy. That is better than a poor answer.

TAKE IT TO THE VET. First of all you can't let them jump up and down off the furniture! I have 2 and I was told by the Vet to not let them get overweight and do not let them jump up and down on things, it can hurt their back.:(

My little 2 year old mini daschund still isn't potty trained! What should i do? Lately he also has been having back problems. We haven't taken him to the vet yet and i was just wondering what they might be. He just wimpers everyonce in a while and somedays he can't jump up onto furniture and walks funny on his back legs! Did anyone else's dog have the same problem? Help me please! I love him to death!
I think you should take him in the vet as soon as you can. I have a 4 year old daschund that just had back surgery 5 days ago. He was able to walk and everything until a week ago when I noticed him having problems with his back legs. He could walk but he had a lot of troubles controlling his back legs and he would not jump up on to anything ( this was strange because he is always jumping on the bed and chairs). Monday morning he lost the use of his back legs and could not walk. Then he lost the use of all his bladder and bowel functions. I just think it would be a very good idea to take him into the vet and get checked out, he might be having back problems. It's better to get it checked out now before he can not walk . Plus if it is his back they might be able to correct it in early stages instead of surgery. My little pup's sugery cost $4600.0 cdn. Like I said I would get your little babe checked out... better to be safe then sorry. Good luck!

Hello, My 6 year old male just had surgery on Friday for a blown disc. Everything went well but I would like to know what is the recovery time.
He is still at the vets as of today, 5 days later. He is eating and drinking with some feeling in his back legs. The vet said he will stay at least another week. Is this normal?
Thank
Hi my 4 year daschund just had surgery on Monday and he came home Friday. He seems to be doing fine , still in a bit a pain. He is still having problems walking but my vet showed me how to use a harness to get his legs moving again. But they also told me it could take a long time before he is walking normal again. He has to be kept in a nice paded bed and made sure he doesn't walk around without the harness. He was given pain meds to help with the pain. I would ask your vet why you pup has to stay for such a long time. Does you pup seem like he is starting to be himself again?

Hi. My 14yr old Doxy had 2 ruptured discs 5 yrs ago. He went in the day before Thanksgiving for the surgery and I took him home the day after Thanksgiving. By Monday of the next week, he was up and running around almost better than he did before. One thing that I was asked to do was PT on his back legs. So 3-4 times a day, I would move his little legs around just trying to speed up the healing process. It worked!! He was on NO pain meds. So, here it is 5 yrs later and besides getting old and grey, he is doing just fine.:)

Gosh it is so sad to hear about all these little dogs with such bad back problems. I wish you all the best with your little guys. It's odd how certain breeds are prone to certain ailments.
I'm curious if anyone has tried or been recommended chondroitin /glucosamine for their pups. My rotties had hip issues and I swear by the stuff>

And before anyone jumps on me.. I realise the OP is from 2004 but obviously people are still having the same issues. So don't flog me for posting in a year old thread :D

This thread should have been broken up already!