mini aussie 10 wks old

Question
What job do you give your aussie, mine I got yesterday she
is 10 wks old. Is she to young to run outside? I am going
to crate her from 9 to 3 when I work and then at night when
I sleep. I cannot let her run off a leash I live in a
townhome unless when she is older at a park. Right now I
want to start training her for a job but I am not sure what
that consist of. I have two cats and they are getting along
fine. thanks

Answer
You cannot crate a 10 week old for that many hours!  At night, she might be able to "hold it", but during the day when she's awake, she can only hold her bladder for about 3 hours.  Please, please, please sign this dog up for a positive training class now. She's too young to be walking where other dogs indiscriminately urinate and defecate, but she needs socialization with lots of other pups and people BEFORE she is 12 weeks old.  Her "job" at this age is to simply learn her commands, be house trained, and get exposure to all the things that you would like her to tolerate once she's an adult.  She can run outside in a safely contained area that has not been soiled by other dogs, coyotes, rabbits, etc.  So, if you have a solidly and securely fenced area where no wild animals or un-vaccinated domestic animals go, then let her run.  Just be aware that you need to teach her a recall command.  Before getting to class, you can teach her some things - use the free lessons at www.clickerlessons.com, and watch the videos at www.clickertrainusa.com.  Puppies usually do get along with cats they are raised with, so that part is good.  Remember that this is an Aussie - too much crate time is not good.  Hire a dog walker or use a dog day care while she is in the house training stages.