We got a NEW puppy...advice PLEASE!

[KeepSwimming]

We decided to make the jump and put a deposit down in a mini dachshund today. We are going to pick her up after Christmas...I am SOOOOO excited!!!However, along with this excitement is a little anxiety. I look at all the products available for a new puppy and am overwhelmed.

Any advice anyone can offer? And products you recommend for traveling in the car? Do I need a dog bed? Any general training/ general products that helped you?

GENERAL INFO about our new buddy:
* Female
* won't get bigger than 10 lbs.
* is a dappled black (may be a long hair)
* when we bring her home she'll be 9 weeks old

Thanks in advance for all the advice....I am counting the days until my WDW trip, and after that the days until we pick up our new family member!!!

 

[minniecarousel]

Oh my - that is exciting! Our DS and his GF have a Pomeranian puppy and he's cute, but a lot of work for rookies. They have a bed for him that they throw into the back seat when they travel with him. They have a pen for him that he stays in when they're not home. Good luck - I hope you get some good suggestions here.

 

[bekkiz]

You are in for some fun! Good luck I read up a storm before we brought Indy home (although, I waited almost 6 months for him, so I had to occupy my time somehow!)

Here is a website that is a great starting point--literally read every article. The better prepared you are with a plan, the less problems you'll have in the future.
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/tpuppy.html

I cannot stress how important it is to crate train you new pup. You'll need a smaller sized kennel (probably the small, not the mini). It makes your life so much easier, and will make your puppy comfortable at home from the first night.
Here's a pic of Indy in his crate the first night. We put lots of treats and fun things (including a microwave heated pad) and he was happy as a clam

Another great book is The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnel. It's a fun read and really helps you to understand why dogs act the way they do.

ETA: Another great purchace is an excercise pen. They're about 4x4. We put Indy's crate in there. It's a great way to confine him when you aren't/can't pay attention. We bought plastic backed drop cloths from Home Depot and put the ex-pen on top for the first few weeks, just in case he couldn't hold it. This is what we have:
http://www.petedge.com/shopping/pro...08&iSubCat=507&iSubSubCat=509&iProductID=3292

 

[Crazoo]

Take lots of pics, they grow up fast.

Try crate training as mentioned.

Might want to pick up some training pads and some bitter apple spray.

Use the training pads in your backyard or outside or wherever else you want it to do its business...use the bitter apple spray on furniture or anything it starts biting.

Also food is very important. Go with a premium brand and not a grocery store brand. Premiums may seem more expensive, but at the end, it's the same price because you food your dog less to get the same amount of nutrition as you would with a cheaper brand.

Good luck and don't forget to post pics here for us

 

[FINFAN]

Congratulations! We went ahead and bought a cage for our pooch when we got him, he really was cozier in there at night, we would put a beach towel over the top and he would settle right in. We had a sheepskin bed/pillow in there, and his favorite stuffed toy. It was also nice to have forwhen Blaze would get his flea/tick medication on, we use a liquid that rubs in between the shoulder blades and we did it at nigth so he would not rub into the carpet or the kids would forget and pet him there.
Some people used puppy pads to house train, but we did not need them, took about 2 weeks to train, but we did a late night out at midnight, then up at 3 a.m. and then at 6....
we used to tie old white socks to the leg of the table a/o chairs for Blaze to tug and teeth on. You may want to check into the Bitter Apple type of products which can help deter a dog from chewing everything, also change in an old coffee can works well.
Many people sign up for obedience classes ahead of time, just to have a slot...not sure if you are looking to do that or not.
As far as the car goes, I would make sure you have one or 2 towels in there, a water bottle and a few treats, and the constant plastic bag for "pick-ups"...once Blaze was bit by abither dog at a park and the towels came in VERY handy...also if you have been in mud, whatever...protects your seats from an accident...and some dogs can get car sick, so just all around good to have.
This is going to sound crazy, but we have an instant camera in the glove box for accident purposes...and I have shots of the dog on 1/2 of it....just unexpected cute stuff...so keep a camera handy!

