I have a 9 week maltipoo and thankfully have a month to work with him on his manners and for him to learn basic commands, but I will need someone to watch him while I work 40 hours a week starting October. Do you have an age minimum for the dogs you watch? Puppies still need all their vaccines and can't control their bowels that well yet and everything so...please let me know!
Hi Jennie!
Lots of sitters are happy to watch puppies, which by Rover is designated as dogs under 1 year. In the search box at the top of this screen you can enter your zip code, and when the search results load, make sure to attach your dog's profile (for best results, make sure you've filled out all of his info first), and under "More Filters" you can select "puppy care" and any other options that are important to you. From there, you'll want to message the sitters you're interested in to make sure they're comfortable watching a puppy as young as yours.
Since your dog is working on house training and is not yet fully vaccinated, you should probably focus your search on travel sitters (sitters who come to your home and stay with your dog) to keep your puppy comfortable and keep his routine consistent. Sitters who board dogs in their own home may pose a greater risk of exposing your puppy to a contagion, even if the sitter is verifying the vaccination status of the other dogs in their care, although we take all kinds of calculated risks any time we take our dogs out in public, and a low-volume pet boarder with well-vetted guests and good cleaning practices may be a sufficiently low risk. You, your vet, and any potential sitters can discuss the best options for your particular needs.
I've actually been trying to sit for MORE puppies. I have a puppy of my own that I'm trying to socialize, but I've had very few requests for puppy stays, perhaps because I am not a travelling sitter or because owners of young pups don't go away as often. Each sitter is different - some may love the idea of taking care of a little puppy, others may not. Just ask. :)
I watch puppies, 9 weeks is young. A great time for training. Puppies shouldnt be around different dogs or dog parks until they have had all their shots and it also helps if they are at least 6 months old. Puppies can get diseases like parvo which can be life threatening until they are 6 months.