How to Potty Train a Dachshund (Why They're Tricky, and What Works)

Let's start with the honest part: dachshunds have a reputation for being hard to potty train, and it's mostly deserved. Not because they aren't clever, but because they're clever in inconvenient directions.

The good news is that "hard" isn't "impossible." With a dachshund, potty training is less about teaching a new trick and more about out-stubborning a small, opinionated dog who would rather not go out in the rain, thank you. Here's why the breed makes it tricky, and the routine that genuinely works.

Why dachshunds are tricky to house-train

Three things stack up. They're independent thinkers bred to work without instructions, so "because I asked" carries no weight. They have small bladders and a low, close-to-the-ground body, which means less warning and a quicker journey from "fine" to "too late." And they're gloriously weather-sensitive, a drizzle can look, to a dachshund, like a perfectly good reason to hold it indoors and then go behind the sofa the moment your back is turned. None of this is defiance. It's a small dog making small-dog calculations.

The routine that actually works

Potty training a dachshund is won on consistency, not cleverness. The bones of it:

• Take them out constantly, on a schedule. First thing in the morning, after every meal, after every nap, after play, and last thing at night. For a young puppy, "every hour or two" isn't an exaggeration.
• Same door, same spot. Carry or lead them to the same patch every time. The smell does half the teaching for you.
• Reward the instant they finish. Not when they come back inside, right there, outside, the second they're done. Treat and praise like they've won a prize, because in your house they have.
• Use a crate or a small space. A dog won't usually soil where it sleeps, so a properly sized crate teaches them to hold it a little, then out you go. Crate training and potty training are the same project, really.
• Watch for the tells. Sniffing, circling, a sudden exit from the room. Learn your dog's "I'm about to go" and beat it to the door.

When there's an accident (and there will be)

Clean it up calmly, with an enzyme cleaner that removes the smell entirely, not just to your nose, to theirs. Don't scold, and never do the old rub-their-nose-in-it thing. All punishment teaches a dachshund is that going in front of you is dangerous, so they get sneakier, not cleaner. If accidents suddenly spike in a previously trained dog, rule out a urinary infection with your vet before you assume it's behaviour.

The flag I'll plant

Dachshunds are late bloomers with this one. Plenty aren't fully reliable until well past the age other breeds have it sorted, and that is normal, not a failure on your part. Stay boringly consistent, keep your sense of humour, and protect their fragile back by using a ramp rather than letting a desperate puppy fling itself off the sofa toward the door.

If the stubbornness shows up elsewhere too, it's the same wiring: dachshund training in general rewards patience over pressure, and the Beginner's Guide to Dog Body Language helps you catch the little "I need to go" signals before they become a puddle.