Choosing The Right Breeder

Choosing the right dog breeder is as important as the breed you choose. Anyone can breed puppies, but are you getting a loveable cuddly companion or an accident waiting to happen?

I've been breeding Dachshunds for just over 5 years and even though it can be terrifying at times, it's also rewarding. Providing families with a loving, happy, well adjusted pet is the most rewarding experience. Now many people will say, "don't go to a breeder, adopt from a pet agency" - totally wonderful and selfless, but also a gamble. Most of the pets turned over to these agencies are great, but some come with a whole set of problems, and if you've got children or you're not prepared for the commitment, don't go there. What if your nine-year-old wants to show the dog in 4H or AKC events? They can't do that with an unregistered dog.

Here are the things to look for.

Reputable breeders:

· Allow you to visit your puppy in their home, usually by 4 weeks of age.

· Usually require a contract to be signed.

· Guarantee the health of their puppies on delivery.

· Make sure their puppies are well socialized.

· Generally won't sell you a dog at Christmas time.

What, a contract and no Christmas puppies? What's up with that? Let me explain a few of these. First of all I want people to know who I am and what conditions their puppy is raised in so they can duplicate it as closely as possible. It's a benefit to you as the buyer to know that your puppy comes from a stable home with a healthy atmosphere. There's nothing worse than having a new puppy come down with bordatella (kennel cough) because your breeder didn't bother to vaccinate the litter.

Second, the contract protects you from the health issue, if written properly and also protects the puppy from being re-sold if the situation doesn't work out. We breeders would much rather take the puppy back then have the owner sell it to a less that responsible home, or euthanize it for peeing on the rug.

Third, a well socialized puppy is a happy puppy and easier to train. How can you tell? When you visit your puppy for the first time, does she come up to you and ask for a snuggle or does she growl at you. Can you turn him over and pet his belly or does he protest and run away. Now not every well adjusted puppy will snuggle and let you turn them over. Sometimes they are just too busy to let you play with them, but they are generally very approachable and happy - with everyone. I take my puppies everywhere, even to work, from the time they are born. I have people in and out of the house all the time and encourage them to handle the babies. This helps the mom be flexible and confident as well.

Lastly, the Christmas thing. Puppies at Christmas are cute, but generally not well thought out and therefore often get returned to the breeder, turned over to an animal welfare group, or worse, abandoned. I WON'T sell at Christmas, but some breeders will - with stipulations.

All of this has an effect on your new pet's temperament, trainability and personality. I hope this has been a helpful resource. Just make sure you ask your breeder questions. If you don't get the answers you want, find another breeder. Also, don't hesitate to contact the AKC if you feel a breeder is abusing their dogs, or is using disreputable practices. It only helps everyone.

Please feel free to leave comments and questions.

T.

Puppy’s First Trip To The Groomer

Most people buy or adopt their puppy and figure she is pretty much wash and wear. Well for those smooth coated dogs, I guess that’s mostly right, but what if your dog has longer fur. What if you’ve gotten attached to an Afghan, Yorkie or a long coated Dachshund. You knew I was going to sneak the Dachshund in there somewhere and the long coats are my specialty since I breed them. You can get away with just bathing and copious amounts of brushing, but what if you want to show your dog or just not have it look like a Chia Pet? Well, then you have two choices. Groom the dog yourself or take her to a groomer.

If you are going to groom yourself, my suggestion is, spend some time with your breeder and learn to do it the proper way. Any reputable breeder will most likely be showing their dogs and know how to groom them. If not, they will have a groomer that they can refer you to. I learned from the breeder of my first Dachshund puppy – who also happens to be a groomer – and have spent hours learning, tips and tricks from other breeders. If you want to spend this time with your dog, great; I say, go for it. While it can be frustrating at times, it can also be a good bonding experience with your puppy and also cheaper in the long run. But if you don’t have the time or inclination, then you need to find a good groomer.

