Dog sitting a friends Boston Terrier... what a job!

[celstu1]

I have my 2 Yorkies and my Dexter is about 7lbs and he tolerates other dogs at best, but truly he does not like other dogs at all. Fletcher is friendly to all dogs. Daisy the BT, she loves me.... only me. (poor girl!) I get so stressed out. The first night she slept in bed with us and she would go under the covers, Dex would come out, she'd come out, he'd go under... this happened all night. Plus she snores LOUD , snorts, farts and generally just makes a lot of noise! LOL So last night we had her set up all comfy on the floor in her own bed near our bed, so we could get some sleep. We all slept better, but I felt bad for her because I know she just wants to be near me.

Dexter is stressed, she wants ALL my attention. She's at my feet constantly, sitting on top of my feet, taking ALL my attention from my boys. She won't go to my DH or my SS at all, she stares at my boys while she's sitting at my feet, like she's guarding me and no one can come near me. I know she probably misses her family, but Dexter is stressed, she's stressed, and it all stresses me out! LOL She's a sweet girl.... but she's needy!!!! I have 2 needy Yorkies and now her.... I don't have enough hands! LOL I have to pen her up for my boys to eat their food, else she'll gobble everyone's food in 2 mins. Sometimes I need to gate her so I can say hi to my boys w/o her jumping in the middle of us all, stepping on them, pawing at me. Oh boy... 3 dogs is a lot of work!!!! LOL

[celstu1]

What I meant by Dexter is 7lbs, is Fletch is about 13lbs and Daisy is about 15lbs, so they are roughly the same size and double the size of Dex, he's easily intimidated and scared I think.

[rubymoon2072]

awww poor dex hopefully it will not be long until her family returns. just keep telling him it is only temporary she is not staying forever. yikes.

[celstu1]

I think we have her until saturday... which for Dex is a lifetime, for me too! LOL I can't be the world to 3 pups... Im only 1 person! AAARRRRRHHHHHH!!!!! LOL

[CouversMom]

This is why 2 dogs is my limit. Couver is needy, but Khloe is independent. If I had a second needy pup, there wouldn't be enough of me to go around!

I hope this week goes by fast for your sake

[Maximo]

You have your hands full! Poor Dexter. Doggies can be worse than kids, lol.

This kind of puts a damper on my dream to add a Boston Terrier to my pack. They make great models/photo subjects. Wish we lived closer, I would borrow her from you.

[Britster]

As someone who dogsat a lot, being around other peoples dogs makes you reallllyy appreciate your own lol. I've found that as much of a "dog person" as I am, I am VERY picky with what dogs I would choose to live with, LOL..... and Boston's are one of them I wouldn't! lol.

[crystalsmom]

Tell me about it. I sit for dogs.

When Crystal was alive I only sat for friends so the dogs knew each other well and there were no problems even with a cat. Since then, I can really relate, if there is just one or more than one, they miss their owner so much, they want all my attention. They start eating each others food and I have to feed one with the door closed in another room and change off because I hate to play favorites There is one house that when I walk one the other will cry in the window until we get back.

A first time is always the worst for me but once they get to know me it's either they know owners are leaving when they see luggage being packed and get stressed out or just figure because they are more laid back, what's the use. I tried to bring a new toy the first time but they still hated me, then I went to those tiny BilJac liver treats and only gave one when I arrived after asking owner ahead of time and it seemed to work. I only gave one more while I was there but they seemed to realize I was the lady with liver.

Yes the bed thing One client wants me to give her poodle a drink of water which I hate to do since she will pee during the night but at least she wakes me up to go to her pee pad. It's from a glass while in bed with me and before we settle down to sleep. I follow their orders but this poodle knows the order in which things should be done and will correct me.

I almost always sit summer months for vacations but some wealthy clients go away in the in the winter to a warm client but I usually say 'no' or I'm booked and thank heavens I do with the winter we have had.

celstu1, I wish I could help but they are just like people and miss us. You are being very creative I think and certainly doing your best and still being fair to your own little one, that is when it is really difficult, I would think.

[crystalsmom]

Originally Posted by Britster

As someone who dogsat a lot, being around other peoples dogs makes you reallllyy appreciate your own lol. I've found that as much of a "dog person" as I am, I am VERY picky with what dogs I would choose to live with, LOL..... and Boston's are one of them I wouldn't! lol.

So true, I would add Jack Russell to that, they never stop moving. they are both cute as can be but a handful to say the least.

[DBlain]

this is why I never pet sit, one time I took friend's small bichon, the dog was cute, but my yorkie at the time hated him, and the poor little guy barked at night and would not settle down, my husband gets up real early for work, then works 11 hours, he is a light sleeper and very crabby if his sleep gets interrupted. Of course he did not want me to take the dog, so I was getting stressed out over trying to keep the dog quite so I finally moved a crate to the garage so we would not hear him. It's also why I don't leave Lola with friends, I would be so nervous if she turned out to be annoying to them that they would put her somewhere that would cause her more stress. I am lucky to have lady that only sits small dogs like yorkies or malteses and nothing seems to bother her or her husband and the dogs have the run of her house and even sleep in their bed, which is good for Lola. So LOL since I don't ask anyone to watch Lola no one asks me, which is good because I would probably have to say no.

