Why Do Dachshunds Cry So Much & How To Stop It (Quick Answers!)

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When a dachshund won’t stop whining and crying it can be incredibly irritating. Especially when you’ve tried everything you can think of to get them to stop. Why do dachshunds cry so much?

Is it normal for dachshunds to whine and cry so much or is something wrong?

And more importantly, how do you get your dachshund to stop whining and crying?

In this post you’ll discover:

7 reasons why dachshunds excessively whine or cry
How to stop every possible reason for your dachshunds whining/crying
How to stop night time whining & crying from dachshund puppies
And much more

Let’s jump right in.

Table of Contents

Why Do Dachshunds Whine So Much + What To Do

1) Anxiety

When whining or crying has become excessive for your dachshund one of the more likely causes is they have strong anxious feelings.

This could be separation anxiety or even just lacking confidence in any environment they’re in which makes them feel anxious.

Unfortunately this is one of the more difficult forms of anxiety to train out of your dachshund, but it can be done.

What To Do:

The first thing to do when you have an anxious dachshund is find their trigger.

What seems to be the cause for their whining and crying more often than not?

Once you know their biggest trigger you can work on helping them become more comfortable with it.

The key to helping a dog with anxiety is to give them more structure as well as gradually increasing their exposure to what makes them anxious.

For example, let’s say certain sounds trigger your pup’s excessive whining and crying (thunder, construction, ambulance, etc.)

In a safe, controlled environment, you’ll want to gradually increase their exposure to the sound.

Using recordings of the sound at a low volume and giving your pup treats when they’re calm around the sound.

As they become okay with the quiet sound, slowly increase the volume until it’s playing loudly and they’re calm.

You’d do the same thing if they were anxious and whining/crying because of certain people, dogs or situations.

Gradually increase their exposure to it while praising calm behavior.

2) They Need Help

In some cases, your dachshund whining or crying is their way of trying to communicate that they need help with something.

Which is actually quite helpful if you understand their whining is for a purpose and are able to help them with what they need.

This could be anything from being hungry or thirsty to needing to go outside and use the restroom.

What To Do:

If you think your dachshund is whining or crying because they need help with something, the best thing to do is try to figure out what it is they need.

Are they hungry or thirsty? Do they need to go outside? Are they in pain?

Once you know what it is they need, help them with it.

If they’re hungry or thirsty, give them food or water.

If they need to go outside, take them out.

If they’re in pain, see if you can figure out what’s causing the pain and help them with it.

In most cases, once you’ve helped them with whatever it is they needed, their whining and crying will stop.

However, if it doesn’t, there may be another underlying issue causing their excessive whining or crying.

3) They Want Something

For the most part, when a dachshund whines because they want something, it’s usually for attention.

Whether that’s playing with them, wanting to go for a want, or because they want you to cuddle with/hold them.

What To Do:

Typically a lack of physical or mental stimulation is the cause for excessive whining because your dachshund wants something.

To help with this, make sure you’re giving them plenty of attention throughout the day as well as some form of exercise.

This could be playing fetch in the backyard, going for a walk or run, or even just some basic obedience training.

The key is to exhaust their mental and physical energy so they’re more interested in resting at the end of the day instead of asking more from you.

In many cases, if your dachshund is whining because they want attention, giving them more exercise and mental stimulation will stop it.

4) They Get Cold Easily

Dachshunds are much more susceptible to getting cold more easily than other breeds.

Not only do they not have a thick fur coat to keep them warm but they’re small which means less body fat to keep them warm.

Not to mention they’re also much closer to the cold ground because of their short legs which also adds to them catching a chill much easier.

And if they’re unknowingly cold more often than not, you’ll likely hear them whining more than you think is necessary.

What To Do:

If you think your dachshund is whining more than usual because they’re cold, the best thing you can do is get them a dog sweater or coat.

This will help keep their body temperature up so they don’t have to worry about being cold as often.

You should also avoid taking them out in extremely cold weather and make sure they have a warm place to rest at night and during the day.

Some dog beds have special temperature regulating foam that helps retain heat while others are designed to be den-like and warm.

Adding blankets to their favorite resting spot is also a good way to help keep them warm.

