Hi. I am Marge, pet parent to two older dogs. Any advice out there about helping older dogs get used to their new sitter? I know the sitters are all vetted and like dogs or they would not be part of the TH community. But with older dogs, any break in their routine can be a stress. Thanks everyone.
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Hey hey!
Welcome!
You’ll get many seasoned suggestions on the forum.
I will offer that whenever possible, a warm hand off with the sitter would help.
Sitter arrive a day early to connect with you and your pup type thing.
Keep us posted!
If it’s possible to get someone local to you they could maybe meet up with you beforehand.
Alternatively, as @HelloOutThere says, I suggest the sitters arrive a day or two before you go. Always good anyway to show the sitters the dogs’ regular walks and explain their routine & training.
Have you experience that your dogs get stressed with new people? I’ve looked after several older dogs with no problems
I think most dogs are more than willing to accept a bribe of a cookie or two, to make the transition easier. 
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Hi @Marge. Welcome to our community here in the forum. Many sitters prefer to arrive the afternoon before the pet parent leaves to give the pets a chance to get to know them and see that their pet parents are comfortable with the sitter. Going for a walk with owner, sitter and dogs and including the sitter in the dinnertime routine help too. One of the benefits of having the sitter arrive early is they will be able to watch how you interact with your dogs and replicate that as much as possible during the sit. In over 50 sits, I’ve only had 2 dogs who pined for their owners in the first few days of the sits, and extra cuddles and love helped them relax. I’m sure your dogs will be fine, too.
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