Housebreaking a dachshund puppy (or any other puppy) requires a bit of dedication until the pup figures out what you want and finds that it is worth his while to do what you want. You must be consistent and patient. None of the old "rub his nose in it" stuff.

A puppy will naturally have to potty after he eats, when he first wakes up, after he drinks and in the middle of a long play session.

You need a pet crate (from a pet store) to train him. Take him out right before you go to bed and then put him to bed in his crate--with a towel in the bottom of it. Ring a jingle bell that you have hung on a long string on the door knob so that it is a couple of inches from the ground. The bell is on the door that you always exit from to go potty. Say excitedly "Outside"

Take him to the place in your yard that you want to be the bathroom. Put him down and say with enthusiasm "Potty". He will jump up on you and want to be picked up. Ignore that. Stand still, and he will give up and probably wander over and "go potty". When he does, you become excited and praise him. "Good puppy" and pick him up and tell him he is wonderful. Give him a tiny piece of cheese.return him to his crate. Give him some food that has had warm water put on it.Take him from the crate, jingle the bell again and say "Outside". and repeat what you did the first time you went out. Leave him there until he says "Hey, take me out. I gotta go". Take him to the door, ring the bell, say "Outside"--and same old instructions.

HE MUST NOT SET FOOT ON THE FLOOR AFTER HE WAKES UP UNTIL HE HAS TINKLED AND POOED outside. Be consistent. Don't expect him to tell you yet that he wants to go out, because he won't. If you bring him in and Let him,  he will find a place tp potty inside.You will be left waiting, he will have relieved himself and you will have lost that training time of reinforcement.

Every time he does something good, reward him with praise and a tiny piece of cheese--the size of a dried pea. There is no need to buy expensive treats--they will perform for tiny pieces of cheese.

This method will work but you must be dedicated. Don't count on the kids to do it. You want the dog trained as soon as possible, so do it yourself. SOME very clever dogs will soon jingle the bell to let you know they want to go potty and receive a reward. The dog thinks he is training YOU. Your older dog may take to ringing the bell!!

You can not just stick the puppy out doors for five minutes by himself and then bring him in. He will save "it" and potty in the house immediately. You must go out and STAND NEAR him. Winter is an ideal time to train a pup. They want to get it over with and go back inside, just like you do. Have you coat and hat and mittens ready to jump into so you will be warm and patient. Of course he'll be cold, so he will hurry. Now don't stand out there in the freezing cold if the pup absolutely refuses and is in danger of catching cold. If this is the case, but a towel in your bath tub, put him into the tub, and he will probably go there right away. But don't give up on going outside. Go there first. No treat for pottying in the tub--just for outside. They will learn the difference.

More on housebreaking, courtesy of www.PetEducation.com:

by Race Foster, DVM & Marty Smith, DVM
Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc.

When an 'accident' happens

One of the key issues in housebreaking is to follow Rule Number One: If you do not catch your puppy doing it, then do not punish him for it! We do not care what someone else may tell you or what you read, if you find a mess that was left when you were not there, clean it up and forget it.

Discipline will not help because unless you catch the puppy in the act, he will have no idea what the scolding is for. Your puppy has urinated and defecated hundreds of times before he met you. Mom or the breeder always cleaned it up. Nobody made a fuss before and the pup will not put the punishment, regardless of its form, together with something he has done without incident numerous times before. Especially if he did it more than 30 seconds ago! Puppies are just like our children. Unless something was really fun (and a repetitious act like going to the bathroom is not), they are not thinking about what they did in the past. They are thinking about what they can do in the future. At this point in his life a puppy’s memory is very, very poor.

• I am a Puppy; hopefully you would not yell, hit, strike, kick or beat a 6-month-old human infant, so please do not do the same to me. I am delicate, and also very impressionable. If you treat me harshly now, I will grow up learning to fear being hit, spanked, kicked or beat. Instead, please guide me with encouragement and wisdom. For instance, if I am chewing something wrong, say, "No chew!" and hand me a toy I CAN chew. Better yet, pick up ANYTHING that you do not want me to get into. I can't tell the difference between your old sock and your new sock, or an old sneaker and your $200 Nikes.
• I am a Puppy, and I am a creature with feelings and drives much like your own, but yet also very different. Although I am NOT a human in a dog suit, neither am I an unfeeling robot who can instantly obey your every whim. I truly DO want to please you, and be a part of your family, and your life. You got me (I hope) because you want a loving partner and companion, so do not relegate me to the backyard when I get bigger, do not judge me harshly but instead mold me with gentleness and guidelines and training into the kind of family member you want me to be here.
• I am a Puppy and I am not perfect, and I know you are not perfect either. I love you anyway. So please, learn all you can about training, and puppy behaviors and caring for me from your Veterinarian, books on dog care and even researching on the computer! Learn about my particular breed and it's "characteristics", it will give you understanding and insight into WHY I do all the things I do. Please teach me with love, patience, the right way to behave and socialize me with training in a puppy class or obedience class, we will BOTH have a lot of fun together.
• I am a Puppy and I want more than anything to love you, to be with you, and to please you. Won't you please take time to understand how I work? We are the same you and I, in that we both feel hunger, pain, thirst, discomfort, fear, but yet we are also very different and must work to understand one another's language, body signals, wants and needs. Some day I will be a handsome dog, hopefully one you can be proud of and one that you will love as much as I love you.

Love, Your Puppy

      Good Boy Nicky!!