Dog sitting was not what I thought it would be like

[Pea-n-Me]

Here's my observations, and I agree with Heather and Robin above.

1) You've given the dog too much freedom. Not just in crating, but around your house.
2) You haven't mentioned exercise at all. Not sure if you've tuckered the dog out.
3) You haven't set limits with this dog - allowing it to jump on your Goldens, really??
4) You put out bones with a mixture of big dogs and a little dog, the latter of whom is already annoying your big dogs? I'm amazed you didn't have an "incident". That's just not wise.
5) You don't seem to understand this from the dog's perspective at all and seem to have little insight into dog behavior in general.

Sorry, don't mean to be harsh. But the more I read here, the more I feel like the issues aren't all the dog's.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

I know you are getting a lot of validation of your feelings on this thread, but it seems to me that you are really starting to resent this little yorkiepoo puppy and her owners now. You are even anthropomorphizing your own dog!
Yes, it's a PITB to clean up after a puppy, but I think I would give her the benefit of the doubt. She's just a baby in a new place with a new family has no idea that her "parents" are coming home. I think things will go worse for you if you en up signalling your resentment to the dogs.

I would recommend that you try to make the best of it. Literally attach her to your hip so she can't potty in your house and return her to her family a happy little dog.

I came on here to vent. I don't yell at the puppy or crate her 24/7 so she doesn't bother me. I don't shove her face in her accidents. I don't punish her. When my dog looks at her like she can't believe the puppy is still going- my dog was in the process of napping/relaxing. She is going home just as happy as when she came. I don't resent anyone. Just super surprised the dog is having way more accidents than anticipated especially after what the parents said. I'm stressed because I have things to do but I have to supervise her constantly and I'm tired of cleaning up messes in my house.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

And one thing I forgot. A puppy needs limit setting around an older dog in the house. If they don't get limits, it's a free-for-all of jumping, nipping, teasing, taking toys, etc, and it's unfair to the older dog. This is true whether it's a dog joining the household or visiting for the day. It's ok to set limits with this dog in your household. There were many posts trashing the owners on "not training", but there certainly hasn't been much training going on here, either, lol. Sticking a dog in a crate doesn't constitute training, either. Training is working with a dog to help it to understand what the rules and expectations are; to develop a routine; to make time spent together enjoyable, after the understanding is set. Even young, small dogs understand limit setting if it's consistent. Sure, they'll keep trying to do what they want to do, but you just keep at it. If you take on a puppy or super young dog, you should expect there is going to be work to do to establish household rules and routines even if it's for just two weeks. Dogs feel secure when they have rules and know what to expect, sort of like children. Inappropriate elimination can be a sign a dog is feeling stressed.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

Here's my observations, and I agree with Heather and Robin above.

1) You've given the dog too much freedom. Not just in crating, but around your house.
2) You haven't mentioned exercise at all. Not sure if you've tuckered the dog out.
3) You haven't set limits with this dog - allowing it to jump on your Goldens, really??
4) You put out bones with a mixture of big dogs and a little dog, the latter of whom is already annoying your big dogs? I'm amazed you didn't have an "incident". That's just not wise.
5) You don't seem to understand this from the dog's perspective at all and seem to have little insight into dog behavior in general.

Sorry, don't mean to be harsh. But the more I read here, the more I feel like the issues aren't all the dog's.

Wow. First of all you don't know me or my golden who has the sweetest temperament in this world. I'm constantly supervising and separating when necessary. They go out for walks every day and play in the yard most of the day with me there (I have summers off). I'm a lot more aware of dog behavior than you think I am. At this point I'm not even sure why I'm defending myself...

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Wow. First of all you don't know me or my golden who has the sweetest temperament in this world. I'm constantly supervising and separating when necessary. They go out for walks every day and play in the yard most of the day with me there (I have summers off). I'm a lot more aware of dog behavior than you think I am. At this point I'm not even sure why I'm defending myself...

I guess this is what I mean. I have no doubt you have a great Golden, but it's not about your Golden. It's about any dog or dogs. And I'm not trying to criticize you, I'm just pointing out some things.

 

[robinb]

I came on here to vent. I don't yell at the puppy or crate her 24/7 so she doesn't bother me. I don't shove her face in her accidents. I don't punish her. When my dog looks at her like she can't believe the puppy is still going- my dog was in the process of napping/relaxing. She is going home just as happy as when she came. I don't resent anyone. Just super surprised the dog is having way more accidents than anticipated especially after what the parents said. I'm stressed because I have things to do but I have to supervise her constantly and I'm tired of cleaning up messes in my house.

