I did a trial-sit with a dog tonight (before a booked sit with him next week), and it was the first time I have ever sent a dog home early. He was supposed to stay the night, but three hours in and two walks later and he still had full body shakes, was barking continuously, and seemed afraid to let me touch him (he made several bite swipes at me).

Luckily, his owner had suggested that we try a trial night before next week, as this is his first time away from home. After a few hours of seeing him in a very uncomfortable state, I decided to have her come pick him up (I didn't think anyone in my house was going to sleep tonight, and I didn't want him to spend anymore time unhappy than he had to) and called Rover support.

His owners go out of town on Sunday and he is booked to stay with me for the week. I spoke to his owner about it, and we both agreed that he would be uncomfortable in my house, but that it also seems he would be uncomfortable away from them in general. What situation is BEST for dogs with extreme separation anxiety? I can't think that kennels would be the answer here, but I don't know. Would an in-home sitter be a good option for them? I'm sure they can find another sitter before they leave, but with his level of anxiety (and anxiety-induced barking), I'm not sure of the success that they would have - and I feel bad leaving them stranded!

I did reach out to Rover support and they are giving them some help, but figured I would ask here for any advice!

Just curious - what is the difference between a choke collar and a prong collar? I had previously thought that these were the same kind of collar.

I agree with all the answers above and wanted to add that if you are especially concerned, a pet water fountain might be a good option. With water fountains, you have to be extra cautious about keeping the filters cleaned and changing them, but they come highly recommended to keep water moving, therefore adding oxygen and keeping it from going "stale". Many come with charcoal filters that removes debris and odors from the water and keep it healthy. Plus, the waterfalls in many of the fountains attract dogs to drink more often, supposedly.

When my huskies were younger, they were quite the escape artists. If we saw them, we had to run the opposite direction to start a running "game" and them grab them as they came up alongside us.

One time, shortly after we moved into our home we had just adopted our 1st husky (and greyhound mix), Cricket and were newbies. She was on a tie out, which we never ever used again. Went inside, she disappeared. Our realtor who had just sold us the house called us a few minutes later, she was in WISCONSIN (we live in Minnesota), he jumps out of his car and runs alongside her and eventually had to lay on top of her to catch her. We knew better after that -- 12 years later, she can still run, for sure, but our fenced in backyard keeps her safely home.

I had one once that was a dog sitter that pushed and pushed for my phone number, and then found me on Facebook (I have an easily findable name, and we are from a small town - friends in common), and then sent me repeated messages to buy her products. I don't think she even had a dog. Sigh.

Just got a request for a one-month stay -- up until now I have only had up to one week stays, which have all gone really well, so I am considering this. The owner was very up front and doesn't seem to be worried about the very big price tag, and is planning on coming over for a meet and greet this weekend so that her dog can meet my pups and household.

Are there any special precautions you take for especially long stays -- longer meet and greets? Emergency contacts? I have only had one Rover guest that wasn't a good fit for my household (even though they seemed great at the meet and greet), but that was a 1 day stay so I could deal with that... I worry that this one MONTH stay could end up like that!

I don't have much experience with dogs that are barkers - my huskies only howl! - and recently my guests have been all barkers - I'm wondering if you guys can share your experience and advice for what works for dog guests that have a hard time staying quiet?

This weekend, even after getting back from a 6am jog with me my dog guest was up and at it with piercing barks if I did so much as shut the bathroom door to take a shower (therefore not allowing her in with me). So, of course, this is how I ended up with a guest dog IN the shower with me (no, not just the bathroom.. the shower.. sigh..) :)

So, yes, any advice would be greatly appreciated!

For house sitting, the sitter typically brings their own supply of food. This is a question that should certainly be addressed during the meet and greet, though, as every sitter and client has their own way of dealing with it. During the meet and greet you can also address other kitchen and household questions that are unrelated to the pet sitting, as these are unique to each house and always best addressed in person.

I will leave thank you notes when I do drop-in visits, or at the end of a stint of dog walking (a week of every day walking, for example). I usually only do thank you notes if it is for a first time client. It's a nice way to be able to wrap up the visit and tell them how much you enjoyed getting to know their pup! I also really like being able to leave the note in their home with the drop-in visits or house sitting, because it's something for the owner to see as soon as they return home, instead of returning and having that "I wonder if the sitter came today!" moment. I'm a BIG picture and update sender throughout the stay, but the value of a handwritten note is huge!

It is SO difficult not to give in to attention seekers, especially when it comes to aggression. I'm glad she has lost some interest and is giving you some down time - this is certainly not an easy stay for you!! I hope you are able to get through with not too much bumpiness for these last few days!!

I have two resident dogs in my home, so meet and greets prior to the stay are a requirement for all boarding stays. How do I handle meet and greets with potential clients when I have guest dogs staying in the home?

For example, I have a dog staying through the weekend who does not get along with most other dogs (she prefers other huskies, which my dogs are). I have someone who would like to book a stay for next weekend and who can only do a meet and greet this weekend - would it be ok to kennel the current guest dog, who is quite calm and easy going besides her preference of dog breeds, upstairs during the meet and greet? I don't want to cause any unnecessary stress for either dog, but also don't want to miss out on a potential stay for next weekend. The meet and greets are usually only about half an hour, and much of that time is spent in the backyard.

Thanks for any advice!

Oh my goodness - I totally understand this. My dog has struggled with gas for a while - and when she passes gas, it is so loud that she startles herself and then looks at as like "What WAS that?!"

I do think you should tell the owners, but only because the experience of my dog having gas was something that came right before a bout of very severe pancreatitis. I would check in with the owners and let them know that the pup seems to have some stomach upsets resulting in gas, and while it doesn't seem to be upsetting him at all, you just want to make sure that they are aware - and maybe see if they even already have a solution. It might be nothing at all, it is most likely just that his "nerves" about staying in a new place are coming out through stomach upsets, even if he seems totally fine otherwise, but since my dog's pancreatitis, any gas is a sign that she is flaring up and needs to be put back on meds for a bit.

