Dame Aussie

We're about to start puppy training with an obedience club but I'm just a bit concerned as our pup has only had 2 shots so far. If it was indoor I wouldn't mind so much but it's held outside in a public place. They use the same place each weekend but I've been very careful so far not to let my girl walk on any surfaces which may have been frequented by unknown dogs. She is almost 14 weeks and had a C4 at 7.5 weeks (done by the breeder) and a C3 at 11 weeks. In everyone's experience is it safe to take her? Obviously all the other dogs will have had to be vaccinated at least once but I'm worried about unknown dogs walked through the area. I'm a bit paranoid about Parvo etc as I work at a shelter and know how easy it is for them to catch but I also know how many dogs are PTS due to no socialisation and bad behaviour...bit of a catch 22 I guess Any advice would be great Cheers

I wish that was my only problem!! Lili just wants to eat the brush! Shes 13 weeks and has learnt sit, stay and drop but try and brush her??! At the moment its impossible but were starting puppy kindergarten this weekend and I'm hoping to get some help there! Good luck!

I have experience working at animal shelters and most of the ones I know of desex animals at 8 weeks with no problems whatsoever. It may not be an ideal situation, I wont have have my girl desexed till she is around 6 months, but I have the choice. The shelters are trying to reduce the amount of unwanted animals so it's a bit different, I can't say Ive heard of many breeders desexing this young, but in saying that I don't see a problem with it

She is getting more now than she was for the first week or so and if she still seems hungry after being fed I give her a bit more but I'll have a feel of her ribs etc tonight and maybe increase it a bit more. Thanks!

We picked her up 2.5 weeks ago, on the day after we picked her up she went to the vet had her second vaccination, a drontal tablet and an application of advocate. Is this current enough?

I'm worried I'm not feeding the right amount of food to my pup. She's an aussie shepherd and is 13.5 weeks old. She currently weighs about 9 kilos. We've been feeding her 3-4 meals a day, dry food for breakfast and lunch, raw meaty bones, dinner is some dry and either sardines or chicken and vegies....Ive noticed that over the last few days she's been ravenous! A couple of times I've fed her and then fed her again and shes eaten it all straight away. I know if she doesn't eat it within a reasonable amount of time to take it away but i just don't want to over or under feed her! can anyone tell me what amount she should be getting? She is healthy, energetic, putting on weight and is not even close to being overweight. Also, she eats EVERYTHING she sees, shes like a vacuum cleaner, the other day I let her out and before I had a chance to get in her way she was licking up a big pile of bird poo! She eats dirt, rocks, leaves, flowers branches off the plants in the garden, she even started chewing the concrete! She has heaps of chew toys and gets bones so I don't know what to do! I know they explore with their mouths I just worry about her eating a rock that's too big or something similar! Long I know but any suggestions would be great! Thanks

Hi! I'm new here and just found this thread! So many gorgeous fur babies..... Here goes mine!! Name: Lili aka Roadsend Chilli Delights Sex: Bitch DOB: 2.6.2008 Age: 13 weeks Colour: Red Merle Breed: Australian Shepherd Hobbies: BITING, playing fetch, snuggling Loves: Bones and playing, eating our furniture Hates: When we go out

Thanks everyone for your advice. Im thinking Im just going to have to persevere and hope she grows out of it soon..I feel like a pin cushion But even when she's attached to my face I can't help but love her

I just have a question re vaccinations. There are loads of threads regarding yearly boosters but this is in regard to a new pup. When we got our pup she had been vaccinated (C3) at 8 weeks and the breeders told us that they only ever give their dogs one vaccination at 8 weeks, had never had problems, and advised we do the same. This was new to me as in the past we'd had our dogs vaccinated as the vet instructed 3 times as a pup and then every 1-2 years. We wanted to take our pup to pre school so we had to get another vaccination (C5) which we got just after we picked her up at 11 weeks. My question is this...should we go with what the vet says and get her another shot at around 16 weeks or are we safe to taker her out in public now - 2 weeks after her second shot. There is so much conflicting information. I know all about diseases such as parvo (I work at a shelter) and am aware of how hardy it is and also how easy it is for pups to catch it. I want to do what's best for her and am happy to keep her at home for as long as I need to but I also don't want to miss opportunities at this important age to socialise her. What is everyone's experience?? Thanks!

Don't know how helpful this will be but....I just got my aussie shepherd, she's a red merle and has a butterfly nose, two little spots of pink on each side As far as showing etc they allow colour on the nose up until 12 months of age and the breeder told me it will most likely fill in (she's just a pet dog so I'm not concerned other than needing to use sunscreen) so I assume sometimes it does fill in by then... different breed though.....

That's my problem, I would prefer to prepare/cook food for my pup so I know exactly what is in there but it's difficult to find a good recipe which covers all the requirements, especially for a growing puppy. I don't want to compromise her development but hate the thought of what's in that dry food!!

We have a 12 week old Aussie pup and I’m considering having her on a raw food diet. We’ve only had her for less than 2 weeks and have been feeding her a commercial dry food. She enjoys the food and we haven’t had any health problems but I know the kind of ingredients used in the commercial foods and I don’t like the idea! With other dogs in the past we have cooked up a mixture of meat chicken, rice/macaroni and vegetables and they’ve loved it, but I’ve read that a raw diet is best as cooking depletes nutrients etc. Does anyone have experience with a puppy on this kind of diet and can you give me any info on risks/benefits please??! Cheers

We've started taking our 12 week old aussie pup to a puppy pre school run by the local vet. The first week was pretty much just a free for all play session, the pups were let off the leash and allowed to play and run around. While it was good for our pup to socialise I was hoping for some more info and training advice. Also there's a little staffy cross who comes to the class and attacks the other puppies, we haven't let our girl off the leash anywhere near him! We decided to give it another try and went again last night...the same thing. We won't be going back so I'm now looking for another course with a bit more structure. Can anyone recommend anywhere good around the western suburbs of Melbourne?? Thanks!

Hi, I'm new to the forum and am hoping for some advice on my 12 week old aussie shepherds biting behaviour. I'm sure this has been asked before but I feel as though I'm not doing the right thing. Lili will bite hands, feet, pants legs, ears, hair and face. When she goes for the face it's a full on attack, she launches up there! While none of her bites are very hard and she only does it when playing I don't feel like were getting anywhere with her. I have been yelping and walking away from her and this sometimes works, but if shes got a hold of my clothing for example, she will not let go, i ignore her and she keeps pulling, i say "no" or yelp , nothing, I have to end up forcing her mouth open to get it out! I'm trying to be consistent, does anyone know how long these techniques take to work or am I completely off track?!! Thanks!