Rehoming a rescue dachshund – Ralph’s Story
This story is written to highlight how our expectations when rehoming a rescue dachshund may not immediately be everything we envisaged. The first 24 hrs may be fantastic but once the dog starts to settle some behavioural issues can occur as the dachshunds character emerges!!
This is when the hard work begins, and although it may be easier to return the dachshund to the rescue, through feeling unable to cope, sometimes having the patience and willingness to overcome such problems can prove immensely rewarding. Ralph’s story is an example of this.
Ralph arrived at his new home with serious separation anxiety. He was unsocialised and unhappy around other dogs. He would mark his territory inside the home which meant his new owner would not be able to visit family and friends for a while!!
It was evident Ralph would need a lot of work and his new owner recognised immediately this was not what he expected and he was very close to giving Ralph up 
With a lot of hard work Ralph became more confident with other dogs when out walking but he could still be nervous of some dogs and be reactive. With time his confidence began to grow and he became familiar with the dogs he was meeting.
Ralph’s owner also met up with licensed dog walkers to learn ways in which Ralph could progress with his socialisation and he is now a much-loved dachshund within the community. His owner now enjoys nothing more than seeing Ralph play with other dogs.
With even greater patience and time, Ralph’s separation and anxiety fears improved tremendously. So much so that he could be left alone for a couple of hours without any problem.
He is now much better with his toilet issues indoors and this has made his owner’s life much easier. It means Ralph can visit friends’ and families’ homes without causing any embarrassment!!!
Ralph has had to have an operation to remove some of his milk teeth which helped massively to overcome his other unpleasant issue of having bad breath. This is great for his owner as Ralph does enjoy a close cuddle.
The message Ralph’s owner really wanted to emphasise was that he had to lower the expectations of his rescue dachshund and accept all of Ralph’s flaws. He loved him because of his problems and understood this was Ralph’s chance to be happy and settled. He now realises that some of Ralph’s quirky behaviour can be typical of the breed!!!
Letting Ralph be himself has been the key alongside the acceptance of how life-changing the rehoming a rescue dachshund can be. From being on the verge of returning Ralph to the owner of (and I quote) a “happy, cheeky, funny, sweet little boy” has been a testament to how great results can be achieved and a new bond is made for life.
If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of needing to rehome your dog, for whatever reason, feel free to reach out to your local Dachshund Rescue coordinator. We have a UK-wide team. You’ll find their contact details here
We provide UK-wide support for Adopting, Rehoming and Fostering via our network of regional coordinators.