Dog sitting

[SternWake]

My neighbors and friends went and visited family on the other side of the country for 3 weeks.  They did not want to put their dog in a kennel, nor did they want to really ask me, but I really like the dog and offered to take care of her.

I was worried, as the 2 year old sweethearted and goofy Polish Sheepdog dog had never spent more than a few hours without being around the mother and her now 3 young kids.

They have a large fenced in yard, but they asked me to stay in the house with her overnight, which is not really desirable to me.  It is not my home, and I kind of feel like I am invading their privacy, and I have no comforts over there.  No TV, No fans exchanging the air or to blow on me( its been really hot and humid, No AC,  and their beds are too soft, couch too short, No soft directable reading light, and I just sleep extremely poorly. In fact at 4 am I gave up trying to fall asleep, and carried the dog and her bed over to my Van and she settled in and seemed to sleep soundly, and so did I.

Mid morning I got up and brought her over to her yard, and went back and caught a few more Zs in my Van.

The Dog seemed fine all day. We played ball multiple times, she is a retrieving machine but has not been eating much at all, perhaps 1/4 of what she would normally.

Tonight I brought her bed back over to my Van, and it was obvious she did not want to come over.  I carried her over and she struggled a bit, but then settled into her bed and slept for a bit, then sat up and started panting.  Then a bit of excessive grooming.  It is much cooler tonight so the panting does not seem to be heat related, but stress related.  When I look at her she still seems to be smiling, but that means nothing.  She is a bit of a Whiner, but has not been whining, at all.

Now finally she is asleep again.

I guess she will adapt.

Or I have to carry my mattress into their house and I have to adapt.

Kind of crazy I so prefer to sleep in my Van than in a Nice stick and brick, but it is simply so much more comfortable, for me.

Anybody Dog sit in this manner before and have some hints?

 

[gcal]

My neighbors and friends went and visited family on the other side of the country for 3 weeks.  They did not want to put their dog in a kennel, nor did they want to really ask me, but I really like the dog and offered to take care of her.

Anybody Dog sit in this manner before and have some hints?

Can't  you park in their  driveway or garage?

 

[SternWake]

Can't  you park in their  driveway or garage?

Their driveway is not within their fenced in yard, and parking just outside their fence would only be a difference of 20 yards compared to where I now park.

She was all tail wagging happy this morning when I woke up, and just got to chase a thrown ball for a half hour.  I threw out my  shoulder, and she is now napping.

 

[Almost There]

The first 24 o 48 hours of separation from family are always hardest on the dog.

After that they seem to figure out that it's okay.

Don't worry about her food consumption - in all likelihood she'll start eating more normal quantities once she gets good and hungry. Just make sure she's taking in enough water.

Bribery works well! Arm yourself with some of her treats to get her to come willingly over to the van.

Put her on a lead to walk over to the van, a sheepdog is too big to be carrying.

Exercise is really good for her so keep up the ball throwing. Which btw, you can buy a contraption that allows you to throw the ball really far with very little effort - try a pet store. The more exercise of any king you can do with her, the better off you'll be. A tired dog is a compliant dog.

Ice your shoulder!

 

[SternWake]

Thanks for the input.

She did seem to accept her masters being gone quite quickly, it was just that she seemed reluctant to sleep in my Van, but she did settle in last night after the one grooming and subsequent panting episode which made me think she was really stressed out about it.

She is not much of a leash dog, but does listen when off the leash. One of her masters is actually Polish and she understands Polish commands, but seems to understand my English ones well enough too.

She only weight about 65 Lbs, so not difficult to carry for me.

 

[janncoo]

Sounds like you two are doing just fine. Jan

 

[akrvbob]

Love to see some pics of her in your van!
Bob

 

[SternWake]

Will do, when I find my locate Phone tomorrow.

Tonight, after she spent 2 hours alone in the house  I hid some sausage inside her dry food while I had a snack and she chowed down everything she should have eaten the last 2 days, I put her on the leash, and she made a beeline for my Van, and jumped in when I opened the door.

 

[Belinda2]

Oh she's adapting, nice! The whole story is great! I think it is good for us to experience a house once in awhile so we can so very quickly remember that, that life doesn't meet the goals of what we want for our lives anymore.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Glad she is adapting to your lifestyle...dogs are amazingly flexable.
Bindi showed signs of stress a few days after Margie flew out of Yuma to Oregon. I spent a little extra time giving her attention and she smoothed out and resumed her normal (pig-ish) diet. (She has a Piggie snort when she eats, LOL).
Margie, on the other hand, did not handle a couple months at her friend's stix & brix as well. The first hour after I arrived Margie was moving her duffle back into her home, forsaking a bed, private bath, and TV, etc. I don't think I've seen her as happy as that day.
Bindi was so excited she peed as she danced across the yard to Margie

We like our own space and are very comfortable with the life we've chosen.

 

[akrvbob]

Wolves are denning animals which means somewhere in their DNA Dogs are too. Most dogs adapt well to the smaller space.

Years ago when I first got Homer I was out working on the pickup getting it ready to go full-time and he jumped in, made himself at home on the bed and I had to practically drag him out at the end of the day. He always loved that camper!
Bob

 

[compassrose]

I have found that dogs tend to be happiest where their pack is. Other than that, it's where "Mom" is. My daughter's greyhound puppy liked the bus. Particularly the daybed and the air conditioning. There was no problem leaving her inside the bus while we did errands. She was usually sleeping while we were gone. The steps are a bit awkward for her. But then she is a bit awkward anyway.

 

[Canine]

As you have found out with the food, it's no big deal unless you make a big deal out of it. Dogs won't starve themselves to death. You do want to be careful about letting the dog scarf down 2 days worth of food in a few minutes to avoid bloat.

Playing ball is a good idea, but depending on the dog, it should be controlled. Sounds like you don't have an aggressive or excessively unruly dog, so I wouldn't worry about it. If the dog isn't leash trained, it surely isn't trained to play fetch. Just have fun with it.

 

[SternWake]

6 months ago I put her on a leash and she freaked and backed out of the collar, but now she appears to understand the leash and is as happy as any dog ever when the leash is rattled when taken off the hook or counter.

She cracks me up when playing retrieve.  She snorts like a pig as she carries it back.  Sometimes she drops it at my feet, other times makes me want to take it from her mouth.

 

[akrvbob]

She's a cutie!!! She looks like she belongs there!
Bob

 

[Belinda2]

SternWake,
You story is really touching. I thought a lot about it. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Belinda2

 

[akrvbob]

So, are you going to start looking for one of your own?
Bob

 

[Canine]

That dog is soooo pretty! You should take it to a Cutest Dog contest. Seriously, I bet that dog would place in the top 3.

 

[SternWake]

This dog cracks me up.  

I don't think she misses sleeping in the stick and brick.  She doesn't have a fan blowing on her belly there:

 

[Jana]

I had a dog who had a very strong sense of "the way things are supposed to be done." Any deviation caused looks that plainly said, "You're doing this wrong." She would adapt after a day or two, but, by golly, things were supposed to be done the way they were supposed to be done. This dog may be like that.