The fine line between sufficient details and too many :
I’m on a one night sit with a reactive dog. While far from a professional, I have experience, knowledge, patience and awareness in these situations (e.g. slow infrequent movement away from the dog, not directly looking at it, no crouching etc.
The owner disclosed FULLY and completely the dog’s history and how it has behaved with previous sitters. We met a few days ago for a walk / meeting at which point we agreed on the sit.
When I arrived, the dog behaved as expected (barking fearful and crated) and , following the owner’s instructions allowed the dog out of the crate when it calmed and stopped barking.
I’ve been sitting on the couch for hours intermittently standing briefly and sitting so the dog becomes comfortable.
The problem: If I take a step away from the couch (away from the dog) it “corners” me (not aggressively, no teeth, just with its body).
This is not good and for the first time ever, I’m a bit scared (which the dog no doubt, senses). I was plannng to go home to feed my cats but don’t feel safe moving beyond the couch.
Owner is a couple of h away by car and has been v v v responsive.
This is a no brainer-right ?
1 Like
I would say protect yourself. If owner is so close, have her come back. Pets can be one way with their owners and another way left with a person they don’t know without the PP there. Call TH and tell them the situation. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you and you should not feel in fear when at a sit. You have the rest of your life to live. Don’t make light of this.
2 Likes
Bail.
This is against THS rules (NO dogs which are known to be potential biters). These owners should NOT be taking on sitters, at least until they’ve done enough work with their dog that a sitter is – and feels – 100% safe.
And could we please drop the term “reactive” and be more specific? A dog which barks at other dogs is not “reactive” ; it’s a dog which barks at other dogs. A dog which chases cars or cats is not “reactive” ; it’s a dog which chases cars or cats. And so on and so forth.
Oh yes, and a dog which might bite a sitter is not “reactive” - it’s dangerous.
5 Likes
Thank you.
Ironically, the dog calmed down greatly after I posted this and I couldn’t figure out how to delete it !
We had a great walk just now and she has not barked or done anything noted above.
This all played out exactly how the owner said it would just on a far longer timeline.
6 Likes
So glad it’s working out…I was going to suggest to keep a couch cushion or three between you and the dog if you needed to move away from it at any point, just to limit possible impact.
1 Like