TLDR - IF a sitting is cancelled mid sit - do they still get to leave a review? ( see more details below)
Owner told me the dog was leash aggressive, and said that just a re direction or treat would suffice to deter any bad behavior. Which I thought was fine, no big deal.
Turns out - He is HIGHLY leash aggressive, he lost his absolute mind over a parked car with a dog in it. He’s not a big dog, so I was able to drag us away from the situation.
I did read back thru her listing on website and it doesn’t say anything about it - like I mentioned above it was briefly touched on when we met up to interview and it is in writing in her google word doc she gave.
In our Terms and conditions for THS - the only thing I found relevant was:
5.2.11. not have any inherently dangerous pets (such as venomous snakes or constrictors, primates, wolves or wolf hybrids, non-domesticated cats, alligators), banned dog breeds, or any animal with a history of attacks on pets or people;
Which doesn’t address this issue specifically - because he may have never gotten the chance to actually hurt someone or another pet during an episode.
I reached out to THS - and want to cancel the sit, cause I didn’t sign up for that kind of leash aggression - but I am so worried she’s going to leave me a bad review.
If the sit is cancelled altogether I don’t think either of you can leave a review? Only if the sit is shortened?
With a reactive dog it is of essential help if one can foresee the situations and get the dogs attention (with words, treats, starting an activity) before the dog sees the other dog and reacts. It seems the dog isn’t properly trained altogether - if the dog know some commands that would be the basis, otherwise it can be harder. For instance use commands as «foot», «sit» or other to get attention - and then keep it talking to the dog. For best results training should be at a distance at first from other dog. Seems like owner has just used the good old «hope it will pass»-approach.
If the sit is cancelled altogether you can not warn other sitters. You can however give a friendly nudge to owner «sorry this happened. If it is stated in listing it will be easier to get the right sitter going forward».
As soon as sit is cancelled you’ll be able to apply for other sits. In case she does give a bad review, just «get up on the horse» again and bury it in good ones.
@Atillery that is so tough for you, and well done for surviving 5 days. It sounds as if the HO might not realise how they are subconsciously managing this behaviour, but anyway they should have mentioned in the listing. If the sit is shortened (not cancelled) by MS (the sit is not as described) then you both get the chance to review, and you both get the chance to respond to the others review.
Did she give any details on what “leash aggression” looks like with her dog? If he’s like ours, he’s oh so brave when he knows he can’t actually get at another dog because you’re holding him back or the other dog is locked in a car. When our dog is in our car he goes nuts when he sees another dog as we’re going through the next village but when they encounter each other off-leash, there is no problem. Instead of canceling, just be vigilant and try distracting him as soon you see another dog ahead. Wrap the leash around a pole so he’s not pulling you when he lunges.
Hi @Atillery, welcome to the forum.
I am sorry you are going through this situation. Even if they aren’t big, it’s very stressful to handle an aggressive dog and be 100% alert when walking it.
I am afraid THS will be reluctant to shorten or cancel the sit under these circumstances. Even if they did, you would have to give the owner 24 hour notice to make other arrangements, which would take you quite close to the end.
You are also worried about the possibility of a bad review, so you will have to weigh pros and cons and see if it might be less stressful to just get to the end, following others’ advice.
In case you decide to continue, is there anywhere you can walk the dog where there are no triggers for it’s reactivity?
Whatever you decide, good luck.
Please keep the forum updated.
You have survived a week with only 5 days to go. I know it is not fun walking a dog that can act aggressively when something triggers him. You are lucky it is not a big dog. I just finished a sit with a large dog that was OK seeing some dogs walk by across the street and other dogs she would go crazy. It took all my strength to try and get her to keep walking.
I would suggest to stay. You have already finished more than half your sit. If you leave now the review from the pet parent may read that you left in the middle of a sit and they had to scramble to try and find a replacement. They may talk about the stress you caused them and other negative things. No future pet parents want to read that you left in the middle of a sit. You were told that th dog can be leash reactive. That can be interpreted differently to different people but her stance will be that you were informed of this.
I am sure you thought of the obvious of walking the dog a different way, maybe at a different hour, etc, etc. I wish you luck and sorry this has not turned out to be a stressless sit for you. I can definitely relate.
