Sounds like you have never had a Dachshund before. Rough or abusive treatment will get you no where.
Petey’s world has been turned upside down by being attacked by a GSD. Since he was just neutered he’s probably a little head strong, which in time will disappear when the hormones settle down. Rough treatment will be the worse thing you can do. Whatever you do, DO NOT USE A SHOCK COLLAR, this will make matters worse!!!!!!!!! This is cruel and inhumane; Doxies and many other dogs will not tolerate this treatment.

How much time are you willing to spend helping Petey? I do hope it’s a long time. I’m sure obedience training would help him and you a great deal. He possibly needs a certified pet behaviorist to help him get over the VERY traumatic experience of being attacked by a GSD. Petey needs a home where he will be loved and cared for and not disliked by any member of the family. How old are your girls? Would they be able to attend obedience training, along with you and continue to work with Petey? This will take lots of time and a great deal of patience. Dachshunds are not the greatest with house training. They need help to remember, so you will have to start house training 101 all over again. Do not punish him because no one in the family has continued to train him. Barking is probably caused by separation anxiety and that also take a great amount of time and patience to overcome. Are you willing to work on this? If Petey was good when you first got him, then I would have to say y’all dropped the ball somewhere along the line. Dachshund’s need constant help in remembering their training, not just once in a while whenever one feels like it. If your wife is dead set against Petey I would suggest you contact the person(s) you adopted him from and see if you can return him. If the whole family is not involved with Petey and his training, it’s not going to work because you have to be on the same page.

If you cannot spend the time training and consulting a pet behaviorist, please consider turning him over to a Dachshund Rescue Org. JMHO

Actually Petey is my third dachshund. I didn't have these issues before but of course never had a dog who had been attacked before. You're right in that we can't underestimate how this affected him. We're working on retraining him but still have to keep an eye on him all the time.

In reply to your assertion that we dropped the ball somewhere, I don't think so - Petey went from an environment where he was practically ignored to one where he was the center of attention of two pre-teen girls. Doxies love attention and he ate it all up. The attack seems to be where things changed, as well as my girls spending less time with him.

I don't like shock collars either. But something has to be done about his biting and ferocity when he meets people. When we've taken him to campgrounds, he's fine, so he clearly loves to travel. His former owner says to introduce him to new people slowly. I think he was more of a handful than we were told.

I'm calling an animal behaviorist today and get his insight on Petey. Thanks for the suggestion.

Hi John,

I apologize if I came on too strongly regarding the use of a shock collar. That type of treatment truly upsets me. Shock collars could make him more aggressive, so I implore you to not even consider this as a solution. I appreciate you providing me with a little more background on Petey. Based upon that, I have a couple of more suggestions you might consider.

You said Petey came from a place where he was practically ignored, to live with you and your family. Once there, because of all of the sudden affection etc. he became King of his Castle. That change on its face may appear to have been perfect for him, but by allowing it, you may have unknowingly set the stage for what is taking place now. It sounds like Petey has become the leader in your household and as such; he has decided throw his weight around. Dominant pack oriented animals often enforce their leadership positions within the pack by attacking when things don’t go their way. Urinating and or defecating (inappropriately) is another way of showing dominance, ie marking territory.

I’m a big fan of Cesar Millan, “The Dog Whisperer” whose shows appear on the National Geographic channel. I follow his protocol(s) with my own doxie. His philosophy in short is that you and your family need to assume the leadership roll in your household. In order for things to return to normal, Petey needs recognize his subservient position. In order to establish his new role, a daily routine is important. He also needs “rules, boundaries and limitations.” To get started try this; you as his pack leader must always enter or exit a doorway first. Exercise is extremely important! It helps work off pent up energy and puts them into a more receptive frame of mind. Dogs love routine!
Another important factor is your order of contact with Petey. You need to give exercise, then training, then affection. He should receive nothing without working for it… remember, “Nothing in life is free”. He should be walked at minimum of twice a day for 30 to45 minutes. When you take him on walks, he needs to walk beside you or behind you, NEVER in front. When you feed him, he must be made to sit and wait while you put his bowl of food down and than eat only after you give him an authorizing command.

I am very happy to hear you are contacting a behaviorist. I’m sure she or he will be very helpful. Without the aid of a behaviorist, you may not do your corrective training properly and as a result, only make matters worse. Also I think standard obedience training would be very helpful.

Cesar Millan has also written a book called “Cesar’s Way” (can be purchased at Costco or amazon.com). He also has a DVD’s available. Another book to check out is “Leader of the Pack” by Nancy Baer,Steve Duno. I also recommend Patricia McConnell’s books, “The Other end of the Leash” and “The Cautious Canine.” She also has one called “Leader of the Pack.”

Everything you want to know about Cesar can be found of the following web site:
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/index.php

Television Schedule:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/dogwhisperer/index.html

I BOUGHT A DADOXIE FROM A PET STORE WHEN HE WAS 4 MONTHS OLD. IT HAS TAKEN ALOT TO POTTY TRAIN HIM. I HAVE TO ADMIT, AT FIRST I DID WRONG, BY HOLLERING AT HIM, I LEARNED QUICKLY. NOW WE, PRAISE HIM AND PET AND LOVE ON HIM WHEN HE USES THE PUPPY PAD. HE SEEMS TO UNDERSTAND BETTER WHEN I JUST TALK TO HIM IN A SENSIBLE VOICE. HE STILL HAS ACCIDENTS, SO WHEN HE DOES, I TELL HIM THATS NOT NICE. I TELL HIM , MOMMYS SAD, I TELL HIM TO BE A GOOD BOY AND USE THE PUPPY PAD. HE REALLY DOES SEEM TO UNDERSTAND WHEN I JUST TALK TO HIM. PATIENCE IS THE NUMBER 1 RULE WITH THESE DOGS.
BONNIE