puppy walker how much and how often?

potsofmoney_(I_wish)

Hi there,
I'm preparing for the arrival of a springer/sprocker spaniel pup who will be with us mid december. Currently I am out in the mornings until about 1.30pm. I am planning to find a puppy walker/sitter to pop in when I'm out, while they're still tiny. Does anyone have any experience of how to find someone and how much they're expected to be paid. Any advice would be much appreciated.

foreign_correspondent

what is a springer/sprocker spaniel when its at home?

A mongrel of a springer crossed with a springer x cocker?? (3/4 springer??)

Is it an 8 week old pup? - if so a walker is not really ideal for such a young pup because your main concerns are not exercise but stimulation and training, which may not be within the experience of many dog walkers. YOu really need to consider this training element as your first priority as it is so much easier if done from day one, and done consistently by yourself and who ever else looks after the dog.

A young pup should only be on limited walks after all injections, but will need to be taken outside very frequently (every half hour at first) to learn to toilet consistently outside.

Otherwise you are likely to end up with a dog that habitually messes in the house. The more they get into this habit the harder it is to change, so best to avoid it becoming a problem from day one by investing a lot of time and energy early on.

BTW its also a very lively intelligent breed which will wreak havoc if not stimulated enough.

potsofmoney_(I_wish)

Many thanks for your reply. I've been researching the breed through reading, the internet and talking with other spaniel owners. I've also been reading puppy books, I am very aware of the commitment needed to this breed and a puppy which is why I'm trying to be organised before pup arrives so as not to have any negative experiences for pup or us.

I could ideally do with with a student or somesuch to come in and play/be with pup while I am out as I don't want a bored pup or a wrecked house. I'm just stumped as to how to go about finding someone as they've got to be trusted in the house, I'm also not a millionaire so am looking for any advice, or experiences.
Thanks again

MrsTinks

No you don't need a student or some such to have such vital interaction with your pup and certainly not at this early a point in it's life!
If you do want someone to come and look after the pup for a while in the morning then get a professional dog walker in - they are insured properly to look after dogs.
I have a dog walker 4 days a week regardless of whether I work from home that day or not - because some days I can't make it home for lunch due to work locations. So I have a lady who is not only insured properly but has experience with a wide variety of dogs and ages. She charges £7.50 for 45 minutes - it's up to me what I want her to do in those 45 minutes adn I leave her a note each day - forexample if we have not been able to have a decent run because the field was busy then I ask her to try and knacker Kira out. If we've had a good run in the morning walk then she does heel work and training with her.
Instead of getting some random student who frankly probably doesn't know how to handle a puppy then get someone in who knows what they are doing! If you don't then chances are they'll think the mouthing is cute and wind the puppy up so when they leave it's going to be buzzing and actually increase the chances of the dog messing and chewing stuff...

foreign_correspondent

potsofmoney_(I_wish) wrote: »

Many thanks for your reply. I've been researching the breed through reading, the internet and talking with other spaniel owners.

so, is it springer x springer x cocker crossbreed?

Will you be able to take a couple of weeks off work right at the start to get it on the right track with toilet training? otherwise you need someone to be there pretty much full time for the first few weeks. You also need to be able to trust them to be consistent and not unwittingy encourage bad habits as mrstine wrote.

You must also make sure that what they are doing and what you are doing is exactly the same, all the time, to ensure consistency. Insurance would be good, both for the welfare of the dog and for the security of your property.

To be honest I do not know how you can find somone who will be skillful with the pup and commited enough without it being relatively expensive for the amount of input needed right at the start with such a young pup.

good luck

MrsTinks

Oh as for finding someone your best bet is asking at the local vets, if you live in a village then ask at the postoffice or local shop - Mine was recommended by the lady who runs our village postoffice and then I checked her references with dog friends of mine that I never thought to ask (doh!) - I was lucky enough that one of her regular walkies had passed away from old age 3 months before and she hadn't taken on another one yet...

