Can I pay someone to raise a puppy for its first year?

March 3, 2020 3:43 AM

I have wanted a dog for a long time, but due to a chronic illness, I'm not in a position to manage all the work involved in raising and training a puppy. I can manage caring for an adult dog, however - walking, playing, grooming etc.

The breed that is ideal for my health and living circumstances is toy poodle (hypoallergenic hair, small size. I'm only interested in toy poodles, even though I'm aware other breeds might appear suitable). Unfortunately, adult toy poodles practically never come up for adoption where I live. I've contacted the Poodle Society and they've put me on their waiting list, while telling me it probably won't happen. People get pretty attached to this breed, it seems, and from all my interactions with toy poodles, I totally understand why.

So I'm wondering, if I bought a puppy, whether there are people who I can pay to raise and train it for its first year. Like the people who foster guide dog puppies, I guess. Or is this just wishful thinking? I don't have anyone in my family/social sphere who could assist me.

posted by Zaire to Pets & Animals (15 answers total)

I would ask the guide dogs association - I wonder if one of the staff would do this. (My SIL was a vet tech for them for a long time and something she might do.)
posted by jrobin276 at 3:54 AM on March 3, 2020 [3 favorites]

Breeders who sell puppies may also at times have adult dogs for sale. You could start out by contacting breeders and asking about that.
posted by Redstart at 4:03 AM on March 3, 2020 [17 favorites]

If you bought a puppy from a reputable breeder, I wonder if you might be able to pay the breeder to keep it and train it through the first year.
posted by LizardBreath at 4:05 AM on March 3, 2020 [4 favorites]

To build on jrobin276's comment, you should get on the waitlist for rejected dogs at your local guide dog school. They will be fully trained and housebroken, and being rejected doesn't mean a bad dog, just not able to fit into the quite rigorous demands of the guide dog program.
posted by wile e at 4:05 AM on March 3, 2020 [14 favorites]

Could you instead budget or arrange your life for someone to spend a lot of time helping you raise the puppy?
posted by amtho at 5:49 AM on March 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

rejected dogs at your local guide dog school

they can be good dogs, maybe a little energetic
posted by exogenous at 6:01 AM on March 3, 2020 [12 favorites]

There are people who will do this -- for guide dogs, as you've noted, but also trainers for show dogs. Your best point of contact is going to be the breeder you buy the dog from. They will know who can do this. They might do it themselves.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:15 AM on March 3, 2020 [3 favorites]

Rejected guide dogs are very good dogs, but unless things are very different where you are they are not toy poodles. The chances are so low as to be effectively zero. If you just wanted the poodle coat, I've seen poodle crosses as guide dogs, but never a toy poodle.

That said, they have the network to help you find a foster parent, although I suspect the fee would be very high, and they may not want to help you because them that person is unavailable for an actual guide dog.

I also agree on asking breeders, or even a shelter as shelters sometimes have foster families who may be willing to do something longer term for money.
posted by stillnocturnal at 6:19 AM on March 3, 2020 [9 favorites]

You could post it to MeFiJobs, or ask at your local animal shelter, or ask a local dog trainer. You need the dog to be trained for recall (Come), housebroken, and leash-trained. A year old dog is an adolescent that needs a *lot* of vigorous exercise to be happy and healthy, so budget for dog day care or a walker a few times a week.

If you can find someone local, it would be a good idea to attend training with your dog and spend time with the dog to make transition easier.
posted by theora55 at 8:32 AM on March 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

Yes, any breeders I know stay in touch with their customers/owners of their dogs and some contracts even stipulate that if you ever can't keep your dog/cat, you must contact them first and give them the option to rehome the animal.
There are also retired breeding animals who might be for sale (usually at a much reduced rate than younger animals).
posted by dotparker at 8:32 AM on March 3, 2020

Speaking as breeders (not of toy poodles, though) my wife and I have occasionally kept a puppy for a couple extra months for buyers who couldn't pick them up at nine weeks. A year would be... a long time. Especially since there's a good chance that the breeder would also be keeping a puppy for themselves, if they thought one was worthy of being in their breeding program. Keeping two puppies from the same litter can be problematic.

Anyway, we might be open to keeping a dog for someone for a whole year if the money was good enough, but it would have to be very good to be worth the effort. We already have five. And also we'd probably want the puppy to be potentially show-quality and to be shown, to invest so much time in a dog we wouldn't otherwise get the benefit from.

So in conclusion, don't count on a breeder doing this for you, and assume you'd be paying several hundred dollars a month at the very least.

BTW, most terriers are low-allergen because they don't shed.
posted by kindall at 1:53 PM on March 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

For the cost. Have you looked at adoption from abroad? Hong King has many abandoned adult toy poodles (Hong Kong Dog Rescue), at least at a certain point. For the cost of a flight escort you could have an older and more settled dog.

Please be aware that poodles are intelligent and active, even older poodles. And they can be destructive when bored.
posted by frumiousb at 2:43 PM on March 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

I’d go with an ex-breeder. That is, a dog whose had a few litters from a good breeder who then wants to rehome it rather than breed it to death like a puppy mill. Chances are the dog will be older than a year but it will also be trained and hopefully well looked after.
posted by Jubey at 3:47 PM on March 3, 2020 [2 favorites]

When we were looking for a standard poodle, we contacted all of the local breeders. One had a 9 month old puppy that they had planned to use as a show dog and then eventually breeder but discovered that it didn't have the right temperament (too shy and a little anxious). They offered it to us as pet (not breeder or show) and it worked out great. So definitely contact all of your local breeders and let them know that you are interested.
posted by metahawk at 5:51 PM on March 3, 2020

I was just looking for an agility class for my son and his dog, and the facility also offers what they call a "puppy program," which is like doggy daycare but with puppy training. It's $149/week, so not cheap, and it might not meet your needs because evenings and weekends with the puppy might still be a bit too much for you. I don't know. But you could look at dog training or dog daycare facilities near you to see if there is something similar.
posted by Orlop at 4:00 PM on March 7, 2020 [1 favorite]