Are you wondering why your dachshund is just sticking to you and ignoring other family members? Do you think dachshunds are loyal to only one person?
If you answered yes, let us explore the reasons for dachshunds’ loyalty to one person and how you can help them bond with other members of your family.
Dachshunds are incredibly loyal to and protective of their owners. They often attach intensely to that one person of the family who spends the most time with them, or feeds them, or maybe takes them out to play.
There are plenty of reasons why they prioritize one person over others.
Can dachshunds bond with other members of their hooman-family? Yes, they can with your help. You can socialize your doxie to new people and other animals through proper and consistent socialization training.
Quite obviously, you wouldn’t like to have a doggy who’s grumpy, nervous, and scared of strangers and other animals. You would want the exact opposite instead.
If you want to have a well-socialized dachshund, who keeps wagging his tail and always feels comfortable around others, then a proper socialization training is what you need.
But before moving towards socialization training, let us see the different reasons behind dachshunds’ loyalty to one person.
1 – You Brought Him to The Family
One of the main reasons your doxie is attaching so much to you is because he knows who brought him to the family. And he’s obviously in love with you and likes your place.
Doxies are highly intelligent and have an incredible memory. They will remember you even after years. Due to their sharp memory, doxies can recall specific places, events, and people.
If you’re the one who brought them to their new home, they will remember it and tend to bond with you intensely while ignoring others.
As humans, we often prioritize some people and like being in their company. That’s because they make us feel comfortable, they treat us well, and they’re like-minded.
Just like that, dachshunds may also feel better in one person’s company and prefer them over others.
Bonding with one person in the family is good, but ignoring others is not. That’s why you shouldn’t encourage this behavior and work on your doxie’s socialization.
2 – You Feed Your Dachshund
Food is the weakness of doxies, and they will do everything to get their favorite meals. And when they know you’re their food-man, they will bond more with you.
Dachshunds are one of the most intelligent breeds, one that tends to please you if you feed them. That is the reason most dachshunds stick to their owners like bees stick to honey.
They know their owners might give them a treat or something.
Just because you’re his food-man, your doxie will most probably follow orders only from you.
If you’re the one who feeds your doxie, you can train him to be comfortable around others and bond with them as much as he does with you.
You can do this by allowing your family members and other people to come closer to your doxie, play with him, and offer him food.
Reward your little wiener for allowing others near him, and for accepting food from them. Reassure him that it’s okay to be friends with others.
By following this routine, you will reassure your wiener that, not only his food-man but other members of his hooman family are nice, too.
3 – You Take Him out to Play
As you already know, dachshunds are an ‘always-up-for-fun’ type of breed. They always adore the person who takes them out to play.
Doxies are very smart, and at the same time, a little crazy! They always want you to go out with them and let them do all the crazy stuff they have planned for the day. That’s how they are, but you should be careful about a couple of things.
Excessive physical stimulation and long play-time with one person can lead to some problems. Your dachshund might want you to take him out even when it’s not play-time. And when you don’t fulfill his demands, he might start bothering you.
Remember, if dachshunds spend too much time playing with just one person, they tend to bond deeply with that particular person. That’s what you don’t want your doxie to be doing.
4 – You Give Him Constant Attention
If you are always around and give your dachshund constant attention, he might become a little clingy and will follow you to every corner of your home.
As you already know, doxies like to be part of their human family and love attention. However, too much attention can be bad for them. This can lead to clinginess, and if not treated on time, cause separation anxiety to your little wiener.
Dachshunds love to cuddle and usually want to be with the person who cuddles and gives them lots of physical affection. They’re most likely to be loyal to that one person who always does what they love.
If you’re the one who gives him a pat on the back, do tummy rubs, and cuddle with him every time he comes close to you, then you’re encouraging his clingy behavior.
5 – You Raised Him as A Pup
One possible reason your dachshund is loyal only to you is that you raised him from a pup to a dog. You were around and looked after him in his early days.
Studies show that dachshunds tend to build the strongest bonds in the first three to six weeks of life. These relations are there to stay and can have a lasting impact on your doxies personality.
He will remember who used to feed him, who gave him showers, who brought him lovely puppy toys, and who spared time to play with him.
If you are that person, then your doxie will tend to be exceptionally loyal to you and might not socialize with other people and animals.
However, if you want to socialize him with other members of your family, you should allow them to spend time with your doxie, feed him, and play with him. But before beginning the socialization training, make sure he’s not uncomfortable around others.
Through proper socialization training, you can make your doxie switch his loyalties and become friends with other people and animals.
6 – You Sleep Close to Him
Do you allow your dachshund to snuggle into your bed? If you do so, your short-legged wiener will keep his loyalties just to you.
Letting your dachshund sleep with you, or close to you, makes him feel secure and protected. That’s why he always sticks with you. He feels a sense of security and protection that he doesn’t feel with anyone else.
Being a pet-parent, you’re probably aware of the ‘puppy crying in a crate’ problems. Your puppy starts screaming and whining when you leave him alone in a crate. The reason behind this behavior could be either fear or some sort of discomfort.
Your dachshund might become loyal to you just because you allow him to sleep in your room or sometimes in your bed.
To avoid your doxie from attaching too much to you, you must start training him to sleep independently since his early days. You can train him to sleep in his crate or dog-house whatever you have.
7 – Your Doxie Loves Your Personality
Knowing the fact dachshunds are highly intelligent, it’s no wonder they can distinguish between different people and pick their favorite person based on personality traits.
If you have a good personality and treat your dachshund well, you can easily become his favorite person. Being his favorite person means he’ll be devoted to you.
He would always want to be with you, his favorite person), and might not get along well with other animals and people.
