Dachshunds need plenty of exercises to burn energy and keep muscles, tendons, and spine healthy. However, over-exercising your doxie can cause back problems.
Ensure they get 30 to 60 minutes of exercise each day in the form of neighborhood walks and games such as fetch and agility courses. Avoid over-exercising them before their growth plates close, as this could stunt their growth or lead to back issues.
Safe and Beneficial Activities for Dachshunds: Walking, Controlled Running, and Swimming
Daily walks are a great way to burn some of your Dachshund’s excess energy. It also provides them with the mental stimulation of following scents, woofing at wildlife and traversing new terrain. This exercise is important to a Dachshund’s overall health and should be included in their daily routine, regardless of age or physical ability.
Running is a high-impact exercise that can be challenging for a Dachshund’s joints and back. Therefore, it’s essential to consult with your vet before introducing this type of exercise to your dog. It’s also best to start off slow and gradually increase the duration. Be sure to monitor your dog for signs of fatigue and discomfort, such as limping or panting. Always choose a soft surface, such as grass or wooded trails to reduce the impact on your dog’s body.
A Dachshund’s long spine puts a lot of pressure on its back, making them prone to back injuries such as intervertebral disc disease. Being overweight only exacerbates this issue. Regular exercise, especially in the form of walking, helps improve the strength of their muscles and bones, which can prevent them from developing such back issues.
It’s also wise to prevent your Dachshund from jumping down from high places, such as the couch or bed, as this can be detrimental to their backs. Using doggy stairs or ramps will help them get down from elevated spots without having to jump.
Swimming is another low-impact activity that can help your dog improve their endurance and build muscle strength. However, it’s important to consult with your veterinarian before introducing this exercise to your dog, as they may have pre-existing conditions that make them at risk for injury or fatigue. It’s also essential to keep an eye on your Dachshund for signs of exhaustion, like shivering or panting. If they become too fatigued, it’s best to remove them from the water and allow them to rest.
Nurturing Your Dachshund’s Natural Instincts through Play and Mental Enrichment
Miniature Dachshunds have hunting genes in their DNA, so they’re primed for lots of physical activity. However, they can easily overdo it and end up with back injuries or other ailments. This is why it’s important to make sure that they get the right kind of exercise.
Many Dachshund owners have heard the advice to avoid overexerting your dog and letting them climb stairs or jump up on furniture, for fear that this will hurt their spines. While this may be well-meaning, it is likely ill-advised.
In reality, Dachshunds can safely exercise as long as you take them slowly and monitor their energy levels. In fact, they benefit from mentally stimulating activities just as much as they do physical ones.
Interactive play is a great way to bond with your dachshund and to improve their coordination, balance, and problem-solving skills. It also helps them burn energy and provides an outlet for their hunting instincts. Try games like fetch and hide-and-seek. These games will help to tire out your puppy, and they can also provide a good opportunity for you to work on training commands like “drop it” and “return”.
Another great physical exercise is swimming. This is a low-impact exercise that burns energy and engages all of your puppy’s muscles, especially the front legs and shoulders. Plus, it’s an excellent exercise for dogs recovering from injury or surgery.
You can also turn mealtime into a mental enrichment activity by encouraging your dog to hunt for its food. This can be done by hiding a toy or treat in a room and telling them to find it. This is a great way to keep your dachshund’s mind busy and can even help them lose weight.
Exercise and Play for Happy, Healthy Dachshunds
Dachshunds need both mental stimulation and physical activity to be happy and healthy. As a result, the more variety you can offer in their exercise routines, the better. This will help tire them out and keep them engaged. It also helps to keep their muscles and tendons supple and strong, which reduces their risk of back problems like Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD).
While neighborhood walks and playtime are great exercises for dachshunds, they do not provide the same level of exercise as a game of fetch or a hike. To get the maximum health benefits from their exercise, dachshunds need a minimum of 60 minutes of activity per day. This can be broken up into several 30 to 60-minute sessions.
Dog parks are also great places for dachshunds to run, jump, and play with other dogs. However, it is important to supervise them to prevent over-excitement or rough play that can lead to injuries.
If your dachshund has good recall and comes on command, you can let them off-leash to run around the park. It is important to teach them not to run off, though, since they may be tempted by something they smell or hear and want to pursue it. A good retractable leash is a great way to give your puppy more freedom while still keeping them safe and under control.
Another form of vigorous exercise that is ideal for dachshunds is swimming. This burns an incredible amount of energy and engages all the major muscle groups, especially the shoulders and front legs. It is also low-impact, meaning that it doesn’t put too much strain on the back and tendons.
Many dachshunds love to swim, but you should be sure to monitor them closely while they are in the water. They can easily overheat, and you should watch for signs of dehydration or heat exhaustion, including panting, drooling, and lethargy. They can also strain or sprain their muscles, particularly if they haven’t had adequate warm-up and cool-down periods. This is why it’s a good idea to alternate swimming with other forms of exercise, such as hiking or playing fetch.
As a rule, Dachshunds are energetic dogs that need lots of mental enrichment as well as physical exercise. However, they’re also prone to back issues and over-exercising can damage their joints and tendons. As such, you need to monitor their activity carefully and watch out for signs of physical strain.
A good way to keep their energy levels under control is with obedience training. This helps teach them the commands that you need them to respond to and helps them focus their energy into something more productive than digging or barking at other dogs.
You can also engage their hunting instincts by playing games like hide and seek. Simply hiding one of their favorite toys in a room and giving them the command to find it can help them burn off pent-up energy and encourage them to use their brains. This is especially useful for older dachshunds that are starting to show the first signs of ageing, as it can keep their minds active and help them burn off energy without over-exerting themselves.
Providing other types of purposeful activities will also be beneficial. For instance, swimming is a great form of exercise for all dogs and can burn a lot of energy whilst strengthening the back muscles. It’s also not considered to be a high-impact exercise, which makes it better for dachshunds who can develop back problems such as Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD).
It’s important to note that Dachshund puppies are still growing and their growth plates haven’t closed yet. As a result, they need more frequent and shorter walks to help them build up their strength and stamina.
Dachshunds can start to show signs of ageing as early as 7-8 years old, so at this stage, it’s important to start to limit their physical activity and switch it up to help maintain their energy levels and fitness. You may notice that they’re less interested in running around the living room or aren’t going on as long walks as they used to.
You’ll also want to consider incorporating more indoor games and exercises that focus on their intelligence and mental enrichment. This could involve training them to play a game of fetch with you or helping them to train their recall by using clicker training to reward them when they come back to you. You can even try a more intensive training regime like agility, but again this should be done slowly to help them avoid injuries and over-exertion.