If their whining and crying has been because they’re cold, you should notice it slow down by trying out a few of these solutions.

5) They’ve Become Overly Jealous

Dachshunds are bred to be hunting dogs which means they’re very loyal and protective of their family.

While this is a great trait to have, it can also lead to some behavioral issues if not properly taken care of.

One such issue is jealousy which can cause your dachshund to whine excessively because they think you’re paying too much attention to someone or something else.

This is most common with other pets in the house but can also happen with small children.

What To Do:

Overly jealous behavior is always caused by a lack of socialization when a dachshund is young.

If their experience as a puppy was that they were the only one around to ever get your attention, as soon as new people or animals are introduced they’ll start acting out.

One way is whining and crying excessively until you give them attention.

Whether your dachshund is a young pup or an older doggo, the solution is the same.

More socializing.

It’ll be much easier to train out of a young dachshund puppy than an adult, but socializing is the key to stopping jealous behavior.

It helps teach them that you paying attention to other people or dogs isn’t a threat and is simply a part of life.

Which will stop them from excessively whining due to jealousy.

6) Easily Excited

Over-excitement can be a big cause for excessive whining.

While it can be cute at first, when it happens all the time it can become a nuisance.

Dachshunds that are easily excited tend to whine whenever something peaks their interest or they get too worked up.

This could be anything from you coming home from work to another dog walking by the house.

What To Do:

The best way to stop an over-excited dachshund from whining is to slowly introduce them to the things that excite them.

If they get too worked up every time you come home, have someone else come in the house first so they can calm down before seeing you.

The same goes for if they whine whenever another dog is around.

Introduce them to other dogs gradually so they have time to adjust and get used to them.

You can also try training exercises that help them focus and calm down when they start to get too excited.

related reading: how to calm a hyperactive dog

7) Unknown Health Issue

There’s always an off-chance that your dachshund is whining and crying so much because something’s bothering them internally.

While this is more rare, it’s always a possibility and something to keep in mind.

What To Do:

If you think your dachshund’s whining could be because of an unknown health issue, the best thing you can do is take them to see the vet.

They’ll be able to properly diagnose and treat whatever is causing your dachshund pain or discomfort.

While most of the time, whining and crying is caused by one of the 6 things we talked about, there’s always a chance it could be something else.

If you can’t figure out why your dachshund is whining and nothing seems to be working to stop it, the best thing you can do is take them to see the vet.

How To Stop Dachshund Puppies From Whining & Crying At Night

To get your dachshund to stop whining or crying you need to know the trigger that’s causing this behavior.

Once you know what’s causing it you’re better able to stop it from continuing. Each cause for their whining will have a different strategy to stop it.

Lets look at some proven strategies to stop this.

Reset Their Schedule

A dachshund puppy’s schedule is super important when it comes to stopping them from whining and crying into the night.

To fix this, you need to reset their schedule so they know when it’s time to sleep.

This means no naps after the mid-afternoon and sticking to a set schedule to help build structure into their life.

As best as you can, you want to have them going outside to go potty at the same time everyday, eating at the same times and exercising at the same times.

Which will help them sleep at the same time.

Doing a hard reset of their daily routine can help give your dachshund puppy exactly what they need to be quiet and sleep during the night.

Keep Their Crate Close By To Start

While it may take up a lot of space in your room, having them sleep in their crate right beside your bed to start is a good way to ease their worries.

Gradually over several days and weeks you can move their crate further away from your bed and eventually your room.

Once they’re able to behave throughout the night for a few days in a row you can start moving their crate away from you.

Don’t Give In To Whining

One of the worst things you can do when your dachshund puppy whines and cries at night is give in to it.

If you cave and give them attention/console, let them out, or sleep in your bed with you, they’re going to think that’s what they’re supposed to do every single night.

It’ll become a habit that’s hard to break.

When they whine and cry, it’s important to be consistent with your response so they know that whining and crying won’t get them what they want.

If you give in, they’ll think it works and will continue doing it.

While they may actually have to go to the bathroom, you’ll want to take them directly outside, let them do what they have to do, then right back in their crate.

No play, no excitement, no attention.

Just to do their business and back in their crate.