We're getting an Australian Shepherd

[turnera]

So my daughter's decided we need to get my H a puppy, as his chow died two years ago, and the H has become pretty sedentary, lol.

 

She researched it thoroughly, his favorite dog from his childhood and how smart it was, what kind of companion he wants, what he wants to do with it, and add in that she wants HIM to be spending a lot of time being more active with the dog.

 

So she chose an Australian Shepherd.

 

We went looking at a breeder last weekend while she was down from college, then some shelters, then another breeder...and fell in love with a little male merle. We'll pick him up in 3 weeks when she comes home from college for the summer, as she plans to help train the puppy since we'll be working. He'll be 9 weeks old.

 

So...we haven't had a puppy for 15 years. It's like finding out you're pregnant at 50. What on earth do we do now?

 

Looking for advice - how to train, when to train, crate or no crate, where to sleep, collar or harness, what kind of treats for training, how to introduce the puppy to our 16 year old rescue mutt and our 3 cats, crate in the bedroom or in the living room...what else am I missing?

 

I already read the other thread about the RAW diet and am looking into that. I'm more worried about the day to day activities.

 

Thoughts?

[jenny_mcs]

Australian Shepherds are incredibly high energy. Incredibly. It sounds like your husband (I'm assuming that's what "H" means) is sedentary, and you and your daughter think getting a super active dog will help change that? I think getting a dog that is more suited to your reality is a better choice than hoping that getting a dog that will require vigorous exercise will somehow kick start your family into being more active. It's usually the dogs that end up getting short changed in these situations.

[turnera]

Yeah, I know about that. H's not so much sedentary as stuck in a rut. He's in incredible shape for a 50-something, but since his dog died (and he took a job he hates) he kind of stopped doing anything. We have a lot of land to use, so we'll have a lot of chances to do things with him. Currently, my daughter or I walk our other dog every day. H stopped walking with us after his chow got sick a couple years ago.

[jenny_mcs]

Oh, that's great that you have a lot of land- that will be awesome for an Australian Shepherd! One thing you might think about is agility classes - I have been to a couple of dog agility demos, and Australian Shepherds and Border Collies seem to be the absolute best at this- and it looks like so much fun! Good luck with your new pup!

[turnera]

Thanks. We watch Dogs 101 all the time, and I saw this thing that's like a ramp, and tunnels and stuff, and I was thinking of looking into that. I guess it would go along with the agility classes?

[jenny_mcs]

Thanks. We watch Dogs 101 all the time, and I saw this thing that's like a ramp, and tunnels and stuff, and I was thinking of looking into that. I guess it would go along with the agility classes?

 

Yeah, that's exactly it- the ramps and tunnels and stuff- Australian Shepherds are great at that! I have also seen some AS's that are great frisbee dogs- and it's really great exercise for them!

[jenny_mcs]

Oh, and PS- I see you had some questions about crating. My youngest dog is a beagle, and we had great success using crate training with her. We used it as a temporary thing- crating her when we weren't home (but ONLY for short periods of time) for the first part, then gradually moving towards letting her have the run of the house as she got older and more trained.

[Sky-Cherries]

Yes they are smart, but that doesn't mean they'll pick up commands quickly and obey them all the time.

They're smart enough to know when they can get away with not doing it, and they can master an unknowing owner in no time at all.

 

Smart also means they need constant brain work.

 

They'll need stuffed Kongs, treat balls, interactive toys, and daily exercise to remain healthy, mentally and physically.

Agility they are good at, but that requires constant training and agility on your part as well.

 

Working breeds are hard to maintain if you're not a family devoted to constantly giving them something to do.

 

I hope you're up to it

[turnera]

That's why we're waiting til DD19 comes home from college, so she'll be home for 3 months so he's not left alone and so we'll use the crate for training, not storing.

 

We already have a training class set up that we are all going to. I bought the Kong toys and stuffing and a couple other toys so far. The breeder suggested frisbees from the 99 cent store - said they hold up better than the more expensive ones. She also said no toys that look like things you have in your house, cos the dog will confuse the real things for toys.

