As you work your way through the first week, your days and nights with the puppy should be getting a bit more predictable. Presumably you've got your puppy on a regular feeding, walking, and “relief” schedule. It is important to make sure that you have a plan in place for housetraining your dachshund.

Dachshunds tend to be more difficult to housetrain than other breeds, so you must be consistent in your approach from the get-go. The fewer accidents that occur while the puppy is learning, the better your chances of eventually owning a 99.9-percent reliable, housetrained adult dachshund.

Dealing with Other Pets

If you have other pets in the house, make sure that your puppy doesn't have to compete for her food. Feed your puppy in her crate with the door closed. Make sure she doesn't steal food from the other pets, either. Supervise and separate at feeding time.

It's also a good idea to keep a watchful eye on any housecats you might own, particularly in this first week. It's not unusual for a cat to feel as though his territory has suddenly been invaded and actually try to attack your dachshund. When the puppy is this young, she can't defend herself well.

Depending on the size of the cat, your puppy could be seriously injured or scarred, not to mention the permanent distrust and dislike of cats that she would probably develop. (See more on socializing your new dog to your other pets.)

Learning to Follow

Though you will learn much more on training your dachshund in later chapters, one of the most important things you can do right now is attach your puppy to you — in a physical sense. This is actually an early training tool to teach your puppy to pay attention to you.

Buy the lightest, thinnest leash you can. Snap one end to your puppy's collar or halter and the other to your belt loop or pocket. You and your puppy will be literally attached during all times that your puppy is not sleeping or resting in her crate. Before you get ready to move to a new spot, turn to your puppy and say her name. Give her a second to realize that you've spoken to her, and then gently begin walking. Your puppy will naturally follow you.

There are several benefits of this exercise, which ideally you'll want to continue for the first month that your puppy is home. For one thing, having your puppy snapped to you assures that you know where your puppy is at all times. She can't get into things she shouldn't, and theoretically, you should be able to see the warning signs of her “having to go” before she has an accident.

Another benefit of this technique is that the puppy learns her name very quickly. She learns to pay attention to what you are doing and where you are going. The connected puppy also begins to learn good leash-walking manners before she begins to develop a true sense of independence and more willfulness.

Registration Papers

Do you have your puppy's American Kennel Club (AKC) registration papers? The breeder should have filled out her portion of this document and helped you fill in your information when you picked up the puppy. Be sure to mail these important papers in, and don't forget the check that must go with them.

Some dachshund breeders offer only limited registrations on companion puppies. This document ensures that if the dog is ever bred, the AKC will not register any of its offspring. The reason a breeder would want a limited registration is to ensure that you do spay or neuter your puppy, as most likely was spelled out in your purchase contract. Puppies that cannot be registered with the AKC are not considered valuable, and few people are willing to purchase them, thus thwarting those owners who might try to breed dachshunds for profit.

You might find that a breeder may give you a limited registration with a promise of full registration papers when you provide proof that your puppy has been spayed or neutered by a certain time, as specified in the contract. This is a way for the breeder to further ensure that you will do what you promised.