There’s no getting away from the fact that dachshunds are food-driven.  They’re hunting dogs after all, and have been bred over centuries to produce a predatory response to the smell and sound of food, whether the food takes the form of a live animal or a packet of cheese from your fridge.  

One thing that we have learned from dog training experience - and this applies to any breed - is that food or treats work to reinforce specific behaviour.  In fact we rely on this fact to produce the behaviour we want from our dogs.  We shouldn’t then be surprised if giving our dachshunds food in the wrong place or at the wrong time - for example at the dining table - reinforces the type of behaviour, such as begging for food, which prompted the food gift.  Reinforcement with food is only likely to produce more of that behaviour.  

Understanding this is key to figuring out how to prevent it from developing in the first place, and how to change it if it already exists. Your dachshund’s behaviour can be shaped by where, when, and how she gets access to food.  Luckily, this is entirely under your control.


Dog behaviour experts recommend the following actions: 

Be consistent

Training ourselves to be consistent is usually the hardest part of stopping a dog from begging for food.  In any kind of dog training, consistency is the key to success. For your dachshund to learn that her begging behavior is ineffective, it has to be ineffective 100% of the time.  It’s not fair to expect good behavior from our dogs if we ourselves don’t remain consistent. If you want your dog to stop begging you have to ensure that you’re not giving him mixed signals.  All members of your household must apply the same rules for them to be effective, so no sneaky feeding from the most persuadable family member! 

Ignore your begging dachshund

Begging is attention-seeking behaviour, so you must ignore the behaviour and teach your dog that it will not produce the result they want (food). Ignoring your dachshund means no touching her, no eye contact, no talking to her.  When your dachshund nudges your elbow, fixes you with her stare, or barks or whines while you’re eating, and then gets given some of your food, she soon learns that this is an effective strategy.


Don’t give food to a begging dachshund

Start as you mean to go on.  Whether you’re at the dining table, at a picnic outside, or having a snack in front of the TV, just don’t do it.  Find the strength not to give in to those begging eyes, or that laser-like and slightly accusing dachshund stare. 

Don’t feel sorry for your dachshund - no really, dont!

Your begging dog is not starving.  You feed her well once or twice every day, and she doesn’t need scraps from the table.  Don’t equate food with love. 

Be patient

Don't give up!

Location, location, location

The same guidelines apply to managing your dachshund if she hangs around in the kitchen while meals are being prepared.  Maybe you deliberately drop little tidbits of food for her, or maybe she waits under your feet in case you drop something on the floor. Regardless of how or why your dog has access to your food, the bottom line is that the kitchen area has become very attractive (and reinforcing) to her, and is now a location where she is likely to hang out in the presence of food.


I confess that I always share apples with our Sunny.  He gets the apple core when I’ve finished, and sits on the sofa or next to my chair in the office, staring at me and salivating until I give the core to him.  I should never have started this.  Now, a little snack while I watch the evening TV news brings him to my side, salivating and glaring.  Given that dogs will not differentiate between official household rules and those ‘just this once’ moments, Sunny can’t distinguish between snacks that I’ll willingly share such as an apple, and those that I won’t (everything else).  Since dogs repeat behaviors that have been rewarded, it should be no surprise to me that Sunny hovers around me at every snack time.

Some guidelines about location, food, and your dachshund

If you don’t want your dachshund in the kitchen while you prepare food, don’t give her food while he’s in the kitchen. Decide where you want her to be instead, and reward her for being in that spot. 


Decide where you want your dog to be while you eat. Make that area a great place for him to be by giving him something enjoyable to do while you eat.  If possible, enforce the position while he learns this rule by means of a closed door, baby gate, or crate.


Both of these guidelines mean that there will inevitably be some disturbance for you while you reward her for staying in the right place, while at the same time you are trying to cook or eat.  Maybe this is why it can be hard to keep to these rules.

To recap (it sounds so simple, but I know it’s difficult to execute):

If you don’t want your dog begging for food at the table, don’t ever feed him at the table. If you don’t want your dog begging for food in the kitchen, don’t ever feed him your food in the kitchen.

Remember, you will get whatever behaviours you reinforce. As with all dog behaviors, decide what you want your dachshund to do, set things up to make it easy for her to choose that particular behavior, and then reinforce it!

Good luck!