Venting is cool and I can tell that you're stressed . I didn't intend to say that you were being mean to her ... I don't think that at all! It just seems to me with every post you say how more difficult the puppy as everyone tells you how right you are. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy. I get the vibe that you are starting to think of her as a "bad dog" or a dog with "bad owners" instead of a baby struggling to find her place in a new home. Would you expect a 6-month old adopted puppy to settle in right away? I *do* think your heart is in the right place ... I'm just warning you to keep any negativity out when dealing with her (which I know is hard when you're cleaning up *another* mess).

 

[disykat]

That would be sooo hard and I sympathize with you.... BUT... I just got back from leaving my very needy rescue dog with friends for two weeks so I'm seeing the other side as well.

Before I start I'll mention that they are close friends, they volunteered AND we insisted on giving them what we would have given the kennel.

We did the trial run night and had our dog get well acquainted with their home beforehand. (Our dog had previously met them several times, but hadn't been in their home.) When that went well, we all agreed to move forward. It sounds like the trial went well, but now the dog is traumatized by the change and has regressed dramatically. I don't think either of you could have predicted this.

I'm so glad our experience went better than yours did - at least they say it did!

I dog-sat a friend's puppy once and even though the friends said she was making it several hours at a time, I did the whole crate training routine with her for the first few days - crate, potty, play, back in crate - just in case. Fortunately, she was quiet in her crate so I didn't have to deal with what you've had to deal with.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

I guess this is what I mean. I have no doubt you have a great Golden, but it's not about your Golden. It's about any dog or dogs. And I'm not trying to criticize you, I'm just pointing out some things.

You may not mean to criticize but you came across harsh and judgmental about my situation. It may not sound like it but my dog gets plenty of alone time from the puppy each day. We have been trying to train the puppy to walk correctly on a leash, sit for food/treats, etc. They get fed around the same time but my dog gets her food first and then the puppy. They are always fed in different areas of the kitchen. We've taught the puppy to leave my dog alone when she is eating. I don't just shove her in the crate and call it training but I am trying to reinforce/do crate training by trying to make it a fun place with treats/kong. So far she isn't buying it and just cries. Playtime is always supervised and when I think it's getting a little too much by watching their body language- they do get separated. Either the puppy is put in the crate for "chill out" time or I just hold/snuggle her and everyone gets a break. I am also in the camp where I believe if things get too much for the older dog, she will correct the younger dog but I am always there so it has never got to that point. Bones are necessary for a retriever's chewing tendencies and we do have them all over the house but my dog regards them as low value and never has guarding tendencies. She just goes and finds another one when the puppy takes them. Toys are also low value to my dog so she doesn't guard them either. You may think that is bad training but it works in this dynamic.

The first two days that she had accidents was probably due to stress but I do feel like majority of her accidents are more of not being fully potty trained. The two days that she had no accidents, I would take her out every hour and then I started increasing the time intervals and that's when accidents occur. If she does have an accident, it's one maybe two times max each day. Now I'm going back to going out every hour because that routine seems to work.

You may not agree with any or some of the things I do but I am working with this puppy. I may not have included any of this stuff in my previous posts because I just wanted to vent about having to clean up messes. It was getting really tiring especially after I was told she was pretty much potty trained and used to her crate!

 

[morgan98]

This is one of the threads on the DIS that seems to be taking a strange direction. How about the puppy's owners who had no problem dumping their untrained dog on a "work friend" while they go on a two week vacation? I am sure the OP is trying the best she can. If the owners wanted the dog trained in their absence they should have sucked it up and paid to get the dog the proper supervision in their absence.

I do believe the OP is trying but some of this criticism of her seems to be rather harsh. She is probably trying the best she can.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

This thread was pretty judgemental from the get go.

How does anyone here know whether and how the owners of the pup trained it?

I wonder how they'd feel if they knew there was all this criticism here.

 

[Jaime4004]

I had a friend stay at my house with my dogs when they were around a year or so. They were horrible for her. I wouldn't do it again to anyone else. Don't blame the friend at all. They have a lot of separation anxiety (one more than the other). I call them my little ducklings as they follow me around the house all day, even into the bathroom. They're 14 now, and have been kenneled when we leave them ever since. It's hard to predict how some are going to behave when their routine changes and their family is gone.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Last comment because I think it's worthwhile to others to think about this if they find themselves in a similar predicament, or even take pet sitting on as a business, etc. Since this is a thread about pet sitting, I think it's appropriate to discuss in a general manner.

