Miniature Daschund puppy

Question
We just purchased a Miniature Daschund and will be picking him up next week. I am becoming fearful of picking him up after reading several articles about the breed. His mom and dad seemed so sweet and so did he when we picked him out.  Are Miniature Daschund really the nightmare to train and have that seems to be on every site?  We need a small dog because of limited space and thought "Chester" would be perfect.  We lost an Austrialian Shepherd last year (age 12) and I am finally able to think about loving and welcoming a new member to our family (just my husband and I) We have grandchildren that visit - can we make this work - or am I buying trouble ?  I guess I am trying to find some encouragement about the breed  : }

Answer
How old is he?  If he is past 8-10 weeks, I would look elsewhere unless the breeder can give you some good answers on how they have met the puppies' socialization needs. Puppies that spend their 6-12 weeks in a cramped kennel very likely will be the horror you fear.  Ask the breeder if they have ever heard of Scott and Fuller's work on early socialization?  If they say ''Who?'', they are a clueless backyard breeder that has never read a book.  I see a couple a day here asking very basic questions they wouldn't be asking if they ever read a book on dogs.  another site I am active on seems to have plenty of them breeding mini Dachshunds.

It is tough finding a good puppy.  Very few breeders meet the standards you will find here, http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/articles.html#breeding

Often you are better off adopting an older dog.  One of the best sources for dogs with a predictable personality is the rescue dogs.  These are dogs that lost their home, but were taken into a foster home to be retrained as necessary and placed in the right home for them.  You may find a rescue near you starting at http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm  The rescues charge a fee to help cover their expenses, but is much less than the price of a puppy plus all its medical expenses the first year.  

Another problem is the abysmal state of the general knowledge of dogs.  There is a vast body of careful scientific studies on dog training and care.  Much of the advice on dogs comes from those blissfully unaware of them, or not about let new ideas change the way they have always done things.  Done right, puppies are much easier.