Dachshunds do not have especially strong house-guarding ability. Although they can recognize family members and distinguish strangers, they may not always bark at or attack strangers. To some extent they can still serve as watchdogs, but because Dachshunds are gentle and friendly toward people, they are not naturally ideal as dedicated guard dogs.
How Do You Train a Dachshund to Guard the House?
1. At the beginning of training, you can ask a helper unfamiliar to the dog to pretend to be a guest and walk straight into the house without being invited. At that moment, command the dog to bark at the person. If the helper keeps moving forward, the dog may be encouraged to grab the person's clothing, but it must never be allowed to injure the person.
2. When no one is in the room, train the Dachshund to guard it and not allow anyone to enter without permission. During training, ask an unfamiliar helper to enter the owner's room secretly while the owner hides nearby. If the dog shows no reaction, correct it and give a verbal cue such as ?Watch out!? With repeated practice, the dog may gradually learn to take on this task.
3. If an unexpected visitor enters the house and the owner has to receive the person but still feels uncertain, the owner can command the Dachshund to stay close to the visitor. If the person stands, the dog stands; if the person sits, the dog sits nearby. If the visitor touches things in the house, the dog may bark or even hold onto the person's clothing. At that point, the owner should give a loud verbal correction to keep the dog under control.
If you want a Dachshund to help watch the home, training should begin while it is still a puppy. Adult dogs already have stronger independent habits, so training becomes more difficult later. One important point is never to expect an untrained Dachshund to function as a guard dog. That is simply not appropriate.