Need advice!

[cyber-sibes]

Awww, look at that little cutie-pie! I've thought about getting a mini-aussie before as we have a breeder locally. Don't have much advice, I think Karen covered it all! Good luck with your sweetie Paz. And DO post pictures, ok?

[ontariogreys]

Well I can't give you breed advice, I hope the start of school is still several months away, to aid in the potty training department.

An approx way to determine how long a puppy can hold their bladder for is by their months of age. So a 2 month old puppy can hold their bladder for approx 2 hours, then you need to take them outside to eliminate, I certainly hope it is warm where you are, I learned the hard way that getting out of a nice warm bed 2 or 3 times a night in the middle of winter was no picnic, especially in the freezing rain while you hold the umbrella over the puppy hoping he or she will go , while you get soaked to the skin by freezing drizzle, and most puppies at such a young age don't like to be outside in nasty cold or wet weather, so housetraining a winter puppy may take a while to accomplish even if they are furry.

Puppies need to go when they first wake up, play and over stimulation also makes them want to go. So puppy puddles are bound to happen usually on a carpeted surface, so you may want to invest in a carpet cleaner like the full sized bissell extractor or the spot lifter, you also will need an enzymatic cleaning solution meant for pet urine to eliminate the smell so the pup does not keep going back to the same spot. At about 3 months the teething starts and lasts for several months usually so have a good stock of chews toys that can be rotated to keep his interest, you also will want some bitter apple to discourage chewing of inappropriate areas like baseboards, wall corners, furniture etc. Being long haired he is going to need to be brushed often so start early getting him used to it, and handle his feet often so he will be comfortable getting the hair cut between his toes and nails clipped when needed. It helps to teach a couple of command early on like sit and shake a paw, and have the pup sit before getting the treat or food, this helps to teach the pup that you are the leader of the pack not him. As he gets a bit older your pup is going to need things to do to keep him from getting bored, this is especially important for working breeds and the reason so many aussies are involved in agility to keep their minds and bodies active so they don't become destructive at home. Dogs are pack animals and view people they live with as part of their pack, in a dog pack isolation from the pack is a form of punishment, that said one of the worst things people often do with puppies is isolate them at night by putting them in a crate in another room where they will be all alone, it is better for then if they have a sleeping spot in your room, when I was fostering greyhound fresh off the track it was simply easier for me to have 2 crates one for in my bedroom and one for the main family room because of the size of the crates, when I foster I have 4 dogs on the floor in the bedroom with me, they tend to sleep more peacefully and are less likely to wander around at night and get into mischief

[CagneyDog]

Paz is adorable!!! Congrats on your new puppy