Dog care guide
This is Phaedrus.
Say it like “FAY-drus”He’s a 10-year-old sweetheart — friendly, playful, and pretty chill most of the day. Thank you so much for looking after him.
Food
Feeding him is simple, and we’ve made it foolproof. We’re leaving his kibble, his bowls, the scoop, and pouches of bone broth. The broth is the magic part — he loves it, and it’s what gets him to eat right up.
How to make a meal
- Take him out for a potty break first.
- Fill the scoop with kibble up to the marked line.
- Drizzle some bone broth over the kibble.
- Give it a quick mix. He’ll usually gobble it down even if you don’t.
When and how much
Twice a day — one meal in the morning, one in the evening, each after a potty break.
- Each 200g broth pouch covers about 4 meals, which is roughly 2 days.
- We’re leaving 5 pouches — enough for the whole stay.
- Once you open a pouch, keep it in the fridge.
- Fresh water always available.
He’s a champion beggar. Even a small scrap teaches him to pester. The easy fix: pop him in another room while you eat, and he’ll settle.
Here’s a quirk of his to know about. Some dogs get funny about eating in a new place, and Phaedrus is one of them. When his people are away, he sometimes won’t eat much for the first day or two. It’s a known habit of his, not usually a sign he’s sick. The broth is exactly what helps here — keep offering his meals as normal. Only start worrying if he eats nothing at all for 2–3 days. At that point, call us or the vet.
Potty & yard time
He’s easygoing about bathroom breaks, and your yard does most of the work. He’ll do his business out there and then happily potter around or flop in the grass for a while, perfectly content.
His normal rhythm — twice a day
Two trips a day is usually all he needs, and each one pairs with a meal: potty first, then eat. His day tends to settle into something like this:
- Morning: potty + breakfast somewhere around 8:30–10:00.
- Evening: potty + dinner somewhere around 18:00–19:30, once you’re home.
These are just examples — he’s flexible, so slide them to fit your day. He’s completely fine being left through a normal workday with no midday break.
Early-start days need a third trip
One thing to watch. If he gets up unusually early — say 6am — and goes out then, his usual two trips won’t quite stretch to bedtime. On those days he’ll want one more short trip before bed. Rule of thumb: an early start means early morning, evening, and a last one before he sleeps.
Walks
He’s slowed down in his old age. A 10–20 minute walk is plenty. More is fine if you both feel like it, but he genuinely doesn’t need much. If you have a yard he can run around in, that alone keeps him happy.
Letting him in and out is exactly when he can slip away. Make sure the yard is secure, and never leave an outside door open behind you. More on this in Safety.
Living with your cats
You’ve got two cats, and Phaedrus is a guest in their home for 10 days. The good news first: he has met plenty of cats over the years and has never been aggressive with any of them. He’s a gentle dog. But there’s one habit worth understanding, and one simple way to manage it.
The habit: he wants to play
Phaedrus grew up with a cat who loved to play. They’d chase each other around the house and even nap together. So when he meets a new cat, he sometimes expects that same buddy-buddy fun.
Most cats set him straight in about two seconds, and he backs right off. But if a cat doesn’t put up a boundary, he might start a light, obviously-playful chase — bouncy and goofy, tail wagging, not a hunt. It isn’t aggression. But your cats won’t enjoy it, and we don’t want it to turn into a game.
Your tool: “leave it”
Your main tool is the command “leave it.” Said calmly and firmly, at the moment he starts eyeing a cat to play, he’s pretty good at stopping. Say it like you mean it — there’s a real knack to this one, explained in Commands.
Keep them apart when you’re out
When you leave the house, put Phaedrus and the cats in separate spaces. You already planned to shut him in a room while you’re at work — that’s perfect. It gives everyone a break and removes any chance of chasing when no one’s watching.
He treats a litter box like a snack bar (he’s raided one before), and he’ll happily eat from the cat bowls if they’re on the floor. Wherever your cats can still reach both but he can’t is ideal — behind a door, up high, or gated off. Whatever’s easiest for you; no big rearrange needed.
