My puppy will be here soon!

[Nocturnelle]

Hi everyone, I posted this in the new member introduction but realized there was a puppy corner. I suppose I should have posted here instead so here we go. I have a few questions on my first dachshund:

1) My little puppy will be flying in (my first time also receiving a puppy at the airport.) Does anyone have experiences with this? What to do, not do and what to expect. Also, is it feasible to have the puppy checked by the vet within the next 72 hours of arrival or is that too stressful? Reason I ask is because it has to do with my breeder contract details (if there is a problem, I can only bring it up in 72 hours.)

2) I have read all sorts of information online regarding this - but what is your personal advice on puppy's first day home? Leash and keep it near you? Play? Feed by hand?

3) I live in an apartment on the ground floor. It only leads out to street pavements (no grass) right out the door. Should I housebreak a puppy (that is 9-10 weeks old upon arrival) by walking it outside to potty or have an indoor piddle pad? If he should be housebroken outside, how do you guys let your doxies relieve themselves if you live in an apartment?

4) Any food brand recommendations for a puppy Miniature longhair dachshund?

5) Do Dachshunds require daily supplements/vitamins? Any recommendations if so?

And since everyone loves photos, here he is!

Thanks in advance!

 

[jax's_mommy]

Oh my goodness! Sooo cute!

For his first day home, make it fun! Play and lots of loving Make him feel comfortable and know he will be safe and happy there. He'll be nervous and probably frightened, remember he just left his mommy, brothers and sisters

I'm not sure on the vet thing, I didn't get mine from a breeder so I never took mine to the vet right away. I think you should do, say a puppy first visit. Let them know its his first visit and you don't want to traumatize him, maybe they can make the visit a little fun while they look him over. That way he won't be scared, an also learn the vet is a happy place

For the leash thing, I don't really suggest putting a leash on a mini puppy. I do suggest for a bigger dog to do that. For a mini puppy, I do suggest crate training, and if possible put up a baby gate (or something to block a area) On hard floor and put either puppy pads/newspaper, down for him to go on.

When your home, if you can keep an eye on him. Take him out often and highly praise and treat right after he goes. Look for signs, i.e. head to ground sniffing. Take him out right after naps, 5-10 minutes after eating and playing.

I don't really have any suggestions for food, I feed my boy beneful puppy food.
I don't give my puppy vitamens/supplements, so I don't really have a suggestion for that either

Hope that helps a bit!

 

[Steph]

Beautiful baby! Who's your breeder?

It is feasible to get an appointment. If you know when puppy is arriving, make it ahead of time. If it's in the contract and you don't do it, any health guarantees are null and void. It also will help you nip anything in the butt too if there's anything related to air shipping or just the stress of being in a new home away from Mom and sibs.

I haven't had a pup shipped to me, but I would suggest that you take your ID (driver's license etc) a bill of sale or your contract with you any little piece of info that links the baby to you so that there will be no hassles at the airport.

When puppy arrives, the first thing you want to do is offer something to eat. Puppies blood sugar can drop rapidly due to stress and you don't want that to happen. A potty break would probably be good too...once you are away from the hecticness of the airport so out at your car perhaps.

First day home, make it lots of fun. You can keep puppy nearby because this will start not only the bonding process, but teach you puppy's cues as to when they have to potty. Since you're in an apartment building, I would pick a spot ahead of time where no other dogs frequent to potty that way you can keep puppy safe since you don't know what if any vaccine/ medical history the other dogs have. Leash puppy (leash training starts at this age) and keep them close, but make leash training fun too - no jerking the leash. Lots of treats and make an absolute fool out of yourself to get puppy's attention. Reward when they come to you, and when they potty where you want them too. Potty pads are great in case you miss puppy's cue to go outside.

Definitely feed by hand for the first couple of weeks when you can. It lessens the chance of food aggression Puppy food that's of good quality is great for baby wieners. Check out Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor if you have a specific food in mind or to get an idea of the better quality ones. As for supplements, I would wait until after 2 years old. Most physical issues don't rear their ugly heads until after then anyway.

Good luck and welcome to our corner of the world

 

[nola]

Aw, he's a cute!

1) Yes, I would most definitely bring him to a vet within 72 hours.

2) Lots of play, snuggling, potty breaks (every 15-20 minutes), praise, ect.

3) I personally do not like or use pee pads, but it's a personal preference. Mine is house trained to go outside. I lived without a fenced in yard for my dog's first year of life and I just took her out frequently.

4) Blue Buffalo Small Breed Puppy is what I used for my dog.

5) If you have them on a good quality food, supplements are not needed. I do give mine a daily joint supplement (she's two), but only because she's very active and is in training for agility.

Good luck!

 

[garyd]

Congratulations! I'm no expert by any means, but I'd suggest having someone drive you so you can give 100% attention to the puppy all the way home.

 

[Wandering Man]

Great suggestions above. Your puppy isn't a person, and doesn't have to be introduced to the whole house all at once. So if you want to keep him confined to one or two rooms at first, that might make the change easier on him and less overwhelming.

He is a really handsome pup. Congratulations.

 

[Nocturnelle]

Thank you everyone! The replies have been super helpful and I'm noting everything down. I have some questions:

1) Can I piddle pad/litter box indoor first (till he gets all his vaccines), then try steering him to potty outside too soon after? Or will that be too confusing and I should just stick to one location (indoor only or outdoor only) till he is completely housebroken?

2) We live in a loft. If we were to train entirely indoors, would having two piddle pads, one above and one on the ground floor be too confusing as well?

3) How often do we feed a 8-10 week old pup? 3-4 times a day?

4) He is a male pup. I would like to neuter him as early as possible but what would be a good age?

TIA!

 

[Steph]

You can potty train outdoors, you just have to be aware of where other dogs use the bathroom and try to avoid any poop, since most of the things puppies can get is passed through poop be it viral or bacterial. The thing to remember is that puppy's bladder is very tiny at this age and they potty often, so it wouldn't hurt to keep one above. Don't get upset if puppy has an accident - it's natural. Sometimes we miss the cues for puppy to go potty.

8-10 wks, you're looking at at least 3-4 meals. Puppies will start weaning themselves away from certain meals as they grow older.

I would encourage you to look into doing some reading on neutering. There are many opinions on the subject and I am one who would encourage a puppy be mentally and physically mature before neutering. Most small breeds are done growing by 8-10 months, but that's just an average. The sign to look for that he's becoming mature is the cocking of his leg on things to pee/ mark them.