 

DD19 already has all the parks lined up for where she's taking him. We live next to a big lake with tons of parks, and our house backs up to a forest, and we have a huge yard.

 

And there's a bark park right next to my H's work, so we'll be making a lot of trips there, too.

 

The one thing I haven't been able to find out about is do I keep the crate in the bedroom where we sleep or in the living room?

 

Also, do you let dogs sleep with you? My H keeps hinting that he wants him to sleep with us, but I'm not so sure that's what's best for the dog.

[Sky-Cherries]

The one thing I haven't been able to find out about is do I keep the crate in the bedroom where we sleep or in the living room?

 

Also, do you let dogs sleep with you? My H keeps hinting that he wants him to sleep with us, but I'm not so sure that's what's best for the dog.

 

Each of my puppies slept in their crate in the lounge, and the kids slept next to the crate. Puppy sleep over for children, the pup learns to sleep in the lounge at night, and it also gets the comfort of a 'litter' around it.

 

My dogs cannot sleep in my bed with my fiance and I, because i have five Giant breeds. I don't know any bed big enough to fit all that!

They each have a mat that I set out in the lounge at night, and they sleep on that

[turnera]

Cool. Thanks!

 

DD19 likes to sleep in the living room anyway, cos her bedroom doesn't have cable TV!

 

The three cats already sleep on the bed, so I don't particularly want to share it any more than it already is.

 

I went to PetSmart and got some toothpaste and toothbrush, and some more teething toys. Our older dog has always had problems with his teeth - but we rescued him so he'd never let us brush them, so I want to make sure we do this one right.

 

btw, thanks for that post about how to find the right dog; we used that when we were looking.

 

Thanks for the help, everyone. It's been a couple of decades since we had a puppy so I want to do it right.

 

Oh, and I'm going to print out some info on the agility stuff and see if I can't get my DH to build Zorro some stuff. He'll love to do that.

[sophie274]

Please post pictures when you get him. I saw an Australian shepherd puppy on my campus the other day and he was the sweetest fluffliest little fur ball. I was very close to dog-napping him.

[turnera]

Oh, I know! My DD19 has pictures, but I keep forgetting to ask her to email them to me.

 

We pick him up next Saturday when she's home from college.

[sophie274]

Oh, I know! My DD19 has pictures, but I keep forgetting to ask her to email them to me.

 

We pick him up next Saturday when she's home from college.

 

Aww well I hope you get to wrangle some. Gosh I wish my parents were getting a puppy while I was home for the summer. I'll have to mention all the cool parents are doing it !

 

The NYtimes did an interesting series starting last summer where one of their writers wrote weekly about her experience with her new puppy - a golden retriever or yellow lab (can't quite remember). You can probably find it if you search "Puppy diaries" or "Scout" and "puppy" (the name of the puppy). It was adorable, but they also talked about their experience with obedience school, training, crating ... Maybe something to look at if you're at all curious. Just nice to see what other people have gone through with a puppy.

[turnera]

Thanks. I will go find it.

[Sky-Cherries]

Cool. Thanks!

 

I went to PetSmart and got some toothpaste and toothbrush, and some more teething toys. Our older dog has always had problems with his teeth - but we rescued him so he'd never let us brush them, so I want to make sure we do this one right.

.

 

Give them a raw chicken carcass or a handful of raw chicken wings and it cleans their teeth for them as well as being beneficial to their digestive system and preventing boredom.

 

Linkie:

 

link removed

[turnera]

Really? I've been told for 30 years to not give chicken bones. Is that because they're cooked?

 

Thanks!

 

I have a friend who has no kids, but a dog who gets treated better than kids; goes to the vet every single month, whether he needs it or not. Every Saturday she goes to the grocery store and buys him a chicken and goes home and cooks it for him. I'll send her the link, in case she doesn't know.

 

ETA: just read the site. Thanks! I've been thinking about food, after reading your other post about dogfood. I think I'll start doing this.

[turnera]

Finally! DD19 sent me some pictures. Let me see if I can figure this out.

image removed

 

Totally dense when it comes to stuff like this. How do I get a picture uploaded?