We’ll be there when we drop him off, so we’ll manage the introduction together. The plan: Phaedrus stays on his leash and calm, your cats get an easy escape route — a high perch or an open path to another room so they’re never cornered — and we keep “leave it” ready. If we’ve managed to bring our spare baby gate, we can use it to give the cats a dog-free zone from day one.
Safety: the floor & the doors
These two things matter more than anything else in this guide. Get these right and the rest is easy. Everything below is about keeping him out of trouble he can’t get himself out of.
If it’s on the floor and looks even a little edible, Phaedrus will eat it. This is the single biggest risk of his whole stay, because a house with cats has exactly the wrong things lying around. He has swallowed small cat toys before and it made him sick.
The one thing to be strict about
Small cat toys, and anything tiny he could swallow. This one is a real safety worry, not a tidiness thing — he’s swallowed a cat toy before and it made him sick enough to need a vet. While he’s around, it’s worth keeping little swallowable objects up off the floor.
Everything else — just so you know he’ll help himself
None of the rest is a safety emergency. He’s simply a shameless snacker who’ll hoover up anything within reach. You know your home best, so tuck away whatever’s easy and don’t give the rest a second thought. Things he’ll go for:
- Cat food and litter boxes. He’ll raid both. Anywhere your cats can still reach them but he can’t is ideal — whatever’s simplest for you.
- Dropped food and crumbs on the floor.
- Low tables. He’ll graze the edge of a coffee table if there’s food within reach.
- An open bin with food in it. He’s not a dedicated trash-raider, but a low, open one is fair game.
If an outside door is open and unattended, Phaedrus will trot out and go exploring the neighborhood. Treat every open door as an escape risk. And don’t count on calling him back — his recall (“come”) works only about half the time, so preventing the escape beats chasing him.
If he does get out
- Don’t chase him. He may think it’s a fun game and run further.
- Instead, stay calm, crouch down low, and call him happily — or walk the other way so he follows you.
- Grab a broth pouch or treats to lure him close.
- Once he’s near, take his collar gently. He’s microchipped and wears a tag, so if he ever truly gets lost he can be identified.
Commands he knows
He knows a good set of commands, but he’s a pit-lab mix — leaning more pit — so he can be a touch stubborn and won’t always obey the first time. Say commands calmly and clearly. Here’s each one and how reliable it really is, so you know what you can count on.
| Command | What it means | How reliable |
|---|---|---|
| Leave it | Stop / don’t touch that. Your most important command — use it for the cats and for anything he shouldn’t eat. | Fair — say it like you mean it |
| Sit | Sit down. | Reliable |
| Down | Lie down. | Reliable |
| Stay | Stay put where he is. | Holds ~1 min |
| Come | Come to you. | ~50/50 — don’t rely on it |
| Go inside | Head through a door. Point at the door as you say it. | Good with the point |
| Go over there | Move to a spot, like the living room. Point where you want him. He gets better at this once he knows you. | ~50/50 for new people |
| Up | Come up onto the bed — only when you invite him, patting the bed. See House rules. | Invite-only |
“Leave it” is your off-switch for the cat chasing and the floor snacking. How well it works depends almost entirely on how you say it, not the words themselves.
Here’s his little game. With someone new, the first “leave it” usually startles him and he stops. Then he reads whether you actually mean it. If you sound unsure, he’ll pretend he didn’t hear you and keep inching toward what he wants, just to see what you’ll do. It isn’t aggressive — he’s testing you. And if he gets away with it once, he’ll push a bit harder the next time.
So say it early, before he’s locked onto the target, and say it like you mean it — calm, low, and certain. Confidence and timing are what make it land.
Loud noises & comforting him
Phaedrus has one soft spot: sudden loud noises. It’s worth knowing so it doesn’t catch you off guard, because his reaction can look a little dramatic.
What sets him off
Sudden loud sounds — a bang, a jackhammer, a Harley roaring past, a balloon popping, or loud cheering and yelling at the TV during sports.