I get how you are feeling now. And you are right to. A neighbor had something happen years ago which was horrible. Her dog was attacked by another dog getting out of an elevator in her building. The other dog pulled and got off the leash. The thing happened quickly. Neither dog was large though her dog was smaller.
That said, there might be alternatives to cancelling even if you feel the owner should’ve given you a stronger warning BEFORE you accepted the sit. Contact the owner expressing your concerns and at least see if she has an ideas. Does the dog have a harness or a muzzle? Could the dog be taken for shorter walks or walks in an area where he is less likely to encounter other dogs.
I had a dog once who would bark and pull like a banshee at other dogs, but was mostly all bark and no bite and could be controlled, but we did have her on a harness and for a while on a muzzle (which also kept her from quickly picking up “street food.”)
I know it’s easier said than done but please try to take the review piece out of your mind.
We had this happen to us as well. We were told that one of the dogs was dog-reactive, will pull, bark at others, etc. and just to walk him during off-peak hours. We took the dogs out and didn’t make it past the driveway! The dog saw ONE human with a dog about a block away and LOST it! Started attacking his brother, etc. We turned right around and went back inside. Told the HO about this and found out (“OH yeah, he did that last week too. We are really trying to work on it, etc”). We just told her that we would focus on stimulation inside the house and out in the back yard.
If we were you, we would finish out the sit, but DO NOT walk that dog. You are putting yourself in a high-risk situation. We don’t think it is grounds for canceling the sit. If you already started the sit and decided to cancel, the HO would have to agree, then you reach out to THS and they would change the end date to the date you agreed upon (but you have to give them ample time to find a sitter).
With that said, YES they will and can still right a review about it. They will probably give you a less than stellar review because in their mind, they mentioned the leash reactivity.
Our thoughts, try and stick it out, but do not walk the dog. Explain to the home owner that you do not feel comfortable, it was not explained thoroughly HOW reactive he was and that you will focus on other things to burn his energy.
We don’t think it is grounds for canceling and THS would probably just say to try and stick it out. It is not affecting the sitter’s health or well being, just another case of a home owner “leaving details out” to make their sit more attractive to potential sitters. I don’t think there has EVER been a sit where we weren’t told ALL the nitty-gritty about an animals “not - so - appreciated” behaviors
I have had a sit with big dogs that pulled aggressively after rabbits and stuff. I reinjured my ripped minicus as a result. But I did the sit. And I have had some other dogs that were aggressive, and walking them during a situation was not fun, but just did it.
We had a sit like that with a large dog who was leash aggressive and the pet parent told me we didn’t have to take her for a walk due to this reason. I said I would give it a try and then make a determination. Sure enough, she looked like she was ready to chase after other dogs and eat them. We tried a few things and it worked well.
If we even saw a hint of another dog, we crossed the street or went the opposite direction
We are a family so had either my husband or son hold the leash.
We had one of us walk in front of the dog to spot other dogs before she could see them. If it couldn’t be avoided, we would stand in front of the dog and tried to distract her.
With the above steps, we were able to walk her and her brother daily. If you cannot walk the dog, can you check with the pet parent to see if you could burn the dog’s energy by playing with dog inside the house and the back yard if they have one? I wouldn’t cancel but I would write an honest review.
Exactly what I was going suggest, don’t quit, instead make up the same time in other activities at home and in the yard. A doggy scavenger hunt and some chasing games maybe?
I agree with this too. I can respect that its challenging but it isn’t grounds for leaving.
@Atillery I’m sorry this sit has been less than stellar - please give a clear factual review so future sitters have an educated choice with this sits challenges. Good luck for the rest of your stay.
@Atillery, welcome to the THS Forum. Seems an unfortunate reason for a first post.
Seems some great advice and perspective from fellow housesitters. A different perspective in your situation seems personal safety, for you and public. I’d hope that would alert red flags within THS MS.
We’ve had multiple housesits where behaviour, energy and/or exercise of dog(s) seemed somewhat different than welcome guide. One tactic that we find generically useful is elevated exercise in rural locations (no people, no animals, just long walk). In some, but not all, instances then undesirable dog behaviour can be due to excess energy - that can be drained. No comment on whether this is appropriate or available in your situation.