I am also in the camp where I believe if things get too much for the older dog, she will correct the younger dog but I am always there so it has never got to that point.

As a "pet sitter", it's not your place to let this happen or even potentially happen: your job is to keep the dog safe while the owners are gone. I'm getting the sense that somehow the lines were blurred here, and it's not meant as an insult to the OP - clearly she is a very giving person and for that she should be commended. But many of us probably also do this when we're watching someone else's pet(s). It's well-intentioned, but here's why it's misguided.

We don't have to necessarily incorporate a dog into our household when we're watching it. We just need to provide it a safe place to stay and meals, shelter, water, etc. We need to remember that if the dog was in a kennel, this is how it would be. Here, it's a little less stressful without all the scents and barking of a kennel, so it's preferable, but it's still a job.

When you have the jaws of a large dog vs the body of a tiny dog, even a "correction" bite could be disastrous for a little dog and result in hundreds of dollars worth of vet's bills and more. It's akin to leaving your toddler in a room with an older bully with a club and hoping he doesn't hit your child with it because you're nearby. Safety should be the #1 priority. This tiny dog should not be allowed to jump on your GR at all. In fact, they should mainly be separated unless the visitor/intruder/interloper (in resident dog's eyes) is well behaved, which, IMO, a six month old puppy will probably not be (especially in a home it's visiting). *Maybe* some supervised play time outside together, where the GR can get away from the pup if he's getting annoyed, but I'd even suggest that play time as the only dog would be preferable in this situation.

In a home, where there's little opportunity to get away, it can be tough for a dog being jumped on and bitten by little sharp teeth constantly. Many dogs in the same situation would give a warning growl, and if the pup continued then, a bite. ANY dog can bite given the right circumstances, and these are classic bite circumstances in the dog world. I wouldn't want to have to tell returning owners their dog was injured on my watch. Little dogs like Yorkies have high injury rates because their bones are so small and they can snap easily, etc.

Bones are necessary for a retriever's chewing tendencies and we do have them all over the house but my dog regards them as low value and never has guarding tendencies. She just goes and finds another one when the puppy takes them. Toys are also low value to my dog so she doesn't guard them either. You may think that is bad training but it works in this dynamic.

He can have all the bones he wants when there are not visiting dogs around.

Look, I know you have a great GR and I have no doubt he is a wonderful dog. But please know, he's a dog and he has instincts and will act on them given the right circumstances. Friends of ours also have a wonderful GR who is as gentle as a lamb and around the age of your dog. About a year ago, when my dog was just about the age the dog you are sitting for now was, he was sitting with this GR for quite a while and they were getting along famously. I didn't realize it, but someone gave the GR a rawhide and next thing I knew there was a ruckus when my dog went to take the rawhide from the GR. Fortunately, neither dog was hurt. These two dogs still get along great but we don't allow treats in the mix any more. This was something I practiced long before this incident, too. Other friends of ours had a child severely injured by a dog when the child went near its treat. (And the dog paid for that with his life. ) Many, many dogs will cross that line over a treat. Common dog sense just dictates that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to bones, rawhides and treats with dogs.

 

[xlxo]

Hmm.... sounds like the dog is missing it's owner after the first day. A sign of rebelling? I wonder if shaming would work?
https://www.google.ca/search?q=dog+shaming&tbm=isch

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Hmm.... sounds like the dog is missing it's owner after the first day. A sign of rebelling? I wonder if shaming would work?
https://www.google.ca/search?q=dog+shaming&tbm=isch

It would probably make the OP feel better, anyway, and maybe have a laugh.

 

[Wishing on a star]

My neighbor had friends who left TWO dogs with them 'for a few days'.
They dogs were not housetrained after all.
A few days ended up being what I think was over three weeks.
OMG!!!!

OP, I agree with the latest posts.
I can really commiserate.
It must be HARD for you, dealing with this little dog!
But, some understanding, attitude adjustment, and some pre-emptive measures, could make a difference.

We had a little stray that we had to find a home for, who turned out to be a very young puppy, that I named Pixie-Poo.
She was young and hyper.
The jumping, nipping, etc.. with my Black Lab was incessant!!!
Also, this puppy would even crawl in his crate with him, like a surrogate parent, to sleep, keep warm, etc.
Turns out my Lab was the most benevolent and laid back dog ever.
He just took it all in stride!!!

I am sad today, because we took our Lab to the vet this morning... He hasn't been doing well.
I am wondering if it is issues with his Pro Plan that he has everymorning?
Anyhow, the vet confirmed just how old our dog really is.
It is hard to see your pet decline with age!

