Why Do Dachshunds Destroy Toys?

If you have a Dachshund who likes to rip apart their stuffed toys, then you understand what an expensive habit it can be.

Like me, you have probably bought every “toughest” toy on the market, only to find it didn’t last more than 15 minutes.

I’ve spent up to $25 on “invincible” plush dog toys that my Dachshunds used their strong jaws and sharp teeth to dissect in short order. So much for that!

Like me, you probably wondered, “Why must you kill it every single time?!?”

Well, there is a simple answer

Dachshunds destroy their toys because of instinct. They literally have a genetic drive to do it.

If you want to know more about this, read on.

What Compels a Dachshunds to Shred Stuffed Toys?

Get ready for some science!

Dogs were descended from wolves, or wolf-like dogs, who were predators.

Predators exhibit a logical string of actions when hunting. Put together, this string of actions is called a predatory sequence.

In a predatory sequence, one action happens, which instinctually leads to the next thing, which leads to the next, which leads to a meal.

The steps in this sequence are:

ORIENT > EYE > STALK > CHASE > GRAB-BITE > KILL-BITE > DISSECT > CONSUME

Put another way, a dog sees prey, stares at it, chases it, grabs and kills it, rips it apart, and then eats it.

This sequence is complete in predators who are wild and must survive in the environment by hunting and consuming other animals.

Luckily, in domesticated dogs, this sequence has been interrupted or modified.

I’m sure that back in the early days of man, only dogs that didn’t want to eat people were allowed to hang around camp!

Different dog groups, and breeds, were selected for the parts of the sequence that they do best and for the parts that they typically don’t progress to, or skip over.

For example, in working Border Collies, only this part of the predatory motor pattern is exhibited when they herd: ORIENT > EYE > STALK > CHASE. Farmers don’t want them eating the sheep!

On the other hand, terriers and scent hounds (the primary breeds thought to make up the Dachshund), focus on this part of the sequence when hunting:

• Orient: Finding the prey by following a scent, tracking an animal, or locating a den.

• Chase: Actually chasing the prey.

• Grab-bite: Snatching the prey. Sometimes swiftly combined with the kill-bite in the next step.

• Kill-bite: Either a shake or a solid crunch (sometimes both) designed to kill something.

As a side note, I once saw sweet Gretel demonstrate this instinct perfectly. I was both shocked and impressed at the same time!

She found a mouse in our back yard. It looked injured by a cat or something, so it wasn’t moving fast and she didn’t have to chase it.

She walked up to it, saw it, her “spirit came alive” and she crushed it’s skull with one super-quick, snap.

• Dissect: Shred the prey that they caught.

• Consume: Eat the pieces of the prey (through selective breeding of domesticated dogs, this one has been mainly eliminated, but occasionally it filters back through).

Basically, Dachshunds aren’t ones to eye and stalk prey. They like to get down to business right away!

Dissect is highlighted here, because this is why your Dachshund likes to rip things apart, whether that be stuffies, beds, etc.

Not all Dachshunds have a strong dissect instinct, but many do.

Once you understand this natural progression of behavior, you have some insight into why your Dachshund does some of the things that they do.

Should I Let My Dachshund Tear Toys Apart?

Like everything pet care, this is a personal choice for you.

There is generally low risk in letting your Dachshund satisfy their urge to dissect by taking it out on their toys if you’ve watched them and made sure your dog spits out the pieces instead of swallowing them.

However, it’s very important to make sure that there are no dangerous features to the toy, like plastic eyeballs, that can cause a choking hazard if swallowed.

The primary negatives to letting your Dachshund destroy toys are:

• The risk of your doxie swallowing something and getting an intestinal blockage (remember, you’ve already monitored chewing to know if this is likely for your dog)

• Constantly picking up fuzz and fabric around your house

• Spending too much money on toys.

Benefits to letting your dog dissect their toys include:

• Increasing their happiness by letting them satisfy their natural urge

I would argue that, if your Dachshund loves to “kill” stuffed toys and you don’t want to let them, you need to provide an alternate outlet for them to satisfy this urge.

How to Stop My Dog from Killing Their Toys?

Some research suggests that the only way to prevent a dog from showing their breed-specific patterns, is to remove them from the stimuli which elicit it (source: A Critical Analysis of the Canine Predatory Motor Sequence by Lucas Brand).

In other words, if you don’t want your Dachshund to dissect their toys, the only way to make sure they never do it is to not give them access to these “triggering” toys.

You’re not a bad dog parent if you don’t let your dog play with stuffed toys. However, you may not want to go to that extreme.

As an alternative, you can try training the issue away by removing the toy if your dog starts to chew on it and redirecting them to something else.

Over time, your dog may learn that toys aren’t for chewing.

