Ok, after help from you guys here ive decided to get a miniture dachshund puppy. Ive found a breeder, the litter is due in 6 weeks and obviously id then be waiting for it to be 8 weeks old before i picked it up. It is a long wait but im happy to be patient and this way i have more time to get prepared. Im so exited though! Ive seen pictures of the last litter and they are gorgeous short haired chocolate doggys, and the next litter will be the same. Any way, ive got reading on toilet training, name training, learning to walk on a lead, sitting, feeding times, puppy proofing, correcting and rewarding behavior, introducing to other pets, vets, everything! So, is there anything else ive forgotten? xD Im so exited!
Firstly 8 weeks is to young for pup to be taken away from mum, any good license breeder won't let pups go before they are 11-12 weeks old. If good breeder then they will supply you with puppy pack, which will include either voucher for pup to be microchipped or 4 to 8 weeks free insurance, toy/blanket with mums & litter mates scent on, food that the pups been fed on, plus some breeders give collars/harness/leads, some even give their vets name address phone numbers in case anything wrong with pup
Ive read that 8 weeks is recommened but ill look into that, thanks They do come with a puppy pack and the first lot of vaccinations and are flea'd and wormed and with insurance for 4 weeks. I know they will all be vet checked and the parents are clear of any health problems and are KC registered Thankyou!
Puppies come home anywhere from 8 - 12 weeks, most breeders let pups go home at 8 weeks and I personally would want my pup from 8 weeks. The socialisation period begins at 8 weeks and ends at around 12 so I want my puppy in my home to be socialised by me and my family. The main thing for me is socialisation. Take them to meet lots of different people of different ethinic groups, people with beards, hats, sunglasses, scarves, bright clothes, costumes, in wheelchairs, with walking sticks etc and try to make though experiences good. Personally I don't want strangers to make a big fuss of my puppy because then they are more likely to try and approach strangers when off lead or just when walking down the road. I prefer a more neutral experience so that the dog is comfortable around all people but doesn't bound up to them and jump all over them (but that also comes with my breed that they are naturally wary of and reserved around strangers). Make sure the puppy has good experiences around children. You can always start by meeting a few quiet well behaved children and build that up to walking past a school at home time etc. You can get them used to going in a car, stationary at first and then journeys, getting them used to buses and then going on a short bus journey and building it up, sitting at a train station and letting them get used to train passing, gong on short train journeys and long train journeys. Get them used to bikes passing them, get them used to walking next to a bike if you plan on using that as excercise. Get them used to all sorts of traffic passing (trucks and motorbikes and lorries and vans). Another thing is to buy a sounds CD, the ones that have fireworks noises and thunder, gunshots etc. Start off by playing them on a very low volume so that it can hardly be heard, either make it a neutral experience or you could even play it while your dog eats so it is a good yet relaxed experience, keep playing the CD and after a few days turn it up a fraction, if the dog is still comfortable with it then keep it at the volume for a while and increase it again, if the dog is unsettled at any point turn the volume back down to the volume that you was using before for a few more days a try again. Get them used to as many different dogs as possible. Big dogs, small dogs, medium dogs, skinny sighthounds and bulky mastiffs and brachyphalic bulldogs, short haired dogs, long haired dogs, fluffy dogs, wire haired dogs, white dogs, black dogs, pointy eared dogs, floppy eared dogs. Get them used to being left alone to prevent separation anxiety, crate training is a great tool that can help with that. Get them used to any other animals you might be living with or encounter when you are out walking. Get them used to the sounds of a loud TV, loud music, pots and pans clashing, hoovers, washing machines (though hopefully if they are raised inside the breeders house they will be used to most of these). So there is a lots of socialisation to do, probably tons more than what I have mentioned, you can take puppy out before its vaccines if you hold him/her or have them in a bag or something just so they can start to see and hear the outside world and begin to understand it at the start of their socialisation process. Good luck with your pup
Sorry Tina, I don't like to disagree, but my puppies used to go at around 9 to 10 weeks too, - unless there had been a problem. For example, I once had a puppy with a mild case of juvenile pyoderma. She had been reserved, but her owners agreed that I should keep her until her vet treatment was finished, and her spots had healed. I think she was 14 weeks when she went, but being house reared, she was well used to cars, vets, visitors, and other dogs by that time. Eddie came to me at about 15 weeks, after living with his breeder, dealer, first home, and rescue home, By this time his socialisation 'window' had been well and truly missed, and there were a lot of issues to resolve, which would not have been there if he had been able to come straight to me at 8 weeks. @Kitkat_ I agree with most of this. I'd be a bit cautious about socialising a tiny dachs. with flighty or heavy breed dogs, but a good detailed post.
@CaroleC I know a lot of breeders are now not allowing puppies to go under 11 weeks old, after looking on the KC breeders lists (still on lookout for white GSD) most are saying can view puppies from 6 weeks deposit secures puppies will be ready to leave around 11 weeks old, so am going on what's on the KC breeders list, Also rescue homes now don't let puppies go before they are 12 -14 weeks (something about all puppies must be chipped before being adopted some vets don't chip puppies until they are 12 weeks) Guess 9-10 weeks is ok but I won't take a puppy at 8 weeks old, as all my pups were still feeding of Skye (mum) until they were 10 weeks old, they were eating solids but at same time feeding off mum, specially at night.
in all honestly everywhere ive looked says 8 weeks is ok but obviously if shes still feeling from mum im not gonna take her! x I just want to make sure i can have a good start socialising her becuase its important obviously x
@6JRT's In that case, I'm glad I'm not breeding any more, and at my age I'm not likely to be having another young puppy. The thing that really p's me off about this microchip legislation is that APGAW having got this legislation through, have now announced that it is recommended to be used with a light touch. ie. not enforced! In practice, the KC Assured Breeders, and those who strive to do the right thing, will do their best to comply. (Imagine having to keep and socialise an average litter of Gt. Danes till they are 11 weeks plus - Eeek!). Joe Bloggs, round the corner, will still mate his Staffy or Puggle, and sell the puppies at the pub, or on Mutz'r'ere , and I predict nobody will do anything about it. The puppies will still get implanted whenever they appear at the vets. for vaccination.
All my pups came from reputable breeders and were 8 weeks when I brought them home. I don’t see why rescues are refusing to let pups go at 8 weeks as The new legislation for Mc dosent start till 6th of April 2016’,
