Food

It is essential that you feed your Dachshund puppy a high quality food that is complete and balanced and meets all nutritional requirements for this particular breed. When choosing a food for your new puppy, pay careful attention to the ingredients list. Ask your local vet for recommendations. I have personally tried and can recommend two dry kibble brands: Diamond Naturals and Purina Pro Plan. Royal Canin also has a nutritional dry kibble for puppies, but I can't personally recommend it because my dogs developed bad allergies on it.

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Also, I don't recommend plastic food bowls. Some dogs become sensitive to plastics over time and can develop skin issues. Instead, use a stainless steel or ceramic bowl, if possible.

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Supplements

I have found that adding a high quality fish oil to a puppy's meal once a day can do wonders for a puppy's coat and overall wellbeing. Fish oil is high in omegas and other essential nutrients for dogs. I also use dehydrated beef liver as a morning meal topper and/or afternoon treat. It is high in essential vitamins and puppies love it.

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Feeding Amounts/Times

​I don't usually limit my puppy's access to food unless they seem to lack an off-switch when it comes to eating. Typically, an 8-week old puppy will eat 3-4 times per day in smaller amounts (1/4 cup or less). As they grow, they will be able to wait longer between meals and you can begin to limit feedings to 1/2 cup twice per day (usually around 6 months). I typically feed my older dogs at around 8am and again at 3pm, but do what's right for your family.

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When I was working, I found it very helpful to use an automatic feeder for meals. I recommend buying one with a stainless steel bowl, as plastics can cause skin irritation in some dogs over time. Most automatic feeders allow you to select the meal size and times. They can be purchased on Amazon. See the link in the "Product Links" section below.

 

Toxic Foods

• alcohol​

• apple seeds

• avocado

• chocolate/caffeine

• citrus

• grapes/raisins

• macadamia nuts

• mushrooms

• onion/garlic/chives

• raw potato

• salt (in moderate--large amounts)

• tomato

• xylitol or other artificial sweeteners (many nut butters have this)

• yeast dough

• also not recommended: raw, cooked, or rawhide bones (bacteria/splinters), and antlers (too hard and can break teeth)

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Allergies

If your puppy develops allergies, take him or her to the vet for assessment. I've discovered over the years that many allergies stem from one of the following: food ingredients (usually a protein), household products (especially cleaners), air fresheners, or environmental factors.​​

More and more dogs are becoming sensitive to chicken. Try a less common protein, like salmon, lamb, or duck. If you're a Costco member, they carry salmon and lamb food options. These are also readily available at your local or online pet stores in a variety of brands. My lab eats the lamb and rice formula from Costco and absolutely loves it. Switching to this food cleared up his allergies almost immediately.

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Chew Toys & Bones

I use a variety of chew toys and bones. Most of them are available on Amazon and the links are listed below in the "Product Links" section. My puppies absolutely love bully sticks. ​They are long lasting and safe on their teeth. They also love turkey tendons, although they tend to eat these pretty quickly. Other options include the classic kong (filled with a Xylitol-free nut butter), the chilly penguin (which you can fill with kibble and water or low sodium broth and freeze for a longer lasting treat), or a snuffle mat or puzzle feeder (hide kibble or training treats inside). I've also used Greenies in the past, which they love, but I've gotten away from them lately.

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Crate Training

​Crate training is a very important step in raising a puppy.​ You will use the crate for many reasons and it's vital that your puppy feels safe inside it. To train your puppy, you will need training treats (or kibble) and YouTube. There are many crate training videos available on YouTube. I suggest that you watch many different videos and see what works best for you and your puppy.  The key to success here is two-fold: go slowly, don't rush the process, and give lots of treats! Make the crate a fun place to be. You might even try feeding your puppy inside the crate (with the crate door open) for the first few weeks to create a positive association with the crate.

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House Training

A good rule of thumb is that most puppies need to potty once every 1-2 hours​. As they age, they will be able to hold their bladders longer. While your puppy is young, it's important to note their natural potty schedule and do your best to anticipate their needs. If puppies have accidents, they tend to go back to the location of the accident for future potty needs. So, if they do have an accident in your home, be sure to thoroughly clean the area. To prevent future accidents in that area, it's best to use a urine eliminator spray that breaks down the urine and eliminates the odor, like Rocco & Roxie (see "Product Links" below).​

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For more about potty schedule ideas, see the "Sample Daily Schedule" section below.

