So after unexpectedly losing my 6.5 year old Lab a month ago, I’ll be getting a new Lab puppy this December and have some questions. My previous dog was my first dog on my own. He was great and my ultimate best buddy, but around 5.5, come to find he had elbow and mild hip dysplasia after coming from a breeder where that shouldn’t have been an issue. Now I’m reading about potential environmental contributions to dysplasia and I want to make sure I do right by next dog. When I got my first dog, stairs weren’t a major issue as he lived downstairs at my old house until he was potty trained at close to a year. My house now, though, while everything is downstairs, has a two story deck with ~12 steps (with one big landing) to get to my fenced back yard. I plan on carrying the pup until I can’t then training to calmly walk up/down, but the issue I’m running into is that I’ll have a pet sitter that will be helping with potty breaks M-Th in addition to me coming home for lunch (I’m single and work out of the home), and I don’t think it’s reasonable for me to ask a service provider to carry a wriggly puppy up and down deck steps. The front yard would be an option, but my neighborhood has some folks who walk dogs off leash and i probably have 2 dogs wander close to my house every now and then, so with Parvo considerations, I don’t think that’s a great option. What would y’all suggest? I’m looking at a potty pad/fake grass thing for the upper deck. There is a sloped area leading down to my backyard from the front, but the dog will walk on some rocks that other dogs could have potentially been on. Also - should I just give a young dog omega 3 supplements for general joint health? When should I start joint supplements for a Lab? Thank you for your help.
I think it would be reasonable for the pet sitter to carry the puppy down the steps until he is vaccinated. It will only be for a couple of weeks. To house train young pups, it helps to take them out every half hour or so throughout the day for the first couple of weeks, which may be a bit much for a pet sitter. Could you take the first couple of weeks off work? That way, you can carry the pup down the steps every half hour for the first weeks until his vaccinations are complete?
