Activities For Doxie Scots

Socialization is a process that should begin when your dog is as young as sixteen weeks old. Often, when your dog is still quite young, the best opportunity for socialization is to schedule a playdate with a dog that you know is laid back and tolerant of younger dogs. Invite a friend over with their more experienced dog and just allow the dogs to interact. They will likely sniff one another, and don’t be surprised if your pup attempts to act a little dominant over the older dog. There is no set time limit on socialization activities.

Once you have provided your young dog with opportunities to be around more docile dogs, you might be comfortable taking them to the dog park. When first making trips to the dog park, you will want to closely supervise your young dog. Again, expect your Doxie Scot to engage in behavior that appears to be somewhat dominant. Dogs that are unfamiliar with one another often sniff each other and may growl or lead you to otherwise believe they might fight. This is normal canine behavior and shouldn’t concern you. However, it is best to keep your dog on a leash at all times until you know how they will act with other dogs.

This is another form of socialization that you’ll want to start when your dog is relatively young. It is important to make sure that your dog is familiar with different types of people. The Dachshund parent breed is often a one-person dog. While the Scottie parent is friendly and outgoing, again, with a hybrid, you can never be sure exactly what character traits will be passed to the offspring. For this reason, you’ll want to begin exposing your Doxie Scot to other people outside your family at about sixteen weeks of age. If you do not have children, you’ll want to enlist a friend who has children that are experienced with dogs (preferably they are older children). As your pup ages, however, you’ll want to introduce them to younger children (with supervision, of course). You want to ensure that the puppy does not nip or growl at children.

The Doxie Scot is descended from two parent breeds that are noted for their digging prowess. Why not create a play station that allows them to harness this innate desire? You can make digging stations both inside and out. Keep in mind that neither of the Doxie Scot’s parent breeds is tolerant of extreme weather, so being able to dig while indoors is just as important as digging outside. Setting up the indoor dig station only requires a few old blankets or pillows. Place a few bites of kibble under the blankets and encourage digging. Their strong sense of smell will lead them directly to the treats. Outdoors, simply purchase a bag of sand and allow them to see you burying a favorite toy in the pile. Encourage Fido to go after the toy and praise them when they dig it out.

Purchase some of the large waffle blocks that kids use (they might be more durable if you can find these at the pet store), then build a tunnel for your Doxie Scot to crawl through. You can teach your dog to maneuver through this game by getting at the other end where your dog can see you. Call them and offer a treat when they find you.

Some dog parks have areas that one might consider to be obstacle courses. While the Doxie Scot might not need to participate in some of the more demanding obstacles, placing an old Hula Hoop just slightly off the ground is the perfect obstacle for this hybrid breed.

Anyone who has ever walked their dog understands that dogs tend to want to stop and enjoy every smell available to them. They may also decide to mark their territory while they are there. However, your objective is to make sure that you keep your dog focused on the task at hand. Keep the leash close to your body and do not stop to investigate smells.

You can really provide a spike in your calorie-burning potential if you will change up your striding technique. Start out by walking at a brisk pace for about ten minutes, then walking as you normally would with Fido for about twenty minutes. Do this for approximately one week. One week two, increase the brisk pace to fifteen minutes of brisk walking and fifteen minutes of laid-back walking.

Remember that your pup will not need to commit to a doggy "warm up" before a workout. However, you might take the opportunity to allow them to assist you as you stretch. Next, keep in mind that if you are sprint walking in order for your Doxie Scot to lose weight, be sure not to overfeed them once you return from your power walk. This will cancel out any of the benefits of your sprint walk.