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What is the ratio of problem dogs you have had?

I've had about 10 owners book with me, with some repeat bookings. 90% of the time if the client does a meet & greet they book with me.

8/10 dogs have severe problems. I don't feel the owners are being as honest as they should be about these issues. I always ask at the meet & greet before booking-house training, aggression, crate training, and my favorite special quirks. Every dog seems to have an object they love, hate, or fear. It's so cute, I've heard all kinds of things exercise balls, rubber bands, empty boxes, water bottles, paper etc..

I know dogs are going to be more nervous & need more potty breaks in a new environment. So if an owner says their dog gets 2 walks a day I figure one walk when they first get there then 3 more for a total of 4 the first day & 3 every day after. If they say they're crate trained I still prepare to do some gentle encouragement like leaving treats in the crate during the day to get them comfortable.

Some examples I was told a puppy was pad trained as long as first thing in the morning I took her out of her crate & carried her to her pee pad. She started dripping immediately when I picked her up, so I'd have a pad right outside her crate. Other than first thing in the morning she went everywhere but the pad. On the balcony, on the couch, in the kitchen, in the hall, in the bathroom. She didn't understand when I said "Stop!" when she started peeing on the floor. She'd continue to pee as I carried her to her pad, then be annoyed I was keeping her on her pad. To me this means a dog is not pad trained at all.

I was told a dog was house trained. Despite numerous walks he peed on the couch. I wash everything with enzymatic cleaner, including the sofa covers.

I was told a dog was house trained & crate trained. Despite numerous walks, every hour during the day, he peed everywhere in the house. When I told him "Stop!" during the act he was completely bewildered like he didn't know what he was doing was wrong. He'd go in his crate without much encouragement but start whining in the night. A young puppy I could understand this behavior, but not an adult dog.

It's not like the owners are telling me there's a small problem; they're telling me "Oh no, he's 100% house trained!" An accident here or there from any dog I can understand. When it's most of my clients most of the time I just wonder if everyone else is having the same experience?

Any chance it's the area I'm in, Los Angeles?

I'd really like to hear the details other sitters are having with dogs ... (more)

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YES, owners are not always honest is there descriptions of their dogs. I have had a few with problems. One had horrible anxiety and was all over the place when no one else was in the room. The owner was retired and spent their entire lives with the dog. I try to be really careful about retirees.

One of my first dogs through rover was ok in the meet and greet, but aggressive and bit my dog during the stay, so I kept it outside on a lead after that. This dog did not have many teeth, that was the red flag that he bites a lot...and doesn't let go! I found out this dog stayed in a crate a lot!

Absolutely. I'm learning to read between the lines during meet & greets. Thanks for the tips on retirees, I haven't had any yet so it's good to know to look out for that.

I've watched over 20 different dogs and thankfully have only had issues with 3 or 4 dogs I've watched. The current dog I am watching is one of those "issues"/problem dogs. The dog pooped in my house within 10 mins of arriving, & owner did not inform me ahead of time that dog has open wounds on leg

Hold on now on retirees...I'm retired and have 3 dogs. None of them are a problem. I disagree that retirees pose an issue because they spend a lot of time with their pets...I see how it "could" be an issue but it could be an issue with any age group really. Give us chance...I'm also a sitter

I have a dog with terrible anxiety - continually humped me for 3 hours (and his nails have not been cut), peed on the carpet in my building as he was going for his walk (I followed the owner's walk/pee schedule), constantly barks all day to the annoyance of neighbours. They never bathed him either!

Yes,100% of dogs have issues.Dog behavior begins/ends w/owners who NEED to commit to WHY an issue exists & HOW to control it. DAILY training/positive reinforcement is only way to improve dog behavior. Age/diet/breed/environment play a role as well! Owners can really screw a dog up. Stay calm. Woof.

Agree! OWNER profiles need much improvement.

I’ve been on Rover almost 2 years and really fed up with owners’ dishonesty. I have many wonderful experiences, but too many awful ones. People lie, and Rover does NOTHING to encourage owners to be as awesome as we have to be! Nothing! Business model seriously flawed!...