Good luck to you -- dog gas is SO crazy stinky, honestly it is sometimes unbelievable it can come from such small creatures. One more dog gas story (is this enough TMI for you yet?) -- I had a bull dog staying with me a few weekends ago, and he had a bout of gas one evening after having a treat (I've stopped giving any treats to any dogs after this - it's just not worth it!). He was nearly 80 pounds of lumbering giant and would walk around and just slide on the floor. He decided to walk up the steps, and with each slow step he took, he would release a ridiculously loud and pungent dog fart. 13 steps later, and our entire family had left the room. He fell asleep right at the top of the stairs and started snoring.... I'm telling you... DOGS!

Whenever I introduce guest dogs to my home, I do an extensive meet and greet process to get them introduced to the "pack", which is vital to preventing any aggression throughout a stay when you have resident dogs. Your home is personal territory to your resident dog, and to any dogs staying there. When a dog walks into the home without having become acquainted to the other dogs, sometimes things are tense! My best recommendation would be to get them out of the house to meet each other on neutral territory. That way, when they come back in the home they can feel more like a pack. I'm not sure how many dogs you have in your home right now, but it doesn't have to be all the dogs at once. I would start with two, maybe the two that seem to have the most tension between them - take them on a walk - a long walk, if they can manage a longer walk - walk them close to each other if they will tolerate it. You want them to feel like a pack, like a dog sled team - like they are working together to accomplish something. By the time they get home, they will hopefully have been so focused on the "task at hand" that they will have forgotten about the tension between them. Then they can walk through the door together and that act of entering the home together is SO BIG!

Do as much of this as you can. Walk the "problem" dog with all other dogs in the house, on one on. Walk all the dogs together. Get as MUCH tension out of that house as you can. Get as much energy out of the dogs, at the same time!

If this does not work, you have options! Contact the owners! There is no shame in saying that it is not working out. Maybe they have a friend or family member who can take the dog. Rover support can also help out by finding a replacement sitter. Do not be afraid to contact Rover support, this is why they are there! You shouldn't have to deal with a dog that is just not working out! Sometimes dogs aren't a good fit, that's just the way it is -- you can do everything in your power to make it work, but there is a point where you have to address the facts.

I wish you the best of luck! Definitely stay on the safe side and use your gut instinct. If things are not safe with the dog in the home, contact the owners and Rover support.

I would only charge extra if the dog clearly required more care. I am currently caring for a 12 year old husky who is maybe the easiest dog I have cared for - she is happy go lucky, bounds up and down the steps when excited, and is more than happy to go for mile long walks. I think her owner would be confused as to why she would be charged an extra rate just for her dog's age, even though her dog is completely unaffected by her age.

I feel like we should have some kind of "new sitter" cheer! Welcome!!

You are definitely off to a great start, and it shows great commitment that you are looking for constructive feedback! I think it does sound professional enough - and it could use some more personal touches. I have some specific spots in mind -

• Under "What Octavia would like to know about your dog", it's a great place to show the potential client that you are really interested in getting to know their pup! Don't be afraid to use examples, such as a sentence like "I would love to know if Rover has any separation anxiety so that I can be sure to give him some extra TLC and make sure we have a lot planned on the first evening of his stay." Your profile is a great start, but can be fleshed out with a lot of the personal little bits - sentences that sound like you! Potential clients LOVE hearing someone that sounds like a person they can identify with when reading a profile.

  • Under the "For you" section, I would just take out the Motley Crue part. While it is funny and I appreciated it, some people might think it was going a little far :). Besides that, a great section!

  • Under "My schedule", just for grammatical purposes, I would start this with a complete sentence - "I have a very flexible schedule..." The next sentence starts with "Depending", and I think it might be missing a few words, just an FYI!

  • Also, in your note about injectable medications, I think you meant to write "intend" instead of "intended" (I am a spellchecker, so I look out for this stuff, sorry if it's nitpicky!)

  • Pricing really depends on your area, so I would check to see what the sitters in your area have their rates set at. New sitters typically set their rates a bit lower than the more established sitters in their area. Just in general, though, it looks to be in the normal price ranges - definitely not unfair.

  • Yes, definitely try to add more pictures, that will help bulk up your profile. You are off to an awesome start, though, and the fact that you are looking for feedback shows that you are really putting effort into this! I wish you the best of luck with your sitting!!

I have had repeated requests from a potential client that have left me feeling a bit uncomfortable, and I am not sure how to handle the requests without them affecting my own stats on Rover, and without coming off as rude to the actual person, who seems to not understand exactly how Rover works, despite me explaining the process several times.

She started contacting me several months ago, and is just a few blocks away from me. At first all seemed great, she wanted to schedule some drop-in visits, and then as I asked to schedule a meet and greet she immediately asked for my phone number. When I explained how Rover worked, she stopped responding. I realized later that night that she had attempted to contact me through Facebook (I guess she had looked up my name, and we had some friends in common as we are neighbors). I did not accept her message request, and archived the Rover request and hoped it was over!

Anyway, the situation repeated itself a month later! A new Rover request, another request for my cell phone number. I explained that I only book through Rover, and there is no need to give my cell phone number, and she stopped responding - after asking if I wanted to expand my business by selling her "products".

Now, I have received another request to dog sit for her. I don't want to go through this again, and it's starting to feel like spam. What are my options here? I feel like it is starting to hurt my stats - I haven't messaged her back today yet because I don't know what to do yet - and maybe I'm offending her by ignoring her, even! Help!