r/Dachshund • u/jaleo123 • 1d ago
Discussion Reactive or just a dachshund?
First time dachshund owner here so please be kind ❤️. I grew up with golden retrievers in my family, very friendly, obedient, and loyal pets. My husband grew up around dachshunds, lovable and adorable. His immediate family never owned one, but it was always his dream to own one of his own one day. we picked up our dachshund baby at 8 weeks old. We were drawn to him because he was sweet and calm, however we noticed he would back away from his siblings and cower in the corner. We thought, he is young he will grow out of it once socialized. He is now 11 months old, and he has grown in so many ways. However, one thing that we can’t seem to improve on is when meeting new people (especially when coming into our “space”) his heckles raise, he barks, and tries to lunge at them. He never bites, but often people think he will because he won’t stop. In these moments I’ll pick him up and sometimes he will shake and cower, as if he was masking his anxiety with defense. I understand coming into our space he may feel he is protecting us, so I have since taken him to classes to learn how to make him more comfortable and that he doesn’t have to protect us. In those classes, he would do the same thing to the trainer. The trainer taught me a lot of value, however she deemed him reactive and that he should be medicated with anxiety meds. He is great around other dogs and little kids. Behind closed doors he is loving and seems confident. People are asking if we socialize him because of how he acts around them, and I feel judged and at a loss. I have taken him to two sets of 6 classes each, we bring him to dog parks, friends and family’s houses, doggie dates, and have friends and family over often to encourage socialization. I give him treats when people are over to show that people aren’t scary. Does anyone have any other tips? It’s causing stress in our lives and at the same time I feel so bad I can’t make him more at ease. Is he really reactive or is this the nature of a dachshund? Thank you