advice for an (unintentional) new dog owner?

[ebm1224]

so my bf and i just had a new roommate move in - a friend of ours. he has 2 dogs. today i am home until mid-day. i was in bed when the dogs started to bark. i'll admit it, i ignored it. the roommate had only left a few hours before (if that) and he takes the dogs out before he leaves so i figured they should be good and just wanted attention or something. after a little while, the barking was getting on my nerves so i got up. turns out one of the dogs had diahea on my couch cushions. the smell was awful and all i could do was pick up the "excess" with a wet paper towel and throw the cushions outside. even that made me gag. also, there was a spot on the floor where someone (the roommate i assume) had picked up some dog poop but hadn't wiped the floor down. makes me wonder why he didnt call or text to say "hey, i'll get that later." that would have clued me in that one of the pups may have had an upset tummy or something. blah. so i'm home for a bit longer and i've let the dogs out a few times (in response to barking) just in case.

so i guess i've learned today that by agreeing to be roommates with our friend it also involves some care for the dogs even if that's not the intention. the dogs don't know who's responsible for them. i've taken them for a few walks and played with them and such so they look to me when their owner isn't there. i just wasn't intending to take on extra responsibility...but i guess i have.

any advice for adjusting to life with dogs? i've never had one before. we have dog-sat for our friend's dogs a few times but these dogs aren't quite as well-behaved.

i guess now that i've been informed that i have a responsibility for them, i'll just have to act accordingly. thanks for letting me vent.

[ETFnerd]

Bill him for dog-sitting, clean-up and out-of-pocket fees at market rates. He'll get the message. Sue him on Judge Judy if he doesn't pay.

[bigm141414]

i guess now that i've been informed that i have a responsibility for them, i'll just have to act accordingly. thanks for letting me vent.

This is why letting friends move in isn't always a good idea. The dogs are his responsibility. Period. You can play with them but you shouldn't feel obligated to clean up after them. Follow ETFnerds advice.

[wildross]

On the practical side...

Dogs are said to be like 2 year old kids (though if they are less than a year to 1 1/2 old, they are still in their own sort of teenage years...) So, firmness is in order and some sort of reward system. Rewards are given AFTER obedience, not as an inducement to obey. Different breeds (and different dogs) respond to different types of rewards and attention. Routine is important. Out at 6 and 6, etc. They will learn to regulate their bodily functions to match the schedule.

Labs of all types are notorious for being food driven.

Some are play driven

Some are attention driven. (We have a Belgian Malinois like this.)

Some breeds are very high energy and need to run (or they'll eat your house). Others won't run if their tail is on fire. Some quick googling on breeds can give you some ideas.

Mutts you just have to figure out.

If you have time, watch some of Caesar Milan's Dog Whisperer, or Its' Me or the Dog for different ideas on how to deal with them. Of course, if your friend is using a particular technique, follow his lead (I'm guessing he isn't).

Not that you are going to take care of them, but (just like a 2 year old) if you're the adult around, you need to know how to control them.

Adult dogs should be able to go 10-12 hours without having to go outside (though that is not necessarily the best way).

[Oogiem]

Crate train the dogs and bill the roommate for all expenses, including professional dry cleaning for the couch cushions. Figure out the breed and devise appropriate systems to handle it. Wildross is right, different breeds respond differently to training methods. Be consistent. If you are planning on a gift to the new roommate then an appropriate one would be a series of obedience lessons for him and the pups.

Good luck!

[ebm1224]

haha thanks guys. that was not how i wanted to start my friday and i was a bit frazzled when i wrote that initial post. the roomie and i chatted a bit via text and i basically said "let me know what i need to do to adapt to this since i've never had a dog before." so far the things that i've learned: you can't leave food on a coffee table unattended - for more than a minute. and if i leave shoes around, the little one that's still a puppy is lliable to start chewing. just things i'll have to adjust to but those are bad habits on my part anyway so it's probably for the best. for his part, the roomie was very apologetic and got the cushions spotless (though the smell is still lingering just a bit...i fabreezsed the crap out of them last night). he's willing to train the dogs not to get on the couches if we want and we've already deemed our bed doggie free. we've been keeping our bedroom door closed during the day when we can't monitor but the bf has a very mild dog allergy so while he can be around them just fine, having their hair on the bed would not be a good idea.

anyways, it seems like we probably should have thought through the pros and cons of getting a roommate with dogs in advance more than we did. live and learn i suppose. but i think the hassle of the transition will be worth it...i had a puppy cuddled into me last night and it was heaven

[wildross]

As Twain said...if you want unconditional love, get a dog.

[MMyers]

Not related, but... what kind of dogs?

[jessie75]

My mom moved in with us a few months ago bringing her two (smallish) dogs with her. We already had one. The biggest advantage for us is having their own crates. They go into their crates when we are not at home. Even before we had the 3 dogs we had a crate for our dog and she really liked it. It was HER space. It maybe something you want to look into, if you have room for them. Make them roomy enough that they can move around in them, have room for their food and water, keeps everything contained. The other thing we do is have a rule that anytime they get treats they get them in their kennels. Makes them like them more

[ebm1224]

the pups are both mixed...the bigger one is a rotweiler and something else i can't remember...german shepard? labrador? i dunno. the little one is a daschund and hound (?) mix. both are super cute and sweet. and a pain in my ass. but i'm sure people say the same things about their kids....

[MMyers]

:D :D

Puppies!