How are Litton's Aussies Raised?

When our girls are ready for those little puppies to come, They want to be close by! I use small 3 foot kids Wading Pools for my dogs. I use 2  pools. While one is in use, I can pop the other one in the tub for a  good cleaning!! I use Fleece covers for the pools so puppies don't get lost under blankets. Easy to wash, change, and soft and snugly for babies!
Over top the pool, I have a table, covered with a light sheet. Table serves great for holding puppy supplies for easy access to important items. Also gives the girls and her pups a quiet/secure place  to be. The sheet hangs off the front of the table almost to the top of  the pool. The side near my bed is open, stays this way till the pups are about a week old, then sheet is lifted.  The Girls can easily go in and out. Our girls love their pool and will start hiding out there during the end of her pregnancy to have a quiet place to rest from the other dogs. Once the pups are born, If not in with the pups, they will lay on  my bed watching down over their pups.
 

Puppies stay in their area next to my bed for about 3 weeks. Now don't get me wrong, My bedroom is not a quiet room! I don't have kennels, my dogs have free roam of my home. My bedroom is THEIR room! If it wasn't for my bed & dresser, you would think its a dogs room!

The dogs all learned, leave momma and pups alone till she lets you see them. After about 3 weeks she starts greeting them at the edge of the Xpen like..., *Look and see what I have!!*

Another  thing we add with our newborns is a Rattle! Sounds strange, Right? We take old aspirin hard plastic bottles that roll easy. Fill them & super glue the tops on! We use 3 of them. 1 is filled with 4 pennies, 1 is filled  with 4 rocks, 1 is filled with 2 tiny bells. They are not very loud  noises, but each make a different noise. Every day these bottles are swapped for a new one. They stay in with the puppies till they leave.  This desensitizes the pups to noise/vibrations. I find they are not as easily startled when I use these rattles. One puppy or the other crawls into the bottle at some point or another, by 3-4 weeks the puppies start  rolling them around to play with them! 

 After  pups are up walking & eyes open, They get moved into our dining  room. Its dead center of the house, You really cant walk anywhere with  out walking past the puppies! Their pool is placed in the X Pen where  they will now grow up. They have a large area to learn about potty  training, playing, eating, sleeping and begging for attention!
X Pen  is open for the girls till the pups start climbing out (Usually 5-6 weeks)  Tazie likes to steal our bean bag chair to watch the pups first few  days :) Once puppies try to climb out of the pool, Pool is removed and  replaced with a dog crate. 

For the first few days its constant watching the puppies. Teaching them where to sleep, go to the bathroom, eat and play.
Their area has 4 parts..
#1. Bathroom area.
#2. The Dog Crate is for sleeping.
#3. Feeding area.
#4. Playing area. 

We see a little one trying to, as we call it.. Getting Busy (Going to the bathroom) We quickly pick them up and place them in the correct area on the papers. I use *Get Busy* for all my dogs. This command comes in handy when out and about with your dogs. Get them to go, before you are surrounded by a bunch of people or in a place that not convenient and they decide they *have* to go. Not much different than having a child try to go before a trip in the car 

We see a sleepy puppy, we bring him/her over into the Crate. Give  him/her soft petting and they are fast asleep in their crate. Puppies soon  learn its comfortable in their crate to sleep, Nice soft blanket, quiet. Keeping up with Crate Training is very important! 

Feeding is done with either My 14yr old Daughter or I involved. Soft food  is fed at first, we sit next to the dishes and pet the puppies as they eat. Any fighting at food time, that pup is redirected, then taken back to food. Last thing anyone wants is a food aggressive dog! 

As puppies grow so do their need for play! We first sit in their X Pen playing with them. Rolling balls, letting them come for pets, or tug of war. By 4-5 weeks puppies have the basics learned. Where to use the bathroom, where to sleep and now they get to start free roaming on short periods around the house! Before feeding times, we open the flood gates on the X Pen! This is when they get more interaction with the other Dogs, Cats, Bird, or any other animal we have. They start running, jumping, sniffing, pouncing, figuring out where that noise is coming from. We all have a ball chasing after 6-7 puppies! While puppies are out, we place a litter box out in the middle of the floor so they have easy access to a bathroom. This also helps teach them where its  allowed. If a puppy doesn't go to the litter, we quickly pick up puppy and place in the litter . If you watch your puppies, you know before they have an accident they have to go. Catching them right before, and putting them in the correct spot to go teaches them easier than getting upset with them for the wrong area! Remember, its a puppy! They don't have accidents, if YOU watch them!  
When all tuckered out, we go back in the X Pen, have something to eat,  then bathroom, then off to bed. They are so worn out, full, and resting  like  babies.