newcomer, 1st puppy

[phendyr]

Hi all,
Newcomer to the forum here, as well as a 1st time dog owner. We are looking at adopting this little lady here,



She is a hybrid of 4 breeds, border collie, kelpie, heeler & english shepherd. Although I am a 1st time owner, my wife grew up with a vet for a parent, so she has experience with dogs, and I'm reading everything I can to start correctly from the beginning. Knowing what I need to do will be the biggest challenge!

I didn't see any sticky's other than the rules, so if there are any tidbits of advice, product recommendations, etc I would greatly appreciate it. My biggest concern is that she can learn to live well with my wife's two cats, but as long as we can work on socializing them together right away, hopefully they can all be happy together.

[kjd]

Congratulations on your new best friend, phendyr!

Enjoy her. Play with her. Teach her some commands, but only as a game. It is actually easier to teach a very young puppy to heel as the puppy, at this early an age, wants to stay with you. But always remember she is a puppy and she will change as she gets older.

The best training advice I could give you is: Know your dog and always be fair with her.

If you know your dog, you'll quickly see if a particular training method is right or wrong for her. If you are fair with her, you'll stick with the methods that are right for her.

She is a beautiful-looking little dog. What do you plan on naming her?

kjd

[phendyr]

thanks kjd, I'll keep that advice in mind I'm leaning towards Sienna, like the crayola crayon color, a shade of brown.