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Small breeds
Dachshunds on Cape Ann: backs, stairs and the snow
The dachshund is a badger hound built low, stubborn, loud and brave beyond its size. On this coast its two enemies are granite and snow: the boulder it wants to jump off at Dogtown Common and the drift it cannot see over in February. Our handlers plan the day around the back first.
Health notes
The long back: what our team watches on every dachshund
A dachshund's spine is long, its legs are short, and the discs between the vertebrae carry more strain than in almost any other shape of dog. Our team does not diagnose disc disease. What our handlers do is watch for the early signs the AKC's expert advice pages describe: a dog that suddenly will not jump onto the cot it climbed yesterday, a hunched back at rest, a yelp when picked up, a hind foot that knuckles under. Any of those ends the play session and starts a phone call to you. Ask your vet what to watch for in your dog, and tell us so we watch the same things.
Prevention is what we can do. In the small-dog group a dachshund is kept off the tall platforms and away from the dogs that land on other dogs; the pool ramp is low and the play is on the flat. At home the rules are the ones your vet will give you: no leaping off the couch, a ramp or a lift for the stairs, a harness rather than a collar so the neck never takes a jerk, and a weight the ribs can be felt through. An overweight dachshund is the one our handlers worry about most.
- A dog that will not jump onto the cot it climbed yesterday
- A hunched back at rest or a yelp when lifted
- A hind foot that knuckles under on the turf
- Weight creep; the ribs should be easy to feel
This coast
Winter: the snow is deeper than the dog
A standard dachshund carries its chest about five inches off the ground, a miniature less. After a nor'easter drops a foot of snow on Gloucester, a dachshund does not walk through the yard; it swims through it, wets its whole underside, and chills fast. A smooth coat makes it worse. The AVMA's cold weather guidance is clear that short-coated, low-slung dogs need a coat and short outings, and the smooth dachshund is the definition of both. Our handlers keep the small groups' outdoor block short on the frozen days and shovel a strip of the yard.
Salt is the second winter problem. A dog this low carries road salt home on its belly and chest, not just its feet, and licks it off. Rinse the underside after every treated sidewalk. Ice is the third: a dachshund that slips on a glazed step lands on its spine. Carry it on the icy stairs in January and do not apologize for it. On the days the roads close, a puzzle game at $7 or a lick mat at $5 on a daycare day does the job a walk cannot.
The rest of the year is easier. A dachshund will dig at Wingaersheek on the odd-numbered days from October 1 to April 30, at the time of writing, with more joy than any retriever; keep it off the granite at Dogtown Common, where the jump down from a boulder is the injury waiting to happen.
- 01
Shovel a strip in the yard before the first bathroom break, wide enough for a low dog
- 02
Coat on for any outing below freezing; a smooth dachshund has no undercoat
- 03
Ten minutes out, then in; a wet belly chills a low dog fast
- 04
Rinse and dry the chest and belly after salted sidewalks
- 05
Carry the dog on icy steps and lift it into the car
- 06
On the worst days, book a lick mat or a puzzle onto a daycare day instead of a walk
The playgroup
Small, loud and brave: the group a dachshund belongs in
A dachshund thinks it is a big dog and our handlers do not let it act on that. At the free evaluation it goes into the small-dog group of 7 to 10, matched by weight and by play style, and within that group it is placed with the dogs that chase and sniff rather than the ones that wrestle. A dachshund rolled by a bouncy terrier can hurt its back; a dachshund chasing a cockapoo along the fence line is having the best day of its week.
The breed is a scent hound, and the sniff room at $7 on an Academy or daycare day is the best money you will spend on it. It also barks, at everything, and our handlers treat that as dachshund conversation rather than a problem. A half day at $33 suits most; the full day at $42 suits the sturdy standard that wants the whole afternoon. If your dachshund guards its bed, its bowl or you, tell us at the evaluation; it is common in the breed and it changes which circle we choose.
- The small-dog group, with the chasers and sniffers, not the wrestlers
- Kept off tall platforms and away from dogs that land on other dogs
- The sniff room at $7 for a hound that lives through its nose
- Guarding is common; tell us at the evaluation
The coat
Three coats, three grooms: smooth, wire and long
The smooth dachshund is the easy one: a bath at $55, nails at $16, and a Shed Release at $10 in spring when the short coat lets go. It needs a groomer for nails more than for hair; a dog this low wears its nails unevenly and long nails change how it stands, which the back feels. The long-haired dachshund is a real grooming client: feathering on the ears, chest, legs and tail that mats and collects burrs, a sanitary trim at $10 to keep the rear clean, and a full service groom at $75 every eight weeks or so.
The wire-haired coat is the one people get wrong. It is meant to be hand-stripped to keep the harsh texture, and clipping it softens the coat over time; ask our groomers what they recommend for your dog before you book. Whatever the coat, a dachshund's hanging ears need a check after every beach day, and a dematting charge at $15 per 20 minutes is easy to avoid with a comb on the long coat twice a week.
| Coat | What to book | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Smooth | Bath, nails, Shed Release in spring | $55, $16, $10 |
| Long-haired | Full service groom every eight weeks, sanitary trim between | $75, $10 |
| Wire-haired | Ask our groomers about stripping versus a clip | From $55 |
Dogtown for dachshunds
Short walks, half days and a lift into the Pup Van
The dachshund week our team suggests is built from short pieces. A 20-minute at-home walk at $25 two or three times a week, a half day in the small group once or twice, and a groom by coat. Walks are solo, by Dogtown staff who know the dog, with a photo after each; ask us whether we cover your address. The free evaluation comes first for daycare and walks, weekdays between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, with Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella on file and a current city license; Gloucester's come from the City Clerk at 9 Dale Ave.
The Pup Van runs at $10 each way in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea, and a dachshund is lifted in and out rather than allowed to jump. For an overnight stay the suite is $78 a night with a low cot and a lift to the playgroup, and the Deluxe bundle at $15 more adds the orthopedic memory-foam bed a long back appreciates.
At Dogtown
What a dachshund uses at Dogtown
Short at-home walks, a half day in the small group, and a groom that depends on which of the three coats you have.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Is daycare safe for a dachshund's back?
How long should a dachshund's walk be?
How do I get a dachshund through a Cape Ann winter?
Which dachshund coat needs a professional groom?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Book the free evaluation.
A weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30, so our handlers can see how your dachshund plays and put it with the small dogs that chase rather than wrestle.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
