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Advice- challenging dog and owner?

I took in a 5 month old husky for ten days. I normally do not take larger dogs, because I live in an apartment. The owner was desperate, so I agreed. I don't think that the owner was not very honest with me. It very quickly became clear that this dog doesn't come inside. He has no manners, and it goes way past normal puppy behavior. He also makes a puddle on the floor every half hour, and acts like he has no clue that he did anything strange. He has gotten aggressive with my little dogs and I'm afraid he might hurt them. The most concerning is that he just growled and nipped at me a minute ago.

I had to tell the owner to bring some food when they dropped him off. They brought 2 days worth. It's gone now. So is the months worth that I had for my little dogs. I sent a message to the owner asking if they had someone who could bring over more, or if they would like me to pick some up, and they could pay me back when they pick up their dog. They have not responded. I'm not sure what to do. I'm really irritated by the whole thing, and wish I had not taken him.

Any advice?

5 Answers

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Frances M.

I see you posted this 4 days ago, wondering if the dog has settled in. I don't take puppies for that same reason. In all honesty it's puppy behavior and we are talking about a husky. Whenever I see a desperate owner I see red flag. I first wonder why is the owner desperate, lack of planning, or no one wants to deal with her dog? At this point I would keep him separated from your dogs until the stay is over hopefully in a crate or baby gated. I don't use crates but I have plenty of gates where I can section him off if needed. Let Rover know what is going on, sometimes they can reach the owners and for the next time, follow your gut feeling. You weren't sure about this dog in the first place but yet you took him in. Sometimes we want to help out the customer and end up miserable. Trust me I've been there and it was a hard lesson learned.

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He is doing better. He is still a lot of work. I'm even more convinced that he has never been trained at all. I could see the lights go on when he figured out that I wanted him to potty outside! I will never let my need for money override my gut feeling again! I have learned a lot.

Donna G.

You must be exhausted. I feel for you. I had a dog under my care last weekend who was so hyper. I had to tell the customer it was not a good fit. Hate doing it, but I had to for my sanity :)

Frances M.

Thank you! :)

Donna G.

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Serina R.

Its a puppy. NO puppy is trained. 2. It's a Husky. Huskies are psycho in city. 3. Owners have no idea what a dog does when they leave. 4. Owners must leave plenty food before they leave. I don't care if if you have the blandest, most hypo allergic food there is. Any time you change a dog's food, expecially a puppy because their digestive tract is still developing, you will get health issues. Messy health issues.

I hope you learned what things to do in the future. No money is worth the stress of a crazy dog.

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The voice of experience!!!

JoAnn C.

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Deb A.

Book a Stay
Irvine, CA

Oh, I'm sorry to read about the challenges you're facing. At 5 months old, this may be the Husky's first time away from home and the owners haven't had him very long to accurately predict his behavior. I have witnessed even dogs that were house trained have indoor accidents with that frequency during the first stay, with the first day being the worst due to nerves. For that issue, I'd recommend frequent outings, and as for the food, you already covered that (another option would be they can order it to be delivered from store or expedited online; if you do end up buying it present them with the receipt upon return that they will need to pay) but I understand the real concern is possible aggression. I'm not an expert on this, so hopefully others will contribute. He may be asking for his space. Do you have an area you can gate off with dog or baby gates, which also adds a layer of safety? If you think you need it, you can also try calling Rover's Trust & Safety team (some who also are sitters) for tips.

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I usually provide food as part of my boarding services, so they may not feel it is "fair" to pay the food bill. Just in case they do refuse.

Jessica M.

Really? How do you know what kind of food each dog needs?

Jill G.

I only feed grain free kibble, and I also keep wet food and puppy food on hand as well. Dogs with extra special needs will opt to bring their own food, but otherwise they all get the same age appropriate chow! I also have owners disclose any allergies, so I make sure I don't get anyone sick.

Jessica M.

What irritated me was that I told them that food was not included.

Donna G.

U R right! Sitters may offer to provide food (after getting ok. from pet parents, esp. in light of poss. allergies) such as for unexpected illness that's often fixed w/ fresh chicken, rice/potato & veg. But, owners R responsible to supply enough usual dog food-prevent GI upset.

Deb A.

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Jessica M.

Please tell me you at least have a crate you can put him in! What a nightmare. I'd start crate training ASAP, and go buy a cheap bag of puppy food with some chews. I had a husky who was similar, but full grown. He was even aggressive with me, and our only option ended up being leaving him crated the whole stay. We even tried to let him be loose in our "dog room" and he destroyed our door and door knob and peed on the walls!!
Much like that experience, I'm afraid you'll have to survive his being there for now, and just never take him back.

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I don't have a crate, but I have him separate. Things are going a bit better now. I have learned a lot from this. Thank you for your response.

Donna G.

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Sarah B.

My rule is to never take a last minute dog client with a 'desperate' owner. The last time this happened I had to deal with a truly psychotic australian shepherd that may have given my smaller dog PTSD because of his energy levels. I know that lots of people here like to believe the best of people but plenty of owners mislead the sitter & often it's 'last minute'. ALWAYS make sure to do a meet n greet from now on. Just deal with this stay until it's over, eat the cost if you have to, and politely and firmly say that you don't think your home, being so small, is the best match for their energetic dog.

You might want to buy puppy gates so you can cordon off the dog & prevent any possible aggression towards your dogs.

I would also call Rover and tell them that the owners are not responding

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Thank you for the response. I have been keeping him separate part of the time. Gates didn't work, and keeping him in a separate room is horrible. Nothing will stop his howling. Things are going a bit better now though. I have learned a lot from this!

Donna G.

I'm glad things are going better! Ya live and learn

Sarah B.

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