[PontiusPirate]

*If you're going with a food that has by-products, then sure, go for Purina One. Don't get Science Diet. And PLEASE don't buy Iams or Eukanuba. If you don't want by-products in your food, I'd suggest Natural Balance, Merrick, Trader Joe's, Foster & Smith, Avoderm, California Gold, or my personal favorite, Innova. (Innova's rad. It's 90% + digestable, no by-products, no gluten/corn/wheat products, no preservatives. )

*Dry food isn't only better for dental health, it is healthier all around. There is less nutritional value in canned food as well, and alot more junk.

*In my experience, retractable leashes aren't better or worse for small dogs. It's all in how you train them. I would suggest a harness instead of/with a collar for a doxie though, especially a puppy.

*I would avoid rawhide altogether. It's not only the knots that cause problems. Rawhide itself is not very digestable. It can cause pancreatitis, blockage, and bacterial problems. Avoid pig ears, as they are VERY fattening. Chicken Jerky is a good, tough treat for smaller dogs (occasionally). For dental health, there are some pretty good toys out there that help quite a bit (bimple bones, kongs, rope toys) Get a doggy toothbrush and give him/her a good brushing often. Have the vet do a cleaning every so often.

*Even raw chicken bones break and splinter. Stick to hamhocks and beef bones.

*For (puppy) training, you'll want semi-soft bite-sized treats.

*Chew toys, squeaky toys, and stuffed toys are all suitable for a small dog (sized appropriately). Remove toys when worn.

*As for daycare (haha...that was a few posts ago...eesh) You don't need to take him/her everyday, but it is an excellent idea once a week or even just once a month for that extra interaction/exercise/socialization. Depending on the daycare facility, it should run about $10-20 for a dog your size. Also, some places let you choose between full day and partial day daycare (like us). Partial day is quite a few hours, and it cuts the cost down quite a bit.
Also, I don't know how places are out there, but we offer a free day of daycare at the beginning (after we evaluate the dog) so if they do that, that would be a great way to check it out and see if it would work out for you guys.

[Fandrew]

Originally Posted by snizzle

"It" isn't yet.

But, i'm pretty sure it's going to be shorthair. Actually, it will definately be a shorthair. Most likely a red shorthair miniature.

Jay, how old was yours when you got it? How was housetraining? How did you train her? Do you have someone at home all day or does she spend hours alone?

Honestly, Jay, if you just want to give me a breif memoir of you and your dog that would be great! I'd love to hear the 'process' of adopting/buying the dog up till now.
-shane

My name is Andrew, actually.

Well, we got the dog "used". She was adopted when she was a year and a half. The previous owner had raised her to be an inside dog and to use a newspaper for her bathroom needs. The dog was a mess. She wasn't very friendly, especially to males, and I don't think she had ever been properly groomed.

She housebroke fairly easily. I think part of it was following the example of our older sheltie. We just scolded her when she didn't go outside, maybe a slight spanking. Also, we rewarded we with a dog biscuit when she did it right.

The dog is very attached to my mother. She likes me, she tolerates all the family, but she loves my mom. This is because my mom works at home and spends all day with the two dogs.

I'm the primary "trainer" for the dogs. I did teach an old dog new tricks. Really, it was just a matter of treating her after she does an action. To shake, simply move her paw for her and say "shake" she'll learn it pretty quickly.

Oh, we renamed the dog too when we got her. Her original name was Ava. My grandmother's name is Ada, that would not work. I renamed her Emma, and she has responded so much better to it.

In the end, since we took her, she has lost 8 lbs, learned to walk on a leash, sleep in her own bed, eat dry food, and perform a few tricks (sit,shake, beg).

I'm sorry that's so scatterbrained, I'm taking a break from exams, and my brain is fried.

Oh, and Emma well let my dad brush her teeth. The Sheltie, who is now old and cranky, does not allow such behavior.

[snizzle]

Thanks Pirate. Innova looks like pretty good stuff, and not too expensive. From reserach it looks like I should feed a doxie around 1 cup per day? What size bag of Innova do you get and how many days worth of food can you get out of it?

I'm afraid of treating my dog too much like a 'little person' and that's what scares me about the doggie daycares. I will definately love this dog and it will be an amazing companion and pal, but I just get erked when I see people that go a little too extreme. It's something i'll have to consider and will probably try at least once though.
-shane

[PontiusPirate]

I will get back to you on the Innova. I, myself, do not have a dog in my home right now. My mother has my min pin, and she takes quite a long time to go through the 6.5lb bag, but she is only 6 lbs. You could start out with a smaller bag at the beginning to see. You don't want to get a huge bag and then have it go bad.

As far as the daycare/little person thing....
The point of any good daycare is NOT pampering your dog, spoiling it, or treating it like, as you said, "a little person". A good daycare is more about treating a dog...like a dog. Alot of the dogs that come into our daycare are spoiled little brats. They come here to learn how to interact with other dogs and people correctly, and "be part of the pack" so to speak. I am totally against the type of daycare that spoils your pet and treats it like a child. It's not healthy for the pet to have that mindset. Though they are domesticated, they still need to know how to use their animal "instincts" and "behaviors", if you will, correctly. It is not normal behavior for a dog to be smothered with lovies...haha. (My dog is now a fat brat thanks to my mom. )
So, for the way you're looking at doggie daycare, I totally agree with you, but there are daycares that understand dog behavior and know what they are doing. I definitely encourage you to seek one of them out. Here is the website of my work, if you care to compare.

[snizzle]

So, we went Christmas this weekend and I picked her up two books, "Dachshunds for Dummies" and "The Everything Dachshund Book". She knows that she won't be getting her 'big present' until after Christmas but doesn't know what it is or why. Since we've already been talking about getting a dachshund for a while it's given me the opportunity to talk to her in a little more detail about this. She's definately going to love this and I don't think she will see this coming at all!