@Atillery It would be really useful for forum members who find themselves in a similar situation to know what advice THS gave you when you contacted them ? Did they agree to you curtailing the sit for this reason ?
As an HO with a reactive dog, I feel for you. We go above and beyond to make sure HS know exactly what to expect on our sit and have also worked extensively with our dog (one of us is a dog trainer) so while he is reactive, he is also easily one of the best trained dogs most of our sitters, friends and family have ever encountered. That being said, I agree with others that it sounds like the dog you’re with isn’t an immediate violation of T&Cs.
And to be fair, with a reactive dog, the two most important parts of handling in my opinion are 1. Ability to remain calm and confident 2. Ability to respond quickly/have incredible timing when it comes to perceiving/mitigating triggers and creating space for the dog. The suggestions @IHeartAnimals provided are spot on. There just isn’t as much room for error when an over-excitable or reactive dog. It can be tiring to be vigilant like that all the time and most people are not used to it.
I would also add:
if you are going to walk the dog, do it at times when the odds or running into others are reduced.
If you’re able to do so, find something super high value and be liberal with giving it when in a situation (this of course is moot if the dog is already over threshold, in which case all you can really do is get away from the trigger as quickly and calmly as possible)
as others mentioned, if you don’t have to walk the dog and can enrich in other ways, do that.
if the dog is muzzle conditioned, put it on for every walk…even with no bite history, it’s one less thing for you to worry about and is also automatic advertising for creating space.
Re:future sits:
make sure you ask direct questions when vetting your sits…triggers, quirks, what do reactions look like, how do they typically mitigate, are you allowed to use a muzzle if you feel it’s necessary/id the dog muzzle trained, etc. A lot of HO will still minimise and from there it’s up to you if you feel comfortable taking the sit.
Personally, I would say complete the sit, and leave a very honest review so that others are clear on what to expect. The HO should have called this stuff out explicitly so that you could have been prepared and it sounds like they have a bit more work to do with their dog. Speaking from experience, it’s definitely a journey and a serious commitment.
Although several have said they would have finished the sit @Atillery only you can decide. THS is a voluntary exchange and a matching platform. It is not a prison. Some of us are experienced with dogs and can because of that handle more than others can. We are not there with you and might not have the full picture. If this makes you afraid and on your toes, then the rest of us might not fully understand. You’ve had great advice and I hope some of it might help you one way or the other. Just remember that it is your choice and when all is said and done - you decide. Would like to hear how it is going if you have the time and want to. Best of luck.
Early in my house sitting ‘career’, I sat for a very reactive dog. I realised that I didn’t know enough about handling dogs and so I booked a session with a dog behaviourist which turned out to be money very well spent. I subsequently sat for the dog a few times more and we became firm friends. I’m not implying that the poster is as inexperienced as I was - just mentioning it in case it chimes for anyone else.
If I didn’t feel safe and felt afraid this is just a website. In the rig… wrong circumstances I would definitely prioritize my own wellbeing over an internet page. There are other sites, other possibilities.
Not saying OP should do that now or later. But consider if there might be a limit to what one is willing to do for a possible review from a stranger on a random matching platform.
I’ve only had lovely sits with no more hickups than I can learn from. But I think having boundaries will help with decisions during sit. Also if the decision is to stay, because staying because one chose to is different from staying because one felt forced to. It might even impact relation to the pet to have that attitude that for now I choose to stay. It is assertive.
I think the boundaries have to start with what sits you will accept. Some people only sit cats because they don’t want to walk dogs. They want more free time to site see. There was a sit that came up on my search with 3 large dogs. Not applying. I won’t sit 3 large dogs. I sit 2 large dogs, but not 3. I cannot manage 3. So if you cannot handle a bigger dog don’t accept the sit. Even if it wasn’t leash aggressive, like one 80 lb lab I had in Yorba Linda, it pulled like it was running to a BBQ when it saw a skunk or rabbit. That is how I reinjured my minicus. So it isn’t just leash aggressive, it is a large dog.
