Looking for a bit of advice..

Hey guys, I've noticed McGregor whines when he's outside, and a few times when getting walked. A couple of times i was practically dragging him on the walk. Anybody know what's up with the crying outside? We waited outside with him for for almost half an hour before he went #2.

Any tips/insight would be awesome.

Sometimes it helps dogs to walk around a bit before they can poop, exercise stimulates his body to get things "moving." As far as the crying, he was probably just confused and didn't understand why you were outside for so long.

And when you're walking, always make it a fun game. Talk to him a lot and praise/encourage him when he's walking nicely, even bring some treats to give him every few minutes so that it stays exciting.

When are you starting puppy class???

Sometimes he'll start crying quite early on. He'll start 2 seconds after i put him down outside. Cries after 30 seconds on a walk, and i either drag him (practically) during the walk, and keep pulling him back when we're heading home. Not sure what is best to do. Puppy classes will start in a bit Trying to find a good/affordable place.

Have you tried taking a "pretend" walk around your house, in your yard, with your dog on leash? It's possible he just doesn't understand that he needs to walk with you.

Oh yes, we've had him go in the backyard to start, and we'd make him walk around the yard near the door and up near the stairs. But he'll whine during a walk often.

Do you use a harness or collar on your walks ??

It's hard to say what to do without seeing him doing the behavior. It's possible he's very stressed out on walks and you'll have to desensetize him to it. It's possible, it's only the leash/collar that's the problem, and with a little more leash training he'll be fine. It's possible he just doesn't like being outside, doesn't like walking on grass/pavement, doesn't like the weather, etc., and you'd have to train each of these a little differently. Then again, it's possible he might just like to whine, or just likes to get his way. If you train for the wrong problem, you will probably make the behavior worse. I think the only thing you can do is get a trainer and start a class, and your trainer can observe and see what's going on and how to fix it.

If money's the problem, many trainers will let you pay for a week at a time, you might want to look into that.

McGregor is doing better at walks. He will bark at other dogs most of the time, sometimes he settles down. My main concern is that he yelps really loud at random moments. Nothing hurts, I've felt around many many times and he has no injury to speak of. However, he could be belly up on my lap and yelp for no reason since I'm just petting him. If he goes running into the kitchen to eat/lick god knows what, any of us will go and say hey come, and if he doesn't listen we take him by the skin of his neck and guide him in the right direction. He doesn't really cry that much with my girlfriend (he's ours). He doesn't listen to our roommate as much as us, but he seems less scared of him, and won't yelp as loud. He yelps far louder when he is trying to manipulate me compared to the 2 others. I don't know why this is going on...Is it because I'm the bad guy and often have to put him in his place?
Any idea on where to start with this?

thanks folks

Are you willing to change your "training" methods? I have ideas that would keep the dog from being afraid of you but you will probably not like them as you want to dominate your dog and use force to make him listen. I do not do things that way so unless you want to hear my ways of training I'm not going to write out a long post for nothing. not trying to be rude but I do get frustrated when I write out a long well thought out post and the person simply tells me they want to do things their way and are not going to bother trying what I recommend.

Are you sure there is nothing wrong with his back? Doxies can have problems with their spines because of the long back on short legs so things like being on his back, jumping off of furniture, being dragged while he's tensing due to fear etc. could all cause him pain in his back.

This really does nothing to teach your dog to come to you. Dogs come because, and ONLY because, they WANT to come - and bringing him to you by the scruff of the neck is only making him scared of you. If you have a problem with him getting into the kitchen, you can use baby gates to block him out of the kitchen, or keep him on a leash and with you, at least until your puppy has a better idea of comng when you call.

What kind of things does he do to manipulate you??

Quite frankly, he's most likely doing this because he's scared of you because you feel like you "have" to put him in his place.

Have you started puppy class yet? Or found a trainer?

What a cutie! Looks just like Noodle when we brought her home

A few things I've learned from Noodle over the years....

1) Be prepared for STUBBORN. Dachshunds were bred for "going to ground" i.e. chasing things into and out of holes. They had to be stubborn (and fearless) to get a badger out of his home. Along those lines, they can be incredibly difficult to housetrain, so praise praise PRAISE when they go potty where you want them to.

2) Smarts! Noodle has figured out how to get attention the most....i.e SQUEALING for no reason. Basically, you can be walking around, not paying attention to her...and then SQUEAL...and you go running to her. She has also figured out how to get on the table, squeeze through the smallest holes...you get the picture.

She dislikes walking on grass (low stomach + grass = scratchy stomach), going down stairs...you get the picture. Their unique body shape can make what seems like a harmless movement painful, so let him take his time. Also, praise A LOT when he does something you want, and don't force him along. You'll end up with a fearful dog. Make sure you have him meet as many people as possible!

Sounds a lot like a Basset, the stubbornness and hunting temperament and all. But if you want a dog that will have a conversation with you a Basset is it