CARE OF YOUR NEW FAMILY MEMBER
· Your new puppy, until the age of 24 weeks or so is still a baby! They will not survive in extreme heat or cold if left outside for extended periods.
· Always, in the warmer months, supply the dog with sufficient shade and a kiddie plastic pool with cool, clean water in it for them to cool off in. Have plenty of clean water to drink in order to avoid dehydration.

CRATE TRAINING
· The size of crate should be 26"H x 24"W x 36"L or very close to it, brands will vary in size. I have used music to sooth them from the time their ears opened at about 2 ½ weeks. It will help to play a radio on low when he is in he is crate. I have exposed them to most ranges of noises both from the TV and radio but of course, do not play hard rock or rap or the like when you want them to sleep. Don't expect your new baby to hold his bladder all night long in the crate. Do not feed him within 3 hours of bedtime and no water for at least a full hour before bed. Do not put water in the crate. Take him out to relieve himself (give him enough time to urinate and defecate) and line the kennel with layers of newspaper. Do not let the pup out of the kennel until first thing in the morning, and before he starts to cry or yelp you don't want him to get the idea that being noisy is a one way ticket to play time. While I'm training them I never let them out until they are quiet for at least 5 minutes. You can't do this in the morning as they have been in all night and need to get out. If you think he absolutely needs to go out to go potty during the night, let him out then put him right back in until morning. Do not engage him much, don't play or get him excited. Praise lightly for going potty outside and put him right back in the crate. In the morning let the pup out immediately and take him outside to the place where you wish to establish this for him. Hearing you move around will automatically trigger their response to urinate and start to yelp, so don't make coffee etc. before tending to the pup until he is older and can hold it better. Be sure to praise the pup and say " go potty" as he's going, you're already training for going potty on command. Replace the newspapers immediately, never put pup in a dirty kennel your goal is for him to want to remain in a clean kennel and therefore work harder at holding it.
· Minimize the nighttime hours spent crated to 5-6 hours at the most for the first week or so. Do not let him fall asleep and take a nap right before bed time. It will just make him start yapping when he wakes up and then goes into the crate. Keep him awake and tire him out until it is time for the crate. I have been training them in crates for a week or so. This really helps to get a head start on crate training for my customers. They have been crated for up to 5 hours at a time. By the second week he is with you, you can go to 6 hours and the fourth week, 7 hours. After five weeks go to 8 hours if all is going well. As their bladders and kidneys grow they can stay in longer. Be sure to put a chew bone like a nylabone or other hard chew toy. You can give a small treat to them in the crate but not a meal until they are 1 year old. They can't hold all that food for 8 hours in the crate and they need ample access to water with their food to avoid bloat. You can add 3-4 tablespoons canned food with each meal when they are about 6 months old. Canned food goes bad quickly, take away any food that hasn't been eaten after 20 minutes. Always have clean water available to them.

HOUSE TRAINING
· House training will move along quickly if you pay attention to their body language. HE CAN'T TALK , SO IT'S UP TO YOU TO LEARN HIS LANGUAGE! For the first few weeks while his internal organs are growing in order to hold more, he will go potty within seconds to minutes of eating or drinking. Know this and be ready! The minute he's done eating take him out. The minute he starts sniffing the ground intensively or going in circles take him out. Keep him in a smaller confined area such as a room or two where you can watch his every move. If you are diligent about this early on it will take a lot less time to be successful. When he starts to go in the house rush to him saying aaacht! DO NOT PUNISH HIM just take him outside and tell him to go potty and praise him when he does. It's not a crime to have to go to the bathroom, you're just teaching him where to do it. After all you wouldn't punish a human baby for doing the same thing! They are already accustomed to going potty on Cedar shavings, so put large litter box of them at the door you want him to go to, to go outside. For a couple of days praise him every time he goes in the Cedar, establish that this is where he should run to. Then start taking him right outside when he approaches the Cedar. NEVER put the pup's nose in feces or urine to punish him, after he's done the deed it is to late, you've got to catch him while he's going for him to make the connection. This is why it is so important to keep him in one room where you're watching him all the time. If he establishes a spot in the house that you don't know about it will be more difficult and time consuming to be successful.

