Congratulations on your new Belridge puppy! I'm so excited for you to join our family of dachshund lovers from all across the country. I'm looking forward to helping you welcome your newest addition into your home! Below you'll find a list of frequently asked questions and answers, along with some general info that will be helpful to you as you prepare your home for your new puppy! In the coming weeks, we will share LOTS of photos and videos with you, to help you feel connected and a part of your puppy's life before they are old enough to come home with you. Once they are home, we hope that you will also send us LOTS of updates as well, after they are home! We love being able to hear how they are see how much they are loving their new homes!

We DO have a Facebook page specifically for families who have adopted a puppy or retired adult from us, and we would LOVE for you to join. There you will find other families who have adopted your puppy's littermates, or mom or dad, sharing updates as well!

 

Health/Nutrition

 The #1 question I am asked by new puppy parents is, “What do you feed your dogs?”

Some of you may know that we had horrible issues with Purina ProPlan several years ago.  We have switched our own dogs to FROMM Gold, and our dogs LOVE it. They are doing extremely well on it. It is made in the US, and all ingredients are sourced within the USA. I recommend this to ALL my puppy families (Fromm Gold puppy- PINK bag), but I also send home enough of the kibble your puppy is currently eating to transition to other foods if you’d like.

Other things we like….

Royal Canin Canned puppy food which contains an appetite stimulant for picky eaters

Stella & Chewys Freeze Dried Meal Mixers

Old Mother Hubbard (p*nuttier) biscuits

Buddy Biscuits Training Bites

Blue Buffalo Nudges

​

Things we also use and like-

Natures Farmacy supplements. We love their daily probiotic, their probiotic paste is FANTASTIC to have on hand for soft stools that can occur if your puppy eats something that doesn't agree with his/her tummy. 

​​

​

​

Safety/Insurance & Microchip info​

Trupanion

Your puppy is coming home with 30 days of FREE pet insurance offered exclusively to breeders through Trupanion. This must be set up/activated the day they go home. There is a flyer in your go home packet which contains an offer code and instructions on how to activate this offer.  There is NO waiting period, and the plan cancels itself after 30 days should you decide not to renew, there is no action required.

​

Fi-Nano Microchip

Your puppy also has a microchip through Fi-Nano.  This microchip is pre-registered to the breeder first, and you must go online to register the chip in your name. Instructions for this are on the little yellow card in the back of your go home folder, and the microchip number is provided as well. Please let me know if you need help registering your puppy’s microchip.

​

Safety

Puppies should not be left to roam the house on their own. If you are not in the room, put a crate or pen you will want to confine them to in an area that is safe. Baby gates or play pens are an ideal solution to confining the puppy in the room you're currently in. This also helps with housebreaking since smaller breed dogs struggle with understanding the entire house is not their "den". Giving them access to 1 room at a time and waiting for them to master that area is the best approach. Puppies also chew on anything they can find, so providing plenty of SAFE chew toys and picking up any small objects they can chew on can prevent both blockages/medical emergencies, and also keep your valuables from being munched on.

​

​

Vaccines

Vaccines-Dachshunds are notorious for reacting to vaccines. They are the number one breed to react adversely to vaccinations, and therefore should only be given CORE vaccines (Distemper/Parvo & Rabies).

NEVER give a Lepto vaccine to a dachshund. Bordatella is an unnecessary vaccine unless your boarding facility requires it, in which I strongly suggest using caution or finding an alternative pet sitter.

​

PARVO WARNING- Parvo is a deadly virus and unfortunately is EVERYWHERE and it can be spread to puppies who have not had their FULL series of 3-4 parvo vaccines/boosters. It can be spread via the waste of animals carrying the virus. This virus can even live in the ground for years and can be brought inside on shoes. Therefore, we strongly suggest using puppy pads/ grass patch/ etc. indoors or on covered private patios/private fenced areas for pottying and leash training inside until the full vaccine series is completed at 16-17 weeks of age. Gas stations, parks, rest areas, and apartment complex common areas are the most dangerous place for an unvaccinated (or not completely vaccinated) puppy to touch the ground.

​

​

Flea/Tick Preventatives

 While topical flea & tick preventatives are sometimes fine, they actually do not REPEL fleas and ticks, but only kill them. This can happen before or after they have actually bitten your puppy, and had the chance to potentially spread disease. Therefore, we recommend a natural spray to REPEL fleas and ticks. This can be used after 12 weeks of age and purchased on Amazon. Brands we recommend are Wondercide, and Tropiclean. These can be used directly on your pet (once old enough) and their bedding. If something is needed prior to 12 weeks, Revolution for puppies is a relatively safe product.

 

!!PLEASE AVOID!! Bravecto, Bravecto Plus, Nexguard, Simparica, Simparica Trio, Credelio, & Revolution Plus, as they all contain Isoxazoline which is a neurotoxin. It is only supposed to be toxic to parasites however, data is showing the toxicity is NOT limited to parasites and many adverse reactions, including death have been reported in both dogs and cats. 

Seresto collars should also be avoided due to recalls as a result of 75,000 incidents reported, ranging from skin irritation to seizures & death.

 

I ONLY recommend Heartguard for heartworm prevention. This can be purchased online with a prescription.

Sticking to seperate products for heartworm prevention and flea/tick prevention is safest.

​

​

Potty Training

A young puppy has almost no bladder control. They cannot hold it like adult dogs and should not be expected to. Accidents WILL happen with puppies. No need to stress about it, but being prepared helps!

Our puppies start training on a washable puppy pad (medical grade bed pad) with a grass patch topper at 2.5-3 weeks of age.. as soon as eyes are open and they are venturing off of their bed. To make the transition easy, place the puppy pad by the door that you plan to use to take them outside. When you see them use the pad, PRAISE them! The same goes for outside pottying. When you see them potty outside, PRAISE them!  If you reprimand a puppy an hour after their accident, they WILL NOT UNDERSTAND. Watch for signs such as nose to the ground, moving quickly from place to place as if they are looking for a spot to eliminate, or circling. When you see these signs, immediately put them on the pad. Typical potty times are after waking, play, or 10-15 minutes after eating.  Moving a puppy pad outside may also help transition to outdoor pottying. Clean inside potty mistakes thoroughly. Use an enzymatic clearning such as Natures Miracle enzymatic formula or ODO Ban.  Potty training is a process and it can take time and lots of patience. ​​​​​

​

Don't forget to look over the new puppy shopping list linked below, and remember that we offer LIFETIME support, so don't hesitate to reach out with any questions!