Aupair responsibilities for puppy?

I'm wondering if any host famlies can give me advice about how the aupair helps with a dog/puppy.

I realize the aupair is not responsible for the puppy but I do need help as a working parent. I will ask her to walk the dog for one long walk or two short walks during the day. By the time she comes the dog will be close to 1 year old (he is being crate trained). My kids help in the morning and after schoool.

What else do you outline for the aupair as far as helping with the dog? just want to be crystal clear.

Unless she agrees to this in advance of you matching, I wouldn't think you would be allowed to ask for this. They are coming over as childcare and not as household help. You can't ask them to do other things that aren't childcare related (cleaning and laundry should be child-focused) so I am not sure it would be ok to ask them to take care of your pet. 3 walks is a lot.
I'd clear this with your au pair representative.

We have successfully had 7 au pairs, many of them extending past their original year. If they become attached to our pets, they naturally help take care of them,but I've never heard of anyone requiring it as part of the stay.

hmm, it sounds like it is happening during the day when your children are not at home which means these are hours the au pair would normally not be working. Will she even be around? Would it apply to the hours she is allowed to work per week? You may want to consider a dog walker, we use the comfy canine, they are great.

We have had a gazillion au pairs over the years. The pet question is on the au pair application. There is also a question about the au pair's responsibilities regarding said pet. As long as you have disclosed it, I think you are fine.

I was an Aupair 10 years ago in Europe. I would say it depends, not only of course by disclosing this in their duties, but also on how much you value them having time out of the house. I took classes everyday, met with friends and had a life away from the family for a few hours a day, which was highly encouraged, and part of the reason I became an Aupair - to steep in another culture. I imagine that someone may want to come to Maplewood for the proximity to the city. That said, the family I was with got a puppy while I was there, and I was responsible for helping the children care for the puppy in the afternoons and evenings. As someone mentioned, I grew to love the dog, and cared for it more than required, but highly appreciated that they didn't ask me to walk the dog in the middle of the day, affording me to do many more things. But then again, if you have children that need to be cared for all day (aren't in school), then I don't see why not!

If it's the kids' dog, then she would be responsible for it!

That said, I do agree that you should make sure the hour dog walk is counted in her weekly hours.

d

it is the kids dogs (but you know how it goes) - it is my dog too. Kids are in middle school so I think I need to be very clear what the expectations are. thank you all very much. I didn't think about 'if it is the kids dog - she is responsible for it" b ecause the aupair program is to take care of the kids. I have to think about all that you have said. welcome others thoughts and experiences too.

I think this technically falls outside of au pair duties. We hosted three aupairs over five plus years and I seem to recall the ones who walked the dogs were given a bit of extra cash to do so. Maybe not as much as a professional dog walker but enough to keep everyone happy. Of course the extra cash goes against the rules too! You will at the least need to tell her in advance and count the hours. You could get an au pair who's terrified of dogs or clueless about them and then you'd be in a mess.

Contrary to popular belief in these parts, an Aupair is not a slave. I would hire a dog walker and/or offer the Aupair some additional money under the table in exchange for walking the dog, but I would make the choice entirely their own.

If the dog walking counts towards the au pair's working hours for the week I see no reason why this would not be fair and ok, assuming au pair was okay with dogs/walks.

I don't think you should give au pair responsibilities to your puppy.

Pay her some extra money for this and everyone will be happy.

Alan_Paul said:

Pay her some extra money for this and everyone will be happy.

Not necessarily. As someone mentioned above, au pairs come to experience our culture in addition to making some money. If the au pair has to be back at the house at 9, 12, and 3 to walk the dog, and then officially goes "on duty" at 3:30 when the kids get home from school, there aren't any chunks of time big enough for them to go to the city, etc, since their free time would be broken up by dog walking responsibilities.

Discuss it in a non-pressure manner, say you already have someone else lined up to walk the dog (that way they don't feel they HAVE to do it) but that if they want the extra money you'd be happy to let them do it instead.

If the host family has pets is a clear question on the application. There is also a subsequent question about whether the au pair will have responsibilities for the pet. It's allowable, but of course should be agreed upon by both parties.

How long, is the ''long walk''? and same Q for the short one, times two? If the au pair did not agree to this ahead of time, please don't ask for it now. It is a lot of time and effort to take care of a young adult dog. 10 months = high energy needs, a lot of socializing wanted by the dog -- they miss their people when alone for too long, the time would cut into the au pair's free time as mentioned above… so many factors to consider.

We have just gotten through puppyhood. It was a massive pain in the ass. I wouldn't presume that an au pair would have this responsibility. I would work this out ahead of time for sure!

It's pretty clear on this aupair.com website - no pet duties.

https://www.aupair.com/en/p-usa-america-duties.php

Sometimes an au pair is willing to be flexible and bend the rules a bit if they're ok with it. But this is something that you ought to ask about and get agreement on before she agrees to work for you. Maybe she likes dogs and this is no biggie, or maybe this is a deal-breaker for her.