Foothill Aussies | Responsible Australian Shepherd, Aussiedoodle, and Poodle Breeder in Northern California
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Congrats On Your New Puppy!

NOW WHAT!?

Bringing a new puppy home is so exciting, they are so cute and fluffy and perfect...until that first night. Or maybe they are perfect the first night, but night number two they give you some trouble. Please know and understand that no matter how much ENS, exposure, potty training, crate training and manners we have worked on, no puppy is going to come home 100% perfect. Below we will provide some questions and answers from our past puppy parents (now adult doggy parents), some challenges they face and what helped them with raising their own puppy. The below should give you ideas, but if you would like to connect with a real person to get some training help click here. 

How did you socialize your puppy, do you have any tips, tricks, hints?

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puppy_socialization_guide__1_.pdf
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Reef's Mom: "When I got Reef, it was mid-2020, so there were still a lot of restrictions and minimal interacting with people. I wanted Reef to be as sound proof as possible because our goal was to have him be a therapy dog, so I had him signed up for a puppy kindergarten class right away. He started just after he was 9 weeks old. This really helped him with basic commands and learning how to focus on me with distractions. I also purchased a puppy stroller off of Amazon and took him anywhere and everywhere. I used the Puppy Socialization Guide Valerie sent home and made it a point to mark off something each day. I always had treats with me and tried to ensure all new exposures turned into a positive experience."

If you could give a new puppy owner some words of advice, what would you tell them?

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Lily's Mom:
  • Build a relationship first. Trust and connection is the foundation of training. 
  • Go at your puppy's pace. If they are scared or confused about something, leave the situation on a good note and try again later.
  • If your puppy is having a lot of accidents (for example, peeing inside two minutes after they peed outside) have your vet test for UTIs. Accidents are normal, but if it seems like puppy is regressing there might be something medical going on.
  • If you have a really friendly puppy who loves meeting new people and dogs don't let them greet everyone in the name of socialization. Teach them it's ok to see a friendly face, ignore it and focus on you.

My puppy doesn't seem food motivated, so how do I train them?

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Duke's Dad: Every puppy is so different. Some will be food motivated right away, while others might ignore treats that you may think are high value. The trick is, don't give up and keep trying different high value treats. We tried freeze dried meat, Ziwi Peak, deli meat, hot dogs, kong stuffing and so many more. We weren't sure if we would ever find something. Finally, we tried fresh chicken. DING DING DING - we had a winner. Duke apparently has a sophisticated pallet and will only accept fresh chicken. But we were persistent and we found something he would work for. 

My puppy is just screaming in the crate, I thought they were all crate trained already?

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Duke's Dad: "Crate training wasn't quite what we expected. On Valerie's videos, the puppies all look perfectly crate trained so we assumed that would continue into our house. But what we didn't think about was while they may be sleeping and eating in their crate like a champ, without a peep, they are surrounded by their siblings. When they go home, to their new home, it is a completely different atmosphere, so the puppy is going to have to readjust. With some puppies it takes a day or two, some might be perfect right away and some, like Duke, required some extra TLC. 

Don't be afraid to sleep on the floor the first night if needed. I would increase the separation distance slowly. It took Duke 5 nights in the crate before I was able to sleep in my bed again. 

Sleeping on the floor won't be for everyone, just remember it is a new scary world for the puppy and change can take time. Valerie is here for us as a resource and there are a ton of crate training videos out there too!

Tips from Duke's Mom

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  • If there is anything your dog is truly scared of, work on it immediately. For some reason Duke was fearful of our hairdryer. With a few tips from Alexandra, we started desensitizing to the noise. We started with it on in the other room with the door closed and would give him lots of treats and praise. Over time it got closer to him, but with all of the treats and praise he became less bothered. 
  • Don't give in to attention seeking behaviors. You will learn the difference between a "I need to potty" whine, and a "throw that toy now" whine. Just like children, we don't want to reinforce any undesirable behaviors like unwanted whining, demand barking etc. If you aren't sure how to handle these behaviors, find a local trainer. 
  • Don't be afraid to ask questions: friends with dogs, your breeder, your trainer, your vet are all great sources when raising a puppy. 
  • Get a stroller and take your dog everywhere. Malls are awesome for seeing all kinds of people.

More questions?

Connect with a Trainer
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We are a loving and responsible Australian Shepherd, Aussiedoodle, and Poodle breeding program based in Northern California.

Our passion is breeding service, therapy, and companion dogs in LOVING guardian homes, instead of kennels, that typically have a lower drive and energy that is great for the family home.

We do our best to surpass our clients' expectations by fully developing the puppies in our program in every way possible through our unique and thorough puppy curriculum.


Our specialty is matching each family to the very best puppy for their specific needs!  Welcome to our unique program.

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© Foothill Aussies

  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Testimonials
    • FAQs
    • Contact Us
  • Litters
    • Current Litters >
      • Australian Shepherds
      • Aussiedoodles
    • Upcoming Litters
    • Past Litters
  • Family Album
    • Dams & Sires >
      • Females
      • Males
    • Retired
    • Pawls of Fame
  • Adoption
    • Process
    • Adoption Application
    • Waitlist Contract
    • Prices
    • Payment plan options
  • Guardian Homes
    • Information
    • Available Guardian Home Puppies
    • Guardian Application
  • Resources
    • Breed Specific >
      • All About Australian Shepherds
      • All About Aussiedoodles
      • All About Poodles
    • Preparing For Your Puppy
    • Grooming >
      • Best Grooming Practices
    • Training >
      • Our Training Tips
      • My Puppy is HOME - now what?
      • Find a Trainer
    • Choosing Healthy Food & Treats
  • Puppy Supplies
    • Food, Treats & Training
    • Grooming
    • Playtime
    • Beds & Kennels
  • Puppy Raising Methods
    • ENS & ESI
    • Touch Sensitivity
    • Exposure
    • Temperament & Testing
    • Badass Breeder Oath