 

[sunnyday123]

We do crate her when we can't watch her but she hates the crate and wails/cries the whole time. We are always in the same room as her but when she decides to go, she doesn't always ring the bells but just squats. Her mom said she was able to hold it for about 4 hours at a time. I take her out a lot more than four hour intervals. I thought she would need naps too but this dog is like the energizer bunny, she keeps going and going. When I put her in the crate for a nap, she bangs against the door and cries. I have to run around and catch her to put her in the crate because she hates it so much.

Unfortunately, they "hybrids"-which is just a fancy term for mutt-can be high maintenance and flighty because they don't come from good breeders.. someone bred her to capitalize on the hybrid fiasco and now she's just a ball of crazy.

Does she do better if you hold her? A tired dog is a good dog, so maybe some play time in the yard will help. I agree she probably misses her family, and she is still a puppy.

 

[jrmasm]

Since she doesn't like her crate, have you tired tethering her to you so she can't get into trouble?

 

[yoopermom]

Pea-n-me doesn't need me for support, but please reread her post about safety being paramount. We have a multi-dog household, and have friends who like to visit bringing children, other dogs, etc. I know that even the sweetest of my hounds *could* react poorly under the stress of having strange dogs in their space. All treats, all toys, etc are put away for the duration of the visit. If possible, I make sure that my dogs can get to their crates, but that the visitor CANNOT. I *never* leave the room with visiting dogs and my dogs in it or, if I have to, mine are crated (and covered, so the other dog can't tease them). Dogs are animals and, as such, are never to be completely trusted with a stranger to their pack (especially on their own turf).

Only once did I dogsit for a friend's German Shepherd that was recovering from ACL surgery. The "proofing" I had to do ahead of time was extraordinary, and either this dog or mine was crated at all times. It was exhausting, and I doubt I would do it again anytime soon. All came through it just fine, and although the GSD may not have had an exciting stay, he went home safe and healed up a few weeks later.

OP, what you've volunteered to do is very kind, and I hope that you understand that we are all here looking out for your, your dogs, and the visiting dogs best interests.

Terri

 

[Kalliope]

And one thing I forgot. A puppy needs limit setting around an older dog in the house. If they don't get limits, it's a free-for-all of jumping, nipping, teasing, taking toys, etc, and it's unfair to the older dog. This is true whether it's a dog joining the household or visiting for the day. It's ok to set limits with this dog in your household. There were many posts trashing the owners on "not training", but there certainly hasn't been much training going on here, either, lol. Sticking a dog in a crate doesn't constitute training, either. Training is working with a dog to help it to understand what the rules and expectations are; to develop a routine; to make time spent together enjoyable, after the understanding is set. Even young, small dogs understand limit setting if it's consistent. Sure, they'll keep trying to do what they want to do, but you just keep at it. If you take on a puppy or super young dog, you should expect there is going to be work to do to establish household rules and routines even if it's for just two weeks. Dogs feel secure when they have rules and know what to expect, sort of like children. Inappropriate elimination can be a sign a dog is feeling stressed.

As a "pet sitter", it's not your place to let this happen or even potentially happen: your job is to keep the dog safe while the owners are gone. I'm getting the sense that somehow the lines were blurred here, and it's not meant as an insult to the OP - clearly she is a very giving person and for that she should be commended. But many of us probably also do this when we're watching someone else's pet(s). It's well-intentioned, but here's why it's misguided.

We don't have to necessarily incorporate a dog into our household when we're watching it. We just need to provide it a safe place to stay and meals, shelter, water, etc. We need to remember that if the dog was in a kennel, this is how it would be. Here, it's a little less stressful without all the scents and barking of a kennel, so it's preferable, but it's still a job.

BBM Those 2 statements are contradictory. Either she incorporates the dog into their household, but isn't doing it correctly according to you, or she gives it food and water and otherwise ignores it. No matter what she does or says, I don't think you'd be happy with what she is doing. She got a poorly trained dog who's owners are irresponsible and is doing the best she can with the mess she has to clean up, both literally and figuratively.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

BBM Those 2 statements are contradictory. Either she incorporates the dog into their household, but isn't doing it correctly according to you, or she gives it food and water and otherwise ignores it. No matter what she does or says, I don't think you'd be happy with what she is doing. She got a poorly trained dog who's owners are irresponsible and is doing the best she can with the mess she has to clean up, both literally and figuratively.

The first post you quoted was an afterthought of a previous post which was about general training issues.

And you have no idea whether the dog was trained or not. It's also a puppy.