FOR THE LOVE OF AUSSIES

You new family member will take some time getting used to his/her new home. Puppies might be nervous, they might cry, and hide at first, this is normal.

 

Crate Training: 

I suggest everyone crate trains their puppy from day one. When I have new 8 week old puppies I bring home, I put them in a small crate (some have dividers that they can grow into) with a towel or bedding, and put the crate in my room, next to my bed. This allows me to calm them down, by putting my hand on/in the crate, since they often cry at night for the first week or so. It also trains them from day one not to pee in their ‘bed’. You might have to get up in the middle of the night to take your pup out. As a rule of thumb, puppies can only hold their pee 1 hour for every month of age. It is all to easy to get annoyed or tired of the whining and let them sleep in the bed or outside the crate. Persist, trust me. It will be worth it in the long run, and makes potty training much easier.

 

Feeding:

Please read our vitamins and supplements page for what I give my dogs. I recommend dry food only ( 3 or 4 times a day) for the first few weeks or so of your pup being home. Wet food is very rich, and even without wet food, all the environmental changes going on, your pup will probably have loose stools the first few days. (If they get diarrhea for more than two days, you can give them a little plain pumpkin puree (not pie filling), 1/2 a teaspoon full in their food 2x a day). If your pup doesn't want her food, try adding water to it, to make it mushy. Also make sure you work on food aggression the day you get home. Stick your fingers in their food and mouth while eating, and keep it up periodically. Also work on making them sit for their food and make eye contact before giving it to them. My favorite dog food is now Victor. (with grains). As they get older, I feed all my dogs some people food sparingly, but never from the table. Some of my favorites are: turkey and chicken (dark and white meat), egg, carrots (freeze these for a teething treat!), bone broth, sweet potato, pumpkin, tuna, salmon, liver, avocado and unrefined, organic coconut oil.

I also wouldn't let them outside with free range of any area, because they get into things very quickly, so keep an eye on them! You don't want them eating any adult dog poop - adult dogs can carry lots of bacteria's etc that are dormant that upset puppies. I also would not take them to any dog parks until they receive all their puppy shots. (Next set of shots should be 10-12 weeks, but your veterinarian will discuss this with you). Also - any herbicides or weed killers are deadly to them - even if weeds were sprayed a year ago or so, that stuff lives in soil forever.

 

Potty training:

When you first bring your pup home, they should go outside every 2hrs or so. Especially when they wake up and as soon as they’ve eaten. Expect to be outside a lot. Praise your pup for going outside as well. They are very receptive to training even at 8 weeks old. If you got your puppy in the winter, don’t worry about them getting too cold. My Aussies love the snow and winter (they do not particular like summer though!) As long as its 30* or above, your pup will be fine. (Obviously they cannot spend extended periods of time outside, but they can certainly be out for an hour). If it’s below 30, I try to make sure they do their business and come back in). I have been training them using a litter box. I use alfalfa pellets (since if they eat them it wont hurt them) I also give my puppy parents some gently used pellets to sprinkle on their yard. Also, it is normal for a puppy to have some loose stools when you first bring them home, they are adjusting to a new environment and stresses. Potty training takes around 6 months so be patient :)

 

Discipline: 

Last but certainly not least is discipline. I see so many puppies that have aggression or behavioral issues that could have been avoided. Just like everything else, this must begin on day one. People often say, ‘oh he’s just a puppy’. Even though they are so cute, they need to be corrected immediately. If you don’t want them chewing on your shoe, don’t let them from day one. (as a side note, my dogs don’t have any ‘shoe’ toys because I don’t want them to think all shoes are fair game). Correct any nipping, chewing, growling, or anything else you don’t want to live with in the future, Aussies need a strong leader. Also make sure you bring your puppy to new places and meet new people as soon as you can, they need to be socialized immediately. I am a huge Cesar Milan fan, and calm, assertive (non-aggressive) energy is the best approach. They need to trust you and know you are their pack leader from day one, and respect you. Check out this page if you are not familiar with the dog whisperer and his techniques.