I have a daschund I got from a friend he is 5 and he will potty outside and then come in and leave several messes in the house.. how can we correct this behavior? We love the dog but we are all frustrated with his going potty in the house.. also no matter what we feed him he is skin and bone is this normal? >email address removed per site rules<

Him being skin and bones is not normal. Is he neutered? If not, than that is a major reason some of these guys won't gain weight.

Also... Dachshunds that we see on a regular basis are typically obese. If you are comparing him to those, than he might not be skinny. Doxies should be skinny.. they should have an hour glass figure. You should be able to feel his ribs, but not see them. You should be able to easily feel his back bone, but not see it. That is proper weight.

What types of food are you feeding? Anything purchased at walmart or a grocery store is bad food. There is nothing nutritionally good about those foods. There are many good foods out there that you can purchase and help him gain weight and maintain a healthy weight. Foods I like and recommend would be Blue Buffalo, Merrick, Innova, Nutro, and Pro Plan.

As for his potty mistakes.. how long have you had him? Sometimes these little guys take some time to adjust to a new home and mistakes will be made. What you should do to establish good potty behaviors is to treat him like a brand new, 8wk old puppy. Introduce a crate and teach him to stay clean in a specific area. Take him out on leash or under close supervision and praise him when he goes potty. If he doesn't go potty, than he goes back into the crate or is being watched like an eagle. When he is making a mistake, disrupt him by saying "eh eh" loudly than immediately take him outside and watch him go potty followed my praise.

Doxies can be difficult to house train, but it can be done. Be consistent on your scheduled feedings and always accompany him to ensure that he is actually going potty. For first couple of days/weeks/months, he may not be alloud to roam your home alone. He may need to stay on leash with you or very close. And there is nothing wrong with that... this will establish a close bond with you and your new pooch.

Good luck!

I have my second dachshund now and my sister has her second - my neighbors and close friends have three so we are pretty informed on the breed. We were just talking about your question when we took what we call our "dachshund rodeo" on a walk.

We are all concerned about the skin and bones description for a five year old dog. Dachshunds normally put weight on very easily and in fact, you have to be vigilant about not over feeding them because being small dogs, with long backs, it's easy for them to get overweight which is dangerous for their backs and other health issues. If your dog is either refusing food or eating but still too thin, it could mean she has a medical problem. If she's wasting away to skin and bones and also peeing in the house a lot, it could signal diabetes or a thyroid issue, for example. If she's refusing food and having accidents there could be another issue - my late golden retriever exhibited these symptoms when she had pancreatic cancer. So, first, don't get frustrated or angry with the dog - take her to the vet to make sure she's healthy.

If the dog is healthy, she could be exhibiting some symptoms of anxiety and your vet can help you with that as well. She might need some medication to calm down, or if you're trying a lot of different things to get her housebroken and get her to eat more, she could just be confused what is expected of her. Your vet can help you, as can a good dog trainer, to resolve these problems. The vet can tell you of the dog's weight is a matter for concern and if it's not, then the goal will be to make the home predictable and get this dog on a schedule.

It's harder for an older dog, but crate training remains the most effective way to housebreak a healthy dog. You can never use the crate for a punishment - it is to be a safe place, like the dog's den. Read up on crate training. The idea is that dogs will not mess where they sleep, so the crate gives them just enough room to stand up, turn around and lie down - not to go potty on one end or side and sleep on the other. They will learn to wait until they are outdoors to go to the poop and pee. Basically you keep the dog in the crate to rest, take the dog out every few hours to go outside and poop and pee, and you have play time with them and wear them out so they are ready to sleep some more in the crate. In addition to playing, you can confine them to your kitchen or other room with hard flooring for an hour or so after they have done their business outside so they can be with you when you're cooking dinner or whatever. You do not give them access to carpeted areas because once they soil an area, they will be more comfortable targeting that area again.

When you have a regular schedule of the dog eating at certain times, going out at certain times, being in the crate or out of the crate at certain times, walks and playtime and so on, you will find that the dog will start to calm down because it will understand what's happening and will feel safe. Like small children, predictability makes them feel safe. When they do less to upset you, they will also be less confused why these nice people are yelling at them or mad at them and they will trust you and follow your commands better - they will understand better. And if something isn't working, a regular routine will be easier for you to adjust to fix the problem. Like if the dog pees on the floor every morning around 10, you will know you better bring that dog outside at 9:45.

It's unfair to punish the dog if she's sick and peeing for illness related reasons, so do eliminate that concern first. Then be kind, predictable, consistent, firm and do not give the dog opportunity to pee on carpet. Using a crate is not cruel if it's balanced with play time, affection, walks, and meals and used as a safe resting place for the dog.

Oh - and once a dog is reliably housebroken, you will be able to give her the run of the house when you're home, but I would not stop using the crate part of the time. It can be important for a dog to be used to and comfortable with the crate for the long term. For example, I stopped using the crate a few years ago for my dachshund - when she hurt her back and the vet said she needed to be kept in her crate most of the time to heal, she totally freaked out in the crate and it was not an option because she couldn't relax in it and we had a heck of a time getting her the rest she needed - had to drug her and use a playpen for weeks. So yeah - keep putting her in the crate for part of every day even when you don't need it any longer.