Dog walkers/daycare

[PookieDo]

I am working out our schedules with my DD17 who is starting part time college next week. I just want opinions based on your experiences with each service and my type of dog! I am worrying that dog walking would not suit him if they are walking multiple dogs. Or if he won’t walk

I have a 6 ish yo small dog (who is V lazy). I adopted him from a family member some months ago and he was never walked much. My DD has been at home pretty much every day since May, and I’ve had annual leave/WFH to be with him. If I am home he just sleeps all day. His active time is from 4/5-10pm. He doesn’t chew anything or pee on the floors downstairs and a camera shows he doesn’t cry or bark

I walk the dog every single day, I also take him out every other day for a long forest/nature type walk

I WFH 2 days a week now and DD is going to college 2.5 days a week. I think there will be 1 day where he could get left alone all day and I am wondering what would suit him?

• He will not walk in the mornings if it is wet/dewy
  
• He dislikes water intensely and will not to out in the rain (gonna try find him a coat with a hood!)
  
• he isn’t that great with other dogs, not aggressive at all but totally over excited. I am not sure how easy he would be to walk in a group of dogs. He really annoys other dogs because he won’t leave them alone
  
• he has poor road sense and needs constant constant commands to sit, wait, stop
  
• he chases cats on the street
  
• he gets tired and fed up of walking at a certain point and sometimes you end up having to carry him
  
• he often won’t have the lead put on him and will run around dodging you for a stupid amount of time
  

Do you think he would be better off in a daycare?

[PookieDo]

FYI he he healthy and vet checked very recently. He is quite a little (lovely quirky, untrained) bugger

[Girlintheframe]

Our dog goes to day care and loves it. As a result he also also loves other dogs. He has been going since he was 13 weeks. Our dog has learnt what is/isint acceptable behaviour with other dogs and will walk away from a dog who doesn't want to engage.
He isint walked at daycare but they do have a big enclosure they are let into throughout the day and he comes home very tired!
It might be worth having a trial day and see how he gets on?

[BiteyShark]

I would trial him out to see what suits him as you won't really know until you try.

My dog HATED a big noisy daycare and was terrified. This was despite the fact that he goes to daycare every week but it's usually in a dog walkers home when he gets to go on her normal group walks but potters about her house with 1 or 2 other dogs. He adores it there and drags me in to her house when I drop him off without a backwards glance.

[PookieDo]

Thanks! I was thinking whether a small daycare would be better for a less active dog. I mean if he gets to sleep on something warm and fluffy all day and has a human to follow around (he is so so friendly) then I think he would be happy
But I think with a dog walker someone coming into his house to put a lead on which he won’t like to go on a walk he won’t want to go on might not work!

[summerbaby1]

Our dog walker does home visits where one of them comes to the house, let's the dog into the garden and then plays with them/gives them company for a while. Might be worth seeing if someone offers something similar near you

[labazsisgoingmad]

not all dog walkers walk in groups we run a dog walking and pet care firm and we only walk dogs from each household individually. we dont mix dogs just walk each households dog or dogs on their own may be worth you making a few inquiries in your area to see what each companies walking policy is

[Floralnomad]

It sounds like a walker coming in to your house for an hour may suit him better , that way he can walk if he wants or just have some company and a toilet break . What happened in his previous home , was he used to being left alone at all .

[PookieDo]

Yes he was used to being alone. He is not caged if I go out and usually on his bed in the same place I left him!

I do not want to leave him alone but neither do I want him to feel forced to go on a walk he doesn’t want to go on, I think he would just like company more than anything else.

He had a dog walker I believe who had 4 dogs of her own. He was ok with the dogs but it seems it never helped him become better behaved around dogs because he is still bonkers around other dogs! He will drag himself to them and then either hump them or just constantly sniff them. I worry he will get snapped at

[shinynewapple]

What breed is your dog pookiedo? So many things you have described sound just like mine, although he's scared of cats!

[PookieDo]

He is a Maltese X Yorkie
He is much much more yorkie though I suspect
He has a Maltese tail and colouring but looks sounds and acts like a yorkie