The Art of Raising a Puppy
The classic on the first year. Strong on early development, temperament and building a relationship rather than just obedience. Read this one before your puppy arrives.
Recommended Books
Seven things worth reading. The breed-specific back guidance is the one we'd genuinely insist on.
Most puppy advice online is generic, and generic advice does not serve a breed whose defining health risk is structural. These are the books we actually point people towards — a mix of general puppy raising and Dachshund-specific care.
We have no affiliate arrangement with any publisher or retailer. These are recommendations, not links we make money from.
The Dachshund Handbook
The most practical breed-specific book available — coat care across all three varieties, feeding and weight, and the health issues that are particular to Dachshunds rather than dogs generally.
Perfect Puppy in 7 Days
A short, structured plan for the first week: socialisation checklists, handling exercises, house training. Genuinely actionable rather than theoretical.
Puppy Start Right
Evidence-based socialisation and prevention of behaviour problems. Written by a veterinary behaviourist and a trainer, and it shows in the rigour.
Canine Enrichment for the Real World
Particularly useful here, because the obvious ways to tire out a bored dog — stairs, fetch, jumping — are the ones you are trying to limit. This is how you work a scent hound’s brain instead of its back.
Dachshund Back Care
Not a book, and the most important thing on this list. The IVDD charities and breed clubs publish free, evidence-led guidance on lifting, ramps, weight and spotting the early signs of a disc problem. Read it before your puppy arrives.
Your Dog's Health
A plain-language home reference for symptoms and first aid. Handy for deciding at eleven at night whether something can wait until morning.
How to use these
Read The Art of Raising a Puppy before your puppy comes home, so you arrive with a framework rather than reacting. Keep Perfect Puppy in 7 Days open on the counter for the first week — it is structured as a plan, not an essay.
Read the back care guidance before the puppy arrives — it is short, it is free, and it will change how you set up your house. Work through The Dachshund Handbook in the first month, particularly the coat sections, before the long hair comes in at four months. Then use Puppy Start Right across the socialisation window, which closes at around sixteen weeks and does not reopen.
Canine Enrichment and Your Dog's Health are reference books rather than cover-to-cover reads. Keep them on the shelf and reach for them when you need them.
None of this replaces your vet, and none of it replaces asking us. Our basic care guide covers the essentials for free.
Getting ready for a puppy?
Happy to talk through what to buy, what to skip, and what to have ready before day one.