Oh, I can picture those 5 minutes… heartbreaking but full of joy! True, they are happy to spend time with their buddies and our friends, but parents are part of their close tribe… it’s different. Thanks for sharing this experience!
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Love your set routine, @Garfield ! I’ll try to do something similar. I could not think (and now it looks pretty logical) of not unpacking… you are right, sometimes even the sight of bags makes our small friends uncomfortable.
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What a memory you brought back, @GotYourBack ! I used to love that show! So many useful tips, but I didn’t remember the one about building connection with a walk.
I usually wait a bit before going outside together, but I could actually start that bonding earlier with a simple walk—thanks for the tip!
I’ll try to go for a walk within the first hour. 
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Thanks for sharing, @Maggie8K 
I know that for dogs it’s totally fine not eating for a day or two, but for cats, on the other hand, it’s a bit of a red flag if it happens (I’m not a professional 
this might not be correct).
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Poor baby, good thing she returned to her normal behavior. That’s true, I had this feeling with my cats back in the day, many years ago. There is nothing better than being surrounded by their own environment. How great is it that we have platforms like this one that facilitate this solution for our loved ones?
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What great feedback it is when pets look for us after their owners leave! It means you’ve built a genuine connection. Thanks for the tips: I’m especially taking with me the one about establishing clear and thorough communication with the owner, so nothing gets missed in the dog’s routine. 
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What we’ve found is that 
, pretty much like grand children, tend to be one way for their parents and a whole other way for everyone else 
When we first arrive to their home, after the initial hello-stranger-this-is-my-favourite-toy-can-we-play-now shtick, we tend to just get on with our routine, and allow them full sniffing access to everything, including our car, all the while chatting with them, making them part of what we’re doing.
To be fair, we’ve had 13+ years and 155+ sits to refine our approach 
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Lovely, @The_Sollys and wow! Those are some impressive numbers! Congratulations! Do they really make the most of this free pass you give them? Have they ever discovered any treats or managed to sneak something out of your bag?
@Walter we don’t really see it as a “free pass” We try to see it from their point of view - they’re naturally curious, their whole world has been turned upside-down, so while we make sense of our new surroundings, we give them the space and encouragement to do likewise. And sure, they try to sneak things from our bags, that’s just part of the game, so we make sure we grab a few of their favourite toys and sneak into the bags we’ve “accidentally” left open … that way they’ve “discovered” something in our bags that smells just like them! Win-Win
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We’ve looked after 140 dogs and can’t say I’ve noticed such a reaction. The biggest issue with dogs seems to be how nervous they are. Highly nervous dogs can take a day or (very rarely) two to get used to us, but most dogs are fine in no time. I’ve come to think it it quite comical that people think dogs are loyal. Most can swap to a new pack very rapidly.
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Interesting point of view, it must be the survival instinct that makes them feel part of a new pack!
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We have had a few Dogs that were very anxious, we find if the HO is there for hand over too long it was worse, so I learned to suggest we make a short hand over if possible so Guide up to date and any last minute things on a note, because the Dog/s are aware their “family” are going somewhere, we do a quick handover we just keep an eye on them, if they just go lay down inside or the Garden, just watch them, we will get out items into our rooms, fridge items away and then play or go for a walk, often both, then take turns in unpacking our rooms while individually spending time with the Dog/s, playing, just sitting and petting them, reassuring them and letting them feel even though their family has gone somewhere, these people feel safe, if they are anxious/reactive and the HO has disclosed this prior (yes, sadly there’s HO that don’t disclose it) I keep a strict routine of walking routes, times, meal times etc, if there are HO clothes left out in the area’s where the Dog/s are, I pop them away in a closed cupboard and leave our coats etc around so they smell us, there is already enough HO smells and after all it is their home, we give them lots of extra attention, regardless of if it’s a few days or months, it’s normal for them to miss their “family” so we try to be their “staycation family” if they are easy going dogs, we mix up their walks go for different walks together, they enjoy exploring somewhere new as do we, we still stick to meal time, bed time routines etc. I suppose gentle, loving distraction be it play time, a walk or both.
Happy Sitting
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Husband and I regularly work with shelter dogs who are “ problems” and we also sit. Dog psychology is something that is extremely interesting to both of us, so we’ve studied it extensively and brought what we’ve learned to our sits and volunteer work. Despite many owners telling us that their dog or dogs tend to mope about for the first day or two, we have never had this problem.
We think the most important thing is your energy. If you have an anxious, worried, upset or feeling, sorry for the dog type of energy, the dog will IMMEDIATELY pick up on this, and they will feel insecure and upset. Humans being grounded, present and confident are absolute key factors in keeping dogs in a healthy psychological state of mind. We’ve actually found that dog sitting is almost like a type of living meditation for us because we try to be so conscientious of our mental/emotional state to make sure that we are really being there for the dogs we take care of.
As someone else mentioned above, going on a walk can be extremely helpful when done with the right energy. It gives the dog a chance to burn off energy, see you as someone who is strong and can be trusted to take care of them so that they can just relax.
One thing we never do is coddle insecurity. I know this is controversial to some people, but we do not comfort or pet or give treats to whiny, sad or anxious dogs as it has been shown to reinforce the behavior/state of mind and locks their mind into that state for a longer period of time, causing them to suffer more. Instead, we take charge and do an activity whether it’s walking or playing with a toy, or having them do scent games.
Once they are in a calm, relaxed state, we always reward that behavior with cuddles, affirmation, and affection. This is something that has worked with us, not only on sets, but fostering very traumatized shelter dogs. Hope, this can be helpful.
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That’s really helpful to know @DarkAloha. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience in regard to this thread.
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A good walk and some ball throwing distracts them. Then back home and a scratch and some talking to. Works every time.
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@ElsieDownie, absolutely. Exercise + distraction. Works for kids too 
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Taking a dog/dogs out for a walk within 20-30 min of HO’s leaving is something I always do and tends to calm even the most anxious of pets.