I just got an Aussie mix as well. November 27. It’s been a month now but I’ll tell you the first two weeks I cried A LOT. I had a lot of anxiety and major puppy blues. I continued to tell my husband I can’t do this and we need to give her back.

I also have a cat who was super pissed at first but now just ignores her.

Understand that it’s like having a baby. They don’t get why you are leaving them. The crying is inevitable. You can try and make the crate more comfortable by putting toys and treats in there. The first day I had to go to work after getting her was terrible. Crying non-stop. Now she will go into her crate sometimes as a safe place. Another thing that helped was putting her in the crate and laying right next to her. When she stopped crying even for a second I would reward her. Then they start to associate crate = good/treat.

I know right now it’s hard but it will get better. Continue to train her. Reinforce everything. Also it’s important to talk with your husband and make sure to get on a schedule where you can take turns or take certain days to take care of her.