The Audit: Dachshunds are "ground-level explorers." What looks like a small gap under a gate to you is a highway to them.

• The Garden Check: Ensure your fence extends into the ground. Dachshunds are natural diggers and can disappear under a standard UK garden fence in minutes.

• Floor Surfaces: Hardwood and laminate are like ice rinks for short legs. Use non-slip rugs in high-traffic areas to prevent "splayed" legs, which can lead to spinal tweaks.

• The Kitchen Danger: Never leave food on low coffee tables. A Dachshund will "periscope" (stand on hind legs) to reach it, putting massive vertical pressure on their lower discs.