FloriDachs Miniature Dachshunds

Things to know about your new Dachshund puppy...

As Reputable Dachshund Breeders, our main goal is to provide you enough information to form a healthy, long term relationship with your new family member. Puppy care tips are a major "need-to-know" for new puppy owners. 

For starters, the first few days are crucial to your bond with your new dachshund puppy. I know you are excited, but we ask that you use a lot of patience and give your new puppy plenty of time to make the adjustment on his or her terms.

Don’t forget that we are only a phone call , text, or an e-mail away. We have had years of experience in helping our customers through those first few days/weeks with their new dachshund puppy. We are educated dachshund breeders and owners that are always happy to answer questions! Sometimes it’s nice to have a calm, experienced voice to walk you through your new adventure. 

This is one of the greatest benefits of choosing a reputable breeder to buy your dachshund puppy from. Sometimes, even some of the most common tips are nice to hear in order to reaffirm our own thoughts and decisions.  

Here are a few dachshund puppy care tips that may help you prepare for your new puppy!

Feeding Your Dachshund Puppy:

There is nothing more important than making sure your puppy continues to eat right in the first few days at his new home. Your puppy will come with a starter supply of puppy food provided by us.

Please use (Purina Pro Plan Sport - all life stagesfor the first couple days at least. It is familiar to them and they have been eating it for quite a while. There is no need to wet the food. If you choose to feed a different brand, gradually mix it in with the food we provided until the puppy adjusts (slowly over a minimum of 7-10 days for full transition).  Puppies generally get 1/3 cup twice a day while they are with us - this is equal to about 4 tablespoons of food per serving.

Don’t be too shocked if he gets a little diarrhea from the adjustment period. A little plain yogurt (never sugar free) is a great way to help straighten that out. Just add a teaspoon to his feedings for a few days. Just like people, some dogs have a more sensitive digestive tract than others do. The main thing to remember is that your puppy will need to eat on a schedule and at first it may be best to follow the schedule he or she has previously been on.

AM feeding  6-8 a.m. (Lunch feeding is optional) PM feeding  4-6 p.m.   
(if opting to feed at lunchtime, be sure to split the daily food allowance into 3 portions)

Puppies do not generally like to eat alone unless in a secure space. They have had their meals with siblings up until this point. If you make the mistake of setting his food and water in the other room or in the kitchen and just walking away, he may not feel comfortable 
going/staying in there to eat alone and may be missing meals.

Keep in mind that if you already have pets in the house they may be eating the puppy’s food before he gets to eat it. In addition, established pets may need a little time to get to know the puppy before they feel comfortable enough to allow him to eat near them. The puppy will need his own place to eat at first, for safety reasons and to assure your current pets that their normal routine has not been forgotten. Monitoring all interactions between your current pets and your new puppy during feeding is highly recommended. Plan on hanging out with “the group” as you integrate feeding schedules until you are sure there will be no issues.  

How to Protect Your New Dachshund Puppy:

I know how excited you are about getting a new puppy, but try to keep things calm and low key during those first few days (maybe even a few weeks). You will need to fight the urge to show him off to everyone you know on his first few days home. The best advice we can give you is to keep your puppy to yourselves at first. It gives you time to form a strong bond with your new puppy and gives him time to learn his new surroundings and get comfortable without feeling overwhelmed. This will help build a confident, well-rounded puppy.

Remember! This is a very stimulating time in your puppy’s young life. Your new dachshund is going to require a lot of sleep. Not unlike human babies, they take many power naps during the day. Never forget - as soon as they wake up, they will always need to go potty!!

We strongly recommend that until your puppy finishes his vaccinations, you should avoid places like the dog park, pet stores, friend’s houses or any other public area where there may have been other unvaccinated or wild animals.

Your puppy is much more vulnerable to diseases up until he finishes the complete series of puppy shots including their rabies vaccine. Please be sure to keep up with the core vaccine schedule provided in our paperwork as a guide. There are a minimum of four series of shots typically given during the puppy vaccination cycle. Please feel free to discuss this protocol with your veterinarian and make plans to protect your puppy from unforeseen dangers until fully vaccinated.

