At Dachshund Haven, we believe that the journey to a happy, healthy life starts before your puppy ever walks through your door. Our process is designed to ensure each pup is physically healthy, emotionally confident, and ready to bond with their new family. This post explains how we prepare each puppy before they leave for their new home, step by step.
Health Screening and Veterinary Care
A core part of how we prepare each puppy before they leave for their new home involves thorough veterinary care. Every puppy is examined by a licensed veterinarian before going to their forever family. This includes:
Heart and lung checks
Eye and ear exams
Joint and mobility screenings
Weight tracking and development assessment
Puppies receive age-appropriate vaccinations and deworming based on American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines.
Read more on AVMA’s puppy wellness protocols.
Each puppy also receives a signed health certificate to travel or transition to a new state.
Early Socialization and Confidence Building
From their third week of life, we begin exposing puppies to gentle sounds, textures, and positive handling. We follow safe socialization guidelines to promote resilience, curiosity, and reduced anxiety.
Learning how we prepare each puppy before they leave for their new home includes recognizing the importance of social exposure. Our puppies interact with children, safe adult dogs, and everyday noises like vacuums, television, and car rides.
Explore the AKC socialization timeline for more tips on what to reinforce at home.
Beginning of Crate and Potty Training
Crate familiarity and basic potty training are built into our daily routine. Puppies learn to rest quietly in a crate, which supports smoother travel and easier adjustment when they arrive.
By practicing potty on grass pads or outdoors when weather allows, we set the foundation for housetraining success. It’s one of the most valuable parts of how we prepare each puppy before they leave for their new home.
Review Humane Society potty training tips for continued training once your puppy is home.
Nutrition and Meal Routines
We feed our puppies premium puppy food designed for small breeds. Every pup follows a regular feeding schedule with clean water access. We also monitor weight gain and appetite closely.
When you adopt, we provide a small bag of the food they’ve been eating to reduce digestive upset during the transition. Diet is a crucial step in how we prepare each puppy before they leave for their new home.
Check PetMD’s puppy feeding guide for age-based feeding tips.
Grooming and Handling Exercises
We gently introduce nail trims, soft brushing, and ear cleaning as part of our early grooming routine. This desensitizes your puppy to touch and handling, making vet visits and home grooming much easier in the future.
Grooming isn’t just about hygiene—it’s also about trust. It plays a big role in how we prepare each puppy before they leave for their new home.
See ASPCA’s grooming tips for tools and best practices.
Puppy Travel Kit and Documents
Each puppy leaves with a detailed puppy pack including:
Vet health certificate
Vaccination and deworming records
Feeding and care guide
A comfort blanket with the scent of their litter
A familiar toy and starter food
These essentials support your puppy’s transition and complete how we prepare each puppy before they leave for their new home.
Visit Petfinder’s new dog checklist to prepare your home before arrival.
Ongoing Support and Guidance
We believe our job doesn’t end at pickup or delivery. We offer ongoing support to help with questions about behavior, feeding, or veterinary care. Knowing how we prepare each puppy before they leave for their new home is just the beginning of our partnership with you.
Final Thoughts
How we prepare each puppy before they leave for their new home is the result of thoughtful, consistent care. From health checks and early training to grooming and socialization, every step we take is designed to build a confident, loving companion.
We’re proud to raise puppies with heart, structure, and support—so that when your Dachshund comes home, they’re truly ready. View our Available puppies for sale or Get In Touch.
