Thank you! You must be delighted for some peace and quiet tomorrow.
Sorry for the TMI but I’ve just had to pick up at least 10 bags worth of dog poo from the garden in preparation for the gardener coming tomorrow. It seems the owners hadn’t bothered to do so themselves. It’s just one thing after another with this sit.
One day at a time.
Best wishes.
My first sit. They mentioned picking up dog poo from the yard, which wasn’t visible when I got there due to snow, which melted while I was there. There was so much…But then, because i was walking the pit mix regularly, he only pooped while walking. So yard was good after that.
One of the less glamorous aspects of dog sitting! Not only that, but I’ve had to pick up tufts of hair they’ve ripped off each other during vicious fights. Next Friday can’t come soon enough!
Will you let us all know when you’ve finished. We’ll raised a virtual glass for you.
That’s such a kind suggestion @ChristineB Yes, I certainly will 
This is a nightmare sit @strawberryjen and, although we can’t physically help you, we are offering you support, suggestions and care. As well as Pet Behaviour, I hope you are marking them down on Communication and even Accuracy of Listing if it clearly does not explain the behaviour of the dogs. You are doing a great job in very trying circumstances and staying the distance even though some would want to walk away. 
Thank you 
I’m halfway through now and it’s becoming less startling when they fight!
I’ll have to consider the ratings in other categories. I’ve made it clear in the review that the sit is only suitable for those who have experience with puppies, and detailed their fights and boisterousness. It’s a fine balance because I don’t want to have bad blood with the owners or cause them to struggle to find a sitter in the future. I also think that the behaviour is very usual for them as they’re around it every day, so hadn’t thought to mention it. I think some people enjoy living in that kind of chaos!
You know the owners, so you know better. The information you have provided should be enough to warn other sitters and it is really difficult to know if their dogs’ behavior is normal for them. Perhaps the listing should be more detailed and it would have saved you this difficult sit. I am not sure if they deserve being marked down on communication. Accuracy of listing should cover that if communication is otherwise clear, fluent and easy.
But, as I said, you know better.
I hope it keeps getting more bearable. Keep up the spirit!
Thank you! Yes, communication with them has been really good so I would hesitate to mark them down in that regard as I’ve known sits where this hasn’t been the case and I’ve not been spoken to with respect. They cooked me a dinner the night before the sit and made me feel very welcome.
I do think the pup’s behaviour is normal for them and they laugh at antics that I consider to be more concerning, such as chewing everything in sight, including the furniture. They seem to just overlook or ignore the fighting. I recorded them fighting the other night and it was something out of Gremlins! I think even using words such as ‘fights’, ‘aggressive’ and ‘boisterous’ in my review is sufficient to give future sitters a feel for the sit. If I saw this in a review, I’d be moving on!
Since dog’s behaviour wasn’t specified in the listing then I’d dock stars in accuracy of listing and explain in the body of the review, and for clarity it surely follows that the pet’s behaviour rating should also be dinged.
I agree with @Newpetlover , that listing accuracy is vital for sitters to make appropriate choices. That’s what the new review system is about, surely?
I totally appreciate this perspective, too. But, so long as reviews are honest and factual, what’s there for HOs to take issue with? Maybe it will mean they actually find future sitters who are ready and prepared to handle 2 boisterous young dogs?
I think we’re used to glossing over any issues and concerns to award - and be rewarded - 5 stars,. It’s definitely easier to simply award 5 stars and move on, without risking causing offence or inviting ill-feeling, but is that really helpful to anyone on here? The way I see it, if we write factual and honest reviews, detailing what went well and what not so well, pet parents will subsequently be compelled to write listings with more transparency and sitters can make better-informed choices about which sits will be a best-fit.
It’s the personal element of sits which makes this so challenging. We’ve made a relationship connection and so want to maintain the positives, rather than highlight any negatives. I don’t think that awarding 4 stars in some of the categories is a poor review, given what you’ve experienced.
If you’d awarded 5 stars in all but one category and 5 overall, the wording of your review wouldn’t make sense to me because the correlation isn’t immediately clear. I’d think that you were possibly describing play fighting between the pups, and nothing to be particularly worried about. If you’d docked stars in a couple of sections and awarded 4 overall, I’d be more inclined to read the detail of your review and take things a bit more seriously.
By minimising your experience in the review, you’ll potentially signify to other pet parents that you can’t handle a bit of minor stuff, so I suspect it could potentially backfire on you.
I will be posting a review that makes it clear that there were issues in this sit and that will allow future sitters to make a more informed decision than I was able to. I have already written a review I am satisfied with. I will be docking stars where I see fit. I want to do my best by fellow sitters, while acknowledging the hospitality of the hosts. I don’t see the need for further discussion about this.
It shouldn’t be an issue, but it can be. Just look at my recent experience when I left an honest but kind review regarding cleanliness of the home and within days they’d filed a dispute about me. This was almost 2 weeks after I’d left and after they’d left me a 5* review. But suddenly when they read mine I’d flooded their kitchen, broken a cabinet, and other stuff. So people should be realistic that leaving a less than positive review will potentially have repercussions and they should be prepared to defend themselves if that’s the case. This thread should be defense enough but it may not be all sunshine and roses with the HOs after.
I agree. While we have a duty to inform future sitters of the realities of a sit, everyone approaches the review system in their own way and based on their own circumstances. The review I post may not please everyone, but that’s not my concern. I have taken time to compose an informative review and feel it accurately reflects the sit I am on, while also (hopefully) maintaining a positive relationship with the HOs.
I agree with you that often owners accept bad behaviours as normal or laugh if off. It was a bit like that with the dog I was telling you about. He’s just not told no at home. We had to deal with it or we wouldn’t have been able to cope. When his owner picked him up he reverted back to type! I know next time we see him we’ll have to start over correcting behaviours.
I think in such cases, the owners shower their puppies with love and affection, but aren’t firm with them. I’ve seen an improvement in the pup’s behaviour in only a few days in being firm while rewarding good behaviour. As you mentioned, I just don’t think he is ever told ‘no’. His owners are super busy and I suspect just don’t have the time to focus on him, so probably ignore a lot. But, as I’m learning, puppies need a lot of time and attention!
To be honest, I think we ( most of us, owners and sitters) still have the habit of the old system and rate a bit above the real perception of the sit, we are transitioning to a more discriminating rating but we are still used to reading what’s said and even what’s not mentioned. So surely a 4star category with explanations about the pets’ behavior will catch my attention. If people decide to overlook that, that’s their responsibility.
The rating you suggested is quite reasonable and that will probably be the way we rate sits eventually but, in the meantime, we have to interpret what the code is and try to use it for what it means to the whole community while we are true to ourselves.
People, including the owners, don’t realise the tone of your voice is just as important as what you say to the dogs.
What I wrote is that it was difficult to walk both dogs and only a couple should apply for the sit. Walking the dogs by myself was impossible, if the puppy decided to attack and play with the other. When my daughter came and walked one, it was not the most fun but reasonable. Hence, putting that only 2 people should sit the dogs made it clear it was tough. Then if someone else wants it, fine.