Is Your Dog High Maintenance?

[JacksonsMom]

Is your dog HM? lol...

What I mean by this, I guess, is that ... let me think of a way to explain this:

example: these two Golden Retrievers I used to dogsit for are just very easy in that you can take them to the vet, and they don't stress about it or care. They can easily find anyone to come into their house and let the dogs out if needed. While they need exercise to be content, even if they don't get it, they are fine to go lay down. If they need to be boarded, fine, no problemo. Daycare? they love it!

Jackson, on the other hand, hates to be handled by strangers. If a stranger walks in this house, he will just bark and bark and then go hide under the bed if they approach him. I could NEVER board him or bring him to daycare, I'm pretty sure he would freak out. The one time he had to be overnight at the vets, I picked him up a hot mess. His butt was a mess (from leaking what I call his "nasty anal juice" all over the place out of fear) and a panting fool. He's been seeing the same mobile groomer for 2 years now, and he still shakes like insane crazy when I hand him over to her. He is a nervous wreck at the vets and tries to lean into me as far as he possibly can when the vet is checking him out. He's quirky and noise sensitive towards anything remotely sounding like a gun shot or firework.

So in other words, he's very high maintenance! He's not just the kind of dog that would be okay with me needing to call a friend to go let him out, or someone else picking him up, putting him in the car and bringing him to daycare (like I do for some of my doggy 'clients'). Sometimes I'm jealous -- my friend text me the other day and told me she dropped her dogs off at daycare to wear them out, and sleep at home, LOL... never could I do that with Jax.

[PWCorgi]

I think anyone who has been around Chaz for more than a couple months knows the answer to this

Frodo is quite high maintenance.

[SpringerLover]

Buzz is only high maintenance due to his allergies and being old as dirt.

Bailey is just high maintenance in general...

[BostonBanker]

Probably less high maintenance than I make them out to be. I stress way more about my dogs than they stress, I think.

Suffice to say, the entire family is going on a paid trip to Disney in April - except me. I couldn't find any situation I was comfortable with for the dogs. So I will stay home with them.

[Fran101]

very much so.
He is happy being handled or let out by most anyone. I leave him at work (I work at a dog store) and he is handled and worked with/let out to potty/fed by other people and co-workers all the time. He would let a moose take him for a walk lol
He eats anything, loves other dogs, love all people, loves his crate and is quiet in there. so for the most part.. yes.

The one way he is HM? When I am around but not GONE. If I just leave, he has a minute of whining or worrying at whoever I left him with or in his crate..but he is fine.
But if I dare leave him behind the desk and go around the store. Or lock him out of a room I'm in. .. OH GOD!! IT'S A SCENE!!!

HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME IN THIS ROOM WITHOUT YOU BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK I HEAR YOU OUT THERE BARK BARK BARK BARK

Ugh. It's so high pitched and just..annoying. I could kill him.

I put him in my bathroom once because I had a guy over.
Oh god.
It was like someone was in there torturing him.
SO LOUD.

[katielou]

Not really anymore.

We worked very hard to get to a place where he was happy and being lower maintenance came with that!

[JacksonsMom]

Originally Posted by Fran101

very much so.
He is happy being handled or let out by most anyone. I leave him at work (I work at a dog store) and he is handled and worked with/let out to potty/fed by other people and co-workers all the time. He would let a moose take him for a walk lol
He eats anything, loves other dogs, love all people, loves his crate and is quiet in there. so for the most part.. yes.

The one way he is HM? When I am around but not GONE. If I just leave, he has a minute of whining or worrying at whoever I left him with or in his crate..but he is fine.
But if I dare leave him behind the desk and go around the store. Or lock him out of a room I'm in. .. OH GOD!! IT'S A SCENE!!!

HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME IN THIS ROOM WITHOUT YOU BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK I HEAR YOU OUT THERE BARK BARK BARK BARK

Ugh. It's so high pitched and just..annoying. I could kill him.

I put him in my bathroom once because I had a guy over.
Oh god.
It was like someone was in there torturing him.
SO LOUD.

LOL, omg Jackson does this too! If I officially leave, he puts up with it. But when he KNOWS I'm in the next room, or whatever, he's sooooo obnoxious.

[Equinox]

No, not really... provided that said person doesn't mind big, overexuberant dogs

I definitely wouldn't leave him with a friend overnight, but I could board him at the training kennel or the vet and not worry at all. A stranger could walk into our house and let him out back no problem. When visitors come over, Trent actually has been known to cozy up to them on the couch giving out sloppy kisses. At his most unfriendliest, he gives them a few cursory sniffs, a tail wag, and then continues his napping.

He's not his best at the vet's, but I think it has more to do with the cats on the counter and desks, and the dog behind the reception desk. He loves the vets themselves. Overall, he doesn't really stress about anything.

[DenoLo]

Lo is extremely low maintenance. She has no problems with anything.

Lucy is relatively high maintenance in that she's a total spook. I would not be able to have somebody walk in the house if we weren't there. However, I do bring her to daycare once a month and she does quite well there.

[Shai]

By those definitions my dogs are all low maintenance. That said I don't board them because I don't trust boarding places to take care of my dogs properly :P. They have all stayed with people-not-me overnight though and been fine.