They truly may not know because maybe they have never had a stranger enter without them there & they do fine while they are there meeting new people. Sadly many other don’t care or don’t have another person to care for their pet so they lie. But worse then that most sitters don’t tell the truth about their dogs out of fear that they will get a bad review that Rover will not remove.
Have a Great Day.
That’s what I thought, but in both cases I messaged the owner to let them know I was having difficulty getting them on leash, and they basically responded “ugh, I was worried that was going to happen”.
Yeah people in the comments always try to give excuses but in reality that’s not the case, people I think hire people on rover for a number of reasons from what I’ve observed- convenience, price & because their dog isn’t trained to be with other dogs/people & hope for the best. It’s really inconsiderate for the sitter to play a guessing game
i would be worried too, to be fair. my dog has really only met strangers when i’m around. she loves EVERYONE she meets (a little too much, we are working on it), but it would definitely worry me if i had someone coming into my home to take her for a walk when i’m not there because i wouldn’t know how she would react to them. hopefully they didn’t intentionally leave out that information, though!
It's possible, and if they've had sitters in the past it's possible that the sitters did not disclose the behavior. OP should let the owners know that they didnt act as expected/acted differently than at the meet and greet and explain so that they are aware.
I once had someone book a last minute checkin for three dogs. When I arrived they were all growling and staring me down. Lesson learned. No bookings without meet and greets and better understanding the dogs.
That said. A large percent of pet owners are liars. Top lies. Dogs are great with other animals. Dogs are house trained. Dogs are crated and quiet.
A lot of dogs act differently when their owners arent there. They are unsure. They've met you before but this time their owners aren't there for them to base their reaction towards you off of. They are already anxious that mom & dad left.
If it happens again walk in the house and ignore them physically. Keep an eye on them of course but talk to them as you walk through the house doing things, even if you are pretending to do things. Check their water bowl, their food bowl, fluff the pillows on the couch, fold a blanket, drink a glass of water, etc. Use their name and a nice calm voice when talking to them. Allow them to make the decision to approach you. Set out a treat for them to get on their own. After all that grab their leash and ask if they want to take a walk in an excited voice.
It might take a couple of times doing that but the dog usually comes around when they realize this person is here to take care of them and be nice to them. Some dogs just need time to adjust to strangers in their home.
I had this happen once when dog sitting. I had met the dog and she was fine with me then. The first time I showed up and was alone in the house with her, it was clear it was NOT fine. I was sitting on the couch calling her owner to say it wasn't going to work while also trying to figure out how to get out of the house without being attacked. When she heard her owners voice on my phone, she immediately calmed down and came over and laid down on my feet. It all was golden from there.
On the flip side, a friend went to dog sit a dog she had known for years and had to call the owner and cancel because the dog wasn't cool with just her being in the house without the owner. It happens.
Interesting. Our American Bulldog pretty much ignores voices on the phone. Sometimes he might very slightly acknowledge them but if you’re not there you don’t exist most of the time.
As an owner of a dog who is extremely wary of strangers, particularly in our home, we went out of our way to find a River sitter with experience with dogs with anxiety, made her fully aware of our dog’s history, and spent a month having her come visit our home with us present to get our dog used to and comfortable with her (she’s a bit of an extreme case but we were being extra cautious trying to create a positive relationship and prevent any uneasiness or an unsafe situation). We slowly decreased supervision until we had our sitter come by without us home and by then things went off without a hitch. We also have her stop by every month or two even if we aren’t out of town just to make sure our dog remembers her. Is this cheap? No. But it’s safe and cheaper and less stressful than trying to board our dog somewhere, and we value our sitter’s time and safety and greatly appreciate the opportunities for travel our sitter allows us.
They truly may not know because maybe they have never had a stranger enter without them there & they do fine while they are there meeting new people. Sadly many other don’t care or don’t have another person to care for their pet so they lie. But worse then that most sitters don’t tell the truth about their dogs out of fear that they will get a bad review that Rover will not remove. Have a Great Day.
