All three of my dachshunds have been so different, just like children I suppose. Oscar is as bull headed and determined as Speck was but he also seems to have some bit of reasoning skill. The first night we got him, when we put him in the crate, he pitched a fit. It was late and I knew he had probably had a traumatic day, with us taking him from his familiar surroundings and coming here so I got up and slept on the sofa with him. Not something I want to do again! Speck was crate trained and he knew he was in there til we let him out but he also made sure that we knew he wasn’t happy about being in there – every minute he was in there. Oscar now goes in when I ask him to go in and he never makes a sound while he’s in there. Yesterday Vince was outside working in the front yard. I went out to work with the veggies so I put Oscar in the crate. Vince came in before I did and Vince thought I had gone back to bed and Oscar was in the bedroom with me. I said “No, he was in the crate.” He sat in the crate, with Vince in the same room for over an hour and never complained. Speck would never have done that.
Oscar is still terrible walking on a leash. I’ve watched videos and we work on it every day. He wants to chase butterflies, birds, airplanes. Geese fly over and he wants to run and follow them.
He drags his little bed all over the place and loves turning it upside down and sleeping on it. The bottom is a shiny upholstery type fabric and sitting on the tile floor, it probably gets cold and that must feel good to him.
He’s getting to be not so scared of everything but he’s still jumpy. His food and water bowl are stainless and yesterday he was doing something and turned the whole thing over. It all made a lot of noise on the tile floor and scared him half to death. He kept backing up and barking at it. Vince was upstairs and said “Why is he barking?” I told Vince Oscar had turned his water and food bowl over and he was afraid of it.”
He and Boots are doing better together. Oscar may have figured out that he’s not a stuffed toy and he leaves Boots alone more. Boots still gets up high and watches Oscar but he comes down more . . always knowing he can get out of Oscar’s reach quickly.
Every day we both comment on how much we love Oscar and how happy we are to have him. I knew I would feel that way but wasn’t so sure about Vince so I’m happy he’s happy with him.
Pat/SC says
Will Oscar have an enclosure outside for when you are working outside or will he be an escape artist?
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Not til he calms down.
Dorothy Matheson says
I have two and one does not sleep in the crate he will cry and cry. He also will not go outsied and like being in the yard. He paces right at the door to come in. His year younger sister loves the outside and she also goes right to bed in the crate sleeps all night till I wake her up or she has to go and crys to go outside. They are so different.
I know she is not nearly as smart as he is. He was easy to train for tricks. He is very food motivated. She is not food motivated. So no tricks.
I love the both of them and they are inside dogs for the most part.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
It’s so interesting how different dogs are – even from the same litter.
For what it’s worth, Oscar is very food motivated, which runs in our family. 🙂
Diane says
Now that’s a funny comment Judy! ??
Diane says
I’m referring to being food motivated running in the family! ???
judy.blog@gmail.com says
It’s true. Probably bad but true. 🙂
Nelle Coursey says
I knew Vince would be smitten!! I am so glad you got Oscar! You are going to have so many years of joy and happiness with him around. He is a cutie!!