Sharing a dog?

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Orangehorse

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Does anyone do this? My terrier is getting very old and probably won't last much longer, she is 14 and a half and has been a really lovely dog.

My daughter lives one and a half miles away and would love to get a dog, particularly her 7 year old son loves to pet my dog and his other grandparents' multiple dogs. She has never got a dog as she works three days a week, does the school run and her husband is in the army and away a great deal, plus they have a busy social life, but quite a lot of that is shooting related. Her husband would like to get a spaniel, but he isn't around to put in the amount of training it would need, nor, at the moment the daily care and exercise.

At the back of her mind is that once my dog has died (!) they could get a puppy and I would become doggy day care on the days she is at work (I'm already looking after their new pony as it lives here). In theory I'm not against this idea, even though the memory of my dog as a puppy was that its like have a baby, getting up in the night to take it out, the training - and she was quite easy looking back.

But how does it work for the dog, living in two houses? Does anyone else do this?
 
Not exactly but similar.
Our hospital Dr daughter worked 3 days a week and we puppy walked her Irish terrier female puppy 3 mornings a week and had her in our house for the rest of the day. We bought her a dog's bed identical to the one she has at home. Also the same toys and treats. She was absolutely fine.
It was ended when difficult s.i.l. did not like it when we temporarilly lost her in Richmond Park. She sensibly returned to the parked car. After that he employed a dog walker
We have never kept her overnight. But we did long ago take care of our previous neighbour's boxer overnight, along with their three children.

The odd thing is how much our daughter's dog still adores us. She greets us as if we were her equal owners, ecstatic around my ankles and rolling over to be rubbed.
 
Who is going to train this dog that your SiL wants?
By the sound of it, not him; is he aware what a lot of work this puppy is likely to be for you/your daughter?
My OH wanted a spaniel but was never around, and wouldn't have trained it even if he had been. He just liked the idea of one
 
My sister has a time share dog, he lives with a few different people depending on what’s going on and seems chill with whatever 😅 and is a well trained good boy.

Friends dog goes to another friend most days and occasional overnights, she loves both options!
 
I think many people (including myself as a child) do not understand the importance of training a dog and the extent to which some "good" dogs have been well trained. My parents were given a well trained wire haired fox terrier as a wedding present. He went with them on their honeymoon, was daytime company for my pregnant mother till war broke out in 1939 and then transferred to a suburban hourse with a garden, accompanying my mother and a pram to the shops every day. When he died, another wire haired fox terrier puppy was bought but not trained. And it did not go well for that poor dog.
 
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We do something similar. I acquired my dog when the glitter of a new dog wore off for my partner’s teenage son (yes I warned them and said I wouldn’t look after it 🙄)

I had moved back to my house, my dog has terrible SA so couldn’t be left, my wonderful family have really stepped up and help me when I go to the stables each day, luckily I work from home.

We call him our co-op dog! I’m his owner and pay for everything and organise everything but he will go to my mam’s/dad’s/sister’s house as and when (someone has him every day) it was a little strange at first for him but now he loves visiting and knows I always come back. He is spoilt rotten, especially by my dad who has never been a doggy person!!

He is getting old now (14 ish rescue) so my sister plans on getting a co-op dog. It works so well as we all get to love a dog with the knowledge there is a good network behind it
 
Thank you, so it has worked for others. A good point about the same bed and toys.

As far as training, I would insist that we both took the dog to training classes and carried on with training. and also that they were prepared to put it into kennels so I wasn't regarded as the only place because there will be times when it wouldn't be convenient. I wouldn't want to take on a spaniel, as I have said several times. That will have to wait until OH has the time to train it himself. There is a very local gundog training place not far away.

It isn't going to happen soon either, just something to think about.
 
I did it when I came back with my kelpie from Oz. My Dad had her when I was working, I had her on my days off. Worked really well.
Ultimately Dad moved away but she was old then and just coped with me working long hours.
 
Orangehorse said:
Does anyone do this? My terrier is getting very old and probably won't last much longer, she is 14 and a half and has been a really lovely dog.

My daughter lives one and a half miles away and would love to get a dog, particularly her 7 year old son loves to pet my dog and his other grandparents' multiple dogs. She has never got a dog as she works three days a week, does the school run and her husband is in the army and away a great deal, plus they have a busy social life, but quite a lot of that is shooting related. Her husband would like to get a spaniel, but he isn't around to put in the amount of training it would need, nor, at the moment the daily care and exercise.

At the back of her mind is that once my dog has died (!) they could get a puppy and I would become doggy day care on the days she is at work (I'm already looking after their new pony as it lives here). In theory I'm not against this idea, even though the memory of my dog as a puppy was that its like have a baby, getting up in the night to take it out, the training - and she was quite easy looking back.

But how does it work for the dog, living in two houses? Does anyone else do this?
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Sister and I went with a good friend to choose a Labrador puppy to be her 1st dog. She does hybrid working and her Lab comes to us for part of almost every week day. We have 3 Labs of our own and the 'extra' is part of their pack. She copes very well with moving from one house to another. She has stayed overnight when friend has been to Conferences and on holiday. She came for the evening when a local pub was putting on a big fireworks display recently. Ours don't care about the house but when Daycare Dog us on her own, she is nervous about the noise. She is also nervous at the vets, after having to stay overnight at about 18 months old (she is now 4,), so one of ours accompanied her last time she went for her booster. That worked well and she sailed through, quite unperturbed.
 
When I lived at home with my parents, I had a JRT and my dad got himself a JRT (I think he got jealous of the relationship I had with mine 😁). When I moved out to my own flat, I used to pick the two dogs up on my way home from work on Friday evening and took them back Sunday evening/Monday morning. Did it for years and it worked well. Both dogs settled well into both homes.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Sister and I went with a good friend to choose a Labrador puppy to be her 1st dog. She does hybrid working and her Lab comes to us for part of almost every week day. We have 3 Labs of our own and the 'extra' is part of their pack. She copes very well with moving from one house to another. She has stayed overnight when friend has been to Conferences and on holiday. She came for the evening when a local pub was putting on a big fireworks display recently. Ours don't care about the house but when Daycare Dog us on her own, she is nervous about the noise. She is also nervous at the vets, after having to stay overnight at about 18 months old (she is now 4,), so one of ours accompanied her last time she went for her booster. That worked well and she sailed through, quite unperturbed.
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This is so sweet that this dog has a gang of emotion support dogs 😭
 
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