[celstu1]

Originally Posted by Britster

As someone who dogsat a lot, being around other peoples dogs makes you reallllyy appreciate your own lol. I've found that as much of a "dog person" as I am, I am VERY picky with what dogs I would choose to live with, LOL..... and Boston's are one of them I wouldn't! lol.

oohh me too! I mean there is nothing cute about this dog! Poor girl. I feel bad saying that... but even when she does something remotely doggie cute, she ruins it by snorting and grunting the whole time. She is always trying to lick me and scares my boys by sitting at my feet and staring them down. Like she's guarding me. I felt bad but she's sleeping on the floor in her own comfy doggie bed, covered in a blanket. I know she wants to sleep with us, but she snores, grunts, lays pressed up against me. Honestly she's sweet, just sooo not my type of dog. LOL I mean Yorkies are just GORGEOUS!

[celstu1]

I only have 1 dog sitter, 1 girl that I trust. She sometimes takes my dogs to her house for the week so her parents end up with them sometimes, but I'm friends with the whole family and they love my boys and I trust them completely. Other than that I NEVER have anyone else watch my boys. I've had friends offer, but I am SOOO particular with my boys and their safety, I don't want to stress my friends out. But everyone asks us to dog sit their dogs. There are at least 4 dogs I can think of that I dog sit for friends. Those friends ALL think their dogs are 'easy & laid back' HA!!!! Little do they know!

So this Boston's name is Daisy. After I let all 3 dogs out in the morning, Daisy wants to be fed immediately. She sits at my feet and the second I MOVE a centimeter, shes running towards her food bowl. So shes a demanding little thing. She eats every meal like she has not been fed in 10 days. Snorting and grunting her way through her food in 2 seconds flat. I have to gate her, so I can feed my boys else she'll bowl them over to get to their food. But they need to be enticed to eat, they don't gobble at all.... so I have to stand there for them to eat. Then try to get ready while they all want their baby carrot treat that I give when I leave the house to go to work.

My boys are sweet, soft, fluffy, with gorgeous expressive eyes, quiet demeanors, gentle, loving little things.. shes a beast! 15lb bull in a china shop! LOL My boys sleep, they are all soft and snuggly.. she sleeps, she's all snory and slobbery! LOL poor girl!

I told my coworker today if I ever say again that I want a 3rd dog, he has permission to punch me! LOL

[crystalsmom]

When I set, I am most concerned about small dogs and how hyper and stressed they can get, I would rather have one run me ragged than have a medical emergency. I've never sat for anyone that didn't think there dog was perfect but so many I would not want for my own. Labs are so laid back and no work to care for and I would have one in a minute but would want another Yorkie first.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by celstu1

oohh me too! I mean there is nothing cute about this dog! Poor girl. I feel bad saying that... but even when she does something remotely doggie cute, she ruins it by snorting and grunting the whole time. She is always trying to lick me and scares my boys by sitting at my feet and staring them down. Like she's guarding me. I felt bad but she's sleeping on the floor in her own comfy doggie bed, covered in a blanket. I know she wants to sleep with us, but she snores, grunts, lays pressed up against me. Honestly she's sweet, just sooo not my type of dog. LOL I mean Yorkies are just GORGEOUS!

I TOTALLY get it.

Don't get me wrong, our dogs (family dogs) can be annoying too, and are not the most "obedient" by any means, but my grandma's dogs for example... I can't even describe. I just find them incredibly annoying. lol. And I feel bad saying it because they're both really sweet, but they're almost just SO derpy and dumb that they make me so irritated.

The thing with them is, they have energy but they're not 'high energy' per say... and they really have no drive. They don't have much desire for toys, or a ball, or food. My grandma has had her goldendoodle, Bently, in training classes once, but she says he's just so stubborn. He pretty much only sits. He likes food, but is not super willing to learn. And Addie the Foxhound... literally doesn't want to learn anything. So then what happens is you have one dog who is untrained and doesn't listen (won't even follow food for a lure and hates toys) and a puppy 3x her size acting the same way. He will sit by himself but then Addie is jumping up and down and so he starts.

So I stayed over there once last month, with Jackson, and again they're both so 'dumb', I started yelling and stomping my feet (I lost my temper after they would NOT stop jumping on me no matter what I tried, and I consider myself a decent trainer, and they were hurting me) and they don't even CARE. You could be screaming at them or hitting them (not that I was) and they literally... just are wagging their tails, smiling at you!

Jackson attacked each of them once because they were just so incredibly rude. And he's a very tolerant dog, but he had enough of just being stepped on and jumped on, and then Bently would bite him (playfully, but hard) but it was like.... they didn't even learn.

I love learning what kind of dogs I do and don't like though! lol... I now know that I love high energy dogs, but a certain type of energy for sure. I would go batty with dogs like that. And again, it's hard to explain in words, because I sure as hell don't mind a dog who is not exactly the best behaved and maybe a bit in your face sometimes, but these guys were just so incredibly obnoxious. And my grandma kept laughing, she thought it was cute and funny. I also took Bentley on a 4 mile walk and played in the backyard for an hour and they were all still just super annoying.

I learned over 2-3 years of dog walking (mixed in with sleeping at others homes, occasionally dogs in my home) that... OMG most other dogs annoy the crap out of me if I'm around them for extended periods of time. ARRRGG! It sucks because I'm REALLY a dog lover, I truly am. I love my dog, and the occasional other dog I will really like (I got super attached to a Rottie I used to watch) but SO many of them are just so irritating. I expect it is all bias though, more than likely my dog would annoy me a lot more if he wasn't mine. Actually I am sure he would. He annoys my dad, as much as he loves him, he couldn't handle a dog like Jackson

Kind of unfair of me, I will admit it. But I also think most people just raise and train their dogs terribly, too!

[ilovejoel]

Poor Dexter He sounds like Joel when I'm dogsitting my brothers Jack Russel. In the beginning they love each other and play a lot but after a few days Joel starts looking sad. My brothers dog isn't that trained too, he's pretty good but not near as how trained Joel is, My brothers dog definitely agitates me lol