[iluvdoxies]

Ok I am getting a new dachshund soon -well most likely- and I need as much information I can get! #1 I need to convince my parents- and #2 so I will be ready! Any info is greatly appreciated!
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[labman]

Is it a puppy? I have never had a Dachshund, but I have had a new puppy every year since 1991, plus some great people teaching me abut it. It is good to ask in advance since there are things you need to do ahead of time. I have been answering questions a long time and have better material than you will find on many web site. Plus, you can come back for individual answers to specific questions.

What does a puppy need?

A crate. It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first. What the puppy wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the
Household, and any other pets. In our modern society, even if we are home,
Other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The
Only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. The dog may be
Happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its
Den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
Its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them
Will rest in their crates even when the door is open. Skip the
Bedding. At first it gets wet, and later it can be chewed into choking
Hazards. A wire rack in the bottom will help keep the puppy up out of
Accidents at first. They are available with the crates, but a piece of closely
Spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. I think the plastic
Ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put
In a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select
A crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in. At bed time, with a new puppy, I have found lying down in front of the crate like you were going to sleep and speaking softly to it, or singing, until it settles down and goes to sleep works very well. Follow the pattern, a period of active play, outside to eliminate, and then into the crate.

Chew toys. The pet stores are full of toys that many dogs will quickly chew up into pieces they could choke on or cause intestinal blockages. If you are not
There to watch, stick to sturdy stuff such as Nylabones and Kongs. Keep a
Close eye on chew toys and quickly discard anything that is coming apart in
Pieces. Rawhide is especially bad because it swells after being swallowed.
These problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive
Chewers such as Labs.

Food. Find out what the breeder is feeding. If it is dry chow you can buy readily, I would stick with it until the dog is 4 months old, at that time switching to a dry adult chow. If not, try to have the breeder give you a few days supply to use making a gradual change to a dry puppy chow.

Dishes. Empty plastic food containers are good enough. If you want something nicer, buy the spill proof? Ones. See http://www.petsmart.com/global/produ...1078323611448À. I have found them at Big Lots too.

A collar and leash. You should stay with a flat fabric or leather collar until your puppy is 5 months old. Then you can go with the metal slip collar with the rings on each end. Otherwise you could damage its windpipe. Put it on like this for the usual dog on the left position. Pull the chain through the one ring forming a"P". Facing the dog, slip it over its head. The free end comes over the neck allowing the other end to release pressure when the leash is slack. A five
Month old's head will still grow some. If you buy one that easily goes over
The head, it still should come off leaving the ears when the dog finishes
Growing. I start the puppy out with a metal leash and switch to a leather one after the worst of the chewing is over and I need more control.

A brush. Start the puppy with a bristle brush. They don't shed much at first, and the bristle brush will remove dirt and help control odor. When shedding becomes a problem later, switch to a slicker brush with the wire teeth.

The number of a vet. It is very hard to evaluate them. Dogs need more medical care than in the past. Many new problems are wide spread.

A book. Any book is better than none at all. I like the Monks of New Skete and their The Art of Raising a Puppy, ISBN 0-316-57839-8.

Obedience training. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start obedience training the day you get the dog. Build on the foundation of housebreaking. The younger the puppy, the shorter you must keep sessions, only a few repetitions at a time. A few minutes here and there, and by the time the puppy is 4 months old, people will be impressed with what a nice dog it is.

An AskMeHelpDesk bookmark so you can come back for help as needed.

I didn't forget treats, shampoo, and bedding. I seldom use them.

Much of housebreaking is not training the puppy, but making it easier for your
Puppy, you, and your carpet while its body to catches up to its instincts. At
Around 8 weeks when the puppy goes to its new home, the time from when it
Realizes it has to go, and when it can't wait any longer is a matter of
Seconds. Only time will fix that. You can hardly be expected to be attentive
Enough to avoid all accidents There is no sense punishing the puppy for your
Inattention. It is not fair to punish you either, but you still have to clean
It up if you didn't have the puppy outside in time.

Housebreaking starts before you get home with the new puppy. If you don't have
A crate, buy one. I prefer the more enclosed, den like plastic ones. Skip the
Bedding. At first it gets wet, and later it can be chewed into choking
Hazards. A wire rack in the bottom will help keep the puppy up out of
Accidents at first. They are available with the crates, but a piece of closely
Spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. If you
Already have a metal crate, covering it may help. Just make sure you use
Something the puppy can't pull in and chew. Dogs that start in crates as
Little puppies, accept them very well. Never leave an unattended puppy loose
In the house. If nobody can watch it, put it in the crate. I suggest letting
The dog have its crate all its life.