I've got her convinced that we'll get a dog in june (For her birthday) after we move into the house. I'm so freakin pumped about this. Any other helpful advice, tips, or comments?
-shane

[snizzle]

So, since this is definately happening I started looking into places to adopt/buy the dog. I can't find any!!

I thought that this would be the easy part, but I'm having a really hard time finding a pound/rescue center with the dachshund we're looking for or find a breeder in the area. Help? How do I do this?
-shane

[snizzle]

Well, after a few hours of searching (instead of doing homework) I think I found one:

http://www.thjamesgang.com/about.html

He's the red short-haired one that's available under Litter #1. How awesome is that dog! She doesn't have a price listed for him but I've got a feeling he's going to be pricey. Is it ethical to haggle over the price of a puppy?
-shane

[snizzle]

Good news! I got her to drop the price to $225! Still more than I was hoping to pay, but she appears to be av very knowledgable and trustworthy dealer. We are going out tomorrow to check him out and put down a deposit. So, Shauna will get her Christmas surprise a little early but I think that's ok! We won't be able to pick him up until after Christmas so she will still have to wait. I'm so excited!
-shane

[SecretAgentRat]

Make sure you play with him a lot. If you even have the slightest hesitation about him, then don't make the payment. You can always come back. He's young, but make him move around as much as if possible for a baby. Just get to see how he functions. Sometimes you can spot undesirable behavior in young dogs. He should not be aggressively dominant with the other puppies, but you wouldn't want him to be the dog that gets picked on by his siblings, either.

Just by looking at the picture he looks intelligent and alert. That's a good sign. And he's ADORABLE.

I'm excited for y'all! Keep us up to date!

[snizzle]

What should I be on the lookout for and what kinds of things should I do to him? Can you run me through what you would do to make sure this is a good dog and a good choice for us?
-shane

[SecretAgentRat]

Originally Posted by snizzle

What should I be on the lookout for and what kinds of things should I do to him? Can you run me through what you would do to make sure this is a good dog and a good choice for us?
-shane

Okay, well. Play with him. Rough him up a little. Run your hands all over him.

Good signs:
- Alertness (My male was aware of everything, while my female showed alertness by being attentive to me. To this day they are the same and she is the easier of the two to manage)
- Curiosity (My male ran all over the pet store like a freakin', happy maniac with tale a'waggin'.)
- Playfulness (Frankie -male- played a lot by himself. Gala -female- played a little, but she mostly wanted to sit in my lap)
- Clear and bright eyes (Both had intelligent eyes. Frankie's are blue and Gala's are warm brown. Even though she was the more shy of the two, her eyes registered more intelligence and she is the more intelligent.)
- Mobility (Both moved around a lot)
- Responsiveness to sound and smell (Both would respond to my voice and insisted on smelling every inch of me)

Bad signs:
- Gunky eyes or eyes that don't respond to motion.
- Lethargy. (He could be sleepy, but most likely you'll be able to distinguish between the two)
- Stiffness, limps or other forms of favoring a limb. (My male had a broken tail when I got him and his still bothers him some today)
- Lumps or bumps in unusual places.
- Fearfulness. (My female peed and cowered at my feet when I first met her, then refused to leave my side. I later found out that they were mistreated by the owner at that shop. I finally got her over her fear of men. Sometimes fear can be justified, but it cannot always. If the other puppies don't show fear, then you may have to deal with fear in this dog later)
- Aggression (Very bad. RUN if this dog shows anything beyond "playful" aggression, which is not true aggression to begin with.)

Those are just off the top of my head.

[snizzle]

So, my wife discovered my secret! We're still going tomorrow, BUT now we're hoping to take him home with us!!

I have to call the breeder tomorrow morning and make sure this is ok, but we just went out and bought dog supplies!
-shane

[snizzle]

Well, we picked him up today! He is about the cutest most awesome thing EVER! He's very good. Loves to play. Loves to cuddle. He's the perfect little dog...as long as we're with him. We put him in his crate while we were eating and he seriously freaked out. We're about to do it again tonight and i'm pretty afraid. I think we may have to sleep outside of his cage with him. We also have to leave him by himself for the first time tomorrow morning while we are at church.

The good news is I'm off for the next 3-4 weeks, until school starts up again! So, hopefully we can get him pretty well trained in that time. But, i think it may be a rough few days (especially nights!). Any tips?
-shane

[SecretAgentRat]

Don't baby him. He needs to learn to stay in his crate. My dogs freaked out the first few tie too but they eventually get used to it. I know it sounds cruel, but he'll be much happier for it in the long run. You might gift him a blanket or stuffed animal that smells like you--that's worked with some of our dogs in the past.

The first couple of weeks with a new puppy can be difficult, just keep in mind the wonderful dog that you'll have after putting in the hard work, middle of the night walks, messes, and puppy cries. It is really all worth it.

[snizzle]

Well, he did really well last night! He fell asleep in his 'den' in the living room so we left him there and went to bed. But, he woke up crying and barking about 30 minutes later. I took him outside and my wife situated his 'den' on her nightstand. He does ok in his den if he can see us. He actually slept for 6 hours! All the way through the night!

He doesn't seem to have to go to the bathroom much, and he seems to be able to hold it pretty well. I've been really impressed. He hasn't quite gotten the hang of going outside (I think the breeder paper trained him) but he's getting there.

I would just put him in his crate and let him cry until he got used to it but we live in an apartment so I have to worry about neighbors. SO, I don't let him cry/bark/whine for more than 30 minutes at a time in his den.

All in all he is GREAT! We're still trying to get him to recognize his name. He doesn't seem to respond well to treats. Any tips on getting him to recognize his name?
-shane