Everyone, thanks for your help! I'll give a brief update with my progress with the puupy training from your advice.
I decided to stop waking up at 3AM to let the dogs out, and believe it or not, they don't even start whining or barking until 5-5:30AM. My sleep has been restored! We are kenneling them at ~8PM, so they get no water after that, and let them out for the last time at ~10:30PM. For them to not have to go for 7 hours is amazing to me.
We are sticking with Purina for now. One thing I heard is that it might be stressful for puppies if you switch their food. I don't know if this is BS or not, but I would rather be safe than sorry.
Q: Can we give the puppies real bones? Which animal bones are OK for dogs to eat (obviously not chicken bones)?
Quote:
|
Shelties are one of the smartest breeds in the dog kingdom, and intensely eager to please. I don't know what they are mixed with (obviously that will influence their personality) but you should assume that your dogs want to please you and merely need the understanding and self-control to do so.
|
We heard that they were a fairly intelligent breed, easier to train than most, and good for small children. We also heard that they tended to herd together rather than become individuals. For this reason, we are trying to work with them individually as much as possible. Oh, and the previous owners don't know who the father was.