06/12/2026
Borrowed from another site with permission. Talks about IVDD and the importance of exercise and play with your dachshunds. Ours are very active and healthy. We do have steps but more for access because things are too high for them to jump on. Like our bed. This post talks about not neutering too early, it’s important to wait on them to mature first. Also they are bred to hunt so they love the chase!
“After I announced that our girl Carmen qualified for her Novice Trick Dog Title, I actually received a few concerned messages about her wellbeing!
The concerns we received were that teaching a dachshund to intentionally jump, spin, and step up stairs may cause IVDD. Which is a completely valid concern — so let’s talk about it.
I will be completely honest about my dogs and my program. We do not follow the typical “no jumping, no running, no climbing stairs” rules for IVDD.
So yes, Carmen jumps on furniture. A lot. She’s agile, in good condition, and loves to be on top of the world — and by that, I mean on top of chairs, tables, and couches.
It’s important to remember that Carmen is a dog. A dachshund, in fact. Dachshunds were not bred to be lap dogs, companions, or portable heating pads like some other small breeds were. Dachshunds descended from bloodhounds, wirehaired pinschers, and dandie dinmont terriers — which is the same terrier that gave Bedlingtons their ferocity, who we are also very familiar with.
Our dachshunds have purebred pedigrees dating much farther back than the few 5 generations you see on their certificate. Dachshunds were always hunters. Hunters that could run at high speeds for long distances. Hunters that could burrow, dig, and finish off animals not much smaller than themselves. For decades, Dachshunds did all of these things.
That’s probably why so many Dachshunds like to surprise their owners with the lovely gift of a mouse or lizard. It’s also why they absolutely excel at nose work trials, field trials, and sports like Fast Cat. Fast Cat was created to mimic a dog chasing after a rabbit, and Dachshunds do that exceptionally well.
IVDD is a painful, potentially life-threatening spinal condition that will affect roughly 1 in every 4 dachshunds. It makes sense that we would want to prevent it if we can. But the reality is that protecting your Dachshund from the staircase may actually increase their odds for it.
Early neutering, obesity, and lack of muscle development all pose as major risk factors for IVDD. With a lack of muscle, a Dachshund cannot properly support their elongated spine.
And the best way for a dog to develop muscle is not by being carried up the stairs or gently placed from furniture to the floor. It’s by jumping, running, and doing “puppy sit ups” — AKA, the no-stairs equivalent of walking up and down stairs.
While past information has suggested that dachshunds should be kept in a bubble — never walk up stairs, never jump on furniture, never run at full speed — newer studies suggest a correlation between well-exercised dachshunds and a *significantly lower risk* of IVDD.
A UK survey in 2015 found this:
“Dogs over the age of 3 that were highly or moderately active were half as likely to have suffered an IVDD incident as dogs described as mildly or not at all active.”
And this:
“Dachshunds over the age of 3 that were only exercised by being given daily free running/ playing in the garden were 1.8 times more likely to suffer IVDD than dogs that were taken for walks on and off the lead as well. This was statistically significant.”
And this:
“Dachshunds over the age of 3 that were allowed to go up/down a flight of stairs every day had a lower probability of IVDD than those not allowed to use stairs (Odds Ratio = 0.4). This was statistically significant.”
…AND this:
“Dachshunds over the age of 3 that were allowed to jump on and off furniture every day had a lower probability of IVDD than those not allowed to do this (Odds Ratio = 0.3). This was statistically significant.”
And if this isn’t enough — don’t worry, there’s more studies out there.
Like this one on a sample of 48 wirehaired dachshunds in 2001:
“The effects of moderate stair climbing (OR = 0.34) and duration of exercise (OR = 0.52) were statistically significant and the effects appear to be additive. Running next to a bicycle was the only type of exercise with a positive association with the number of calcified discs.”
And this all-breed study from AVMA which was just published in 2025:
“Lifestyle factors associated with reduced odds of OR-IVDD include higher daily active time, being on a commercial diet, and regular use of a staircase.”
Dachshunds were not bred nor intended to be, for lack of a better term, couch potatoes. Dachshunds are working dogs, and they deserve a fulfilling life in which they can run, jump, play, and yes — even walk up and down stairs without the use of a ramp.
So I am not shy to admit that Carmen jumps on and off of furniture at her will. Sure, she’s a little misbehaved — spoiled, even — but health-wise, it is absolutely not a concern. I’m also not shy to encourage my puppy owners to avoid ramps, and to *not* avoid staircases.
Dachshunds don’t need to be kept in a bubble. These are terriers on tiny legs. They need their exercise, both for their physical and mental health.
They’re dogs! Let them do dog things.
