You've been excited for days, weeks, and perhaps even years to bring home your puppy! Few things in life are as exciting. Regardless of your mood, this initial trip can be scary and overwhelming for your puppy, who is seperating from his first family for the very first time. Plan ahead by both organizing both the trip home and your arrival. Having a plan puts your mind at ease, which will help your puppy get through this transition stage. Your puppy will bond to you and his new life in no time.

Try to understand your puppy's point of view. Your puppy will thrive on consistency and predictability, and so will you. Knowing how your puppy likes to organize her day takes the guesswork out of this experience and humanizes many of her communication skills and dependency issues. In fact, a human toddler and a puppy have a great deal in common - from needing a routine bathroom and sleeping schedule to passing through predictable stages of development.

Your puppy's first day in your home is one of the most important times in his young life. Try to make it one of his best days. The first thing you are going to want to do is hold your dachshund. You might want to hold him/her all the time. But it is very important for your puppy to have a chance to meet the other people in your family. She also needs to explore her new home. Holding your puppy is important so she learns to love you, but on the first day, hold her only a few minutes at a time. Have a couple of toys ready for your dachshund to play with. She may not want to play the first day, but they will be there if she does.

Your dachshund will probably need to go to the bathroom soon after she arrives. It would be a good idea to take her outside before she begins to explore your home. Praise her when she goes.

Give your new dachshund time to explore your house, but don't leave him alone. You can stand behind him and follow him to the places he wants to go. Be very gentle. Only hold him a little bit.Your puppy will do better if your house is quiet. Loud noises may scare him. Later, when he is used to your house, you can introduce new sounds slowly.

Wait and give some food after he has been home for a while and is feeling more comfortable. Don't forget to let him outside every time he drinks or eats (about ten to fifteen minutes later).

Whatever sleeping arrangement you have made, make sure its all in place when the dachshund arrives. A young dachshund should (for the first few nights at least) be allowed to sleep near your bed. This is for everyone's convenience. She will more than likely keep you awake through the night, so comforting her will be as simple as reaching over the side of the mattress.

She may be comforted by the presence of a hot-water bottle, a ticking alarm clock, a blanket to burrow in, or a softly playing radio. She should not have unlimited access to the house at night. A crate works the best. If you have decided to allow her to share your bed: Close your bedroom door to minimize the areas she will roam into; Be prepared for accidents (chewing and/or eliminating) and to be awakened during the first few nights by whimpering, and barking at any unfamiliar sound.

Be sure to take your dachshund outside before going to bed, at least once during the night, and first thing in the morning. Its not until around six months that he can hold his bladder for longer than 3 hours at a time.