Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Pets

Join our community on the Pet forum to discuss anything related to pets.

Original poster

How soon to leave new puppy with friends if we go on holiday?

41 replies

Buda · 04/06/2009 09:30

Getting a lab puppy on 21 June - she will be 8 weeks old. Wondering about trying to book a week away from 15 August. Friend who has a 2 year old lab has said she would take our puppy or we have some friends who don't have a dog or I know a breeder who takes dogs. Dog will have been with us for 8 weeks and will be 16 weeks old by then.

DH is worried that it is too soon and the dog will be traumatised. (I think he would have been less worried if I had suggested leaving DS at that age!!!)

Any ideas?

OP posts:
WhereTheWildThingsWere · 04/06/2009 09:35

I don't think pup, will be traumatised in any way, however I would be very worried about pup picking up bad habits that might be hard to break, I wouldn't leave a puppy of that age for a week, sorry.

hatwoman · 04/06/2009 09:38

I don;t think the dog will be traumatised - but of those options I would say the friend with a lab is definitely the best - she knows what she's letting herself in for. 16 weeks is still pretty young - he will be quite a handful still. you'll have to face the choice of giving your friend quite precise guidance re training (using the same words as commands, and same methods etc) or just letting the training go for a week.

hatwoman · 04/06/2009 09:39

it's also a bit of a shame - they grow so bloddy quickly - to miss that time with her.

bella39 · 04/06/2009 11:14

I don't think the pup would be traumatised in the way humans might think (i.e. missing you), but she would still be at that critical socialisation age, when any bad experiences stay with them for life.

If you have to go, I'd opt for the friend with lab but as hatwoman says the housetraining could go completely to pot.

Wouldn't do it if it were me, tbh.

Good luck.

Original poster
Buda · 04/06/2009 11:49

You are not being helpful!

Aargh. DS breaks up from school on 19 June, we get pup on 21st and then that is me here in hot Budapest till school goes back on 1 Sept. Bah. Double bah.

I do have a friend who is the oracle on everything and she would train pup better than I could. Wonder if she is around? She has 2 dogs - perfectly trained. 3 children - perfectly trained. One DH - fairly well trained. Suspect she will be away though.

OP posts:
bella39 · 04/06/2009 11:58

Actually, it probably won't be as bad as we've made it sound. It's not ideal, but if you could leave her with the friend with lab or The Oracle, am sure it will be okay.

KingCanuteIAm · 04/06/2009 12:19

Is the Lab well trained? There is nothing like a well trained, friendly big brother to teach a young pup some manners

I would be hesitant to do it but you never know, you could get some free dog training out of it and pup will come back having had a great social week!

Original poster
Buda · 04/06/2009 12:34

Hmm. Not sure he is that well trained tbh. He was a bit of a nightmare at one point but has calmed down. Certainly quiet when I visit.

OP posts:
KingCanuteIAm · 04/06/2009 12:42

They often are a nightmare when young

I would go on how he behaves now more. The other factor of course is, will the labs in question even like your puppy? Some adult dogs just do not entertain pups, they are hard work! Sometimes they won't like them at all and sometimes they will be ok for a while and then decide they have had enough. Just socialising them together is sometimes not enough to make them mates!

hatwoman · 04/06/2009 13:11

bit like children ay?

Merrylegs · 04/06/2009 13:36

Pup will be fine!

It sounds like you have lots of really good options for leaving him.

How laid back is the 2 year old lab? Let them play together before you go if you are worried. It will be great for his socialisation to be with another dog.

If the older lab really can't stick him, leave pup with your dogless friends. He won't even know you've gone. Honest.

Original poster
Buda · 04/06/2009 13:41

Thanks Merrylegs - just what I wanted to hear! My dogless friends have had a dog in the past so are not clueless.

KingCanute - that sounds about right!

My problem now is that DH is bound to ask what you lot thought and I will have to be honest and say that most said not to go.

Decisions decisions! I knew I should not have given in on the whole "can we have a dog?" question. Should have stuck to my vague "yes, one day" answer.

