holy_venom95
New member
Hi! Frequent lurker but first time getting to be OP! 
I have somewhat of an odd but exciting (for me) situation on the horizon. My (83 F) MIL adopted a male shih poo puppy right around the new year this year. His name is Baxter. She adopted him after becoming very lonely after her last dog, Chico, had to be put to sleep unexpectedly around Thanksgiving. My MIL is a relatively healthy, active, widowed 83 year old woman who lives alone. I can definitely understand why she wanted to adopt a puppy from the standpoint that she was lonely, wanted companionship and something to occupy her free time… fast forward to present day- my husband and I (happily) take the dog for her 1-2 nights every week, we, along with our sons (10 and 12) love spending time with Baxter. I personally have a special bond with the pup, I’ve trained him to know several commands (down, stay, roll over, play dead, high five, drop it, leave it) despite only spending limited time with him… I’ll get to the main point..
My MIL has become very stressed out with Baxter, she says he doesn’t listen to her, frequently barks from 12-4am despite all needs being met (he’s never done this at our house but our sample size is much smaller) she expresses that “he never calms down” even though I must say, she ensures he gets a lot of physical exercise.. I’ve explained to her that he needs mental stimulation as well, such as time spent training, puzzle feeders, etc, but she hasn’t taken that advice. She also recently sustained a musculoskeletal injury requiring outpatient physical therapy. They said it’s due to over exerting herself taking the dog out for walks.
Anyway, MIL has basically told us that Baxter is too much for her to handle, she says she’s made a mistake. I offered to take him right away. Initially she said no, due to my demanding work schedule (RN, I do work 60+ hours a week almost every week) but my husband has a less demanding work schedule, and I would make the changes necessary to my schedule to accommodate whatever Baxter needs.
At this point, she says she’d like to trial a “joint custody” situation with the dog.. we’d probably have him 4 nights a week and she would have him the other 3.
I have somewhat of an odd but exciting (for me) situation on the horizon. My (83 F) MIL adopted a male shih poo puppy right around the new year this year. His name is Baxter. She adopted him after becoming very lonely after her last dog, Chico, had to be put to sleep unexpectedly around Thanksgiving. My MIL is a relatively healthy, active, widowed 83 year old woman who lives alone. I can definitely understand why she wanted to adopt a puppy from the standpoint that she was lonely, wanted companionship and something to occupy her free time… fast forward to present day- my husband and I (happily) take the dog for her 1-2 nights every week, we, along with our sons (10 and 12) love spending time with Baxter. I personally have a special bond with the pup, I’ve trained him to know several commands (down, stay, roll over, play dead, high five, drop it, leave it) despite only spending limited time with him… I’ll get to the main point..
My MIL has become very stressed out with Baxter, she says he doesn’t listen to her, frequently barks from 12-4am despite all needs being met (he’s never done this at our house but our sample size is much smaller) she expresses that “he never calms down” even though I must say, she ensures he gets a lot of physical exercise.. I’ve explained to her that he needs mental stimulation as well, such as time spent training, puzzle feeders, etc, but she hasn’t taken that advice. She also recently sustained a musculoskeletal injury requiring outpatient physical therapy. They said it’s due to over exerting herself taking the dog out for walks.
Anyway, MIL has basically told us that Baxter is too much for her to handle, she says she’s made a mistake. I offered to take him right away. Initially she said no, due to my demanding work schedule (RN, I do work 60+ hours a week almost every week) but my husband has a less demanding work schedule, and I would make the changes necessary to my schedule to accommodate whatever Baxter needs.
At this point, she says she’d like to trial a “joint custody” situation with the dog.. we’d probably have him 4 nights a week and she would have him the other 3.
- Is this type of back and forth living situation healthy for a 9 month old puppy? I do believe the routines at our houses are quite different, but at the end of the day they both provide all of his needs. (I think? Maybe not if he barks all night there? I’m way overthinking this)
- I would like to initiate crate training if he does come to live with us, even if it’s only part time.. is it possible to crate train a 9 month old puppy who only lives with us 4 nights a week?
- Is this just a horrible idea?