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To train your puppy to go potty on a specific area, such as a potty pad or the grass outside, pick up your puppy from their nap area (crate/playpen) and CARRY your puppy to that desired area and set them down where you want them to potty. When they squat and begin to potty, say "Go potty on the ____" (insert location like grass or pad). Once they finish their potty, praise them saying "Good boy/girl ______" (insert name). Do this immediately and praise/pet/love on them abundantly afterward. Repeat this daily for the first 6-12 months. If you stop praising/treating them for this too soon, they may forget what you taught them.

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Sleeping

Puppies sleep A LOT. Do not be alarmed if you puppy sleeps the majority of the day at first, as long as he/she is eating, drinking, and pottying normally.

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​While I do crate train all of my dogs, I don't always use the crate for night time sleeping.  If you choose to use a crate at night, be sure to choose one that is sized appropriately for your dog. You want the crate to be big enough for your puppy to reposition itself easily but not large enough for them to potty on one end and sleep on the other.  Most crates come with a divider. Use it while your puppy is small, that way you can buy a crate that will accommodate your puppy's long-term growth. And plan for several potty breaks throughout the night. Most puppies will not go longer than 2 hours without a potty break. Keep the potty breaks short and down to business. Do not keep water in the crate, as this will increase the puppy's need for potty breaks. For this reason, I suggest picking up the water bowl by about 7pm and returning it to the puppy area when they wake up in the morning.  

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A popular way to set up your crate is to connect it to your puppy playpen area, especially if you don't want to go outside at night for potty breaks. To do this, take your puppy playpen (I suggest one with vertical bars only--because dogs can climb out if there are horizontal bars too-- in the "Product Links" section below) and connect one end of it to the front left corner of the crate (using zip ties) and connect the other end to the front right corner of the crate. This allows you to keep a potty pad in the playpen space right outside the crate for easy potty access at night.  This helps to reinforce the "no potty in the crate" rule. It's best to set this up near a sleeping area, as you are bound to be tired after multiple nightly potty breaks for the first couple of weeks/months.

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Sample Daily Schedule

​Your puppy's daily schedule will obviously depend on your unique lifestyle and needs. Do what works best for you, but here is a sample schedule if you need one:

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6-8am:  potty, drink, food, and playtime​

8-11am: potty and then nap in crate or playpen

11-1pm: potty, drink, food, and playtime

1-4pm: potty and then nap in crate or playpen

4-9pm: potty, drink, food, and lots of play/snuggles

9pm: potty, and then bedtime in crate or playpen

9pm-6am: potty every 2 hours​ or as needed (every puppy is different)

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Recommended Vaccine Schedule

Please do not let your puppy's paws touch the ground outside of your own backyard until they are fully vaccinated. Puppies can be exposed to life threatening illnesses if they are placed on the ground or around other unvaccinated dogs without the full protection of their vaccines (typically 4 months old). This does not mean you have to wait to socialize them. Find creative ways to keep them safe, such as strollers, slings, or backpacks, all of which are available on Amazon.

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It's important to follow your vaccine schedule because the timing of the vaccines is just as important as the vaccines themselves. This is what my vet recommends:

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8 weeks: DHPP

11 weeks: DHPP booster and Bordetella

14 weeks: DHPP annual

16 weeks: Rabies annual

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Common vaccine reactions include (call vet if more than 3 days):

• mild fever

• social withdrawal

• lack of energy

• loss of appetite

• soreness at the injection site

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Rare but life threatening reactions (call emergency vet immediately):

• swelling of the face and/or legs

• ongoing vomiting or diarrhea

• severe itching

• trouble breathing

• collapse

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Your puppy will then need annual vaccines to keep them healthy and protected. Ask your vet about the influenza vaccine, as well. Most boarding facilities require it now. Also, be really careful about getting the leptospirosis vaccine. Some Dachshunds have severe, life threatening reactions to this vaccine, and it's not really a necessary vaccine for most dogs.

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Health Concerns

Due to their long bodies and short legs, Dachshunds are highly susceptible to back issues, such as Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD). It is important that Dachshund families do everything they can to prevent this devastating and costly disease, which drastically affects a dog's mobility. One of the things you can do to keep your puppy healthy is to add ramps and/or steps to your beds and couches throughout the home. Another thing you can do is to keep your Dachshund active and help them maintain a healthy weight. If you're willing to go even further, you can go onto YouTube and research exercises you can do with your pup to strengthen their back. And of course, if you see any sudden onset lethargy or a big shift in their activity level or mobility, seek the advice of your local vet immediately, just to be safe.

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Also common in the Dachshund breed is a progressive eye disease, called Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA). This disease is genetic, which is why it's important that breeders test for it prior to breeding. All of our dogs are health and DNA tested through Embark. All of our males are PRA clear, which means they do not carry the gene. This makes it pretty much impossible for our puppies to become affected by the disease.  

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