There are some early basics you need to teach your puppy before sending her out to be groomed. Spend lots of time touching and handling your puppy all over. Don’t forget the feet, toes and ears as these may be sensitive “scary” areas for her. Once you’ve done that, the next stage is brushing and combing. Very young puppies generally don’t like to be brushed to begin with. You usually have to convince them that it’s fun. Using lots of positive, soothing words along with a few treats generally gets the point across. If you are going to use a professional groomer, your puppy should be introduced at about 12 weeks of age. Contact the groomer of choice to discuss your puppy’s specific grooming needs. This of course, will be different for each breed. You and your groomer will work as a team to provide the best care for your puppy so she can have a positive experience and look great.

A grooming salon is full of loud noises, lots of activity and strange smells. The groomer may suggest that you bring our puppy in to the salon for a couple of short visits, so as to acclimate her to this sensory overload. After these short forays, it will be time for her appointment. The first few may be lengthy, but that’s alright. It is extremely important that your puppy develops trust in the groomer and becomes comfortable with everything that is done. Many puppies discover that grooming is a fun adventure – not something to be feared. Your groomer should give you a time to come back for your puppy or call you when she is ready. Whatever you do, don’t return early. If your little bundle of fir sees you or hears your voice, she may become so excited that the groomer is unable to finish properly.

To prepare for your puppy’s grooming, take several trips in the car to get her familiar and comfortable with traveling. Also, set aside some special time each day to brush or comb your puppy and give her some quality attention. Before taking the puppy into the salon, make sure she has relieved herself and don’t be afraid to bring along a favorite toy. This will help your puppy feel at home in the crate or cage while waiting for her turn. On the way to the salon, be happy and up beat. If you are anxious, your puppy will pick up on it and may make the experience more stressful. The grooming salon needs to be your puppy’s “special place” where she can interact positively with the groomer and staff. The main objective is to make her first experience a positive one – one that she likes – as this will stay with her forever.

If you’ve never been to a grooming salon, you may wonder what happens there. Usually the first thing is that your puppy will be thoroughly brushed. This will allow the groomer to spend some time with your puppy, touching and petting her so she can settle down and feel safe; then comes the clipping. This is usually done with an electric clipper and/or a scissors. The important thing is that the puppy should be introduced to the grooming process at a comfortable pace – not rushed. Sometimes groomers will clean the ears and clip toenails before they begin bathing. Often they will place a drop of eye protector in your puppy’s eyes to keep the soap from irritating. Groomers typically use a good quality shampoo and conditioner with a very thorough rinsing. After the bath, your puppy will be dried with fluffy towels to avoid chills. Now here’s were some salons differ. If it is a high traffic salon, often they will place the dogs in a cage and have a dryer blow on them. This is called “cage drying” and can sometimes be scary for the dogs. It also makes the fir not lay as flat, so if you are showing your dog, be sure to find a groomer that hand dries and styles the dog or ask if this is an option. Sometimes you will have to pay extra for this if it is not routine, but your pet will look better and feel better about her grooming experience.

When you return to pick up your puppy, you will be greeted with a wagging tale and lots of kisses. Your puppy may even be sporting a bandana or pretty bows in her hair. Sometimes puppies feel strange after being groomed and may want to roll around on your carpet or rub up against the furniture. This is normal behavior but just be sure she doesn’t overdo it and cause irritation to the skin. Also remember, if her nails have been clipped, the edges may be a bit sharp at first and easily irritate the puppy’s skin. If you have any concerns, be sure to contact your groomer. You will want to groom your puppy every 4-8 weeks, depending on her coat. In between, be sure to bathe and brush her regularly. A clean coat is a healthy shiny coat. If you have questions about brushing, contact your groomer. They are usually happy to assist you with correct brushing techniques as well as give you ideas for the proper tools to use.

I hope this has been helpful information. Please feel free to leave comments or questions.

T.

