Golden, Maltese, Shih Tzu, Dachshund: four breeds in a Dutch apartment

These four breeds walk through my sessions every week. Each one brings its own strengths, and its own challenges, to a Dutch apartment with steep stairs and a canal outside.

Golden Retriever

Bred to retrieve for hunters, goldens are social, food-motivated and eager to work with people. That makes them a dream for reward-based training.

• Common challenge: pulling on the leash and greeting everyone with full enthusiasm.
• Puppies are mouthy. Give them something to carry and chew; teach soft mouth early.
• They need a job. Sniffing games and retrieving do more than a long, boring walk.

Maltese

A companion breed through and through. Small, bright and very attached to their people.

• Common challenge: barking at sounds in the building, and difficulty being alone.
• Let them walk. Small dogs carried everywhere miss the chance to learn the city on their own four feet.
• Toilet training on a high floor takes a plan and patience. It is very doable.

Shih Tzu

Friendly, steady and often more independent than people expect.

• Short nose, real limits. Brachycephalic breeds are more prone to breathing problems (Packer et al., 2015). Use a harness, not a collar, and keep sessions short on warm days.
• Keep it fun. Short sessions with high-value rewards beat long repetitions.
• Grooming is training too. Teach calm handling of paws, face and coat from day one.

Wire-haired Dachshund

Bred to follow scent and go underground after badgers. Brave, clever, vocal and persistent.

• Common challenge: recall. When that nose finds something, it is hard to compete.
• Protect the back. Dachshunds have a higher risk of disc disease. The DachsLife study (Packer et al., 2016) looked at lifestyle factors and found regular exercise was associated with lower risk. Talk to your vet about steep Dutch stairs and jumping off furniture.
• Give the nose a job. Scent work at home is the best tired-dog recipe for this breed.

Whatever your breed

A Dutch city asks the same things of every dog: calm on a busy street, quiet in a shared building, and the ability to be alone for a few hours. Those skills can be taught to any breed, at any age.