HAVE A BLAST W/YOU NEW PUPPY, AND AT WDW!


Pam

 

[Rella Bella]

Congratulations! Great decision!
Definitely do the crate!! It will save you many headaches. If you do it from the first they just think it's home and love it. We put our little one in everytime we leave and at bedtime... until he was two yrs old. Now he's calmed down and doesn't chew anymore so he's fine.

Our first dog we didn't crate and oh my!!! We came home to messes everyday. In our bathroom she tore the wallpaper off the wall. In our back porch she ate the drywall!! Ruined too many things to mention.

Just give them lots of praise when they go in... ours would sence we were leaving and go in all by himself...

Good luck! They are wonderful! I know you're in for a lot of joy!

 

[DisneyDotty]

Congratulations and how very exciting for you! We have a wirehaired mini dachshund--Fritizie. She's over a year now and still a handful (and we love her!) OTOH, longhaired doxies are the calmest (of the three kinds.) My sister has a longhaired who is quite docile and sweet (after she's gotten to know you--before she is comfortable with you, watch out!)
Puppyhood is such a blur a year later, but I do remember having to give my Fritizie a bath constantly--lots of pooping issues. Also, agree 100% with crate-training--it makes life SO much easier. Gave our pup a treat everytime she needed to be in her crate and now she runs immediately to her crate whenever we say "Go to bed." We put Fritizie in a portable crate for car trips--she settles down and sleeps easily. And consider obedience training--it helped us get a handle on her energy. I take her for a walk daily--helps her with some joint issues she has, and helps to take the edge off her wackiness.
Do be careful about your doxie jumping on furniture--I'm sure you're aware of the back issues the breed has. We've been told we should buy health insurance on Fritzie now before the inevitable back problem is diagnosed.
You'll love your doxie. Enjoy!

 

[nomie74]

Congratulations! Do you have a name picked out yet?

 

[Freyja]

Congrats! We will be picklign up our Lab puppy on Jan 2. Just can´t wait. She will be 9 weeks by then. This is a great thread for us, puppy mommies.

Good luck with her. I´m sure she will be wonderful

 

[golfgal]

We finally caved in and are getting the kids a dog for Christmas too. Thanks for the links, we can use them too!

 

[Christine]

Congratulations!!! I LOVE getting a new dog--it is so exciting.

As others have mentioned--CRATE TRAINING!!

I can't say enough about it. My first three dogs were not crate trained (I didn't know about it). They were fine dogs, of course, but we did have some rough "patches" until they were about 2-3 years old. My next two dogs are crate trained. World of difference.

Just like kids, dogs need boundaries and LOTS of discipline. Sign up for dog obedience. I remember when I was taking my dog there. The SMARTEST dog of the class was a dachsund named Bruce. He was something else!

 

[patsvette]

Congrats on the new puppy,i remember those puppy days,i crate trained my one dog and she hated that crate ifinally gave up and she was sooo much better.

 

[Cyndirella]

Congratulations! I have a mini dachshund too (her pic is in my signature). Beware - they are addicitive - she is our third one and I can't imagine owning another breed. They are the funniest little dogs. I would suggest getting a book specifically about dachshunds so you can learn about their personality traits...for example, they are stubborn and notoriously hard to house train. I would definitely get a crate and use it from the minute you bring her home - we didn't - big mistake!! If you plan on taking her out for walks on a leash, buy a harness instead of a collar - the harness is better for their backs.

Post some pictures when you bring her home!