Potty Training - The Short Version

Being the breeder of Dachshunds for over 5 years, I can tell you that I've tried it all. The Dachshund can be one of the most stubborn breeds when it comes to potty training, so if you can train a Dachshund, you can train anything. Our dog Mitzi was our first and has quite a few accomplishments to be proud of. I won’t bore you with the details, but I just wanted you to know that the owners of the local dog school that we attend, have us bring Mitzi into classes where there are other Dachshunds – to give the owners hope. That being said, the main thing to remember is, you need to be more stubborn than the dog, and the leader of your pack. If you follow the few guidelines I’ll give you below and use the wonderful resources I’m going to provide you with, you will have a successful potty training experience.

I once read an article that said “it takes a human to make a dog soil its bed.” Successful house training depends mostly on you. By using prevention instead of punishment, perseverance, reasonable expectations, and a puppy's natural instincts, house training can be done in a reasonably short time. If you watched a mother with a litter of pups, you would see that they learn by about three and a half to four weeks, that their bed is not the place to pee. They will leave their litter mates and go to the edge of their pen in order to eliminate. They will not soil their sleeping area unless forced to. Your job is to take advantage of this inbred instinct. You can teach your puppy to potty in the desired area - whether outdoors, on newspapers/potty pads, or in a kitty litter box.

Punishment for incorrect elimination is counterproductive and really has no effect. The whole key to successful housebreaking is confinement. If you’ve gotten your puppy from a reputable breeder, she will be used to confinement and will easily accept it in her new home. The best confinement is a kitchen or laundry room or even a crate. Most breeders introduce puppies to the crate at an early age, so you are merely reinforcing what has already been done. Being pack animals, dogs will instinctively look for small spaces for their den – the dog crate is this den. All of my dogs, love their crates and I usually have several about the house, with doors open, so they can go inside whenever they please.

I assure you; this is far from cruel and is much more preferable to allowing your puppy to roam freely about your house, chewing your belongings and peeing on everything. This sets the puppy up for constant “behavior modification” which will cause no end of frustration for you and emotional stress for the puppy. This is one of the main causes of dogs being ejected from the house, given up for adoption or worse yet, put down. Being euthanized or stuck in “solitary” in the back yard is much crueler than a nice comfortable crate or safe room in the house – and it doesn’t annoy your neighbors.

In our house the crate is king and is responsible for the potty training of our youngest dog, Dasher, at the age of 6 weeks. You read it right – 6 weeks. Now I had the distinct advantage of him being born in the house, but when you get your puppy at 8-10 weeks, you can do the same thing. Remember the golden rule; food or water in - food or water out. At 8 weeks, that equates to about a 2 hour time span at the most. So during waking hours, if you are present, take your puppy outside to the same spot every time, and give whatever command you wish to use. In our house, it’s go potty. Now don’t expect it to happen immediately, puppies like to check out the terrain a bit first. I know this may put a crimp in your life, but hey, you got the dog and you’re the responsible human. Deal with it or have a house that smells like a kennel.

At night your puppy may be able to go 4 hours or more before needing to eliminate. That’s actually pretty good when you consider newborns typically wake more often. I kept a potty pad just outside the door of Dasher’s crate. After all, who wants to run outside in your jammies and bare feet in the middle of January? When he complained, and trust me they will, I took him out and placed him on the pad. He usually peed right away, then it was back in the crate for another 4 hours. This teaches your puppy two things. One: You will always be there for them, instilling a bonding and trust that is essential to further training. Two: The tinkle pad is a good place to potty. This is vital if you are planning on being gone from the house for extended periods of time. You can’t even ask an adult dog to hold it for more than 8-10 hours (although I had a little guy that could go 12). They need to know that there is one place in the house that is acceptable and where they won’t get scolded. I always keep a pad in front of my back door, year around. Sometimes it gets used, mostly it doesn’t

These are just my experiences with very young puppies, but there are lots of other resources out there and I highly suggest you check them out. After all, what works for me may not fit your life style. So there are the main points. Now for the links I promised. First you should check out The Ultimate Housetraining Guide. This is a wonderful resource and you won't be disappointed in the material. Also, here's a couple of reviews to check out - these sites are excellent tools - Dog Training Reviews. Please feel free to leave comments or questions and I will attempt to answer them as quickly as possible.

Take Care,

T.