anattaboy

I got the new puppy out on time this morning w/no accidents (yet)! 2 weeks ago wife and I had some very heated discussions over getting a puppy for Xmass. We have 3 daughters, 13,11 and 4 and I'm all for it but not in the current house which we reside. We rent and it's in the lease.

So this Australian Shepard besides being the softest cutest thing on the planet is supposed to be smart. I'm thinking 3-4 days tops for house training and looking back it's more people training cuz her timetable is easy to read and of course a schedule was loosely made for her being let out but even more loosely adhered to. We're at 10 days and finally I am with the program so dog-training has helped me. That's all.

dwtbd

We have an Australian Sheppard, he is too smart for my own good, lol. Got so when he was younger (we just found his papers and he is 13), he could recognize our work schedule and knew when to hide out and for how long until we had to go to work and he was set to roam outside.
We got him from a friend who recommended the breed(and him specifically) as a good companion dog for our handicapped daughter, as they tend to be so smart and affectionate. Best dog I ever had.

Bailey3

I have a Minnie Aussie. I agree that they are too smart for our own good. She knows the English language. I had to start spelling certain words around other people. Then she learned how to spell. Very loyal and loving dog.

Hawkeye13

As a former landlord who had thousands of dollars worth of ruined carpet, chewed fixtures and molding, ruined rental furniture, and flea infestations from tenants getting puppies though prohibited on their lease, please be very careful about making sure the puppy is not left locked in the bathroom, kitchen, porch, etc. when you go out unless you want to say goodbye to you entire deposit.

Crating seems to be the best thing to protect the puppy and the property and they actually do love their crate after awhile.

Aussie shepherds a super-high energy so it's great that you are getting the puppy out since they require lots and lots of exercise.

I'm a huge huge doglover, by the way, with three of my own so this response isn't meant critically,
but just giving you the other side of what can happen to a rental without extreme precaution being taken

Congrats on your sobriety and Happy New Year!

anattaboy

She's crated at nite and when we're gone. Fully supervised.

anattaboy

One step forward....
Wife left her out after a bout with insomnia at 2 am (forgot).
Couple of surprises this morning for the wet-vac.
We're getting there. 4 other folks being in sync with her care is hard but do-able. Everyone NOW is saying "a puppy is a lot of trouble". I knew it and also knew I would be it's main caretaker so no surprises here--just a lot of work.

jryan19982

I second the crating. Its a great way to save your belongings... Good call.

Soberpotamus

Third the crating I adopted a Beagle puppy over the summer. Oh boy. Haha! Boundless energy! It was quite an experience and adjustment period. But she is good as gold now. It was so worth it.

She communicates and lets me know when she needs to go out. Super, super smart dog. Very sensitive too, and very stubborn.

I was so discouraged at first because no one understood what a holy terror I had on my hands... lol. Then, on day, it seemed all of the training coalesced at once. She amazed me. She'd actually been soaking it all up

anattaboy

Yup, the crating is the way to go--tracking her thru the day is taxing but do-able. It's when I turn here to type or go for a p-break myself that I don't think I need to crate her and am wrong 90%. Learning curve with the owner

dwtbd

I realized with ours that he wasn't so much trying to get me to trip , but was actually nudging me where he wanted to go, good herders them.

anattaboy

Yeah, the nipping thing. I play with her but probably need to research proper methods as the kids don't need the nipping all the time (4 yr. old is not so happy with the attention diverted right now--older girls not happy with care duties). She has appropriate chew toys but still goes for everything.

anattaboy

4 degrees on those paws today. Tried booties-not happening. Many short trips. She gets me every time I use the bathroom--gotta remember to crate for that.

dwtbd

or a really big crate

matilda123

Hooray for puppies! We have two and love them. (And are landlords and love people with puppies, btw

Anyway, one thing that worked for us with the nipping is to say "ouch" really loud. It really works and they let go pretty quickly. Also, be sure that the kids aren't doing too much rough-housing: the little pups can get a bit carried away.

heartcore

Yaay! My new puppy is also an Aussie. Brilliant and loving. So, so soft.

He's at 12 weeks; he's been with me for 6. Crate training. He learned the potty stuff within the first couple of days; sometimes he's playing and forgets, but relatively few accidents.

A friend of mine told me to get a string of bells for the door, so that I could teach him to ring it when he needed to go outside to potty. I hung the bells on the door, pretended to be a dog, batted at them with my paw to make them ring, and then let myself outside.

Aussies are brilliant! He understood immediately how this new system worked. Then the bells rang, and rang, and rang, and rang. It was a fabulous new game, because everytime the bell rang I'd come vaulting through the house to let him outside.

Um, the bells are gone.

Now he just throws his little body against the door to give me the message. Aussies have that jumping thing, and he just jumps at the door sideways, crashing into it. It is very dramatic (but cute, like everything he does).

I have no regrets about bringing him into my life. It has added all sorts of chores and time constraints and rushing home from work throughout the day to walk him and play with him. Lots of rushing to the dog. But it is love. I feel it every single day as love - I love him! He is by far the happiest addition to my life in sobriety.

Hang in there! At least you have many people to share puppy shifts with!

ElleDee

Oh so sweet! I just LOVE dogs. Unfortunately I am allergic plus I have 3 cats and we're at our pet limit for my condo association. But whenever I can get a "doggy fix" when we visit a friend or relative with on, I'm a happy camper.

Soberpotamus

Whimpering or whining works too. She "gets it" immediately, and shows concern

matilda123

Yes! The whining really works!

I just got back from the barn, and was thinking about this in relation to horses: it is sort of cute when foals nip at you; less cute when they are full grown. Same with the dogs: I love to rough house, but it can be hard to switch it off with them sometimes.

Aussies have pretty soft mouths, so I'm sure once the initial teething is done the nipping will simper down too.