...(continued)... I am doing mandatory daycare ‘test’ day or night from now on to prevent any more catastrophes. What we’re experiencing is the consequences of the decline in human character. That’s why people lie and don’t care what their dogs do to us!

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I do find that people up-sell their dogs. I know they want someone to take their dog but surely there are enough options in LA that they can be honest and still find someone to take the dog! I would much rather be prepared, and it can make for miserable stays and there is no way for us to add extra charges once we find out the dog has no training or is aggressive. I haven't had anything too bad. The worst was a small cockapoo that was traveling into town so we couldn't do a meet and greet. The owner was actually a rover sitter so I didn't think twice when she said that the dog would be "weird" with my pitbull at first but would be fine once he knew she wasn't going to do anything...so I introduced them carefully and the small dog was clearly unsure of mine, we went on a long walk and the cockapoo was fine walking next to her and came inside and turned on my pit. He kept snapping at her the entire stay but luckily my girl takes anything thrown her way so even when he caught some of her skin she just looked at me like she was confused. He never actually hurt her, and I kept them apart 90% of the time. I am more concerned about that dog's future stays with other sitters because not all larger dogs will just stand there and be bitten in their own house. It may be that the owner honestly didn't know that would happen which is possible because sitters don't tell them, or they don't see it so don't believe it. Other than that incident, it is smaller things like behavior on leash or no rules at home. The no rules at home thing isn't usually a difficult fix because the dog is in a new environment so setting immediate rules/boundaries is effective, and they also see what my dog does and typically learn from her. Sometimes, I have to take a dog on a few individual walks with one of my leashes to make them manageable on pack walks. I figured out the leash thing unintentionally because once an owner brought a retractable leash. The dog was wild and biting the leash and jumping and flailing but was magically fine with a different leash. I thought it was the owner (this dog had no rules at home) but when I put his retractable leash on for them to take him home he immediately started acting up again even though he had been great with me before. It is a mindset/trigger. I think the area I live in and the way my profile is written attracts rescue dogs so owners typically share the behavior problems or special because they have had to do some level of work with the dog themselves. They typically aren't even anything serious ... (more)

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How do I upload pictures of damage by dogs?

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Maybe it is the area. I'm in Long Beach (technically, LA too) and have been experiencing the same! I have nightmare stories for days, lol.

The owners definitely lie about their dog's behaviors (going from "he is so chill!" to "oh yeah he does that, but his bites don't really hurt"). Then lying even more by leaving me a bad review and blaming me for their dog's behavior.

I've had 3 dogs who were extremely aggressive to the point of biting. I've reported it to Rover every time and didn't really get any support, and when I couldn't continue the stay my profile got suspended. Because of this I increased my rates, became a lot more selective on who I accept, and recently posted detailed rules on my profile.

Majority of the dogs I've met on Rover have mild to moderate behavior issues (barking, marking, separation anxiety, etc.) and I've figured out little techniques to help curb these. Usually the issues don't subside until the dog has booked with you several times. I've also stopped taking large dogs in my home since I have a small Yorkie Poodle, who's becoming more traumatized the more time we spend on Rover.

As I go along, I'm learning to pay more attention to an owner's red flags during the meet-and-greet too, because in problem cases they are more stressful to me than the dog. I've read about sitters in this forum requiring forms and buying extra stuff (dog whistle, doggy diapers, etc.) so that's an option too.

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9/42 are what I would consider problem dogs.

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9 of 42 LOL nice odds. Lucky me I have only had one problem dog and that was months ago with a drop in visit for 3 days. The pup had high anxiety and would literally tackle me when I arrived. Even with a jacket on she left scratches on my arms and bruises on my body. Think I'm fully booked.

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I've been dog sitting for about a year. All of my clients have actually been great so far - knock on wood - only a handful of dogs that weren't trained very well on leash.

The worst client I've ever had was actually a former co-worker (before I got on Rover). Her German Shepherd was extremely aggressive and possessive and she didn't tell me. So when her Shih Tzu jumped on the bed, the German Shepherd lunged at it and had it by the throat - I had to jump on the dog to try to intervene and got bitten in the process. The poor guy needed tubes and stitches, but I really think the German Shepherd would have killed it had I not intervened.

