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DogsBest Digging Toys for Dachshunds
Dachshunds were bred to dig badgers out of burrows underground - that instinct is still fully wired in, so working with it beats fighting it every time.
Published October 16, 2026
The dachshund's whole body was engineered for one job: digging into badger burrows and following the badger underground (the name literally means "badger dog" in German). That means the urge to dig — into couch cushions, blankets, flower beds, the yard — isn't a behavior problem to train away so much as hard-wired instinct looking for an outlet. Fighting that instinct head-on tends to be a losing battle; giving it a sanctioned place to happen works a lot better. Below are two toys that lean directly into the dig-and-burrow drive instead of ignoring it.
ZippyPaws Burrow Interactive Dog & Puppy Toy, Donutz Box
Plush pieces hide inside a soft box that your dachshund has to dig and pull apart to find — about as close as a toy gets to the breed's original job of digging a badger out of a den.
- ✓ Simulates burrowing directly - the dog digs through fabric flaps and pulls hidden plush pieces out of a soft box
- ✓ #1 Top Rated in its Amazon category, with a large, consistently positive review base
- ✓ Simple fabric-box design is easy to reset between rounds
- ✕ A dedicated chewer can eventually work through the fabric over months of regular use
- ✕ Needs a person to reload the hidden pieces each round, so it is not a fully independent activity
AWOOF Pet Snuffle Mat for Dogs, Interactive Foraging Mat
A fleece "patch" your dachshund roots through nose-first — a cheap, low-effort way to work the digging instinct into daily meals instead of a dedicated play session.
- ✓ Turns an entire meal into a 10-15 minute foraging session instead of a 30-second bowl-empty
- ✓ Doubles as a slow feeder for a dog that eats too fast
- ✓ Rolls up flat for easy storage or travel
- ✕ Needs to be loaded by hand each time, which takes a couple of minutes of prep
- ✕ Needs regular cleaning to avoid holding onto food odor between uses
Why "Just Stop Digging" Doesn't Work
Digging releases the same instinctive satisfaction for a dachshund that chasing does for a sighthound or herding does for a border collie — it's not misbehavior in the usual sense, it's the breed's original job showing up with nowhere appropriate to go. A dachshund that gets a legitimate, sanctioned way to dig and burrow several times a week is typically far less motivated to destroy a flower bed or couch cushion to scratch the same itch.
Give It a Few Minutes a Day, Not Just a Toy on the Floor
These toys work best as an active few minutes with your dachshund rather than something left out all day — hide treats inside, let the dog dig them out, then reload and hide again. Treat it like a short daily ritual rather than a toy that's supposed to self-entertain for hours.
Our pick
If you only add one thing to the routine, make it the ZippyPaws Burrow — it's the closest a toy gets to a dachshund's original job, and the #1-rated option in its category for a reason. Pair it with the AWOOF snuffle mat for meal times specifically, and you've covered both the "active dig session" and the "everyday foraging" side of the instinct.