RUSSELLTON AUSSIES

Litter of Spring 2023

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The puppies had a vet visit and their tails docked at 4 days old and have received two doses of worming medication. They visited the vet for a second time at 8 weeks to receive the first of their DHPP vaccinations. Puppies should receive at least two more of these shots within a few weeks of going to their new homes. We recommend you ask your vet for their preferred vaccination schedule and ask if they suggest any additional vaccines such as Bordetella (Kennel Cough). If you don't currently have a vet, for those in the Pittsburgh area we recommend Seven Fields Veterinary Hospital or River Valley Veterinary Hospital.

Our puppies are crate trained and we recommend that you use a crate, as it's an invaluable tool for their safety when they can't be supervised. They are also in the process of learning to using puppy pads indoors, although they are now ready to be transitioned to pottying outside.

With warm weather on the horizon, we also suggest asking your personal vet about what flea/tick/heartworm medication to use in the long term. The efficacy of flea medication can vary depending on your location (flea populations can build resistance to certain pesticides) but your local vet should know what medication is working well for your geographic region. In the Pittsburgh area, we have had good luck with OTC Petarmor Plus. Avoid Hartz or dollar brand flea pesticides like the plague!

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The puppies are able to go to their new homes when they reach 9-10 weeks old, beginning the week of March 2, 2023. Please send us an email at odonnelljjc@gmail.com or call/text us at 412 266 4697 to arrange a meeting.

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Here is a "Puppy Wishlist" of items we personally recommend to make your pup happy.

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Our puppies were weaned on to Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach, Salmon. If you would like to switch your pup to a new diet, make sure you do so slowly by mixing a little more of the new food into their diet each day to avoid stomach upset. We strongly recommend you DO NOT feed a "grain free" diet. According to a recent article published by the FDA, some dogs eating grain free diets high in peas or legumes have developed diet-related dilated cardiomyopathy/heart failure. When looking at dog foods, we read the label and avoid any diet with dried peas, lentils, chickpeas, etc. Foods backed by science (Purina, Iams, Hills, Eukanuba, Royal Canin) are what we would recommend before any boutique/designer foods that were not developed by a certified animal nutritionist.

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Early socialization is INCREDIBLY important to set you and your puppy up for long-term success in life, and by taking one of our puppies, you agree to sign them up for a puppy training class at minimum. We love every single one of our puppies, and we truly believe that early training and socialization is THAT vital for them to get off to a great start in their new lives. Per the AKC breed standard regarding temperament, "The Australian Shepherd is an intelligent, active dog with an even disposition; he is good natured, seldom quarrelsome. He may be somewhat reserved in initial meetings."

 

Unlike more gregarious breeds like Labs and Golden Retrievers, Aussies tend to reserve their loyalty, affection, and love for their own family members while preferring strangers to remain neutral or hands off. This is in line with the breed standard, but Australian Shepherds should not be nervous or skittish. The critical socialization period for puppies is between 8 weeks and 16 weeks, and they enter their first "fear period" from 8 to 11 weeks old. During this time, puppies may become scared of new things, people, and experiences. It's important to continue socializing your puppy during this time, but also to be patient and understanding if they seem more hesitant or fearful than usual. Let your pup take the lead in interactions and pay attention to their body language (tense and ears back means scared, loose and wiggly means excited and happy). Try not to push them out of their comfort zone and keep interactions short but fun. Lots of treats and gentle encouragement will get your puppy through any initial hurdles.

 

Herding breeds in particular that haven't received adequate early socialization can be prone to fear, separation anxiety, or dog reactivity. Aussie's intelligence and athleticism also means that anxiety can crop up if they are not receiving adequate exercise, be it mentally, physically, or both.  If the critical social period is missed (and we had experience with this due to a litter born during the Covid lockdown!) not all is lost! Low stress obedience classes are excellent for helping dogs gain confidence, and nosework/scentwork in particular is an activity any dog can do and massively improves their self-esteem.

 

We LOVE dog sports and can't recommend enough getting your dog involved with agility, flyball, disc dog, dock diving, nosework, barn hunt, rally, competition obedience--ANYTHING that gets their minds and bodies working, because these dogs will excel at any sport and the structured training environment is fantastic for them (and the bond you share!). In the Pittsburgh area we recommend Misty Pines (training classes, dog park, lake, trails), Ringer's Pet Dog Training (although they disagree with our philosophy on food, their puppy classes are excellent), or Splash and Dash K9 Dog Sports (difficult to get into, but our favorite for canine sports and obedience).

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Because puppies can still be vulnerable to deadly diseases like Parvo despite receiving one or two vaccinations, please do not let your puppy go to the dog park or visit spaces frequented by many strange dogs until they have finished their vaccination schedule, usually around 16  weeks. Early socialization is critical, but it must be done with other dogs who are vaccinated in areas that can be easily sanitized. Parvo can be shed by infected dogs and survive in the soil for years before reinfecting a host, which is why we recommend against parks early on. You can ask your vet for further information or advice about keeping your puppy safe.

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We encourage you to come meet the puppies in person to see if they are the right match for you and your family. Aussies are very athletic, smart dogs and their activity level might not be right for every home, so please do your research first if you've never had one before! That said, because they're so smart and eager to please, it's very easy to train an Aussie to live in almost any environment. We firmly believe that exercising their minds is even MORE important than taking them for a walk around the neighborhood. Frisbee, agility, and obedience training are all excellent ways to channel their energy in a positive way, as well as give them a "job" which is great for their mental health. For training at home, we love Zak George on Youtube and his videos about training a puppy from day one using positive reinforcement.

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If you have any questions or would just like to talk about the puppies, feel free to send us an email or text and we'll be in touch with you shortly. Thank you for checking out our site!

 

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