We have a little female dachshund who is very shy.?

Question

She does submissive wetting and barks out of the clear blue. We have 2 other dogs who have strong characters and love her but will eat all her food. I try to feed her in another room but she won't eat and tries to get out of the room. I think she is afraid of me and everything else. I have to be Superior to the other dogs because they will misbehave if I don't. I love all of them but she is driving me crazy. Even if I coax her to me and put her on my lap and pet her and talk to her she shakes. She has been this way since we got her as a puppy. Now she's 2. Help?

Answer 1

try feeding her by hand and take her on lots of walks

Answer 2

sorry your little dog had such a bad start in life but i have to say your babying her is just going to make her worse.  

i would try feeding her in a crate or ex pen in the room with everyone else and she can see everyone but the big dogs can't get her food.  stop trying to coax her to you.  this just makes her think she has a reason to be afraid.  i would put the other dogs out or in another room so it is just you and her.  this is a little training session for her and you.  sit in a chair ( watch tv or read a book and ignore her but have some little treats she likes in your hand.  when she looks at you toss her a little treat and when she takes it tell her she's a good girl in a normal happy voice not a babying voice and continue to ignore.  you have to let her come to you on her own time.  continue this several times a day and when she figures out approaching you is a good thing with a positive reward she will be happy to come to you.  it will take patience on your part but she will come around.  

don't baby her, give lots of praise and treats for her positive and brave behavior.  you have had her long enough that she knows you are not going to hurt her.  good luck

Answer 3

try feeding her in a crate. I have a Dachshund mix about 3 yrs old and that's how i feed her because my other dog is bigger. I don't think she had any obedience training from previous owner. Although she doesn't wet she has a fearful nature -- hides from company, wants to snap at strange dogs that come anywhere near her, etc. -- and i try to keep her stress to a minimum. That's not to say she is mollycoddled.  We do regular basic obedience training to maintain the relationship of leader/follower since Dachshunds can be a bit sneaky and single-minded. She is very food-motivated -- loves to give paw, roll over, etc. for a tidbit.      And yes she is yappy. We've been working on it. If she yaps at the neighbors, I go right outside and bring her in to the crate. (We have a pet door and she can go outside at will.)  It's getting better. Usually now she hears me coming and she comes back away from the fence.  I'm training her to know when to stop yapping when she hears the mailman outside. I go the opposite direction from the door until she is quiet. At the first interval of quiet I say "enough" and give a hand signal and treat.

EDIT: It's possible that she is afraid of repercussions from your other dogs if she receives attention from you. Your dominant dogs actually should receive preferential treatment. They are the dogs you should pet first, feed first and let out the door first. The dogs will all be more comfortable when the pack order is clear.

A bit of Dachshund info:

Like all dogs, the Dachshund must be trained to obey family members. Although a mature standard Dachshund weighs less than 30 pounds, the dog is all muscle and is clever enough to get away with much mischief if not taught some manners. Furthermore, the temperament that allows him to defy a badger can cause him to resist instructions through independence or guile unless he is fully aware that the humans are in charge in the household. Training should be done with firm, consistent guidance, not harsh correction.

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/dachs.html

Answer 4

take her to the vet.

Answer 5

If she's been this way since a pup it might be worth it to see a dog behaviorist. I have a doxie mix that was abused as a puppy. She used to submissively pee and it took her a long time to get used to my family. But if she's that timid, you may want to get someone that has dealt with dog problems like this before. The poor dog had a troubled beginning and it could still be affecting her.

Answer 6

I had this same problem with my male doxy, he used to do submissive wetting and was also a rescue.  He would do it when he was in the presence of a woman or little girl, but if a man was around he was a normal dog.  We had a female doxy who would eat his food as well, unless I was around while he was eating.  What I found out was he was abused at the mill by a woman, so when he saw women he got very affraid.   He became my dog only for a time, I would have to sleep in a different room and I slowly would let my g/f walk by, from a distance, then she would get closer. This took a little while but after awhile he lost that fear of woman!