Care
Ears, nails, and the five minutes that count
You do not need a salon. You need the puppy to learn, early, that a hand on the ears is not bad news.
A dachshund’s ears are long and dear: they collect earth, water, sometimes a smell that should not be there. Nails, if nobody touches them, become a fight of an appointment. The five minutes we mean are not grooming. They are habit. You do them on a table or on your lap, in a low voice, and you always finish with something good. Later the vet will find a dog that lets itself be handled.
- 01
You touch before you clean
Ear, paw, tail. Then you stop. The puppy must learn that the hand arrives and leaves, not that it predicts a struggle.
- 02
The ear: you look, you do not dig
A cotton pad on the rim, if dirt is visible. Inside, no cotton bud. If it smells, or if the head shakes, that is the vet’s.
- 03
Nails: little, often
Two nails today, two the day after tomorrow. Better than one long sitting in which you lose the dog. If you are unsure of the quick, the vet does it.
At home
- The same place, the same quiet hour, the same voice.
- You stop before the puppy truly protests.
- A scrap of food at the end, always.
At the vet
- A strange smell, a shaking head, a warm ear.
- A broken nail, a paw that will not take weight.
- Wire coat: stripping is learned, or entrusted.
A dog that lets you touch its ears at four months is a dog that, at eight years, lets itself be treated.
Written by LA BANDA BASSOTTO, dachshund breeder in Lodi (Lombardy, Italy), ENCI/FCI kennel affix Villa Quattro Zampe.
These pages are born from daily life with our dogs. For their health, your veterinarian remains the dearest and truest voice.
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