Studies show that dogs can guess your personality, and they can tell whether or not you’re trustworthy.
If your wiener reacts differently to certain people, he might be sensing something wrong from them. You should notice his behavior in different gatherings.
If you want your dachshund to be friendly with your friends and family, you should work on his socialization properly, and make sure nobody makes him feel uncomfortable.
8 – You Give Him the Best Treatment
Dachshunds are hilarious, little creatures, and they’re often very mean. They love to be treated well and won’t deny treats from anyone.
Due to their upbeat and playful personality, they would always prefer to be with the person who lets them have fun and does what they love. And what they love is no surprise: endless silliness, digging, lots of munching, and weird adventures.
They can easily pledge their loyalties to a person who gives them their favorite snack, does crazy stuff, plays fetch with them, and lets them explore new things.
If your dachshund is attaching so much with you, or with any other family member, that is probably due to the extraordinary treatment he gets. If the whole family treats him equally, he’ll be loyal to everyone and won’t discriminate.
9 – You Didn’t Socialize Him Properly
Like many other dog breeds, dachshunds can also get afraid, nervous, grumpy, and aggressive in certain situations.
Though they’re discovery dogs, they’re sometimes afraid of unknown things, including new smells, sounds, and situations.
They might be afraid of loud sounds, huge crowds, and other people and animals. Lack of proper socialization could be another reason your dachshund is just clinging to you.
You should start working on your doxie’s socialization from his early days. Well-socialized pups grow into healthy, loving, and playful canines. Contrarily, the pups lacking proper socialization grow into aggressive, nervous, and weird ones.
Consider familiarising your long-bodied wiener with kids, elders, other dogs, and take him out to different places. These activities will help him learn about everything, and he will eventually become independent.
Can Dachshunds Become Loyal to More than One Person?
Dachshunds can become loyal to more than one person through proper socialization training. You need to train him properly and introduce him to other animals and people from a young age.
There are many instances where doxies prefer being in one person’s company and become nervous, afraid, and sometimes jealous to see other people or animals around them.
You can avoid this by observing his behavior in different situations and help him cope with these situations without getting nervous and jealous.
As we have discussed earlier, doxies switch their loyalties based on the treatment they get from different people. Not only this, but they also pick their favorite person based on the person’s personality traits.
Yes, they can guess your personality and won’t come to you if you give them negative vibes.
If you want to become friends with your doxie, you must make him feel comfortable and treat him the way he wants. Make sure he knows that you’re his boss, and obeying you would be good for him.
How Can I Socialize My Dachshund with Other People and Animals?
Socialization is a gradual and on-going process that brings great results if executed properly. The best period for socializing dachshunds is when they’re 3 to 12 weeks old.
Here’s what you can do for better socializing your dachshund:
- Begin from your family and close friends, and introduce your furry bud to different people, including youngsters, kids, and elders, so he knows they’re all people.
- Take him out for walks and work on his leash-handling. Also, take him on road trips to familiarize him with motorized traveling.
- Make him listen to new sounds, feel new smells, and make discoveries. It will grow his confidence and eliminate his insecurities.
- Give him a treat whenever he obeys your orders and lets other people pet him and have fun with him.
- Ask your family members to contribute equally to your doxie’s socialization and reward him on obeying their orders.
- Let your doxie play with your friends and kids, and make sure he doesn’t spend too much time with a single person.
- Take him out to a community park and let him mingle with kids and other pets.
Just like humans, dachshunds are also afraid of the unknown, uncertain circumstances. If they know what’s coming their way, they will behave normally. Contrarily, if they don’t know what’s going to happen, they will become nervous.
The main thing to consider is your doxie’s comfort. If he doesn’t feel comfortable, you might not see good results from the training. Your wiener avoids people because he doesn’t know whether or not these people are trustworthy.
Once he has a reasonable assurance about this, he’ll let his guard down and let people in his life.
Why Should I Socialize My Dachshund?
Socialization is crucial for your dachshund because it will shape his behavior, help overcome various fears, and become more confident in different situations.
Doxies who lack proper socialization, often become afraid, anxious, and clingy. Instead of having fun independently, they will stick to one particular person and might show signs of aggression to others.
If your wiener is clingy and anxious, he won’t get along well with other people and animals. And if you don’t treat his clinginess on time, he might also fall victim to separation anxiety.
Do you want a dachshund who’s always down, stressed, and feels insecure at new places? Or, you want a sausage who stays upbeat, is ready-to-play fetch and embraces everyone cheerfully?
Obviously, you would like to go with the later. That’s why socialization is essential.
A dachshund puppy who’s socialized from the earlier age grows into a confident, healthy, and happy canine that won’t run away from unfamiliar faces and places.
You can take them out to your neighbor’s house, to community gatherings, stores, and parks. They won’t be scared of unfamiliar situations and meet everyone confidently.
Final Thoughts on Dachshunds and Loyalty
Looking at the points we discussed above, it’s quite clear that dachshunds pledge loyalties to one person based on that person’s behavior with them.
Your doxie will treat you exactly the way you treat him. If you’re the type of person who always gives him treats, indulges him in different activities, feeds him, and brings him lots of treats, your dachshund will know this is where his loyalties should be.
Ask your family members to take your wiener for walks and outings, feed him, play with him, and also take care of his comforts and limits. Additionally, you can ask them to give your doxie various commands and reward him when he obeys them.
Don’t allow anyone to get too attached to him or give him extraordinary treatment. Instead, focus on giving him a balanced treatment. Make a routine and set proper do’s and don’ts and ask your family to focus on the do’s and avoid don’ts.
If you maintain this routine for a couple of weeks, you will see great improvements in your wiener’s behavior. He’ll become more confident and self-sufficient: exactly the way he should be.
