Bringing Puppy Home

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Many new families are experienced with adapting life with a new puppy.  Many families, this is their first dog. Visit  https://www.australian-shepherd-lovers.com/  This site has an abundance of vital information from puppy to adult and everything in between. It is important to keep your puppy safe when they are not being supervised.  An unsupervised puppy can be destructive, potty, and can put themselves into dangerous situations, including your personal belongings can be at risk of destruction. It is very IMPORTANT they are contained when not supervised. 

This is referred to as a hard crate or an airline crate.  They make great travel confinements, a place for the puppy to take their meals, to be when they are napping and unsupervised.  Puppies can sleep overnight in one of these type crates. Do not get one that is too large as they will potty in it Never correct them while in it.  You want them to feel this is a good place. A safe place. DO NOT LEAVE IN A CRATE FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME.

This is referred to as a wire crate.  They come in all sizes, and some have dividers that can make the crate smaller and be adjusted to fit the puppy as they grow.  This type of crate is great for older puppies and adults.

This is referred to as an exercise pen or x-pen.  They are wonderful for containing a puppy in a safe place where they cannot get themselves into trouble while they are not being supervised.

These are the two supplements' puppies are on since 3-4 weeks of age and should continue thru their lifetime for their health.  Probios is a probiotic.  MSM helps simulate calcium, along with many other beneficial functions.

NuVet vitamins is more than a vitamin... it is an immune booster. Puppies are on this vitamin from 3-4 weeks of age and should be included in their diet for their lifetime.  You can order this vitamin on my site.

Your puppy will be eating Life Abundance All Life Stages kibble when they go home.  You can read all about this great food and order it on my Life Abundance page.

Pumpkin is added to one of the puppies' meals each day.  It is good for both diarrhea and constipation.  Make sure you use 100% pumpkin as Pumpkin pie blend contains squash and a lot of times, spices.

Puppies, as well as adults, can have occasional diarrhea.  Sometimes this is caused by adding treats into their diet to quickly as a puppy.  This is what we give our puppies and adults when they have the occasional loose stool, after every worming, and after any kind of antibiotic treatment.  It replaces the good bacteria that is lost as it is destroyed with antibiotics or worming.  You can buy it at high end grocery stores like Fred Myers, or a health food store.  Be sure to check the expiration date.

Your puppy will have one of these bones, a kneecap when they go home. Most times, if a dog was not taught to chew on bones while young, they may not chew on bones as an adult.  If they have bones regularly, they will never need an expensive dental cleaning.  Some vets can charge up to $500 for this service and the dog will be put under anesthesia.  This type of bone should only be given while they are puppies as they are weight bearing bones and can break an adult tooth.  Puppies do not have enough jaw strength.  This brand can be ordered on www.petflow.com These bones are from beef grown, harvested and processed in Nebraska.

DO NOT BUY TREATS MADE IN CHINA

See below post!

This type of bones are referred to as Knuckle bones.  These bones are for an adult or older puppy.  Remember when feeding bones always take away the bone when they are chewed down to the size that may become a choke hazard.  Also, many dogs are too aggressive and may chew til they are almost gone in a 24 hour period.  Too much bone can either cause diarrhea or constipation.  In this case, allow the dog to have for short period of times and remove and save for another day.  You can order these on...…,

www.petflow.com

We use MinkSheen on our puppies and adults.  It's a great shampoo for the skin and coat with a long-lasting fragrance.  If you are sensitive to smells, this may not be the shampoo for you.  There are essential oils in the ingredients that some people find too overpowering.  We LOVE it! and have used it since 2002.  Any quality shampoo is good as long as it is labeled for dogs.  Human shampoo can do in a pinch but can dry a dog's skin and coat out with prolonged use.  A dog's PH is different than a human.  If you have a filthy dog or a dog with fleas, you can use the old-fashioned Dawn dishwashing detergent with the duck on the label.  It is the best flea shampoo we have ever used; we are groomers and use it on our client dogs. You can order the shampoo:

https://minksheen.com/

Socialization of your puppy thru adulthood is very important with this breed.  Your puppy needs to meet many, many people; they need to visit new places and experience many new situations. A great place to go is Home Depot, Lowes, feed stores, pet supermarkets.  At a young age, they can be carried in or placed in a shopping cart with a towel.

Have you ever wondered why some dogs are so calm around noisy environments, while others look nervous and stressed?  There are many loud, new and unusual sounds a dog must get used to as a domestic pet or working dog.

Dogs are born deaf, and they don't hear until 3 weeks of age. Puppies aged 3-16 weeks are in their 'sensitive phase period'.  It is essential to expose your puppy to their new environment during this development phase. 

Training our dogs to be comfortable with sound is essential to having a calm, well-adjusted dog.  As new puppy owners, you can continue this training that was started with your puppy at 3 weeks after you bring them home.

• Provide a protected and clean-living environment for your dog.
• Always keep fresh water available.
• Feed a quality diet.
• Have your dog examined by your veterinarian on a regular basis.
• Don't overlook grooming and nail trimming.
• Practice reproductive control. Spay and neuter at a year.
• Train you dog to follow simple commands.
• Exercise

Puppies have been introduced to a crate in their pen for sleeping.  As they get older, we add a side-by-side crates for each individual puppy.  This allows them short times to be alone, while eating or napping.  We give them a yummy kneecap to chew on to make this transition easier.  Each time, they spend a little more time in this crate training exercise. They will also go for car rides in a crate.  at first, they will be with another puppy, eventually being alone.  Crate training is important for a puppy's well-being.  Traveling, potty training, a safe environment when left alone, being at the vet or groomers, are the many benefits of the usefulness of crate training.

Litter box training starts when they are 3-4 weeks of age.  It is very important to keep their environment as clean as possible.  This helps prevent disease, the spread of parasites, and illness.  When their area is kept clean, it is much easier to care for them and for them to be housetrained later.  Litter box training does not interfere in future house training.  They never get in the habit of pottying on the floor.  Some families that live in environments where the weather is harsh, will continue to use a potty box when bringing their puppy home.  We suggest that you acclimate your puppy to going outside to illuminate when you bring them home, taking them outside prior to any play sessions.  Puppies will illuminate within an hour of eating. Doggie doors are great and make house training easier.  Puppies acclimate to using a doggie door quickly.  Some families train their puppy at an early age to ring a bell hanging on the doorknob.

Your puppy has had his nails clipped since birth. We use a human big toenail clipper at this early age. Be sure only to clip the nail that is white and not into the pink or colored area as this is called the quick.  If you cut into the quick, you will make the puppies nails bleed.  This unpleasant experience will cause the puppy to have fear when having their nails clipped.  If you are afraid, you can take to a professional groomer.  Most groomers charge minimally.  Stay with your puppy.

When your puppy reaches around 3 months old, you can start using an adult toenail clipper.  These come in two different sizes.  The smaller one is sufficient for an Aussie.  Be sure you learn where the quick is in order not to quick their nail.  If you go to your vet or a professional groomer, have them show you where the quick is.

This is a necessary product to have on hand if you attempt to trim your own dog's toenails.  If you cut the nail too short, it will bleed.  Sometimes a little.  Sometimes a lot depending on how short you clipped the nail.  This container will last for years if you prevent it from being knocked off the table.  Always replace the lid. Wipe the blood away on the tip of the nail that was quicked.  Place a little of the Quick Stop on your fingertip and place (press) on the end of the dog's nail. If the dog has not been quicked too bad, the bleeding will stop.  You can get online or any box store like PetSmart.