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New Puppy Questions

by Maridyth
(Kentucky)

Mom

I am getting a 8 week old purebred Australian Shepherd in 8-9 weeks (S/he isn't born yet) but I had some questions as this is my first ever puppy.

1. How long should my puppy be in a room when s/he first comes homes? I know I should keep my puppy in a room when she or he first comes home but how long can s/he stay in there until they roam free while I am home?

2. What jobs can you give a 9 week old puppy, or 10 if 9 is too early? I know Aussies need jobs but what can I give to my puppy until s/he is older? What jobs can I give when s/he is older? I plan to teach him/her to get the mail, but what else?

3. When s/he first comes home, how often and how long should I play with him/her per day?

4. When do puppies need their last set of shots? I have another dog and I read that I should keep them apart until the puppy gets his last set of shots. Is that true?

5. How often should I bathe my puppy? I know not to bathe a lot because their skin but I want my puppy to get use to and like baths.

I know that’s a lot of questions, but like I said, I have always had adults, never have raised a puppy. Thanks in advance! The pictures are the mom, black tri, and dad, red merle.

Questions About Your Aussie Puppy? Australian Shepherd Lover's Guide To Australian Shepherd Training & Care

Comments for New Puppy Questions

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I wish I had known about this
by: Anonymous

That is great that you are getting an Aussie puppy! and that you want to be sure to do it right.
I love the comments and advice of Patricia McConnell about all dogs. She has border collies, but her experiences also apply to Aussies. She also has a puppy book "The Puppy Primer". You can get it cheapest I think at Amazon.com.

Her website is http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/

It's complicated
by: Anonymous

if your current dog is up to date with shots hen your puppy may play with him. No dog parks until last series of shots but I would recommend day care. You must show proof of immunization to take a dog to day care. Keep your puppy away from unknown dogs but friends dogs are fine as long as they have had immunizations.

The dogs may play together as long as you are there to referee. Older pups may play a bit rough with your new pup because the energy level of a new puppy is crazy. You will be able to tell when it's too rough. I recommend forced quite because your new puppy will play until it's overtired and that is when they get nippy and the wild eyed look.

Pick any job you want them to perform but put the time in for training. Aussies are high energy dogs and need to "run it off" often. If not exercised an Aussie will become destructive and that's not on them...,it's on you to make sure they get enough exercise.

We have our Aussies in training classes because they need structure. Aussies are OCD and if you don't train them they don't have an outlet for compulsiveness.

Puppy months although are taxing go very quickly so you only have a small window to get control of your environment.

Good luck and don't forget to play and love them because they are Velcro dogs who are by your side all the time. We have an 18 month old red tri and a 14 week old red Merle and discovered 2 dogs are easier than one. Lol

Thank you guys!
by: Maridyth

Thank you both for your answers. My current dog is up to date, like always. The question I most want to know about, is how long he can stay in his crate/exercise pen when I first get him? About a week or shorter or longer? :)

Crate
by: Anonymous

We crate train everyday. The amount of time is up to you but a couple times a day from 15 minutes to a couple hours works for us. Of course you potty before and after you crate so accidents are a minimum. Crating for more than 8 hours a day is discouraged... my vets words. We crate our pup all night and get up a couple times a night to potty her.

Hope this helps

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