[Sky-Cherries]

Really? I've been told for 30 years to not give chicken bones. Is that because they're cooked?

 

Thanks!

 

I have a friend who has no kids, but a dog who gets treated better than kids; goes to the vet every single month, whether he needs it or not. Every Saturday she goes to the grocery store and buys him a chicken and goes home and cooks it for him. I'll send her the link, in case she doesn't know.

 

ETA: just read the site. Thanks! I've been thinking about food, after reading your other post about dogfood. I think I'll start doing this.

 

Yes, cooked chicken bones are bad, raw bones and meat isn't.

cooked chicken bones splinter instead of crunch, if you understand that. A splinter of bone can become lodged in the dog's throat and have to be surgically removed.

Raw bones can be eaten like we eat a hotdog; it stays together as you bite chunks off, and dogs are designed to chew bones and digest them.

 

Chicken from the grocery store is a bad idea. It's been treated with chemicals to preserve it for longer and the sodium content can often cause liver problems, especially in younger dogs.

 

The local butcher will sell whole raw chicken carcasses and if you ask them to set aside some beef knuckles for you, they do fantastic at cleaning a dog's back teeth

[sophie274]

Finally! DD19 sent me some pictures. Let me see if I can figure this out.

image removed

 

Totally dense when it comes to stuff like this. How do I get a picture uploaded?

 

You can go scroll down from the text box when you make a new post, and under "Attach files" click "manage" and upload pics from your desktop (should be self-explanatory once you're in the attachments screen) or you can upload the pics onto the internet and then click on the little mountain icon and type in the URL and the pics will show up inside your post (instead of attached at the bottom - although they're viewable either way).

 

Can't wait to see the pictures!

[turnera]

Ok, here goes.

 

Let me know if you can see them.

[turnera]

Yes, cooked chicken bones are bad, raw bones and meat isn't.

cooked chicken bones splinter instead of crunch, if you understand that. A splinter of bone can become lodged in the dog's throat and have to be surgically removed.

Raw bones can be eaten like we eat a hotdog; it stays together as you bite chunks off, and dogs are designed to chew bones and digest them.

 

Chicken from the grocery store is a bad idea. It's been treated with chemicals to preserve it for longer and the sodium content can often cause liver problems, especially in younger dogs.

 

The local butcher will sell whole raw chicken carcasses and if you ask them to set aside some beef knuckles for you, they do fantastic at cleaning a dog's back teeth

There's a restaurant here in Texas that used to cut up its own sides of beef for its hamburgers, and once I donated $1 to an animal shelter while I was there so I could get a 'bag' of bones. They told me to pick up the bag at the end of the counter, which I thought was weird, but I went down there, and there was this huge trash bag literally stuffed with the ribs from the side of beef! Intact!

 

I think they did that just to laugh at those of us who did it.

 

We took it home to our dog, and it was bigger than he was.

[sophie274]

I had to download them to see them, turnera, and it's possible to make them just show up, but anyway ... OMG he is so so adorable. And tiny and fluffy! I think I'm in love! You must be so excited, and your daughter must be over the moon. I'm incredibly jealous and really wish my parents would get a puppy. Thank you so much for posting them! If you ever want to post more ... I love seeing doggy pictures.

[turnera]

Thanks. I couldn't use a photo website at work (it's restricted) for URLs. Maybe I'll try tonight to redo it.

 

Isn't he adorable?! I can't wait. I told DD19 that she had to have a plan of action before we go get him, as in how many times to feed him, how often to take him out, how far we can walk him...am I being too anal?

[sophie274]

Thanks. I couldn't use a photo website at work (it's restricted) for URLs. Maybe I'll try tonight to redo it.

 

Isn't he adorable?! I can't wait. I told DD19 that she had to have a plan of action before we go get him, as in how many times to feed him, how often to take him out, how far we can walk him...am I being too anal?

 

I don't think you're being too anal at all. (And I'm sure she won't mind if she's very excited about him). The only thing is that if you've been doing a lot of the research, it might make more sense for you two to sit down together and work out a plan. It sounds like you've been reading up a lot on best puppy raising practices, so it would be a shame to let that information go to waste, if you see what I mean.