Hey guys:

I've just recently looked into a dachshund and I'll be getting one close to christmas. It'll be 7 weeks old by the time I get it. I know house training is pretty important, but I would just like some feedback on what I should do first to start. Thanks!

Don't get that puppy, get a different one, that breeder is irresponsible. Why? Puppies should stay with their mother for at least 8-12 weeks if not longer after birth.

Anyway, with house training, it is important to praise good behavior, not just scold poor behavior.

The sticky at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/information-articles-our-dogs-expert-labman-53153.html#post251809
Suggests starting by choosing the spot you want the dog to use.

Charlotte is dead wrong about the age to bring a puppy home. Unless the breeder is going to do an extraordinary job of socializing the puppy, it should be in its new home long before 12weeks. I realize not everybody is as well trained as I am in coping with a 7 week old. However, it is rare for a breeder to do any socialization. There is a big change in how puppies relate to new things at 12 weeks. Leave a puppy in the kennel until it is 12 weeks old, and it may never be as comfortable living elsewhere as it would have been starting at 7 weeks. Many difficult housebreaking problems are created by leaving a puppy too long with a breeder that doesn't give the litter space to keep its living area clean.

There is a number of good articles on selecting a puppy at Articles (http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/articles.html#breeding)

Many of us here recommend against buying a puppy at all.

Consider the animal shelter. There are many nice dogs, and you can see how
They look with little or no grooming. You can also see how they behave. Look
For dogs that want your attention, but are not going wild. Leave the ones that
Retreat to the back of their cage. Look at their teeth. Look for ones that
Still show a 3 lobed, clove like pattern on the front ones. Leave the ones
That fight letting you look at their teeth too much. If the points are worn
Off the teeth, it is an older dog that may break your heart by dying too soon.
Pinch the web between its toes. It hurts. It is OK for the dog to pull away
Or whine, but it shouldn't growl, snap or show its teeth. Since the shelter likely will kill most of the dogs, you may as well pick out a nice one.

Finding a good breeder and purchasing a puppy that will make a good pet is very difficult. Almost nobody is intentionally breeding dogs to be nice pets. Most of your so called reputable breeders are breeding for show or something. They may say the puppies they don't keep for their purpose make great pets, but the truth is that the parents were selected for other than health and temperament. Often they keep the puppies in the kennel too long and they miss the important early socialization puppies need to live in the house with people.

Next are the disreputable breeders. They breed any 2 registered dogs they can lay a hold of looking only at the money they can make selling them to pet stores. Pet store puppies are easy to find, but difficult to socialize into nice pets, perhaps difficult to even keep alive. You will not get what you pay for at a pet store.

One of the best sources for dogs with a predictable personality is the rescue
Dogs. These are dogs that lost their home, but were taken into a foster home
To be retrained as necessary and placed in the right home for them. You may
Find a rescue near you starting at American Kennel Club - Breed Rescue (http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm) The rescues charge a fee to help cover their expenses, but is much less than the price of a puppy plus all its medical expenses the first year.