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We're getting an Austrailian Shepherd in 5 weeks. My kids have always wanted a dog. I'm not really a dog person (we had them when I was growing up and I remember they chewed everything and you couldn't walk barefoot in the back yard) and know little about training them. Dd and dh are, supposedly taking care of training but I'm starting to think neither one of them has a clue. Can someone direct me to some puppy 101 websites to help me sort through what we should and should not be doing before we end up with an ill trained dog?
I haven't looked at many since there was no internet the last time I had a puppy, but dogster.com is one good website generally.
How old will your puppy be when you get him or her? Puppy classes (attended by the whole family if possible, so everyone's on the same page) would be very beneficial once your pup has had all its shots.
Aussies are great dogs, very smart, and also very active. Your puppy will need lots of exercise and also mental stimulation, or boredom will make him think up his own fun, which may not be fun for you!
Rather than going off of the Internet, I would highly suggest going to an obedience class in your area. Call ahead to find out the required age and vaccines.
Aussies are a herding breed and if not trained properly, they will go instinctual and you'll have a dog nipping your kids at their heels. Not in malice of course, but that's their job.
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There are some good books on training puppies.
And you may also find a local puppy housetraining class. Not just an obedience class, but one geared towards puppies and housetraining them.
I don't know of any websites that are as inclusive as simply getting a book and taking a class. It's an important time in the puppy's development so invest in the $10 or whatever to get a good book at the very least.
Enroll him in a local puppy class. This will give the puppy basic obedience and socialization. If you have no idea what you're doing, thats your best bet. There is nothing better than a well-trained dog. But a untrained dog can be a nightmare.
A class or a book is better. I have yet to find a website that goes through the process adequately. Getting the whole family involved is key. Depending on the age of your kid, perhaps posting "puppy rules" somewhere so he remembers what the puppy can and can't do. Training is a 24/7 thing. Letting a puppy get away with something once or twice will take a week to undo. IMO, crate training is the way to go if you want to avoid chewed shoes and such.
We're getting an Austrailian Shepherd in 5 weeks. My kids have always wanted a dog. I'm not really a dog person (we had them when I was growing up and I remember they chewed everything and you couldn't walk barefoot in the back yard) and know little about training them. Dd and dh are, supposedly taking care of training but I'm starting to think neither one of them has a clue. Can someone direct me to some puppy 101 websites to help me sort through what we should and should not be doing before we end up with an ill trained dog?
Thanks
I could go on forever but to save time, check out the following free Ebooks:
The final link is for the entire list of Ebooks. Many are free. There are also DVDs you can purchase on training. The main things are patience and consistency. Enjoy your pup. And Aussies require mental as well as physical exercise!
When we got our last dog (the first one we'd had in quite awhile) we had a trainer come to the house for a few individual sessions. It was well worth the money. It got everyone in the house on the same page as far as expectations and training philosophies went. It will not work if everyone in the house is doing something different. We followed the individual sessions up with puppy socialization and obedience training, which ended with Canine Good Citizen testing/certification.
In the meantime, this is a book which we found particularly helpful:
Dogs can be wonderful family additions. Or, they can be destructive, ill behaved creatures who live in the backyard eating and eliminating. Which of these they become is up to you.
Clean the backyard as often as you'd clean a litterbox.
I would also recommend learning as much about your specific breed as possible. As other posters have mention, they are smart, high energy dogs. They do well having something to do.
I agree with some of the others find a good puppy class as you have a very small window to socialize the puppy and I know quite a few aussies that are not very tolerant of other dogs so it is important to socialize them.The puppy classes Chaos and I went too also encouraged everyone in the house to come to class so that everyone involved would would be on the same page and doing the same thing when it comes to training, It was nice for me as some people had small kids so Chaos got to socialize with them too .
I have trained many dogs so I myself do not need the classes but I still take them for the socialization aspect and I like the training in a distracting environment that classes provide .I also like the friendships you make with the other owners.
The most important thing is that everyone in the family be consistant
As everyone else has mentioned in this post and the previous thread, the whole family needs to be involved in the training of the puppy. Herders are very smart have high energy and need a job. That job can be carrying in the paper, finding a toy, picking up a dropped item, learning agility, whatever you can come up with. Your entire household will be much calmer and happier if your Aussie is not only physically tired but also mentally tired. Aussies are cute little fluff balls, but don't underestimate them for a minute, they think for themselves and can be a challenge without the proper training. Since your family doesn't seem to have much experience with dogs I would strongly encourage you all to enroll in puppy class, it will make life much more pleasant in the long run.
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