I am new and have a question for experienced sitters. If you arrive for a sit after the homeowners have left, how do the dogs react to a stranger coming into their home? Any tips on how to do this smoothly?
Just let them sniff you a bit. Dogs can figure out if your friend or foe. Donât make a great fuss unless they show willing to being petted.
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I wonât arrive for a sit, especially with dogs, after the owners have leftâŚI donât think itâs right. What if you had an accident en route and the dogs were left alone?
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I agree. I think itâs important for the animals to see an interaction between their owners & the sitters, so they can feel reassured and kinda feel their new âfriendsâ are approved of.
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Iâve done it a few times with dogs, cats. My first time I was concerned - I was arriving about 3 hours after the HOs left. Two dogs - I walked in, they looked up from the ends of the couch (which was allowed) they were sleeping on then went back to sleep. We had a great week together.
Most recent, the dog barked a bit, the curled up next to me when I sat down.
I think it will depend on the dog(s) and the HOs know them best.
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Very helpful- thank you!
ask the HOs how they generally introduce people to their dogs and if the dogs have any triggers. but i personally wouldnât want to do it with dogs. Iâve done it once with a cat. i never met the HO at all for that sit, which was weird.
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This happed on me very early on in my THS journey. I met the owners at the airport having overnighted myself on the way in inroder get there early and we met just before they went through security to fly out and hand over keys.
I asked for them to give me a soft toy of the dog so that on arrival at the hom the dog could smell me and also smell and see something familar.
It worked a treat 
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We have done it without any problems at all. But I have heard of instances where a dog attacked a sitter arriving after HOs leaving (even though they had spent time with them earlier) and instances where a dog became so defensive of their space as to make it very uncomfortable. So I would ask a lot of questions regarding dogâs behaviour first
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@SoloTraveler If your arrival absolutely has to be done after the HO leaves, be sure to know the dogâs name and say it through the closed door to them first, and have a (pre-approved) treat for them on arrival! Best to do pet and house hand-offs in person though for sure.
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As a homeowner, I wouldnât dream of expecting a sitter to let themselves into my house after weâd left, and my dog is a pushover! Thereâs some good advice in the replies but if you havenât already committed Iâd give it a miss. What else might they be expecting you to deal with on the sit with no forewarning?
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We arrived to our very first sit after the HO had left. This was a specific request of the HO as they were not wanting us to be there as they were getting ready to leave. We had chatted virtually, but never met the HO or pets in person.
Thankfully there was no issue. One of the dogs was a little standoffish for a day or so, but soon warmed up to us.
Definitely not our preference as we would prefer an in person handover or at least a meet and greet beforehand.
Only other time we arrived after the HO had left was a repeat sit. When we arrived, the dogs looked up at us as if to say âoh, itâs you againâ and went back to sleep.
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I was doing a sit in Victoria, BC, for friends of a couple Iâd done multiple sits for. The original friends had been away on a 2-week vacation, and had left their dog with family that time. The day after they returned, we arranged to meet up at a cafe. When the dog saw me, she backed away, rather than her normal friendly greeting. We quickly figured it out. She turned to her owner and gave her standard stare that she gave when she wasnât amused. We read that as âreally, youâre leaving again, already?â 
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Ideally, the sitter and HO meet before the sit, especially for a dog sit. That is not always possible, though I think I would hesitate going forward.
There is a horrific story in the news right now. A young woman in Texas had met the dogs ahead of time with the homeowners, but they had left when she arrived to start the sit. The HO had texted that they were not crated after all (they were supposed to be). The moment she opened the door, the two newer dogs (pit bull mix and GS mix) attacked. She has suffered utterly horrific injuries.
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That is so very sad.
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Yes I saw that. Terrible. She lost her ears, nose and lipsâŚ.doesnât bear thinking about. So, Iâm definitely sticking to my guns of not going to a housesit with dogs after the owners have left for their holidays!
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Hi all, having also read the news story about the sad event in Texas, I want to thank everyone on this thread for discussing this very important subject. Although the incident in the news was is no way connected to TrustedHousesitters, we are obviously all saddened by the news and send our thoughts and well wishes to the victim.
As a dog owner myself, I am aware that even the friendliest of dogs can react out of character in unfamiliar situations when they are nervous or feel threatened in anyway. Our advice to members has always been to conduct a thorough handover and ideally for owners to always be at the home when your sitter arrives to minimise the stress on the pets. If there are any timing issues that conflict with this best practice, it is essential to communicate with one another to arrange and agree a safe handover.
Owners, you know your pet better than anyone, so please always be proactive in reporting any behavioural concerns you may have about any pet, no matter how small. And sitters, please do not shy away from asking questions about a petâs temperament, socialisation and routine, and always agree a handover that will minimise any stress placed on the pets.
Please be assured that the safety and well-being of our community is now and always has been our priority and should any member need any help or advice please contact our Membership Services Team.
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Thank you for this Paul. Youâre right, itâs a very important issue. I turned down a sit, very early in my housesitting âcareerâ because the owners wanted me to arrive after theyâd left for the airport and before they got back home. From past reviews it looked like theyâd done that before and I was quite shocked. I had met them and the animals in person but the arrangements for my arriving and leaving did not sit well with me and I turned them down. I also contacted TH at the time to request you discuss this with them but not sure that happened. There were other issues too. Theyâve had sitters since. It made me feel like a servant, as occasionally we sitters can feel.
Those experiences are useful and a part of the learning curve.
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A friend sent me this article this morning.
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Hi courteney, I believe I have arrived about three times now after owner has left. I had been told temperment of pets beforehand though. One was three dogs from small to mid size and they were the most friendly ever and greated me like a long lost friend. Another time a small dog and met owner at airport due to a flight change. All went well on arrival. And another time just a cat and no problems. I would be wary or any dangerous/powerful breeds of dog though but then likely to turn those down, even if meeting owners beforehand.
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