My way of way communicating with dogs is simply trying to understand what they need. Its a difficult task being that they don't speak, but dogs have a way of showing you what they may want. In essence, being familiar with the pet I take care of helps me feel closer and understand them better. Play time would be incredibly important for the purpose that it would establish trust between pet and caretaker. In my time taking care of pets, most people have been fairly happy with the way that their animal is cared for. I'd ensure the owner that their beloved pet is in safe hands. In order to be successful with sitting/ walking the pet and caretaker should be able to feel like they've been by each other's side since the beginning.