Choose a command and spot you want it to use. The less accessible to strays,
The less chance of serious disease. If it is a female, choosing a
Non grassy spot will avoid brown spots later. When you bring it home, take it
To the spot and give it the command in a firm, but friendly voice. Keep
Repeating the command and let the puppy sniff around. If it does anything,
Praise it. Really let it know what a good dog it is and how much you love it,
And maybe a treat. Note, being out there not only means you can praise it,
But it also keeps it from being snatched by a hawk. If it doesn't go, take it
Inside and give it a drink and any meals scheduled. A young puppy will need to
Go out immediately afterward. Go to the spot and follow the above routine.
Praising it if it goes is extremely important. If it doesn't go, take it back
Inside and put it in its crate and try again soon. Do not let it loose in the
House until it does go.

At first it is your responsibility to know and take the puppy out when it
Needs to go. It needs to go out the first thing in the morning, after eating,
Drinking, and sleeping. If it quits playing, and starts running around
Sniffing, it is looking for a place to go. Take it out quickly. You will just
Have to be what I call puppy broke until it is a little older.

By the time most dogs are about 3 months old, they have figured out that if
They go to the door and stand, you will let them out. The praise slowly shifts
To going to the door. Some people hang a bell there for the dog to paw. If
Your dog doesn't figure this out, try praising it and putting it out if it
Even gets near the door. A stern "Bad dog!" is all the punishment that is
Effective, and only when you catch it in the act and are sure you didn't miss
It going to the door. Clean up accidents promptly. I mostly keep the little
Puppies out of the carpeted rooms. Still I need the can of carpet foam
Sometimes. First blot up all the urine you can with a dry towel. Keep moving
It and stepping on it until a fresh area stays dry. A couple big putty knives
Work well on bowel movements. Just slide one under it while holding it with
The other. This gets it up with a minimum of pushing it down into the carpet.
This works with even relatively soft ones, vomit, dirt from over turned house
Plants, or anything else from solids to thick liquids. Finish up with a good
Shot of carpet foam. Note, do not let the puppy lick up the carpet foam.
Once the dog is reliably housebroken, your carpet may need a good steam cleaning.

Many people strongly strongly push cleaning up all evidence of past accidents. I am slower to suggest that. Dogs will return to the same spot if they can find it. When you see one sniffing the spot, that is your clue to run it out.

[iluvdoxies]

OK. Most likely it will be a puppy and when you say to skip the bedding are you telling me to not put any bedding material in there? I do have a crate - what should I put in there? What kind of dog food should I use (for puppies) and which kinds of toys are best for not just particularly puppies but dachshunds too?

[labman]

With a little puppy, there will be some accidents in the crate at first. If you have a rack rather than a blanket, the urine will go to the bottom leaving the puppy clean and dry.

As I said, find out what it is eating now. It should be a dry puppy chow. Switching to an adult chow for the larger breeds at 4- 6 months, slows growth and helps develop sturdier joints. Likely best for back problem prone Dachshunds. Most commercial dog chows provide the complete and balanced diet dogs need. Unless it is horribly expensive or hard to find, I would stick what it is eating now. If you are going to switch, see if they will give you some of what it is eating now so you can mix in more and more of the new over a week. A sudden change of diet can make a puppy sick. There are a lot of people out there making money selling expensive dog chows. You can't believe every thing you hear about dog chows. My 5 month old Lab, Nita, is eating adult Pro Plan chicken and rice.

The pet stores are full of toys that many dogs will quickly chew up into
Pieces they could choke on or cause intestinal blockages. If you are not
There to watch, stick to sturdy stuff such as Nylabones and Kongs. Keep a
Close eye on chew toys and quickly discard anything that is coming apart in
Pieces. Rawhide is especially bad because it swells after being swallowed.
These problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive
Chewers such as Labs.

Stick to smaller things for your Doxie. You may be able to give it some of the more fun things like squeaky toys. Just watch carefully and throw away anything it tears up and don't buy any more. Buy a little Kong. There may be times you need to occupy the puppy by filling it with peanut butter.

If you don't have a name picked out try http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/petnames.htm#1 and http://www.cat-dog-names.com/

[iluvdoxies]

Thanks I am getting ready to look at that name website now. I am most likely getting a female.