As it is one of the most important parts of puppy care, when you buy your puppy from FloriDachs, he or she will always have had his first set of vaccinations as is required by statute, a health certificate and de-worming before he leaves our home.

Do not worry; we will make sure you given copies of these important documents prior to leaving.

Dachshund puppies are also very inquisitive! 

Naturally, they will want to explore their new environment. Please have a good look around before you bring your puppy home and put up anything that may be harmful your puppy. Keep a constant eye on your new friend. When your puppy is playing in the house or out in the yard they can get into trouble very quickly. This includes eating hazardous plants, drinking chemicals, chewing electrical cords and chewing/swallowing clothing items (just to name a few). Do some research on puppy proofing if possible and check out our poisonous plants and other links at the bottom of this document and on our available puppies page. 

Sleeping at Night with a New Puppy in the House:

Up until this point, your puppy has lived in a very sheltered and loving home environment. Our puppies are used to having brothers and sisters to cuddle with at night. Do not be surprised if your puppy whines a great deal for the first few nights or even longer, each puppy is going to be different. Just be patient and give your puppy very little attention during these episodes. They often cry just to see how often or how quickly they can get you to pick them up! Puppies are a lot like human babies, they cry when they need or want attention, need a bite to eat, a little something to drink or if they need to go potty. Be firm and your puppy will soon get the hang of it.

Dogs are very adaptable and responsive to being on a schedule. Try to put your puppy to bed around the same time every night and get your puppy up around the same time every morning. This will help a lot with potty training, too. Around here, our pets go to bed around 9 p.m. and are up around 7 a.m. Don’t be surprised if the puppy needs some time to adjust to any new bedtime schedules and/or wake up times.

What to do with the New Puppy Monday Morning?

​The first day back to work after you get your new dachshund puppy can be stressful on everyone. Do not worry; your puppy is going to be okay! Just keep these tips in mind. The puppy cannot stay in his crate indefinitely without food or water (have a plan)! Focus on what is best for the puppy. Create a space for your puppy to roam around in safely while you are away (puppy pens are best). You can worry about full crate training later. Just work with crate training while you are at home for now.

While the puppy is very young, you just have to follow different rules. If you have someone close by that can look in on your new puppy during the day that would be great, or coming home for lunch would be ideal.  If this is not possible, just implement your best plan. We can discuss the best options before you leave with your puppy, but here are a few of the high lights. You will want to set the puppy up in a secure place like a puppy pen (preferred), the bathroom or a laundry room with full access to water. Feeding should be done before and after you get home (if possible) to help with your potty training efforts. Be sure to pick up anything your puppy might get into while you are gone. It is like child proofing your home. No cords close by to chew on, no people things to tear up, etc.  You get the idea...

You will probably want to leave his crate in the space provided with the door securely opened for full access. Put a blanket/bed in the crate to remind him that this is where he should sleep.
Leave plenty of age appropriate toys down for playing. Add a potty pad as a great way to try to teach him to potty in a specific spot when in the pen. 

While at FloriDachs, your puppy has been using newspaper to potty on, but puppy pads will also work just fine. Just transition your puppy over from paper to pad while at home. As your puppy gets older and is able to hold it longer, you will be able to start keeping him in his crate part of the day (a few hours) while you are out. For now, you just need to baby him a little, make sure he is comfortable and create a safe positive place for him to learn.

Teaching your pets to accept the New Puppy:

Whether you have a cat(s) or dog(s) at home already, please keep in mind that your existing pet(s) may need a little time to adjust to having a new puppy too. While most pets quickly adapt to having a new puppy in the house, others may take a couple days (weeks) or longer to make the full adjustment.

Should you have trouble, just remember to have a little patience. It is well worth the time invested. Your existing pet(s) and your new puppy are going to be best friends in the end!

We have found that slowly introducing the puppy to the other pet(s) is always best. I would never recommend just taking the puppy home and placing him on the floor to make acquaintances with your pet(s) on his/her own terms. 

An older dog or cat may accidentally hurt the puppy if introduced too quickly. Try holding the puppy’s tail toward the pet(s) to let them have a smell of the puppy. Dogs and other animals really do not introduce themselves to one another by just sniffing noses.  No matter how embarrassed you may be about “butt sniffing”, it is the language of many animals. 

