# My dachshund hates strangers.



## bec90707 (Jun 5, 2011)

I have a 2 year old miniature dachshund that hates strangers! She is very protective of the house and me and my boyfriend. I don't mind that she is protective/guarding the house, but when we have strangers over to the house or anyone she doesn't know comes towards us she barks and growls at them without stopping. She is very loving, house trained perfectly, and a great silly dog when there are no strangers around. (She knows everyone in my family that came around regularly and my boyfriend's family and most of my friends, neighbors etc.)

I know dachshunds are known for being jealous and protective, which I wish I had known when my dog was a puppy because I would have paid extra attention to socializing her correctly. We have tried putting her in an obedience class which did help with her listening skills, however she barked at the other dogs most of the time and it was difficult. I want to be able to bring my dog around people and hopefully get her to the point where we can have people over and enjoy ourselves.

What should I do? I know that it's important that I bring her around people more, so I do bring her for walks and she'll be okay if we just walk by people, but if they were to talk to me and come towards us she would bark and jump at them to protect me. It is very hard for me to get her used to people coming over because she does nip at people and we've had experiences where she has bitten 2 people. It's hard to get her used to being around people when I don't want to put anyone in an unsafe situation. I feel that it is too late for her to ever like strangers (especially because she is to such a point where she will bite and lunge at a stranger) and it really upsets me because I love my dog to death but I hope there is something I can do... ?


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## zgomot (Mar 11, 2009)

I'm no expert, but if it were me, I would have people the dog doesn't know throw her treats and work towards having strangers hand feed her. I think it's all about her forming positive assocations with strange people.

And I would honestly bet my right arm it's not too late, in fact I feel it's unfair to her to think that way. If there's something people get wrong is understimating a dog's ability to learn.

Good luck, I'm sure you will work it out with some work, dachshunds are very intelligent. I know because I have one.


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## bec90707 (Jun 5, 2011)

Thank you, I appreciate the reassurance and advice. You're right doxies are really smart. She was the first to pick up on new tricks in her obedience class 

I would love any additional ideas out there, I am going to continuously work with her.


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## DeeSpark (May 25, 2011)

Never to late. I started working with my dogs dog aggression when he was two and half. Made a few mistake at first, but got a good handle on it now and it's been a few months off a year (could take less time to cure your dog, providing how bad the problem is, and how well you do it. I started off not very well, and his dog aggression was also quite bad).

Do you have a clicker? If not, I would use the word good or yes every time she sees somebody out walking, I would say the word or click, and give her a treat every time she looks at the person. When she's good with people from a distance, move in closer, start saying hi to the person, then more words like how are you etc. Even if she is fine with people on walks now, from the sounds of it, she's still somewhat uncomfortable with them.

When you have visitors, give her some treats, have the visitors ignore her behaviour, don't let them try to pet her or anything, and let them throw her (eventually hand feed) an extra nice treat, such as a peice of meat. 

It's also important to make sure she doesn't get punished (yelling, jerking, smacking) for reacting at a human. It will just add to the negative feelings the dog has towards humans. If somebody yells or slaps you when your around other people, you won't like being around them. If somebody gives you your fav. foods around people, you'll probably enjoy being around other people more. Good luck


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## bec90707 (Jun 5, 2011)

Thank you, that was especially helpful and reassuring for me. Now that I know other people have made the same mistakes in the beginning I don't feel as bad and now I know that I can still solve it. Thanks for taking the time to share your advice!


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

It sounded like you were describing my mini dachshund, Harper! He's such a great boy at home! Loving, cuddly, smart, funny, but, with people he doesn't really know he's a handful! I feel bad, as I want people to know the GOOD side of him, as we do! 

Harper is a year and a half, and he is quite reactive toward people he doesn't know on walks, as well as in our home. Family, even extended family that we see every couple of weeks, he's fine with.

I agree, have people toss treats to him. Don't be stingy with treats. We have a treat jar we keep by the door, so when people come over they can toss treats to him. So, have people toss a treat to your girl every few minutes, so she starts to thing "hey, it's kinda nice having people over, I get lots of treats!"

You might also think about teaching her to go to a special spot in the house when people come over. That can take practice, but, in the end, she'd go to her spot (a doggy bed, a throw rug or mat) every time people knock at the door. She might still bark a bit, after all, someone's entering her "castle", but if she can stay in that one spot, at least she's not going to be snapping and jumping at people.

To do that, you'd need a volunteer, a friend or neighbor, who doesn't mind coming over for a pretend visit. It's hard to work on training this when people come over for a real visit, because you feel like you're ignoring your guests if you spend too much time working with your dog. But, if you have a volunteer who knows they're not really going to get a visit, but they're there to help with the dog, then you can focus on the dog.

So, start with the friend just knocking on the door, and then you lure the dog to the spot with treats. Tell her stay. You walk toward the door. If she gets up, walk her, by blocking her with your body, back to the spot. The first session, you might spend the whole time just working on her staying at the spot after someone knocks on the door. 
Then, try getting her to stay when you open the door, just a crack. The next step would be getting her to stay in the spot when you open the door all the way. Then, when the guest comes in. You get the point, start small, and don't move on til she can do each step.

In real life, not training, (LOL) have your guests toss treats, but otherwise ignore her, so she can get used to sharing her space with them without having to worry about them talking to her or touching her. That can come later....


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## lulu166 (Oct 18, 2013)

Hey - I know this is an old post but I was just curious if you had any luck after training. I have a 2 year old mini who changed her attitude towards people the second we moved to a city so we're going through the same re-adjustment training.


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## Snick22 (Oct 19, 2013)

Yes I am wondering if any of this worked!! My husband and I have a 2 and a half year old Daschund Snickers. We just moved across the country, she is so cuddly, playful, fun and calm when it's just us or my family that she knows. But as soon as someone knocks on the door or trys to come in that she doesn't know, she barks, and growls and lunges....... We love her to death and want to stop this!!! Please help


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