Does your Dachshund listen well at home but seem to completely ignore you the moment you step outside? You're not alone, and the missing piece might not be more obedience training. It might be engagement.

In this episode of Dachshund's Best Life podcast, I explore the difference between constantly trying to get your Dachshund's attention and teaching them that voluntarily checking in with you is worthwhile.

You'll learn why the outside world is so distracting, what engagement actually means, and how building this foundational skill can support better communication, recall, loose-leash walking, and a stronger relationship with your Dachshund.

Most importantly, engagement isn't about demanding constant attention or preventing your Dachshund from sniffing and exploring. It's about helping them discover that you're worth paying attention to, even when the world around them is fascinating.

You'll also get a simple challenge to try on your next walk that may change how you think about your Dachshund's attention.

Want to build better engagement with your Dachshund?

Join my six-week live course, From Distracted to Connected: Get Your Dachshund to Listen Better Outside. You'll learn three simple exercises to encourage voluntary check-ins outdoors, with demonstrations, practice assignments, and group feedback.

The course starts November 15, 2026, and costs $89.

Learn more and enroll: https://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/dachshund-enagement-course-live/

Remember, you don't need to win your Dachshund's attention away from the environment every moment. You want to become someone they find worthwhile checking in with as they explore it.

DachSand is the largest weekend beach festival for wiener dogs on the west coast. Last year, over 400 Dachshunds showed up!

The event is put on by Doxies of PNW Club and it's their biggest annual fundraiser. Besides wiener madness, there are raffles, giveaways, a costume contest, doxie derby, longest weener contest, two beach bonfires, and more.

We leave tomorrow, Thursday, but I started packing Monday because I was excited and I wanted to make sure everything I needed for 1 night of camping, staying in the hotel, my vendor booth at Ruby's Friday night plus camera equipment would fit in the car.

If you're going, you can find me at Ruby's Friday night (look for the table with the orange skirt), on the beach Saturday by the contest and vending area, and Sunday morning at 9 am for the beach walk.

Last week, we encountered an off-leash dog that wouldn't leave us alone. My initial subtle "scram" signal didn't work, and the owners either didn't try to recall their dog or the dog wasn't listening, so I had to escalate my efforts. It worked.

But then the dog owner came back to confront me. Now, I did swear at his dog and his little girl popped out of nowhere and saw that, so I apologized. We both kept our cool, but the conversation quickly devolved from what I thought was a request to not swear in case a kid hears it to him justifying his entitlement.

There are two primary kinds of dog owners in this world - those that think it's ok for their dog to be off leash and go up to any dog or person because "he's friendly" and those that don't like off-leash dogs running up to them. We were clearly on opposite sides of the spectrum.

In this episode, I talk about what to do if an off-leash dog approaches you and you don't want them to, how to advocate for your dog, and how to prepare for potential consequences of doing that.