Do not push your pet. Let him/her warm up to the puppy in their own time frame. Spend a little “alone time” with your current pet(s), too. This will reassure your pet(s) that they have not been replaced by the new "intruder".

Do not worry about the puppy, Dachshunds (puppies) are adaptable and love to have other pets in the house once properly and safely introduced. The best thing about bringing a new 
pet into the house is that the first pet will usually end up helping to teach the puppy everything your puppy needs to know about your house and its rules. The puppy will learn to look to the older dog for lessons on his new surroundings and his new family.

Do not panic if your dog (pet(s)) growl (show displeasure) at the new puppy. It can be part of teaching the puppy who is the boss (alpha). It may also be a way to let the puppy know he/she is getting too aggressive (think puppy teeth) or too annoying or just to show the puppy what the pecking order is going to be (dominance) - but it should be closely monitored and not allowed to escalate. Gently and firmly remind the offending pet(s) your new puppy is a “baby” and that they must be gentle in a consistent manner is important. We do not want to allow "bad behavior" on either side.  Remember, puppies also need boundaries and should not be allowed to chew hard, bite , jump or terrorize your pet(s) any way he/she likes.

Gently remove the puppy should their play get too intense or your puppy is not listening when asked to settle down (sort of like a time out). This is part of setting the ground rules for each animal and makes for a more harmonious transition. In our experience, most pets lead much happier and fuller lives when they have another pet(s) around the house to spend time with.

Teaching the Puppy to do New Things:

Teaching the puppy to do new things (training) can both be the funniest thing you ever saw and the most frustrating thing you ever tried. Wearing pet clothes, using a leash, pottying outside, sit, stay, etc. are all new activities to your puppy. The puppy will require 
constant positive reinforcement and patience.  The attention span of a puppy is short. 
They are easily distracted and it is normal for them to need redirection back to  the training task at hand multiple times during a training session.

Patience goes a long way in building trust and positive bonding for life with your puppy. The best advice I can give on this subject is to try to do only a little training at a time. Puppies will generally accept things better if introduced to them little by little repeatedly every day. Short sessions with high praise and high value treats work well - sessions should be repeated multiple times (short 5-10 minute sessions to start) until the desired results are achieved.  
As the puppy gets older, sessions can become more focused and last for longer periods.

It is also no secret that Dachshunds can be more than a little stubborn. The trick is to be more stubborn than they are (through patience and repetition). Use a lot of vocal, verbal encouragement and praise, not just treats. Dachshunds are generally emotional little dogs (people) and once they figure out that they can make you happy by performing your requests/ commands, they will choose to learn quickly. Remember to use high value treats as a reward only when they perform exactly as you wish and alternate with affection only as praise, so the treat is not expected in all cases.  They aim to please most of the time, but are independent, so do not expect perfection (they are Dachshunds after all).  

Finally, but most importantly, don’t forget us!

As you can imagine, we have formed an enormous bond with this little baby. We watched your puppy come into this world, loved and cared for him/her every day of their young life up until the day our puppy left for your home and family!

Please do not forget us, update us - drop us a line from time to time and always send pictures! 

We really appreciate it and LOVE to add photos of our past pups to our website so we can show off your little super star! 

Your correspondence makes our work seem so much more worthwhile...

Just knowing how much happiness our puppy brought to you and your family brings happiness and joy to ours!

Take Care and Thank You!
Teresa & James

The following article/links(s) may also be fun or useful in your journey to successful Dachshund ownership:

https://victorpetfood.com/product-items/hi-pro-plus/

http://www.floridachs.com/Poisonous-Plants.html

http://www.floridachs.com/Crate_Training_101.pdf

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bring01.html

http://www.dachshundclubofamerica.org/

https://www.akc.org/dogowner/training/canine_good_citizen/links.cfm

http://www.everything-about-dachshunds.com/grooming-a-dachshund.html

http://www.earthdog.net/

http://www.dachshund-dca.org/rallyobedience.html

http://www.canine-freestyle.org/










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