Selling a house w/ Dogs - Outdoor Dogs

[Deer Heart]

As I fleetingly mentioned once or twice, I'm planning to move the farm. In the meantime I have to get the house completely presentable to sell. We are going on the market next month but if deals fall through on current places we are looking at, then the dogs will be present during the showing of my house. My dogs have always been indoor dogs with access to the outside through a doggy door.


This isn't an appropriate arrangement when I have strangers coming in and out wanting to look at everything (Raven is especially guarding and may even act territorial). Not only that but they come with a certain smell and level of home hygiene that I may find acceptable but buyers might be put off.

The only resolution I could think of is to keep the dogs outside and confine them to the storage side of the chicken coop whenever someone is expected to come. I however tested this experiment off and on this week. They bark, a lot, and Raven bangs on the sliding glass door and finally last night, Raven ripped the doggy door off the side of the house, just that determined to get in. It breaks my heart to see her so desperate and upset. It's only temporary but how is she supposed to know that?

I don't know what else to do or how to make keeping them outside easier on them. I am even considering drugging Raven as she's the one that's being destructive and clearly having serious anxieties about being without me and outside in general (she's fine in the house when I leave for work, just for some reason this seems to be her "last straw". The very moment she realizes she can't follow me back into the house is when she starts panting, drooling, and clawing at the door trying to get in. (The other two simply bark more but eventually find other things to do like watching the ducks)

Any alternative ideas on what to do with my dogs would also be great. The goal here is simply to not have dogs in the house for however long it takes my house to sell, this way I would attract more possible buyers.

 

[Zass]

Is there anyway you AND the dogs could stay elsewhere together? That's what I would be doing in my boys absolutely couldn't be allowed to stay with me. They are far too much of house dogs to sleep by themselves at night..

 

[wamplercathy]

Is there a trusted friend or family they could stay with? Push come to shove I know my brother would take both of ours for a brief time and we could be there with them too.

 

[Deer Heart]

Is there anyway you AND the dogs could stay elsewhere together? That's what I would be doing in my boys absolutely couldn't be allowed to stay with me. They are far too much of house dogs to sleep by themselves at night..

There would be if at least one of the houses we are trying to put offers on didn't fall through (my criteria list isn't very big so we have a lot of interest in several places but have surprising difficulty making contact with sellers on any of them...). But this house needs to go on the market at that time with or without a finalized offer. If we still don't have my new place and this place sells, my mother pre-agreed to let me stay on her property with all of my animals (3 dogs, a cat, 6 ducks, 7 chickens, 7 buns (if not more as several are due soon). But in that scenario, I would not be able to keep the dogs inside with me either (I'd be staying in the small rv camper and mom has a strict dogs are outside animals rule. She's doing me the huge favor of even being allowed to stay there, free, with a buttload of animals - I'm not pushing my luck). <br /><br /> __________ Mon Aug 24, 2015 1:19 pm __________ <br /><br />

Is there a trusted friend or family they could stay with? Push come to shove I know my brother would take both of ours for a brief time and we could be there with them too.

All of my family believe that dogs are meant to be outside like all animals. My mother in particular thinks it is absolutely cruel to keep any animal indoors (particularly cats). She used to put my guinea pig outside every day when I'd go to school because she felt it was cruel keeping him in a house all the time just for the sake of being on display for children (she did the same thing with my rabbit). It's funny how opinions on that sort of thing changes with generations. I think part of it might be with how much time is spent indoors these days Vs. back then. I also think the two dogs would be 100% fine with it... Raven on the other hand...

 

[HowlsOfAngels]

Is it not possible to board your dogs at a kennel ($25-$50 per dog per day)? Drop them off for daycare ($10-$20 per dog per 8-10 hours)? Or maybe take them for a well timed walk and crate them when your guest arrives?

I really wouldn't recommend drugging your dog, I'm not really a fan of it. But... I do work in a kennel where some owners will dose their unmanageable dogs with benadryl and it makes them really loopy and groggy for a few hours (long enough to be bathed, dried, groomed, and sent home). I'd call a vet for the proper dosage and potential side effects.

 

[Deer Heart]

Is it not possible to board your dogs at a kennel ($25-$50 per dog per day)? Drop them off for daycare ($10-$20 per dog per 8-10 hours)? Or maybe take them for a well timed walk and crate them when your guest arrives?

I really wouldn't recommend drugging your dog, I'm not really a fan of it. But... I do work in a kennel where some owners will dose their unmanageable dogs with benadryl and it makes them really loopy and groggy for a few hours (long enough to be bathed, dried, groomed, and sent home). I'd call a vet for the proper dosage and potential side effects.

I didn't mean anything heavy duty @ drugging. Mostly the herbal tablets with chamomile, lavender, etc. in it since we are talking possibly months of being on the market. Kennel was my first thought but it's just as bad (Raven will still be absolutely ballistic if this is how she acts with a single wall separating us) and far too expensive. Even if it's only $20 a day per dog (It's closer to $50 in my area) that is $60 A DAY and assuming my house sells in a month (who are we kidding? IDK anyone who's house sold in one month) we're talking $1,800 each month while my house is on the market. It's not about them just not being in the house while there's people walking through. My problem is having dogs in the house at all, my house needs to be kept "sale ready" at a seconds notice every time. I can't tell an agent or interested buyer to wait a few hrs while I get the dog hair off the couch, bed, carpets, and change my air filters so they look less fuzzy, all while trying to get rid of that "dog smell" without looking like I'm trying to cover up mold/cigarette smell/something worse. (unless someone has a remedy for this??) <br /><br /> __________ Mon Aug 24, 2015 8:28 pm __________ <br /><br /> @Zass On second thought though, I wonder if Raven would be happier outside at my mums. At least the camper is elevated so she could get under it. The only catch with me going there too soon is the drive to and from work (About 50 mins one way) But the place is fenced for dogs better than mine and that gives Raven 3 acres to run with my 2 dogs and my mums dog Pepper. The change in location and routine might throw her off enough to accept the situation a bit better... or after hearing her mournful howls mom might have a change of heart about just that one dog sneaking in the camper 'till I get my new house >>

 

[coyotejoe]

If it were just a matter of the short time someone is actually looking at the property I would put my dogs in my truck. They are perfectly at home there for up to a couple of hours, assuming of course that it is not too hot. Even then I might just start the truck and run the AC.

 

[HOWsMom]

Crate training ? Or a large-ish outdoor dog run that doesn't connect directly to the doggy door ?

 

[Deer Heart]

If it were just a matter of the short time someone is actually looking at the property I would put my dogs in my truck. They are perfectly at home there for up to a couple of hours, assuming of course that it is not too hot. Even then I might just start the truck and run the AC.

Florida. :lol: thank you though. At least my mom has a great idea now for just during showings (taking my pack for a walk while she shows the house without me in the way.)

I just don't know any other way to keep the house "show ready" at a moments notice. As it is I will have to live with plastic garbage bags all over everything and then pull them off when I get word someone is coming. We have an agent coming out to "estimate" everything on the 5th and then we're immediately listing it with that as our basic guideline. <br /><br /> __________ Tue Aug 25, 2015 9:01 pm __________ <br /><br />

Crate training ? Or a large-ish outdoor dog run that doesn't connect directly to the doggy door ?

Raven, of course, is my only dog I cannot crate train. She's very prone to developing UTI's from holding it... dog run though is a possibility. I have several things that could work as one (the chicken run or my duck pen).