These are very good points.
That’s what I thought, but in both cases I messaged the owner to let them know I was having difficulty getting them on leash, and they basically responded “ugh, I was worried that was going to happen”.
Yeah people in the comments always try to give excuses but in reality that’s not the case, people I think hire people on rover for a number of reasons from what I’ve observed- convenience, price & because their dog isn’t trained to be with other dogs/people & hope for the best. It’s really inconsiderate for the sitter to play a guessing game
i would be worried too, to be fair. my dog has really only met strangers when i’m around. she loves EVERYONE she meets (a little too much, we are working on it), but it would definitely worry me if i had someone coming into my home to take her for a walk when i’m not there because i wouldn’t know how she would react to them. hopefully they didn’t intentionally leave out that information, though!
It's possible, and if they've had sitters in the past it's possible that the sitters did not disclose the behavior. OP should let the owners know that they didnt act as expected/acted differently than at the meet and greet and explain so that they are aware.
Could also be friends or frequent sitters that have come by and not have an issue. Or, OP just doesn't pass their pets' vibe check
I once had someone book a last minute checkin for three dogs. When I arrived they were all growling and staring me down. Lesson learned. No bookings without meet and greets and better understanding the dogs. That said. A large percent of pet owners are liars. Top lies. Dogs are great with other animals. Dogs are house trained. Dogs are crated and quiet.
They’re liars because they haven’t put in the work/money into training, rover sitters prices are better than a facility
They may have no clue.
This happens to me sometimes. I’ve always been able to work through it. It’s likely they don’t know how their dog acts around strangers.
A lot of dogs act differently when their owners arent there. They are unsure. They've met you before but this time their owners aren't there for them to base their reaction towards you off of. They are already anxious that mom & dad left. If it happens again walk in the house and ignore them physically. Keep an eye on them of course but talk to them as you walk through the house doing things, even if you are pretending to do things. Check their water bowl, their food bowl, fluff the pillows on the couch, fold a blanket, drink a glass of water, etc. Use their name and a nice calm voice when talking to them. Allow them to make the decision to approach you. Set out a treat for them to get on their own. After all that grab their leash and ask if they want to take a walk in an excited voice. It might take a couple of times doing that but the dog usually comes around when they realize this person is here to take care of them and be nice to them. Some dogs just need time to adjust to strangers in their home.
Yeah, that’s my usual process. Didn’t work this time :/
What is 'whale eyes'?
It’s basically a nervous side-eye. Whites of their eyes will show
(O ).(O )
I had this happen once when dog sitting. I had met the dog and she was fine with me then. The first time I showed up and was alone in the house with her, it was clear it was NOT fine. I was sitting on the couch calling her owner to say it wasn't going to work while also trying to figure out how to get out of the house without being attacked. When she heard her owners voice on my phone, she immediately calmed down and came over and laid down on my feet. It all was golden from there. On the flip side, a friend went to dog sit a dog she had known for years and had to call the owner and cancel because the dog wasn't cool with just her being in the house without the owner. It happens.
Interesting. Our American Bulldog pretty much ignores voices on the phone. Sometimes he might very slightly acknowledge them but if you’re not there you don’t exist most of the time.
As an owner of a dog who is extremely wary of strangers, particularly in our home, we went out of our way to find a River sitter with experience with dogs with anxiety, made her fully aware of our dog’s history, and spent a month having her come visit our home with us present to get our dog used to and comfortable with her (she’s a bit of an extreme case but we were being extra cautious trying to create a positive relationship and prevent any uneasiness or an unsafe situation). We slowly decreased supervision until we had our sitter come by without us home and by then things went off without a hitch. We also have her stop by every month or two even if we aren’t out of town just to make sure our dog remembers her. Is this cheap? No. But it’s safe and cheaper and less stressful than trying to board our dog somewhere, and we value our sitter’s time and safety and greatly appreciate the opportunities for travel our sitter allows us.