OP posts:
OrangeFish · 04/06/2009 13:47

I'm totally convinced the puppy will be fine, and wouldn't get any permanent bad habits or succumb under the bad influence of a previously bouncing old labrador.

It's a puppy, a dog, not a human baby loosing contact with his birthmother. The worst that could happen is that he pretends not to know who you are when you go to collect him. (yeah, I know... I was trying to help) But as soon as he sees you serving his food his unconditional love will return.

(that reminds me of leaving my then 4 months old yorkie for a week with some friends, the dog had the best time of his life: totally spoiled rotten, from being allowed to sleep on a bed to dig the flower pots in the living room. He got away with murder but was back to his normal well behaved self within a couple of days after my return)

Original poster
Buda · 04/06/2009 16:35

A friend suggested asking the breeder we are getting the dog from if he would have him back to 'board' for a week. We go to see the dog on Saturday so will ask.

OP posts:
Merrylegs · 04/06/2009 18:49

Buda- why does your DH think the dog would be 'traumatised'? Your pup needs food, water, a safe place to sleep and some exercise. I presume whoever you leave him with will provide that. So where's the trauma?

You (or DH!) OTOH may well be traumatized by the poos on your floor, the 5am wake up calls, the chewing of your furniture, the general madness that is puppy-hood, and may be glad of a break. Enjoy it and come back refreshed and ready to love your pup again!

(We got our pup in an April and in July left him in kennels for week whilst on hol. He was absolutely fine and now goes into kennels really happily as he has been used to them from a young age. He is a friendly and sociable dog and most importantly not anxious because he knows when we go away he will be OK and we will return).

OrangeFish · 04/06/2009 22:07

To be honest... dogs don't care for us as much as we do for them, yeah, they may be more loyal than cats but as long as there is someone in hand to scratch their ears they don't care if it is you, the neighbour, the postman or even the old woman saying hello to them at the supermarket.

hatwoman · 04/06/2009 22:27

how very dare you orangefish. they love us.

OrangeFish · 04/06/2009 23:49

Nah, they love to have a caring owner, but they are not exceptionally peaky of who that person is.

According to the persons who trained us our dogs, the only way a dog will experience anxiety when the owner is not around, is when the pecking order is not properly established and the dog thinks the owner is their puppy and needs to keep his/her under constant surveillance.

OrangeFish · 04/06/2009 23:50

picky not peaky... Thanks god my dog can't check my writing (yet...)

Original poster
Buda · 05/06/2009 01:50

Merrylegs I have no idea why DH feels like that. He didn't about DS!!!!

Am pished now so not talking much sense.

OP posts:
bella39 · 05/06/2009 08:48

Hope you've sobered up now, Buda

My concerns were not that the dog would miss you, but that you would not be around during quite a critical period of his socialisation. If you can totally trust the person you leave them with, that's fine. The same goes for the house training - as I said it could all go to pot.

Anyway, I will be in cold damp UK all summer with my menagerie plus new pup, so maybe we ought to do a house swap?

Original poster
Buda · 05/06/2009 09:11

Sobered up but hungover. Got DS up for school and remembered I was supposed to bring in cake for the class!!!! Aaaargh. Thankfully said cakes were made and in freezer but I was supposed to defrost last night. Thank God for microwaves!

It's cold and damp here today so you might not fancy a house swap!

OP posts:
OrangeFish · 05/06/2009 09:47

Critical period of socialisation? exactly, the most people and dogs puppy gets to meet the better.

I may recommend a book that is fantastic for doggy potty training, it is called "How to housebreak your dog in a week" very simple, you just select a schedule that fits your lifestyle and follow it for a week.

bella39 · 05/06/2009 09:58

Yes, orangefish, that is one side of it. The other is that negative experiences will leave their mark too.

Original poster
Buda · 05/06/2009 10:00

Sod it I am going to do it. Just heard of sudden death of someone I knew when we lived in Bulgaria - you only live life once. I will ask the guy we are getting the dog from if he will have her back for a week but if not will use one of my other options. The breeder would be ideal as he lives out in the country and has 10 labs himself. He LOVES his dogs - you can tell by his eyes when he looks at them.

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread