I recently did a sit with three dogs that didn’t get along with each other, each had to be walked separately, but also, one dog couldn’t walk past the other two. It was a circus of tying leashes to banisters and closet doors to keep everyone away from each other. You know that riddle about the fox, the goat, the cabbage and the boat? Wolf, goat and cabbage problem - Wikipedia.
Are you getting paid through an arrangement through this website? Or a different one?
That can be a challenge depending on the dogs. We had a sit once with 3 dogs where we were asked to walk the Great Dane separately. We would ask a lot of questions regarding how the dogs get along and interact with each other and if they ever encounter challenging situations with them on walks (especially with other dogs, children etc.).
Hi @Samstevens201
As this is your first sitting and as you are already nervous I would recommend that you don’t take it on.
I don’t know which country you are in and maybe sittings are limited for you but I think it would be better for you to look for a sitting with just one dog until you know that you can handle more.
Good advice
I would try to find out about the the dogs’ behaviour. Who is food agressive? Who is the nervous one? Who wants constant attention? Do they walk well on the lead? Are they well behaved with other dogs? Are they in a safe well fenced in home surrounding? What breed type they are? Are they good around children, cyclists? If you take them away from their fenced surroundings, I Would walk them with great care depending on their behaviour. You are taking on a lot. Good luck
Hi @Samstevens201 You may want to take a look at these threads relating to your questions:
List of questions from sitters to owners
When leaving a sit do you leave a gift?
Often, if you search your key words using the spyglass search area, you can find lots of relevant information.
Your concerns are very valid. You need to have an honest conversation with the owners and make sure that you can handle them. This really depends on the three dogs. I am on my first three-dog (and a cat) sit right now. And 2 of the 3 are fairly large, scary looking beasts. The owners and I specifically talked about issues I might have and if I was comfortable with large dogs. To be honest, I was not totally comfortable, but expressed more confidence than I actually had. It turns out that these three dogs are all pussycats. Inside the house, the biggest problem is satisfying their endless needs for petting. And on the lead they are well behaved, BUT I had my first squirrel moment the other day and they took me with them. It caught me by surprise and I was not in control. It was a learning experience and I think I could handle it better next time. So it comes down to what is said over and over on this forum, honest communication between the sitters and owners, and honest with yourself on what you can deal with.
@Wavingfish - I was speaking in an extreme situation as the sitter was considering leaving the job and possibly leaving the pet(s) unattended. In this extreme situation then I would prefer someone unplug a router than leave a pet unattended. My suggestion was only for this extreme situation…
I was speaking in an extreme situation as the sitter was considering leaving the job and possibly leaving the pet(s) unattended. In this extreme situation then I would prefer someone unplug a router than leave a pet unattended. My suggestion was only for this extreme situation…
And in this extreme situation then you could use your phone as a hotspot.
I’ve been house and pet sitting professionally since July 2009 and I’ve never turned off someone’s router.
Actually, in this extreme situation, there’s something completely wrong and, because we always have a plan B, we would prefer the sitter to leave.
It’s all about communication and in this case it has obviously not taken place so, again, my husband would be furious if the router was unplugged. We have been HOs hosting sitters since 2014 and nobody has ever even thought about unplugging a router. Usually we can be contacted anytime when we are away and if anything came up the sitters can address it.
I would say it depends on the dogs which hopefully you’ll find out when you meet them. We have 3 dogs who are very easy for me to manage on my own (a lurcher and 2 terriers), but then they are my dogs! However I will generally try and get a couple, (or 2 people sitting together) whenever possible, but for the next sit in May, I have a single lady sitting for us. But she is a mature lady travelling from Australia to spend several weeks in the UK travelling about on her own so I figured that she could easily manage our dogs and house.
@anon39388349 - as I stated before, I would never unplug a router and I’ve never ever thought about unplugging a router since professionally starting house and pet sitting in July 2009. I responded to an extreme situation where a sitter thought about leaving a job before it was over due to cameras. I only offered an extreme measure if cameras couldn’t be addressed in any other manner.
I have had situations where my clients were at sea on a cruise ship and I was unble to reach them. I don’t know if this could have been the case with the sitter I responded to. I also don’t know if the sitter I responded to had emergency contacts. Other people in this forum offered different ideas to deal with the camera and I only offered an extreme measure that could be taken rather than walking off the job and leaving the pets alone.
And as long as HOs don’t have hidden cameras that they don’t reveal to a sitter then they shouldn’t have any worries about someone unplugging their router to seek some privacy…
I would never leave flowers or certain food. You dont know if that person has plant allergies or food preferences?
I have left flowers a few times but it’s always been when they already had flowers in the house when I arrived.
if the HO leaves flowers for me, they should also include a handful of allergy pills and a box of the fancy lotion tissues. 
I could probably lick* a dog or a cat with no allergic reaction, but some flowers/flowering houseplants are just torture.
*P.S. I will not intentionally lick anyone’s pets. 
MissChef and beware of little pooches licking your face and even your lips! They may just have licked their private parts just before starting on you. Perish the thought but you would be surprised how many people allow their pets to lick them on their lips.
Luckily making out with animals is not my style. I have refined my judo-like kiss rebuffing skill, which works on dogs of all sizes (and creepy dudes too).
MissChef you are simply amazing. Have you ever considered demonstrating “kiss rebuffing skills”. I come across a lot of situations where these skills would come in handy!
Hi, during the application process, how do you frame the following security / safety questions to HOs without sounding suspicious or weird:
I am used to not beating around the bush but I don’t want a HO to think I want to do something shady while at their home.
Hi @Crookie I have addressed your first two points at my video call. I first asked if they’re on the forum and then follow by explaining that I am active here and have learned so much. I explain that some things I would not have thought, such as … and that’s my lead in. Then it shifts the question to being based on other people’s experiences, rather than my concerns.
I would use that for your #1 & 2. I only ask for an intersection or neighbourhood at the video call stage, and then determine #4 myself. If I had concerns, after doing my own follow-up, then I would ask specific questions, or it might help me decide whether I was comfortable with the sit. As for #5, it’s not something that really concerns me. I would perhaps ask if, in a dire emergency, is there a neighbour that you’re close with that I could call on for help or information.