I'm new here, so hello to all. I've been reading the boards for awhile, trying to get some helpful info, and there seems to be plenty of it. I've recently decided to embark on that wonderful journey of dog ownership again (3 yrs after losing my first and beloved German Shepherd Boo to a tumor). I've really missed having a dog around, and every year when spring came around I'd be rather sad because those sunny, warm days were spent playing outside, running, hiking and doing pretty much everything with Boo. So I figured this summer would be different, and I'd get a new puppy, not to replace Boo of course, but just because I felt like the time was right for me to have another dog.
I spent alot of time researching different breeds, and though I truly loved Boo with all my heart, I just could not have another German Shepherd because I knew inside I would constantly be reminded of Boo, and I wanted my new puppy to have a fresh start. After alot of thought, I settled on an Australian Shepherd, I knew I wanted a herding breed because of how smart they are, and an Aussie seemed to be just the right fit for me. So my search for a breeder led me all over the country because I wanted a dog that deviated from the breed standard - namely I wanted one with his long, bushy tail intact. For me, I sometimes think a tail is beneficial when reading a dog's mood/behavior (though not always) and since I've never owned an Aussie before I figured it would be somewhat helpful. First off, I guess the standard sized Aussies aren't really in demand, because I wasn't able to find very many breeders of them. The ones that I did find were very picky and would not leave the tail on a puppy for me. I finally managed to find a decent breeder across the country, the couple had bred aussies for nearly 25 yrs and would let me keep a tail on one of the puppies, so I decided to go with them, although I knew I wouldn't be able to handpick my dog.
I picked up Bean from the aiport today at 7 pm, and he is the most precious little red and white bundle of sweetness I have ever seen. I can tell right off that he is a very smart puppy because he learned how to sit in 2 minutes, and seems very interested in everything. My first impression of him, he seems to be more mellow than I was expecting, I've read that Aussies tend to be more boisterous dogs, but this is Bean's first night and he's probably tuckered out from his flight. He came home and I fed him some Science Diet for puppies and he drank about 5 cups of water (most of it ending up on the floor of course). He sniffed around my kitchen and fell asleep right after eating. I tried putting him to sleep in his kennel (in my kitchen downstairs) but he whined so badly, that I ended up bringing him upstairs to sleep, and right now this little furball is snuggled right next to me and sleeping soundly. I know he shouldn't sleep on the bed, but it's his first night and I feel like he should be coddled, he won't be getting top spot tomorrow night, that's for sure.
So far so good, no accidents, he went out every time, and the breeder told me he was picking up on housebreaking but I'm guessing he didn't go too far at 8 weeks. We'll see how well he does tomorrow, I'll be gating him in the laundry room with a puppy pad and my mom will be taking him out every couple of hours so I'm hoping with him being so smart, he'll pick up on it soon enough.
That is my story so far, hope to keep you all updated on my adventures in raising Bean!
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