One thing I’ve learned during this house sit is that sometimes what feels restrictive to us can actually feel safe to the pets. I have to admit that at first I found it difficult to accept that these dogs often become calmer when they’re on a lead and close to us. My instinct was that a lead means …

Thank you for recognizing that all animals are individuals and not all dogs need to be off leash every day. Some do, some don’t - it depends on the dog, the day, and the situation. You sound like a very intuitive and kind sitter - thank you, I seek out your kind of sitter, and not one that judges …

To answer your question - when the gardeners are out our normally calm quiet dog likes to alert - so we simply close the blinds until they leave. See no evil, bark no evil - works easily. For other stimulus - distraction with a game like scatter feeding, trick training, or ‘hide and seek’ (you hid…

@Felinelover Thank you for your suggestions! Yes, we do the hinding game too! We specially bought some cloths to hide snacks in, and they absolutely love ‘unwrapping’ the cloth to find the treat. It keeps them busy and happy, which is exactly what we were hoping for. Thank you also for the suggest…

Another fun game of the host home has a baking sheet or even better a muffin tin - put a bit of the dog’s food and add some treats, layer in some water and freeze it lightly - just until there it starts to become solid - then offer it to the pup. They will lick away to get the food/treats! Also, i…

If allowable for the pets diet - carve out a bell pepper (definitely remove all seeds), stuff with a couple of treats and fill with water (or their food and make it a meal!). Freeze lightly and offer to the pup to nosh on. Same with an apple - core it, stuff it, freeze lightly and offer. Or for p…

Really licking and/or chewing is very soothing for dogs - so anything you can find that encourages those two behaviors specifically - should help calm a dog down. There are tons of feeder toys available that perform this function, and we have a ton, but sadly many sitters don’t know them or don’t u…

Quiet confident leadership. Pets appreciate the humans in the home exhibiting leadership early on, and this stands sitters in good stead when unexpected events occur…pets like knowing that the replacement human will lead and take care of things. Using the words/phrases their owners use with them,…

@BonnyinBrighton Yes, I agree with you. It’s definitely helpful to know the words and phrases the pet owners normally use, and to follow their routines as closely as possible. At the same time, I think there can also be a kind of natural leadership that shows up in the moment, sometimes almost by a…

@Felinelover The idea of lightly frozen snacks might be interesting to try. Especially when it is very warm like her in Fiji. I accidentally dropped an ice cube and one of the dogs really loved it! Just plain water! It will definetely give them a cool snack plus challenge combo!

What kind of music/tricks you use to calm the pets?

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat

EmilyDickinson 16 June 2026 09:05 11

@Felinelover You are doing this quite a while aren’t you? Thanks for the many helpful suggestions!

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What kind of music/tricks you use to calm the pets?

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