KEEPING THEM SAFE
· Left to make his own decisions, his idea of what he can do is not governed by whether you consider it good or bad. A puppy figures if he is able to do something it must be OK. Train by prevention and positive reinforcement. If he is properly watched, he won't get the chance to create problems. When he starts to chew on something, say NO, take him away from what he's doing and give him something he can chew on. Plush toys are great but if he starts to chew them up to where he can get a squeaker out or the stuffing, take it away from him and give him something he can chew to shreds. Rawhides are OK but too much can constipate, one every couple weeks is enough, pig ears are better. A rag with a knot in the middle is good. Rotate toys so he doesn't get bored and ignore all of them. Aussies love to gather all their stuff in one area so they can keep an eye on it or lay on them, so keep a variety available to him. NEVER play aggressive tug of war with your dog; it will create aggressiveness that you will have problems with later. If you want to play Frisbee, get the soft one first, many dogs are known to have soft mouths and will be more eager to play if he doesn't get his mouth all sore right from the start, the soft ones float in water as well so your older dog won't have to go underwater to retrieve it. Start tossing it only a few feet to start with and toss it directly to him, make it easy and give him a chance to build confidence.
· PUPPY PROOF YOUR HOME! All medications should be put up, as well as mouthwash, soap, toothpaste, deodorants, etc. are poisonous to pups. Dogs love the taste of radiator fluid and it will kill them in a matter of minutes! Chocolate is also poisonous, raisins and grapes can be deadly. They have a very difficult time digesting any pork products NO HAM. An occasional pig ear is fine. Remove all plants from the floor area, almost all plants are poisonous, as well as outside plants, ornamental especially. All ivy, poinsettia, Jerusalem cherry, philodendron, all bulbs, foxglove, holly, azalea, all mushrooms, the list goes on. If your dog vomits up any part of a plant it is extremely important that you take it with you to the vet for identification for appropriate treatment. Confine your pup when you can't keep an eye on him either in a crate, or a pet gated area. If all these things are lying around then virtually everything in his new world that he tries to explore he will be reprimanded for, you'll be saying NO a thousand times a day and it will lose its meaning.
· Dogs do not tolerate small critters such as gerbils, keep them separated. When introducing a cat, leave the pup in his crate and let the cat approach and get acquainted. When that goes well, hold the pup in your lap firmly but gently and let the cat approach as he wishes.

NIPPING OR BITING
· BITING If he starts biting say aacht, ( like a growl ) and walk away, If you bite, I wont play is the message sent, if he continues when you come back, firmly but gently grasp the whole muzzle with just 2 fingers and thumb, one shake in a downward motion and say no biting! Then give him something he can chew on and sink his teeth into. If he continues, use just one or two fingers and tap the top of his muzzle one good time and say "NO BITE". Then forgive him and act like nothing happened. Give him something he can chew on or tear at. DO NOT rough house which encourages the biting!
· Get a couple of braided and knotted toys, open the fringed ends and swipe a knife full of peanut butter inside the fringes. Thoroughly wet the rope and put on wax paper in the freezer until frozen. The cold relieves teething pain and while they are trying to get the peanut butter out, they will be flossing their teeth. Give this toy outside the crate as they will need water when eating the peanut butter. Discontinue use if the dog starts to ingest a lot of the strings. It is necessary for them to have plenty of items to chew on so they won't get frustrated with the discomfort of teething with nothing to relieve it.

EARLY TRAINING
· Purchase a puppy training collar which is a flat collar with a short piece of chain as part of it (refer to picture). Do not use a buckle collar, it encourages pulling. Also purchase a leather 6' leash with a light weight clasp. A heavy clasp really works against you and the collar which you are trying to keep loose and comfortable. Always have soft treats with you when you are walking on leash. When the puppy pulls, bend close to the ground, coax him to you with praise and a treat. It will be much easier for both of you if you work on training with your local trainer who can be right there to help if things are not coming along easily.