What it looks like
He’ll start trembling and looking anxious. Usually he’ll come straight to you, shaking, and ask for comfort. He is never aggressive when scared — just clingy and shaky.
What to do
Be his calm, steady person. Gentle petting, a hug, a soft voice — that’s all he needs. Try not to make a big fuss or act worried yourself; staying calm helps him settle faster. His crate (kept open, see House rules) is also a cozy den he can hide in if he wants. It passes.
House rules & habits
A few everyday things so he fits into your home nicely. None of it is fussy — he’s a low-maintenance houseguest.
When he first meets someone
Phaedrus gets excited meeting a new person and might jump up to say hello. It’s all friendly, and at his age it only lasts a minute. If you’d rather he didn’t, here’s a trick that works every time: while he’s jumping, just ignore him — no eye contact, no touching, even turn your back for a moment. He gives up quickly, and then you can say a proper hello and give him all the fuss you like.
Furniture and bed
He’s not allowed on furniture — no couches, no chairs. He knows this rule. The bed is off-limits too, unless you invite him.
If you ever want to spoil him, pat the bed and say “up.” He’ll be over the moon — one sitter did this and he was in heaven. Totally optional, and never without the invite.
His crate
We’re bringing his crate and setting it up with the door left open — always open, never latched. It’s his safe den, not a cage. It smells like home, which helps him settle and gives him a spot to hide from loud noises. Please don’t ever close him inside it.
Sleeping
At home he sleeps in our room, but he’s easygoing and settles wherever you put him. Whatever spot you’d like him to sleep in is fine.
Being left alone
He’s calm on his own. He doesn’t bark and he doesn’t chew. His only vice is hunting for food on the floor. He can comfortably be left up to about 9–10 hours before there’s any accident risk, and even accidents are rare.
Grooming
Low-maintenance — no special brushing or cleaning needed for the stay.
What he loves most
His favorite thing in the whole world is attention. Cuddles, petting, company — that’s what makes him happiest. He’ll also chase a thrown ball or chew a rope toy, though he’s mellowed with age. Honestly, a lap and some ear scratches make his day.
Emergency & contacts
Hopefully you’ll never need any of this. But here it all is in one place, just in case.
We’re on a road-and-ferry trip through Norway, and for stretches of it we’ll have no phone signal — overnight ferries, a very long tunnel, and deep fjords all cut us off. So if you can’t reach us right away, it’s almost certainly a dead-signal patch, not us ignoring you. That’s exactly why we’ve written the permission note below: so you can act without waiting for us.
Jeriah, you have our full permission to take Phaedrus to a vet for any urgent health problem while he’s in your care, and to approve treatment up to €1,500 without waiting to reach us. We will reimburse you for any vet costs. If a vet needs to spend more than that, keep trying to reach us — but do whatever’s needed to keep him safe and comfortable.
German vets add a fixed emergency surcharge of around €60 for nights and weekends, on top of the treatment itself. So don’t be alarmed by the price of an after-hours visit — that’s normal here.
Call us first
Call or text either of us. If we don’t reply quickly, keep trying — and use the contacts below if it’s urgent and can’t wait.
Local backup
If you have a trusted local person of your own — a neighbor, a friend, or your own vet — don’t hesitate to lean on them in a pinch. Someone close by beats someone far away.
Family in the US (last resort only)
They’re in the US, so during your daytime it’s the middle of their night. Only for when you truly can’t reach anyone else and a decision has to be made.
Vets
Quick answers, if something happens
He won’t eat. Normal for a day or two in a new place — the broth is the fix. Only worry if it’s nothing at all for 2–3 days, then call us or the vet.
He got out. Don’t chase. Crouch, call him happily or walk away so he follows, and lure him with broth or treats.
He swallowed something (a cat toy, something off the floor). This is his big risk. Watch for vomiting, no appetite, or looking uncomfortable. If you suspect a blockage, call the vet — don’t wait.
He’s shaking from a loud noise. Comfort him calmly. It passes on its own.