Tails from the Whelping Box: Week Six | Toy Aussie Puppy Training Begins
Finding Their Footing 🐾
Week six is when Toy Aussie puppy training truly begins. This week, crate work, adventure walks, car rides, and intentional socialization will help shape who these puppies grow up to become.
Room to Roam
With potty training coming along nicely, this week we expand the puppies’ living space significantly. A bigger area means more room to explore, play, and build confidence, and we rotate toys, climbing equipment, and novel objects regularly to keep things interesting and mentally stimulating. The one thing that never moves? The potty box. Consistency there is key to keeping housebreaking on track.
We also begin taking the puppies to different rooms in the house, and outside for regular outdoor sessions. Watching them navigate new surfaces — grass, gravel, uneven terrain — and react to the sights and sounds of the backyard for the first time is one of the great joys of raising a litter.
Adventure Walks
This week, the puppies’ following instinct kicks in, which means we can begin Adventure Walks. We head off-trail so the puppies can scramble over logs, navigate small dips, and take in the sights and smells of the natural world. The goal isn’t to keep them right beside us, it’s to let them make the choice to follow, building both confidence and the beginnings of a reliable recall. Mom comes along on leash and acts as the best possible role model: a calm, confident dog showing the puppies that the world is a safe and interesting place.
Their First Car Ride
This week we introduce the puppies to the car. Early and positive exposure to car travel dramatically reduces the likelihood of motion sickness and travel anxiety later in life. We crate the puppies with treats and toys and cover the crates with a sheet to minimize visual overwhelm. It’s noisy at first, but they settle quickly, and by the time they go home this will feel completely routine.
Grooming and Handling
We give each puppy their first full bath this week — a warm, treat-filled, low-stress experience designed to build a positive association with grooming from the very start. We follow up with blow drying (on a low setting, nozzle away from their face, with plenty of praise) and brushing. The goal isn’t a perfectly coiffed puppy; it’s a puppy who is relaxed and comfortable being handled anywhere on their body. We also continue nail trims every three days and begin spending time on the grooming table, getting each puppy comfortable standing still and being evaluated, important groundwork for both vet visits and conformation.
Crate Training Begins
Six weeks is the ideal age to begin crate training, and we get started this week. Each puppy learns that quiet behavior in the crate earns treats and freedom, while fussing earns a covered crate and silence. We work through a structured progression, starting with two puppies per crate for just a few minutes and gradually building toward individual puppies settling alone for longer stretches. The families who take our puppies home will be so grateful for this foundation when it comes time to potty train!
Early Training
We start introducing a marker word (“Yes!”) paired with small, soft treats to begin teaching the puppies to follow a lure into a sit, stand, and down. These “puppy push-ups” are short, fun, and rewarding for everyone involved. We also reinforce the recall by calling the puppies every single time before placing their food down, building a strong, positive association with coming when called that will serve them well for life.
Welcome, Visitors!
Week six is one of the best weeks for visitors. The puppies are social and curious, not yet in the more cautious fear period that comes in the weeks ahead. We invite people of all ages, appearances, and energy levels to meet the puppies, always in a calm, positive way, and always with kids seated on the floor for safety. Every new friendly person the puppies meet is a building block toward a confident, well-adjusted adult dog.
Mama Steps Back
Mom is naturally beginning to nurse the puppies less frequently this week, which is completely normal and developmentally appropriate. She’s teaching them independence. We continue to give her access to the puppies for bonding and the occasional nursing session, support her with extra nutrition and plenty of rest, and monitor her closely for any signs of mastitis or discomfort. She has worked incredibly hard and she deserves all the TLC we can give her!
Stay tuned for week seven, when the puppies hit a major milestone — their first vet visit — and we ramp up individual temperament assessments to begin thinking about matching each puppy with their perfect family.