Needless to say - that was the worst client I've ever had. With Rover I am much more careful about the breeds I accept and I ask a ton of questions about aggression, etc. My experience with Rover has been extremely positive!

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I think you're misunderstanding the reliability of dog training, especially where housebreaking is concerned. A puppy that is being house trained (and even adult dogs in some cases) are still learning where and when it's okay to potty. Your house is new. It is not at all within the boundaries that dog has learned the yes/no's of. Accidents are always to be expected in new environments. Even every decent rescue or shelter will warn new adopters of this.

The same will often go for crate training. He's crate trained in HIS house. If the training hasn't been practiced in other environments, it won't always come natural in a new one. This is the reason a dog will reliably sit and lie down in his own backyard but ignore every instruction in the dog park.

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Nope, not true. Training isn’t just so a dog can behave in one environment. Every upset and fed up sitter has every right. People can take their misbehaved dogs to an actual kennel or can drop them off with sitters who pretend they’re not a problem and crate them for the money.

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I had a total of 3 dogs out of the 40 I've had so far, that gave me big trouble:

  • One was super aggressive with me, and even bit me causing me to lose a nail and bleed from my hand. The dog didn't stop crying and scratching doors the 4 days and nights he stayed with me. There was nothing I could do to calm him down: no treats, no walks, no petting. When the owner came to get the dog, I explained her the issues I had and her answer was "Oh yes, he's spoiled, I can't even walk him, only my daughter".

  • Another one was mostly the owner's fault for not being honest with me during the M&G: she told me caring for her dog was easy, but when she came to drop her with me, she listed a ton of things the dog needed: diapers changed 5x a day because she never potty trained the dog (during the M&G the dog didn't have a diaper, and the dog doesn't have a medical problem, it was lack of training), special food I had to mix and cook for the dog and make sure it was at the correct temperature for her to eat, letting her sleep with me in my bed. She also called me every. single. night. She wanted me to report to her what I did with her dogs and what was new compared to the previous day. Seriously? I do this as a side job while I work from home full time. It's a dog! She sleeps, eats, plays, poop. What else do you expect? If you want me to take care of so many things that demand a lot of time, you should pay me at least 3 times what I charge.

    • Another dog was aggressive with my dog. During the M&G he was friendly and played with him. But when the dog stayed with me, he attacked my dog 4 times for no reason. My dog was napping in the carpet. There was no food or toys involved. I had to keep them separated for the whole week he was here.

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The 2nd dog you describe needs a personal nanny, not a dog sitter. If the owner isn't going to make any effort to "normalize" her dog, then she can't be expecting a dog sitter to do it for her.

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8 out of 10 issues seems significantly higher than what I've experienced in OC, But I do not take puppies, so that's one difference. I also plan a long meet & greet to allow dogs to pee outside before being invited in and then spending a good amount of time inside watching for marking behaviors, etc. before agreeing to host. For me, I 'd rather invest about an hour in a long m&g (which includes asking all about their routine/habits/commands) than accept a dog that is not well matched. My shorter (less than 30 minutes) m&gs, where the pet parent was in a hurry to go, often resulted in caring for aggressive or otherwise poorly matched dogs that were not welcome to return.

Personally, I'd define a "Problem Dog" (for me) as Not friendly with other dogs. Other behaviors may mean they're not well matched for a particular service, but not really a problem. For example, If a dog absolutely refuses to walk on leash to attempt to take care of business outside or is marking inside, then generally they're not a match for boarding with me, but may be a possible match for home visits or boarding elsewhere. I do offer an unusually high number of walks (an average of 4, often more).

With first time stay nerves, many house trained dogs have accidents. My experience has been all accidents (except territorial marking) occur on the floor. Rarely, I've hosted dogs which have needed almost hourly breaks/accidents, but I've found the same dogs returning are more calm and can walk a normal schedule. I don't require dogs to be crate trained, but some dogs sleep in them and others in dog beds. My experience is whining subsides and goes away if you're in the same room.

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Right. I was just trying to keep the headline short. I guess I should have put What is your ratio of dogs that have displayed behaviors that were outside of the expectations the pet guardian set for you? :) You are totally right when the owners want to rush off it's not a good sign :)

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