Going on Vacation.

[Vintinck]

I have a planned vacation to Ireland for 10 days starting May 7th. Malu will be about 19 weeks at that point. I planned on leaving him at home with my roommate while I am gone. My roommate's girlfriend, who has been my main dog walker during the day, will also be helping take care of him while I am gone (they adore each other). Unfortunately, he is not very fond of my roommate. A few weeks ago, he was very fearful of him and would even growl and snap at him (the only person he has ever shown this kind of behavior towards). He has came around quite a bit and does not exhibit any of that extreme behavior anymore. He will sniff and lick my roommate's hands and even sit on the couch with him, he just won't cuddle up with him or let him pick him up.

I am not at all concerned that he will not be cared well for, I am more concerned about behavior changing. Is 10 days a long enough time period for him to pick up any bad behaviors? My roommate doesn't really see eye to eye with me on dog training. I have specifically instructed him never to discipline my dog, other than verbally, and he has respected that (He from the school of "rub his face in his mistakes" "smack him with a rolled up newspaper" which we all know doesn't work). I trust him not to do anything bad with the dog I am just worried that because he respects me and will not discipline the dog the way he would want to, he may not really make an effort to train the dog at all. Is this 10 day period enough for him to fall into any really bad behaviors that I can't recover from?

Thanks,

Oh, and I am aware that this is poor planning on my part. I am hoping I can make the best of the situation without canceling the trip.

[dmey]

Well.. it has been my experience that it is harder to train the people in my life to deal with Ayo how I THINK, than actaully training Ayo. So I think you can try to tell your roomamte how to "do it" but you will have better luck, getting Malu, "back in track" when you return…..... He si smarter than you think.... Malu,.. that is :)

[renaultf1]

What about contacting Jean, his breeder. Maybe you could board him with her?

[Vintinck]

He is definitely smarter than I think :). I take him to puppy basic obedience classes once a week. It is very difficult for him to stay focused with all the distractions in class. I was sure he didn't learn anything this past week. To my surprise, when I went though our commands the next day at home, he did everything perfectly, even the things he learned for the first time in that class.

I will use the next few weeks and try and train my roommate as best as I can. Luckily he is crate trained so my roommate won't have to worry about him getting into anything too bad when he's not around.

[Vintinck]

I think Jean is currently out of the country as well. I'm not sure it would make a difference behaviorally. I wouldn't expect her to follow any sort of specific training regime but I know she would never use any of those "old School" techniques and I know she would take great care of him.

The more I think about it I'm not sure it will that big of an issue. I leaving on a Saturday afternoon and returning late on the Monday 9 days later. He spends the majority of the workday in his crate (minus the 1-2hrs for lunch). So the exposure to any bad behavior will be minimal if at all. As much as he doesn't like my roommate, his is very familiar with him. He has even come home to let him out on occasion and Malu let Will (my Roommate) take him out and feed him he just isn't going to play or cuddle with him. I guess there is a chance with this much exposure he may actually bond with him, which would be the best outcome overall.

[dmey]

I agree, i wouldnt worry too much. YOu have two people who will care for him while you are gone. And sometimes it is better if they stay in a comfortable environment that they are used to, instead of subjecting them to the stress of going to a new place. He will be fine. Enjoy your trip!!!

[khanis]

I am a bit confused… why should your roommate have to train the dog while you are gone?
If this is your dog, that is a heck of a lot to expect from someone that does not have a vested interest in the dog.
I would be happy that he just wouldn't be disciplining the dog the way you know he would really want to discipline him.

I agree.. check in with Jean.

[wizard]

I would suggest that your roommate simply "take care" of your dog and don't ask for any training. That way you don't have to worry about the roommate using the newspaper. You are the dog's lifelong companion not your rooommate and you can work on training out any bad behaviors (if any) when you return (10 days is not that long for something to be so totally ingrained it can't be removed).

[Vintinck]

Wizard, thats pretty much what I was hoping to hear.

In regards to training, I meant along the lines of enforcing good behavior, like sitting down to have his leash taken off or waiting for a release to eat, not digging at the furniture. Stuff like that. I don't expect my roommate to "obedience train" my pup.

Overall I have a lot of trust in him, we have lived together for 3 years and been friends for the past 7 years. Even if he doesn't have a vested interest in the dog, he has a pretty vested interest in our friendship.

Khani, I think Jean is in South Africa right now, and I would prefer to have him stay home if possible. It looks like everything will work out. Also, Both Jean and Kyle spoke Highly of you and your dogs.

Thanks again for the advice everyone