We love our dachshunds BUT not when they start chewing your favorite pair of shoes, plants or even furniture.

I get it though, you can’t keep an eye on them 24x7, and you don’t want to lock them up so they bark like the whole street can hear them. 

The only way to keep your dachshund occupied and stop getting in trouble, is to make sure they get enough stimulation.

There was a myth that you shouldn’t walk your dachshund so much because of their short legs — which is not entirely true and I had written an article about it before.

But what if you have a demanding job and can’t go on walks with them often? That’s where enrichment and interactive toys come in. Not only do these toys keep your pup entertained, but they also provide mental stimulation and can even help prevent destructive behaviour.

However, as dachshunds are tough chewers, many toys you get from the shop can easily be destroyed in minutes. So here are a few alternatives that I love to keep mine occupied.

I love my dachshund but not when I get home seeing this

Note: this post included affiliate links. If you purchase any of these items, we will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Puzzle Toys

Dachshunds are nature hunters. They love exercising their snouts and hunting for food, that’s why I love interactive toys such as puzzle toys.

Puzzle toys are designed to challenge your dachshund’s problem-solving skills and keep them entertained. These toys usually involve hiding treats or kibble inside a puzzle that your dog must solve to get to the reward. Some popular puzzle toys for dachshunds include:

Outward Hound Hide-A-Squirrel Puzzle Toy

This toy features a tree trunk with several holes where you can hide squeaky squirrels. Your dachshund must figure out how to remove the squirrels from the trunk to get to the treats inside.

Nina Ottosson Dog Tornado Puzzle Toy

This toy features several layers that your dachshund must rotate to reveal hidden treats. I love this toy comes in different levels (I believe the one I have is Level 2) so I can challenge my dog as he gets better at it. It’s very entertaining for me to watch too as I see his determination to find that hidden treat.

I love interactive toys as they help to stimulate your dog(s) and keep them entertained.

Snuffle Mats

If you haven’t seen a snuffle mat before, it’s an interactive feeding mat where you can encourage your dog to locate their favourite treats following the scent. 

I have one at home and I love that it helps to distract my dog when I need to hop out and run errands.

You know dachshunds love following you around, and I feel bad every time when I leave as my dog will follow me to the door and start barking knowing I am about to leave him behind.

With the snuffle mats, I put different kinds of treats inside. When my dog started to sniff, I quickly walked out of the door without him noticing. This works like magic every time.

Stylish Hound Snuffle Mat

We love our one from Stylish Hound, an Australian company but I’ve handpicked a few you can easily get from Amazon.

Squeaky Carrots Enrichment Dog Puzzle Toys

Slightly different from the traditional snuffle mat but with similar concept. I love that you can hide the treats under the carrot too so add on another level of challenge to keep your dog occupied.

Avocado nosework snuffle mat

Did anyone say avocado? Well too bad dogs can't eat avocado but luckily they can at least sniff through it.

Chew Toys

Dachshunds are notorious chewers, and chew toys are a great way to satisfy their natural urge to chew while also keeping their teeth and gums healthy. But it’s not easy to find chew toys that actually last. 

My dog doesn’t like dental chews but he loves tug-a-war, so I found a few durable chew toys that’s perfect for dachshunds to play and you can bond with them:

Earth-Rated Tug of War Dog Toy

Not only it’s aesthetically pleasing, but I personally love the Earth Rated brand. I use their wipes to clean my dog every time after our walk, and before bed (umm, yes he sleeps with me in bed) so definitely excited about their natural rubber dog tug toy. It’s ergonomic shape makes it easy to grab and it’s not slippery.

West Paws Zogoflex Hurley Durable Dog Bone Chew Toy 

Not only is this chew toy durable, but it’s bouncy and it floats! Next time you can bring this along to the beach for a play. West Paws prides itself on the durability of this toy and offers 100% manufacturer guarantee, will be perfect to test and see if you can finally find “the one” for your dachshund.

Squeaky Toys

Squeaky toys are not as durable compared to the other toys mentioned above BUT my dog loves squeaky toys so I want to be a good mom and let him have what he wants sometimes.

I just need to be smarter when choosing a squeaky toy as I still want it to last as long as it can.

Nina Woof Organic Cotton Squeaky Dog Toy & Rope Dog Toy Pack

How cute is this knitted dachshund? It’s probably too much of a waste as a squeaky toy because I don’t want my dog to destroy it. But I can keep the dachshund and give my dog the rope toy. Then we both got what we want, isn’t that great?

Awoof Hermit Crab Shape Squeaky Dog Chew Toys

This squeaky toy from Awoof is a combination of fun, practical and stimulating all at once. This snuffle toy comes with multiple squeakers and crinkles, plus you can hide treats. This toy will certainly keep your pup BUSY!

DIY Dog Toys

If you are tired of constantly buying expensive toys that your pup quickly loses interest in, or easily destroy them, there are also plenty of ways to save money and make your own DIY toys.

Here are a few ideas to create your own DIY Dog Toys:

1. Grab a small hand towel (or an old t-shirt), scatter some treats on the towel, roll it up and tie a knot. At first, I thought my dog would not be able to untie the knot but YOU BET he can. It took him a while to get it untied so it was great to keep him engaged.

2. Play a game of hide and seek. There are a few ways to do it but on e way is to leave a blanket on a couch and the floor (or on a rug, if you worry it gets too dirty). I also make sure I have a ramp for my dog to climb up to the couch. Once I have this setup, I will tease my dog with a toy and quickly hide the toy inside one of the blankets. I will then get him to find the toy. He would go up and down the couch searching for it. I like to play this hide-and-seek game with my dachshund because he loves to bury and he loves to sniff.

3. Another easy one to do is to find an empty bottle, put some treats inside and let them play with the bottle and try to get the treats out of a bottle. My dog was obsessed and I was throughly entertained seeing him trying to get the treats out of the bottle.

4. I handmade an enrichment toy using leftover fabric. I first draw a heart shape on paper and then use that as my template to cut a heart shape on fabric. Also, fold the paper and cut another half-heart shape. Then I sew them together and stuff the heart with leftover fabric. Close the openings and that’s a cute little toy that keeps my dog engaged.

Takeaway

Whether you like to DIY or you prefer to shop around for durable toys, hope this article gives you some ideas. Remember it’s essential to keep your dachshund mentally stimulated, entertained and happy, so you don’t come home with disasters.