Welcoming Home Your Wild West Mini Aussie Puppy!
First off, thank you for trusting us as your breeder and the people you will be getting your next family member from! We consider our puppy’s new family as part of our extended family, and we hope to always stay in touch. We are also always willing to help with anything you may need regarding your new puppy. Questions, advice, vet or boarding references in your area, training suggestions, etc. the list is endless… and if we don’t have the answer for you we will do our best to help you find it. It is our mission to raise happy, healthy, life-long companions for your family, and we are equally dedicated to ensuring you are prepared for and in love with your puppy! I know this document is long, but it is worth the read!
Vaccinations & Worming
In our care:
We worm every two weeks starting at 4 weeks of age, alternating fenbendazole and pyrantel based wormers.
5 weeks old: We administer the Solo-Jec 5 to protect against Canine Distemper, Adenovirus Type 2, Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus
7 weeks old: We administer the booster Solo-Jec 6 to protect against Canine Distemper, Parvovirus, Canine Adenovirus 1 & 2, Parainfluenza, and Coronavirus.
In your care:
10 & 13 weeks old: We recommend having your vet vaccinate again with a 9-way or 10-way vaccine that includes protection against Lepto, and you should deworm again. Drontal Plus is our recommendation for dewormer.
16 weeks old: You will need to vaccinate your puppy for Rabies and usually a Lepto booster (vet recommendation), but you should always spread these vaccines out over a week or two rather than administering them at the same time, to reduce the risk of a reaction.
20 weeks old: Depending on what your puppy received at their 16 week visit, they may be due for their final Lepto booster and deworming with your vet’s recommendation.
If you frequently take your dog on trips, to parks, or other public places, or plan to board them, you should also vaccinate for Bordetella.
Please ask your vet if you live in a high-risk area for any diseases or threats (such as rattlesnakes) and if you should be administering any further vaccinations. Your vet will recommend an annual vaccine protocol after the puppy series is complete.
- Regular heartworm, flea, & tick prevention will also need to be started. We use Revolution on our crew as it takes care of fleas, ticks and heartworms in one monthly dose. We highly suggest avoiding any medications with ivermectin as it is known to cause issues in working breeds such as Australian Shepherds. Here is some more information and medications to avoid in the Australian Shepherd breed: https://www.pawprintgenetics.com/products/tests/details/93/
- It is imperative that you do not take your puppy with you in high traffic areas or places where other dogs frequent, like parks, pet stores, dog-friendly restaurants, etc. until they have completed the vaccine protocol above. When taking your puppy to the vet for their health check and vaccines, try to avoid setting them on the ground, and confirm beforehand with the clinic that they have not recently had any animals brought in with Parvo – this can be deadly to a puppy. If they have, ask that they do a thorough sanitization of the clinic and explain that you are bringing in a young puppy who has not completed their vaccine protocol yet – and again, avoid setting them on the ground if possible. Following these simple rules can literally save your puppy’s life!
2. Food & Nutrition
Check out our Food & Nutrition Resource here for more information on what to feed your puppy, and what we feed our adult dogs.
3. Potty Training, General Training, and Getting Settled at Home
Potty training… usually the most daunting part of raising a puppy.
We try to make your life a little easier by starting the puppies off with litter box training – yes, a litter box! This makes for a super easy transition to house training because they have already learned the concept of potty-ing in a designated area, not wherever they want. We put together a whole article with tips and resources to help you and your puppy adjust to the new environment, read it here.
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