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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Dachshund owners please come and speak to me!

107 replies

Inbedbynine · 12/03/2019 05:16

So I bitten the bullet and will be bringing pup home next month! Super excited but also a little anxious. I grew up around dogs but it will be my first one. I have a list of things the breeder said I will need but can anyone recommend what I should get and things not to? Any tips???

OP posts:

Wolfiefan · 12/03/2019 18:55

Our local FB group has great help with dog walkers people use.
Unfortunately it’s kind of a how long is a piece of string problem. Took me months to be able to leave mine for any significant period of time. They’re all different.
Adult dogs may be ok left for a few hours. But a pup is unlikely to be.

Original poster

Inbedbynine · 12/03/2019 18:56

I meant everyone I know with dogs can’t recommend anyone as they don’t use them

How many times would I need to pay someone to do it Iv I’m gojnf back hourly? I only work about 3 minutes away hence being able to pop back. My boss is ok me doing that for a couple of weeks..

OP posts:

BiteyShark · 12/03/2019 19:01

If your boss is really ok with you popping back and isn't just saying that then maybe you could muddle through for a few weeks.

One thing I haven't mentioned which I should have is cameras. I have one that streams to my phone so I watch mine all the time when he is on his own. I can hear and see him and I know if he is ok or not. Mine was £40 ish from amazon and despite him being an adult I still watch him.

If you can watch her then you will know whether she is a chilled puppy happy to snooze or is screaming her head off and peeing when left.

Cyberworrier · 12/03/2019 19:04

If I was you, I’d pay a dog walker an hour to come and socialise with pup, toilet etc, in the middle of your five hours ish so from 11 till noon. Then you just pop by at 10 am and 1pm.
In a couple of weeks you could ask the dog walker to come 12-1pm ish and you just pop home once at 10.30am and I would stick with that till pup old enough to have just one visit in 5 hours- maybe six months?
Or look into doggy daycare with puppy provision?

Cyberworrier · 12/03/2019 19:05

I second the camera! Makes it much less worrying leaving them.

Wolfiefan · 12/03/2019 19:16

Honestly we can’t say exactly what you will need. Wish they came with a manual!!

Original poster

Inbedbynine · 12/03/2019 19:16

Ok that’s an idea... so I go back twice in my work ‘day’.... after an hour, someone else comes in after another hour (for an hour) and then I go back an hour later and then I’m home an hour later.....?

Yes I was going to get a camera!

OP posts:

adaline · 12/03/2019 19:24

Are you sure your boss is okay with it?

You might only work a few minute away but you're going to be gone about 20 minutes at a time I reckon. You'll need to get home, take the dog out, stand with the dog, resettle the dog (this could take a while!), clean up any accidents and leave again. It won't just be a two minute job.

Pup is too young for daycare - lots won't take them before 16 weeks and they definitely won't take them before they've had their jabs. Can you find someone who can come and sit with the dog - a neighbour or a student who needs some extra money?

Leaving them is an option of course, but lots do get upset at being left and you will have to clean up accidents as a tiny 9 week old Dachshund won't be able to hold their bladder for long at all!

Original poster

Inbedbynine · 12/03/2019 19:31

I’m going to try the above option.... Iv messaged two local companies.... I’m going to try initially I pop back twice during my work day...

I was going to change my work hours so I’m basically at home for hour and half in middle of the day (unpaid) and start my work day a hour earlier.

OP posts:

Original poster

Inbedbynine · 12/03/2019 19:31

Last paragraph was meant to say once it’s older, not as a young pup.

OP posts:

BiteyShark · 12/03/2019 19:34

Sounds like a good plan.

Original poster

Inbedbynine · 12/03/2019 19:43

I feel like get my first newborn all over again!!

What sort of bed should I buy? Hard or soft?

OP posts:

BiteyShark · 12/03/2019 19:49

I had a variety.

Despite being a tiny working cocker I had the biggest crate I could find. In that I had a wipeable crate lining type bed but then a soft igloo type bed on top of that so he had his own small cave inside his big crate.

The key thing is to make sure they can be easily washed or really cheap to replace when they have accidents or try and eat them.

Vet bedding is recommended by lots of people as a soft, washable type of bedding for crates but I haven't used it myself.

CardiganB · 12/03/2019 19:56

This all sounds like a lot of extra stress for you, and for what? Because it's convenient for the breeder who just happens to have pups ready now? I would seriously think about sticking with your original plan of getting a puppy in the summer when you have time to focus on toilet training and socialisation. If the breeder's decent, she'd rather you took one of her puppies when you could give it your full attention - if you had to go on a waiting list, presumably there are other people who'd have this puppy if you don't.

Wolfiefan · 12/03/2019 19:57

Sounds like a great plan.
Basically anything that your dog can’t eat!!!!! My dog now has a duvet and vet fleece on top. I’ve tried memory foam (noisy and scary!) and I also have a single mattress. Big dog!!!!
Puppies eat everything. Walls, doors, you. So that’s important when picking a safe bed. They also have accidents. So washable is a MUST!!

