Question
Zak
I have an aussie puppy that is 4 months and 3 weeks old. I lost both of my aussies (brother and sister) to cancer just five months apart-it was devastating. I bought this puppy to show in obedience and agility. He has a wonderful temperment and is quick to learn. I worry that I might be doing too much too soon. I do not ask for perfection with him but he is heeling, knows two finishes, does sit/stay, down/stay and stand/stay, will do a recall and we are working on figure eights. I have him enrolled in an agility class just to get him use to the obstacles and he seems to love it. All of the training is done on rewards and I do it with a normal buckle collar. Am I doing too much? Of course we also have a lot of play time with toys so it is not all work no play. He seems to love working and if I quit too soon does not want to come in the house. I just worry that he is so young. I started doing all of this with him to keep his busy mind occupied and keep him out of trouble.
I also would like to know how do you know if a puppy is going to be a good conformation dog.
AnswerI don't think you are doing too much. These dogs love to work! As long as you are not stressing his joints with jumping yet, I think you are fine. Good for you for starting early (by the way, he is just gorgeous).
As to the conformation issue, the two best times to tell are at eight weeks, and at maturity. Now, he will be going through growing stages and may not look the same later. If he was structurally nice at eight weeks, that's a good indicator. Pat Hastings has a book/DVD called The Puppy Puzzle that you might want to get. She's an AKC judge, very good at evaluating a dog's structure. The other person whose work you may want to read is Shelly Hollen, an Aussie breeder from Texas (Shalako Australian Shepherds) who has published a book on gait.
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