Is Your Dachshund A Drama Queen?

Oh, say it ain't so!  We would never use our powers of cute to sway you humans in any way whatsoever!  Regardless, one reader asked a UK vet these questions: Why does their miniature black and tan short haired Dachshund shiver so much? Could the dog be cold? Could the shivering be due to nervous excitement? Or could there be another cause?  And Pete Wedderburn answered:

The question reminded me of a story told by a colleague whose Dachshund shivered in a similar way when outside on the patio, wanting to come inside. After initially feeling sorry for the dog, and allowing it to come inside each time, she decided to do a simple experiment. When she next saw the dog shivering outside, she stepped away from the window where he could see her, and instead she observed the animal from a hidden viewpoint. She discovered that when the dog thought that he was not been observed, he behaved normally, with no shivering. As soon as his owner stepped back into his vision, he stood in a miserable, hunched position, shivering. He’d learned that if he acted as if he was cold, he was immediately allowed back into the home, which was where he wanted to be.
Of course, there are occasions when dogs shiver because they’re genuinely cold.  You can’t ignore these behaviours, but it’s worth using a little human ingenuity to find out if they’re genuine.
It’s one thing to be fooled by Meryl Streep when you’re being entertained at the movies, but quite another to be manipulated by a potential Oscar winner in your own home.

Source:  Telegraph.co.uk. 

Thankfully us American Dachshunds would never do this.  Must be a British thing.