Question:
We adopted a one year old male Daschund on Thursday. Oscar is very energetic to the point of being hyper! He has a couple of bad habbits that I thought I'd ask about.

1) he will eat anything small that is lying in the floor (ie. paper and such) especially a paper towl! I can put a piece of his dog food on the floor an he sniffs it and passes it by.

2) When he gets excited he wants to "hump" (people, blankets, pillows, etc.) even though he has been nutered.

3)He has a blanket the we use in his crate that he weill drag out bite and gnaw on then he starts literally sucking on it like a pacifier. If we keep the door to the crate closed he just sits there and whines.

Does anyone have any insight into breaking these habbits?

Thanks in advance!

Answer:
At a year old, Oscar is still a puppy, so you must be patient. Doxies were bred to hunt badgers, so this makes them independant, headstrong, and stubborn, as they must be to hunt such dangerous quarry.

How much exercise is he getting? Do you know his history? Has he had a complete checkup? How long is he left alone each day?

Having puppies and young dogs in the house helps us to be much neater, and not leave things lying around on the floor. This will take care of that problem.

I wouldn't give him a blanket in his crate at this point, since he only chews it up. If you are only leaving him alone for a short period of time, he should stay in his crate until he is reliable to be left loose in the house. He whines when you close the door because he knows if he does, you will let him out. You must never let him out when he is crying. Wait until he quiet at least a few seconds first. You can build up the time gradually.

Do not let him hump anyone. Leave his leash dragging, and when he starts, give an "OFF!!" and correct him. Immediately give a treat or toy when he stops.

Enroll in an obedience class ASAP. This will really help you learn how to train Oscar, and it's good for bonding with a new dog as well.

Doxies are not the easiest dogs in the world, but with training, consistancy and patience, he should be fine.

Answer:
Oskar is currently at home with my wife and 3 kids all day so he is exercised alot. He is left in his crate only for short periods(like long enough to go to the grocery store). We really don't have a problem with the crate so much. At night it takes him about 10 minutes to settle and then he is good until morning. We are also having trouble with his bathroom habits. When we got him we were told he was house broken. Should we utilize the crate as a training tool or is he too energetic to take it?

Thanks so much for you reply!!

Answer:
This dog may very well be housebroken, but it's best to treat new dogs as though they aren't. In the excitement and confusion of a new home, some dogs do forget their housetraining initially! Even my dog, who was 2 and housetrained, had a few accidents in the days after I brought her home.

Take him out right after he sleeps, eats or drinks. Feed him at regular times. Take him on leash to where you want him to go, and praise him when he performs. Then he can have a little free period in the house. Crate him when you can't watch him. The point is to prevent mistakes. Your dog should catch on quickly.

Here is a wonderful article on re-training older dogs!
Housetraining

Answer: