We have a puppy room that gives our pups an indoor "den" and access to the outdoors through a "doggy door". The pups sleep in the "den" which is very similar in size to a crate only their door is not closed. Their "den" is about 3' x 4' and 2.5' high. If you plan to housebreak them then I highly recommend using a crate at night and for short bits during the day.
Our pups learn quickly that their “den” is not where they want to do their business since they like to sleep and lounge in there. It helps your process of housebreaking. Beware that LOTS of breeders raise puppies on ‘grates’ which makes clean up for the breeder a lot easier. However, housetraining a puppy that has been raised that way is sometimes impossible. Pups must learn that if they soil their area, they will have to step around it, in it and smell it. Grates prevent the pup from understanding this since they can just “pee” and “poop” whenever and where ever they choose and never have to step in it.
Our pups are given vaccinations at 5, 8, 12 & 16 weeks (may vary slightly). Wormings are done every 2 weeks. All of our pups stay up to date with all age appropriate vaccinations & wormings as long as they are in our care. We will discuss your pups vaccine and worming schedule with you prior to your pup leaving us. It is a good idea to keep a puppy away from strange dogs and puppies (and their droppings) until they have finished their vaccine schedule. They are not immune to diseases until they have had all shots. Do not take your puppy to places such as puppy classes, dog parks, pet stores or any similar settings until they are 2 weeks post their final vaccination (18 weeks). When you take them to the vet do not allow them to touch the floor - carry them in and only place them down on a freshly sanitized table. Sick puppies go to the vet and that is where your baby will be most likely to contract a disease. PetsMart and places like that require your pup to be at least 16 weeks old and completely vaccinated to enter dog classes - this is for the safety of your puppy as well and other pups.
Once puppies are 5/6 weeks and no longer nursing, we feed them twice per day (morning & evening). We start them on kibble that's been soaked in warm water and gradually work to dry kibble. I suggest you feed your puppy dry food and give them 15 minutes to eat it. After the 15 minutes, take up his bowl whether he is finished or not. This will teach him to eat when it's time to eat and not play between bites. If he cleans it up quickly and goes sniffing for more, you may want to add a little to his portion. He will need more and more as he quickly grows. Soon after he eats he will need to "poop" so watch him closely or go ahead and take him outside and walk with him. You'll be amazed how quickly he can learn to go potty outside. The "pee-pee" part is not nearly so easy since that urge comes on quickly and is not induced by eating. Watch his nose and actions to be alarmed at when he might be about to "pee". His nose is down searching for the right spot (however - his nose is always down so that is hard to figure), once he thinks he's found it he will squat. Squatting is the tricky part - a basset is already so low that it's hard to tell they are squatting. Watch his tail. It will get very straight and stop wagging when he starts to "pee". The tip may bend over slightly at the tip but most importantly, the tail will be stright and stiff. This part of training can be difficult.
All of our pups come with their AKC (limited) registration paperwork, vaccine records, puppy contract, vet inspection, and with our custom Basset Puppy 101 PDF. We offer lifetime breeder support to all of our families and are willing to take back any pup at any age.