It’s not likely to be a permanent fix though, so you should always expect to have to supervise and intervene if needed… which may be often if your Dachshund loves ripping stuff apart.

What if you don’t want to take the toys away, but your dog won’t stop chewing them up?

How You Can Satisfy Your Dachshunds Needs Without Going Broke

Quality dog toys, especially ones that meet child safety standards and are made in the US, are not cheap.

If you’re caught in a cycle of Dachshund destroys toys -> buy new ones -> doxie destroys it can get expensive.

There are three primary ways that you can fulfill your Dachshund’s natural instincts, while not spending a lot of money.

1) Extend the play on the current dog toys

I wrote a different article about the 5 Ways you can make your dog’s toys last longer, so won’t go into detail here.

However, two of the keys are putting the toys away when your dog is not being supervised and repairing toys (restuffing, replacing squeakers and sewing).

2) Don’t give your dog toys they shred – use a satisfying alternative

In my experience, Dachshunds typically only tear the stuffed toys apart (although they will rip fuzz off of a tennis ball too).

I mean, plush dog toys are actually designed for this – did you know the squeaker is meant to mimic the sounds of dying prey? (eww, but true).

Isn’t it ironic that a toy can both have a squeaker inside that your dog is instinctually compelled to get out and use “ballistic” material on the outside that is meant to deter your dog from getting to it?

Anyway, there are other types of toys you can give your dog that they are less likely to shred.

My Dachshunds rarely rip apart latex rubber squeaky toys.

Rope toys can last longer, although you have to watch for strings that break off because it’s not good for them to be swallowed.

I used to think nylon chew toys were evil, but have had a a good experience with them more recently.

My Dachshund Otter likes to toss them around to hear the “clunk!” sound and likes to gnaw on them.

You can give your dog a natural chew they can eat to satisfy the urge (great for teething puppies too).

I’ll note that my dogs seem less interested in chewing on organic stuffed toys filled with cotton, although they do always meet their demise eventually.

I don’t know why this is, but over the years I have suspected it has to do with the fact that organic cotton smells different than synthetic fibers – maybe not as yummy or “fragrant”?

If your dog tears the fuzz off of tennis balls, switch to rubber-only balls or only let your dog have them when you are actively engaging in play.

3) Fulfill their instinctual needs in other ways

Other ways to fulfill parts of the prey drive sequence for Dachshunds include:

• A flirt pole (think large cat teaser toy) – satisfies the orient, chase, grab-bite parts of the sequence.

• A snuffle mat, snuffle toys, or rolled up towel with treats in it tied in a knot – satisfies the dissect and consume parts of the sequence (foraging too).

• Freework (hiding treats in and on multiple objects in a room for your dog to find) – satisfies the orient and consume components.

• Lick mats or stuffed treat toys (Kong, Toppl, etc.) – satisfies the consume component (and the licking action is calming).

Of course, you can also buy cheaper dog toys.

However, the less you spend, generally, the less durable they are, the material is cheaper, and the greater the chance they contain harmful chemicals or heavy metals.

Why Doesn’t My Dachshund Rip Up Toys?

Because you got lucky? (Ha, ha)

If ripping up toys is instinct, you might wonder why your Dachshund gentle with theirs.

Some Dachshunds exhibit more of one component of the predatory sequence than others, and some skip parts of it.

Some Dachshunds don’t have a high prey drive in general, and others enjoy the first half of the sequence better and lose interest later.

They like to see, chase, and grab a toy, but once they have it, they don’t feel like putting in the work to tear it apart.

I mean, why bother if they get super tasty food literally handed to them on a platter?

Some Dachshunds don’t naturally like toys at all! (they can be taught to like them for the purpose of enrichment or training reward, but that is another topic.)

Another reason is typically that they see the toy as a high-value resource. They may want to keep it for themselves and protect it for later.

Unfortunately, this can lead to obsessive hoarding behavior and resource guarding.

The final reason that I typically see is that the texture of the toy doesn’t trigger the dissect instinct or it’s too hard for them to get a good grip on with their teeth.

The latter happens most often at our house with latex dogs toys.

Final Thoughts

I know it can be frustrating when your Dachshund destroys every toy you buy for them…. sometimes in minutes!

However, it’s important to remember that your dog doesn’t know how much the toy cost – they only know that their instincts compels them to dissect it.

Changing your perspective, or accepting that it’s not likely something you can teach your dog to stop doing, will help preserve your sanity.

Personally, I let my Dachshunds destroy their stuffies.

I see the money I spend on toys they rip up as “the cost of happiness” – my dogs’ happiness and mine when I watch them really getting into it.

They really like it, they don’t swallow the stuffing or pieces, and the toy still typically lasts for a month or so because they still enjoy playing with the empty “toy sack”.

I just throw it away when it gets too shredded.