We recently had a meet and greet with a dog that the owner described as somewhat shy and nervous but great with most dogs. She said she tends to run away from dogs and doesn't snap. We brought the dog over for a meet and greet, the dogs were fine on leash, so we let them in the yard and our dog got bit by the other dog. Our dog is very submissive but very playful so as soon as she went to play with the other dog, that is when the other dog got nervous and bit our dog to a point our dog squealed louder than we've ever heard and cowered away from us. The other dog was a sweetheart otherwise. However, we are now concerned about any dogs coming for a meet and greet that are described as shy and nervous because we obviously don't want our dog being bit again. Are there questions I can ask before the meet and greet to get the owner to admit to this type of behavior before the meet and greet? Is there a better way to have them meet that doesn't put my dog at risk? What would you recommend?

UPDATE: Thank you all so much for your thoughtful responses. The guest dog was wagging and seemed ok at first. When we let them off leash after the initial introductions, as soon as my dog went to walk by her, she went after her. My dog does have a big scrape on her side so it wasnt a full bite but she did get her. We are doing a hefty meet and greet screening going forward as we've found a lot of owners aren't forthcoming with how dog socialized their dog actual is. Lots and lots of questions about how much experience guest dog has with other dogs now and pre-warning that our dog is hyper and excitable. We are also going to keep the dogs on the leash exclusively so we don't risk our dog getting bit again.

I've been wanting to make the jump to full time sitter instead of just doing weekends since demand seems to be up for the holidays. However, I'm concerned that demand will quickly come to a halt after New Years. For the sitters who sit full time, how much do things slow down after the holidays? Is there still a constant stream of business? When do you get "busy" again? I know alot of this will depend on area, and amount of sitters in the area, but just trying to get a general idea of how it works for others! Thanks.