Milford_Cubicle

Can you speak to the breeder and ask if she/he is willing to start toilet training etc?
We're bringing our pure breed Lab home on the 17th. She'll be 7 weeks old (we're bringing her home a week early because she's very advanced and quite frankly, huge!) and already aged 5 weeks she knows that she's supposed to only pee on newspaper in the house (although she will on occasion just pee where she's sitting :rotfl: ), she's sitting on command and 'giving paw' on command as well. She'll be starting 'outdoor' training before she comes home with us, so the breeder has already laid a lot of the foundations which is going to make our lives a lot easier.

A good breeder should be doing these sorts of things unless it's a 'puppy farm' type set up?

Otherwise, I can only suggest you do an internet search for someone who fits your requirements, post a wanted ad on freeads.co.uk and preloved.com for example.

Good luck bringing him/her home, right around Xmas - you're going to have your work cut out

potsofmoney_(I_wish)

"so, is it springer x springer x cocker crossbreed?"



Basically mum is a very placid springer, and dad is a springer/cocker cross. Dad also has a lovely temperament.

The only reason that I'm commiting to a puppy rather than rescue is that I know the breeder very well, I know how her dog is kept (which is very well)and I've met dad and had the option of meeting grandparents if I wished. Normally I would never get a puppy from a breeder as I have always rescued animals and the ethics of some breeders (not all) are something I don't agree with.

I have young children and am very experienced with dogs, having worked with them in the past and researched behaviour/training in some depth. I only work in the day during term time as I am studying to became a Teaching Assistant. It really is just to cover until the breakup for xmas as I will then be off. (approx 3 weeks). I am very aware of how important those first few weeks are and want to do the best for everyone. Following the advice from here, I am going to phone around some dog walkers and get some more info.

gomer

I don't really understand the need for a puppy walker. How much excercise do you think a new puppy needs? As a general rule you should only be walking it for 5 minutes for every month of it's life, so at 5 months old 25 minutes a day is more than enough walking. The joints will be developing and can be damaged if the puppy is unnecessarily walked into the ground for hours.

The main point to consider really would be that if you didn't have time for a new puppy yourself, is it really the right time to be getting one?

Personally i wouldn't even be considering a dog walker for a new puppy until it is older.

pboae

gomer wrote: »

I don't really understand the need for a puppy walker. How much excercise do you think a new puppy needs? As a general rul you should only be walking it for 5 minutes for every month of it's life so at 5 months old 25 minutes is more than enough walking. The joints will be developing and can be damaged if the puppy is unnecessarily walked into the ground for hours.

The main point to consider really would be that if you didn't have time for a new puppy yourself, is it really the right time to be getting one?

Puppy walkers don't actually walk the puppies. It's more puppy sitting, directing their play when they are awake, showing them what to chew and stopping them mouthing hands and fingers. Plus, ensuring there is someone there to whisk them outside every few minutes (or so it seems with a new pup). Those early days are critical in toilet training and play.

OP, if you are working term time only then the obvious thing would be to wait and get a pup next summer when you can be around for 6 weeks and get things started.

If you are determined to get this pup then look at doggy day care or professional dog sitters who will have your pup in their home with them on a day rate basis. It'll cost a fair whack, but at least the pup will get a good start. Although most dog sitters won't do puppy sitting for very young pups because it's such hard work, and specialised work too. Training your own pup is hard enough, but training someone else's in exactly the same way as they do, is ten times harder.

suki1964

Its not a breed - its a cross - but a lovely cross as well

Puppy's dont need walkie s - they need sitters As pboae says this is a crucial time in pups development and they do need constant care. You may be lucky to find an older person who is happy to come spend the mornings at you house with pup, making sure it gets to go out to the loo and gets to be carried places to get used to the world out there.You will need to find someone who has been through bringing up a pup and who has the same ideas and thoughts as yourself - dont want one training one way and the other another.

How much thats going to cost - who knows - think of baby sitting and house sitting rates and come up with a ball park figure.

Else you find a professional who is happy to do an hour in the house working with the pup. Pups actually do sleep a lot so as long as you have got up early enough to spend some good play time with pup he will no doubt be ready for a sleep for an hour or so till the walker comes. However - you need at least a week to get pup happy with being left along for that length of time (prolly close to two weeks tbh)

I think you will find that most pup owners agree - a new pup in the house is more tieing and demanding then a new born babe - have fun