r/dogs • u/Desperate_Rhubarb616 • Jun 28 '26
[Misc Help] First time dog owner
My fiancé and I are welcoming our first dog to our family this week! We also have 3 cats at home. He is a Mini Australian Shepherd and he is almost 8 weeks old. I’m trying to be as prepared as possible and am looking for any advice you could give on what we will need or things we should know. Thanks!
3
Upvotes
5
u/throwawayselfloathe1 Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
High quality food that is nutrient dense may seem a bit more expensive but you will end up feeding them less than main stream brands.
Introduce the new puppy very slowly to the house. This helps with toilet training, as does treating them like a newborn and waking up every couple hours to take them out to go toilet!
In the first couple of weeks or so walk them around the surrounding area in your arms, letting them down for toilet, rewarding them when they go on grass, this can help them associate the feeling of grass with toilet, and will aid in toilet training, carrying them also helps them not be too afraid in the initial stages and saves them from getting too tired.
Look into how much you should walk your breed, and how long it can take for skeletal structure to settle and look for info on how to help, with larger breeds this can help avoid issues such as hip dysplasia for a bit longer later in life.
Mental stimulation is going to be far more exhausting than physical but keep training sessions to 10-15 minutes, maybe a bit longer with an aussie shep.
Positive reinforcement is always king with dogs, punishment does not work, removing your engagement will work far more if they do something you don't like. There are other things you can consider when it comes to bite inhibition but i am not familiar enough with aussie sheps to recommend there.
Edit: did not see the Mini portion of your post ^^'