I’ve received an application from a pet sitter, but I won’t be able to meet them in person beforehand. I have a friendly 2-year-old Cockapoo, and I’m curious about how dogs, in general, might react when meeting a new sitter for the first time without the owner present. Have other pet owners or sitters experienced similar situations?
We have done a few blind handovers however for dogs we tend to try to avoid this - it’s mainly been for cats and people with straightforward homes. Is it a possibility for them to visit before the sit actually starts?
For these types of handovers it’s worth sending a video walkthrough of the home which can be referred back to. Go with experienced sitters who know how it works really well.
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You say an application, so it sounds like you haven’t confirmed yet. I’d be curious about previous experiences. Have you ever had someone just come into your space after you were gone? How did the dog react?
I have no dogsitting experience through trustedhousesitters. I’ve done dogsitting and walking but for dogs I’ve already “met.” I had a dog who wouldn’t have worked at all with this scheme, and certainly would have been awful with strangers! Many dog owners plan the sit so they can meetthe sitter the day they leave or a day before. You could change your dates to accomodate this. If your home is small and having someone there overnight won’t work, you could look for a local sitter, or consider paying for the sitter to stay at a local hotel. If you have a friend or relative who “knows” your dog, you might see if that person could be at your house before the sitter arrives.
I’d recommend not doing anything that doesn’t feel right.
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Dogs can vary a lot in temperament and they can behave differently when their humans suddenly leave — they have no idea why you left, whether you’ll return and why a stranger suddenly appears in their home. Even if you know your dog well, it can be hard to predict how they’ll do in such circumstances.
I’ve only done blind handoffs with cats as a sitter. I’d be very wary about doing it for dogs, because of the above, and because dogs tend to be more focused on guarding than cats.
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I’ve done 3 dogsits where their humans were not present. Each time I called their names but did not make direct eye contact for awhile. I just “exist” around them for awhile until they realize I will not hurt them. I do not try to pet them until pettings are welcome.
1st. Shy dog: I called out her name and she eventually came downstairs to see who was calling her name. She stayed away from me for a few hours and then realized I was a friend. By day 3, she was all over the whole family to see who was available for pettings, playtime and cuddles
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2 friendly dogs: They were ready to party and play right away
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1 curious pug: Came up to me right away to check me out and did not worry.
Out of these 3 sits, all of the owners guessed ahead of time if the dogs would do well with a blind handover. The pet parent of the shy dog asked if I could come ahead of time to meet the dog and unfortunately, I had a different petsit that was 2 hours away so I could not. Had she asked me during the interview process, I could have scheduled it into my itinerary but we had already agreed to a blind handover. Thankfully these all worked out but each time, I did have concerns about the dogs getting defensive and trying to bite me. The handovers that I like best are the ones where the pet parents are there, meet me for 30minutes to an hour to explain everything, and then take off. I don’t like spending the night while they are there, I don’t like being asked to stop by days before the actual sit.
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We wouldn’t take a dog sit without a handover with the HOs. Too unpredictable for them and for us, it’s not fair IMHO. Am saying that as an owner of multiple labs, retrievers and spaniels since childhood and with multiple successful dog sits completed with a huge range of breeds.
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Tommy has always met strangers in my presence. He is a very friendly dog .A bit too friendly🙂 . But I have never had a blind handover.
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Thanks for the detailed response. Tommy is very friendly.A bit too friendly I can say 
.I am 99 percent sure he would be ok with blind handovers. But definitely I won’t have much peace of mind with blind overs
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It has only happened to me once, and the dog was super easy. It was a last minute help out. The owner and I met at the local station and he gave me the key.
As I got to the house and opened the door, the dog was on the couch eye-ing me out. I sat quietly on the couch talking gently to him, and then mentioned ‘walkies’, (I was given some key response words), to which he responded immediately and we did a lovely surround walk and on the way home, we passed a coffee shop which he insisted going into. He absolutely loved the owner and it was a daily routine as I worked out, so all went super well after that.
Generally though, it’s not a usual call, and I am not sure I would be comfortable doing it too much.
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Thanks for the response 
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@Anami how does your dog react to “strangers” that come to your home - postman for example - what is their initial reaction ? Barking ?
Even if it’s a friendly bark your sitter needs to be told about their usual reactions so they are prepared and key words are good.
If your sitter can’t come to you beforehand can you travel to meet them before the stay . Meet at a park for a dog walk in the area they are currently staying / living . Is that possible?
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Personally, i would think this is not a good idea
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I have been in this very situation as a sitter in my early days of sitting a good few years ago now.
The HOs had already headed to Australia and I had been left the key under the doormat. Ready and waiting to give me the warmest of welcomes was an 18 month old cockapoo. We became so close over the three weeks that we spent together.
I think providing the sitter is warm and affectionate, the animal will cope and adapt to the change very well. Everything went very smoothly for us in this situation so I’m definite proof this arrangement can work very well!
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I have done a blind takeover for a King Charles Spaniel. In her case I think she must have been used to dog walkers. As soon as I walked in the door she let me know where the leash was and was ready for a walk. So I guess how much experience has your dog had with strangers.
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@Anami, as I cannot imagine accepting a dog-sit with a blind handover in general, I can actually imagine accepting one involving a Cockapoo - providing there are no other issues. They are people lovers welcoming everybody/anybody home, even strangers 
p.s. how I love sitting Cockapoos (and all their cousins)
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Really depends on the dogs. I do most of my sits with no in person human contact. My last one was three dogs and they barked a few minutes but then just wiggled and asked for pets. But if it were my moms dogs with strangers they’d get bit. So it’s doable but only with the friendlier doggies.
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We let ourselves in to a place to care for 2 dogs along with other pets that we had never met prior, one of the dogs in particular barked as we entered ‘stranger, stranger’. But within 2 minutes they were both flat on their backs for a tummy rub 
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We have done at least 4 blind handovers with dogs. In each case we did not meet the owners at all at either end! And 3 of the 4 sits we did not even have a video call either!! But In each case it all went perfectly well and we bonded with all the dogs easily. Usually 2 dogs but in the most recent one there were 3!
Whilst this is not ideal- if you know your dog is easy going and friendly- its definitely an option if logistics dictate that its the only way!
We are very experienced sitters and feel confident to do blind handovers as long as the owners have assured us the dogs are not reactive etc.
We have often done blind handovers with cats- that’s very straightforward.
In general its always preferable to have an in person handover with dogs as they know immediately they can trust the sitter. But if you have chosen your sitter well, had good contact and have a good feeling about them then it is definitely an option.
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Absolutely agree with all said. Cats yes, if necessary. Just won’t do it as a sitter, with dogs.
The virtual walk through is a great idea. Thanks.
And yes to experienced sitters only.
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Three of my 11 sits have been blind handovers with dogs, no problem at all. The dogs were very friendly, greeted me with enthusiasm and we became good buddies immediately. If you know for certain your dog is friendly with strangers coming into your house and you talk about the situation with the sitter before confirming the sit, it’s all good. Just be sure to pick an experienced dog sitter who loves and understands dogs.
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