 

[TIGGER'SFRIEND]

Congrats on your new puppy. We have 2 minis,1 longhair & a shot hair,they are great pets. They do like to chew as puppies so give it lots of chew toys,be careful of the stuffed toys,he will pull the stuffing out. Petsmart has some nice chew toys that don't have stuffing . Enjoy him,doxies are very loving dogs

 

[ReggieB]

Tigger'sfriend is spot on. Plenty of chew toys. Most dogs go through an oral phase, which means they like to chew and mouth on anything, it usually passes, but you need to have a safe outlet for it. We had an Old English Sheepdog who liked table legs..and me. I used to spend the evening being nibbled on. One time we got back home to find a bread knife in her bed (!!!) she had chewed the handle. I still have it, I guess she wanted a sandwich. So don't forget the puppy proofing, I would say they are probably worse than babies for getting into trouble with things left around the house.

 

[KeepSwimming]

Thanks everyone for ALL the great advice!!! I'm so excited to hear from other doxie owners who are confirming with a great breed they are!

We have already purchased a few books escpecially about Doxies, and am doing some research about crate training right now.

Any/other suggestions would be great...keep the advice coming!!!

THANKS!

Also we have decided to name her Bailey (after George Bailey from our favorite Christmas movie).....

 

[Shugardrawers]

Get a crate for her to sleep in and put some soft bath towels in there. Bath towels are easily washable if she has an accident. Don't allow her to sleep with you until she's potty trained. If you do you'll be changing sheets in the middle of the night.

 

[golfgal]

Thanks everyone for ALL the great advice!!! I'm so excited to hear from other doxie owners who are confirming with a great breed they are!

We have already purchased a few books escpecially about Doxies, and am doing some research about crate training right now.

Any/other suggestions would be great...keep the advice coming!!!

THANKS!

Also we have decided to name her Bailey (after George Bailey from our favorite Christmas movie).....

Our old neighbors had a Doxie named Bailey and that thing barked ALL THE TIME!!! You know how it is when you know a kid you don't like so you don't like that name? I am sure your dog will be better behaved.

 

[simba928]

How exciting! Congratulations!! I love the name Bailey for a dog!

One thing is to keep anything of value away from her. When my dog, Jake, was teething, she got a hold of one of my white t-shirts. By the time I realized she had it, it became a tye-died red and white t-shirt.
When she was a puppy (and even now for those few accidents), we had a cleaning product called Nature's Miracle. It got rid of the smell and spots. It works for any animals. I suggest keeping a bottle of that handy, at least while your housebreaking her.

She will test your patience at times, but having a dog is the most rewarding thing anyone could ever do. Take her to obedience classes and remember...she's a puppy. She's still learning what she can and cannot do. Be firm, but kind. Don't let her do things now that you won't want her doing in the future. If you won't want her on the couch in a year, don't let her up as a puppy. If she steals one of your shoes, don't laugh at her because she's cute. She'll just learn that ruining your brand new pair of shoes gets her some attention. Have fun with her and I would love to see pictures of her if you can!

 

[disneynutt1225]

I'm a big advocate for crate training! Before we got Toby's crate, we had him fenced in the kitchen...well, he managed to get into the cabinets and ate a bag of potatoes and sponges!!!! He was none the worse for the wear aside for a belly ache though. He was also dubbed Tobini for a few days because he figured out how to climb out of the kitchen. Too smart for his own good, so we bought the crate and never looked back!

Also, I HIGHLY recommend a product called Petzyme (sold at Petsmart). It's a carpet cleaner that gets out ALL organic smells and stains...works great on vomit, urine, poop, etc. It even took blood out of my carpet when DFi cut his toe open! It's definitely worth the trip to the store to get. I still buy the stuff and Toby's almost 2 years old now. You can also use it in your carpet cleaner - it's very versatile!

We also signed Toby up for training at Petsmart when he was a year old - should have done the puppy class, but wound up going with beginner when he was older. It was the best $100 I ever spent! We're even considering doing an intermediate and advanced class there because they were so great.

Most of all, have FUN with your new furbaby. They really are great - even when you're tired and all they want to do is play. The unconditional love you get from a pet is priceless.