SparklesAndUnicorns · 12/03/2019 19:58

I have a female dachshund she is crazy stubborn, greedy and very protective therefore a bit barky at guests when they arrive. But she is THE most loving dog I have ever owned, super loyal and she looks after me and my children I really do believe she always has an eye on us to make sure we are all ok, she love love loves cuddles so she is kinda like my permanent shadow and needs to be reminded I do also like my personal space haha but she does it for loving reasons ❤️ I would recommend this breed to anyone because she really is the best. Also they may have little legs but they are fast! Mine loves walks and is a bullet when she runs! Read up loads cus obviously their backs can be damaged easily with any extra weight or too much jumping etc. Wish you all the best they are the best breed!

Original poster

Inbedbynine · 12/03/2019 20:15

sparkles what was toilet training like?

Breeder has emailed me saying that I shouldn’t go out, come back for an hour then go straight back out. Separation anxiety. I told her my work situ And today emailed to ask how long I can leave pup and what she thought about what I said I’d do further up the page. Don’t know what to do now....

OP posts:

BiteyShark · 12/03/2019 20:21

Sorry not quite clear on what your breeder is saying you must not do. Are they saying you shouldn't bother coming back at all?

The thing is no matter what we or your breeder says you should or shouldn't do it's you that will be dealing with the puppy and my advice is trust your instincts especially when the puppy arrives. For instance it's all well and good your breeder saying one thing but they presumably have multiple dogs in the house. That is a very different situation to one puppy moved from their siblings and mother to be left in a strange house with strange noses and smells on their own.

Original poster

Inbedbynine · 12/03/2019 20:25

She’s saying I shouldn’t keep coming and going when pup is small. That I shouldn’t work for an hour, pop back and then go back to work...... says I should stay home after the hour but I can’t as I have to work?

OP posts:

BiteyShark · 12/03/2019 20:33

Hmmm so now they change their minds on start as you mean to go on then. That's not a dig at you btw that's a dig at them.

I would do as you have said which is get someone to pop in and you also come back a few times in the early days. Play it by ear using a camera and prepare to adapt timings etc depending on your puppy.

All puppies are different even from the same litter. I remember the first puppy survival threads I joined and we all did different things, had different struggles and challenges but we all got there in the end waves at Wolfie. The key thing was to adapt to our puppies and what they needed at the time. Take advice but equally remember that you need to adapt any advice to your own situation and puppy.

adaline · 12/03/2019 20:33

I think your breeder is right. Coming in every hour and then leaving after a few minutes is probably going to confuse the pup.

I really think you need to consider getting someone in for the first few weeks - hopefully someone gets back to you about it. We stayed home with ours for over a month (splitting our annual leave and taking some unpaid leave on top) to settle him and to toilet train. He was pretty reliable then when he went to daycare at our local home boarders at about 20 weeks (we got him around 13 weeks old).

Original poster

Inbedbynine · 12/03/2019 20:35

Yes she is changing what she said originally...

Thank you, I feel abit over whelmed as I don’t want to make any mistakes.. just don’t know what to do. Gut says wait till summer but people around me say do it now,,,,

OP posts:

Cyberworrier · 12/03/2019 20:36

I can see her point but none of us know how your pup will be- popping home more often may make pup think when you go out you come back quickly or it may hate seeing you leave and just focus on that. But you have to go to work!
I would stick with original plan, see how pup is when you leave and if they seem ok, then stick to plan! I think you could leave a small kong with frozen cottage cheese for a pup although I’m sure others can correct me if I’m wrong- something to focus on when you leave and keep it busy.
If it really does get upset when you leave, see if you can do one longer visit instead of two short ones (and change dog walker time accordingly?).
You can make it work I think and sound like you are putting a lot of thought into pups well-being.

Wolfiefan · 12/03/2019 20:38

We all make mistakes. Hoping that wasn’t just me!!
Popping home and straight out again would be unsettling. Going home for an hour or so is less likely to be.
Waves back at Bitey.
OP it’s hard. And I don’t believe I got it all right the first time by any stretch of the imagination. And next time? A different pup. Different problems.

BiteyShark · 12/03/2019 20:41

I went to see a lovely puppy which was bred by a farmer (working cocker) and he grilled us terribly but eventually said we would make good owners as he was satisfied we understood all the issues.

However, all the grilling had put some doubts in our minds and we ended up declining taking the puppy. It was awful to walk away and I still wonder about him as he was lovely and I look on my working cocker now and know we would have been fine but it was right to walk away and reassess that we were prepared.

I think if you took the puppy on now and understand the issues and are prepared to adapt in the early months you will be ok. Equally if your gut is thinking it's not quite right and you need more time or it's simply not the right time there will be more puppies and you will find the right one for you.

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