[skiberger]

Labman, good post. Question: We just got a puppy last weekend. He's going on 4 months old. He doesn't poop in the house or his crate but he has a problem peeing in the house and his crate. Is this a "give it time we only had him a week" thing? We are attentive but he's always sniffing but mostly curiosity. Thing is he pees in the house when my wife watches him but won't when I'm around.
One more question: we have a cat. The cat is sort of getting used to the new puppy. If they corner each other should we let the puppy learn a lesson from the cat or try to keep them separated a give it time? The cat is very friendly but he did give a 'hiss' at the pup today when he got too close.

[labman]

A 4 month old can be more difficult to housebreak than a 7 week old. The 7 week old has to go at more predictable times, within minutes of waking up from a nap, eating, drinking, etc. In addition to being less predictable, the 4 month old may have formed bad habits. Until he catches on to going to the door, you might try taking him out every hour or two. The real trick is attention to him and learning to read him. You can give him a quiet, but firm ''Bad dog!'' when you catch him in the act. Pick out the parts of my above answer right for him, and he should catch on quickly.

I had a 16 week old a few years ago. She did fairly well, except she decided the door mat was a good place to lay. I don't count her in the 14 puppies I have housebroken since 1991.

[iluvdoxies]

Ohhhh I hate it when it comes to names... I looked at those websites but nothing really "stood out" to me. I got my sugar gliders almost a month ago and they still don't have names.

[labman]

Yes, names can be tough. With good care a Dachshund should live 15 years. You want a good name. With a new puppy every year, sometimes we really struggle. I just was told about those sites a little before we got our Nita. We got a call one day saying we could have a black Lab, and picked her up the next. Nita is Choctaw for bear cub. Sometimes it is easier after you see the puppy. Our Daisy was a light colored yellow Lab with a darker face.

[iluvdoxies]

Yeah I figured that if I don't find one I liked that I would just wait until I got her and got to know her personalatie. -------------------- any convincing suggestions to try to convince my parents

[iluvdoxies]

I will probably be getting her within the next few weeks, but if I do get her then at the end of the month I am going on vacation to gatlinburg. I was wondering if that would be OK. I joined other dachshund websites and they had to go on a 9 hr drive and their pup was fine. Gatlinburg is not that far away, it is approx 4 hours. If I did I would have to take her, and stop every hour or hour and half. I have also heard that many of the doxies like to be in cars and will sit there and look out the window and like to sit in your lap. I am not driving so I can hold her, or if I have to I can put her in her crate. I would have to bring that, so she has somewhere to sleep at gatlinburg, but I would have to bring her with me everywhere we go and she prob wouldn't have all her shots by then. I don't know I need some help.

[iluvdoxies]

Anything??

[labman]

You need to take some precautions when traveling with a young puppy. Even if shots take, it is still 2 weeks until they build immunity. Shots will not take until any immunity from the mother wears off. You can verify this at the American Veterinarian Medicine Association site at http://www.avma.org/communications/b...o_brochure.asp Unlike many other web sites, they have the knowledge to post reliable information. Many internet dog care and training sites are poor or even dangerous.

Rest stops along the interstate are bad places for a young puppy. If your puppy takes one sniff where a sick dog relieved itself in the last 6 months, it could catch parvo, a great killer of young puppies. If I have to stop for the puppy, I stop at an exit or something. When you do have to stop at a rest area, have the puppy on leash and carry well away from the area most people use. I often go near the ramp keeping a good hold on the leash. When it is done, carry it back to the car.

How well a dog rides in the car mostly depends on how much it does before it is 12 weeks old. All my puppies have done well mostly starting with a 5-6 hour ride home at 7 weeks. From then on, I frequently take them fun places. The safest place for a dog is in a crate fastened down in the back seat. I usually use the next best place, the passengers foot well. They won't be killed by an air bag there or go flying around.

[iluvdoxies]

Thanks any more info is appreciated

[petkeepr7789]

Well I have a dachshund and she is 12 years old now. All in all she is a terrific dog. They are born hunters and love to be outside. Well I might suggest to tell them more about the breed. If you would get one I would recommend you getting a miniature dachshund.

[tinacasler]

I have a five month old dachsund/chihuahua.. talk about a hyper active dog... she is always cold, and I read that the length of the dog weakens the spine so some have back problems... but all in all they are fine dogs.