Last Updated on March 19, 2022 by Marco
You’ve just installed a new doorstop to keep your door from banging on the wall. But now you’ve got a dachshund playing with doorstop – what’s that about? Why is your dog so enamored with a simple spring coming out of the wall? Or, is your dachshund barking aggressively at the doorstop instead? Both of those behaviors are actually normal but let’s examine them a bit more closely.
Why Is Your Dachshund Playing With Doorstop?
The dachshund doorstop relationship can be both fun and annoying to deal with, depending on how durable your doorstop is and how much you tolerate the noise of it being pawed at. But why is your dachshund playing with the doorstop?
It’s quite simple, really – the spring doorstop is new (assuming that you’ve just installed it), it’s low to the ground and therefore at the dachshund’s eye level, it vibrates in a fun way when pawed, and it creates a fun noise. This pretty much makes door stops the perfect dachshund toy!
On the one hand, that’s great as it can provide your dog with plenty of entertainment, especially when you’re out for work. On the other hand, a particularly persistent dachshund may damage your doorstop which is less than ideal. Things can become especially frustrating if your dog starts playing with the door stop late during the night or early in the morning.
Learn more about: How Do You Spell Dachshund Dog?
What If Your Dog Is Aggressive With The Doorstop?
And then, there’s the risk of the opposite reaction – your dog getting aggressive with the doorstop. Barking is to be expected whether your dog is playing or is being aggravated but if your dog is outright afraid or mad at the doorstop, this can be annoying to deal with.
Most of the time, your dog will calm down after a while when it seems that the doorstop is not a threat. However, in rare cases, your dog may forever view it as its eternal nemesis.
Treats and playtime near the spring device can help alleviate that but sometimes you just have to remove it.
So, Is The Dachshund Playing With Doorstop A Problem?
It could be. In some cases, your dog can be playing with the doorstop so aggressively that it damages the device. There’s also a risk of a dental issue if the dog gets overexcited in trying to bite the doorstop. Most of the time, however, the problem is just that the dog makes too much noise – something that can be annoying to both you and your neighbors at certain times of the day.
Yet, at the same time, doorstops can be a great source of fun for your dog. Take a look at what these pet owners made for their pup with a few doorstops and a wooden board, for example. Simple things like that can be much more effective for keeping your dog entertained than any commercial dog toy.
FAQs
What do dachshund like to play with?
Doxies are one of those overly inquisitive and playful breeds that are always ready to play with someone or something. People view them as less physically active than other dogs due to their size but that’s only partly true.
Dachshunds do have lower endurance compared to many other breeds because of their smaller size and short legs. However, that doesn’t mean that they don’t love to play with everything around them.
So, what can you expect to capture your Doxie’s attention?
Simply put – anything at their eye level. Dachshunds are a scent hound breed that was originally used for badger, fox, and rabbit hunting. This means that dachshunds have an excess of intuitive curiosity – they want to check out, sniff, paw, and play with everything they can see. They especially love to dig so flower pots may need to be protected.
Aside from that, however, a dachshund will love to play with anything on the floor such as any type of dog toy, shoes, slippers, socks, doorstops, and so on. If it can be interacted with and especially if it makes noise, your dachshund will love it.
Why does my dog bark at the door stopper?
Door stoppers are a surprisingly effective dog toy that many people don’t think about. Particularly the sping-type door stoppers are a favorite of many small dog breeds and young puppies. Larger dogs often grow tired of them after a while as they quite literally outgrow them – out of sight, out of mind, so to speak.
With young pups or small dog breeds like the dachshund, however, a spring-type door stopper can literally provide life-long entertainment. Door stoppers are durable, make weird sounds when played with, and they jump around as they are springs.
So, especially the first time your dog encounters a spring door stopper, barking is a perfectly normal reaction. It can be out of excitement, surprise, or even an initial burst of reactive aggression. All that is fine and shouldn’t be worrying. Instead, show your dog that the door stopper is a fun and harmless thing to play with and make the whole encounter a pleasant one.
Alternatively, if you don’t want your dog to play with the door stopper, you’d want to distract your dog away from it.
Why do dogs attack door stoppers?
Dogs can be weirded out by many otherwise inconspicuous things, especially if they haven’t seen them before. Spring-type door stoppers are a good example – they make a strange sound, they vibrate when pawed, and they stick out the wall in a bizaire (for a dog) manner. So, it’s perfectly normal for a dog to bark and attack such a door stopper.
Ideally, however, this behavior ought to stop eventually. Sooner or later your dog is bound to realize that the door stopper is no threat and start ignoring it. Alternatively, many dogs, particularly of shorter breeds like the dachshund, start viewing door stoppers as fun toys to play with.
If your dog does neither of those things and continues to genuinely hate/fear and attack the door stopper, you may need to remove it. You can try to fix the “relationship” between your dog and the doorstopper with treats or playtime near it but that can sometimes be more work than it’s worth.
Jordan is an animal–lover who specializes in dachshunds. He has owned and cared for dachshunds since he was a child, and his passion for these unique dogs has only grown with time. Jordan is an avid researcher and learner, and spends a large portion of his free time studying the history, behaviour, and health of dachshunds. He has a knack for training and socializing his own dogs, and loves introducing them to new experiences. When not caring for his own pets, Jordan likes to volunteer at local animal rescue shelters, helping to find homes for abandoned dachshunds. He is a true animal advocate, and dedicates his time to ensure that all animals receive the love, respect, and care they deserve.
