Tips for Caring for Multiple Dogs

Whether you’re a pet owner or a pet sitter, you can protect yourself and dogs in your care by learning to recognise signs of dog anxiety and aggression before it turns into a fight. We’re here to help you 1) learn the signs of dog anxiety, and 2) find dog anxiety solutions that work for you and your Rover guests.

How to Read Signs of Anxiety in Dogs

Just like humans, dogs use body language to communicate how they’re feeling. Learning to recognise dog anxiety symptoms, and when to remove a dog from a stressful situation, is the best thing you can do to prevent dog fights and bites.

Dogs can display many signals when they are stressed, and will usually show several of the following:

• Licking their lips
• Yawning
• “Whale eye,” where you can see a large amount of the whites of their eyes.
• Refusal to look at a person or dog

Dogs show a series of warnings before they bite (unless they have been punished for giving warning in the past, in which case they may go straight to bite), including:

• Body going stiff (especially if their tail is held high)
• Curling their lips
• Growling
• Warning snap (a bite that doesn’t actually touch)
• Snapping at another dog

Even if a dog is wagging their tail, they could still be trying to tell you they’re feeling anxious or may snap. Especially if you don’t know a dog, stay tuned in to their body language to make sure they’re feeling comfortable. Learning how to identify signs of dog anxiety (and signs of stress) will help you keep them and everyone around you safe.

How to Safely Break Up a Fight

Hopefully you’re never in a situation where you have to break up a dog fight. If you are, try breaking it up by:

• Shouting or making a loud noise with objects you have handy.
• Placing a barrier between them, like a chair, board, or other object. Never grab a dog by their collar since they can reach back and bite you.
• If you have two people, pick up the dogs by their back legs, wheelbarrow style, and walk them backwards away from each other. As soon as you can after that, turn them away from each other and keep them separated.

Of course, intervene only if it’s safe for you.

Respect Each Dog’s Boundaries

Learn what your dog does and doesn’t tolerate in other dogs and from people, and reward them for their good behaviour. If you can, keep them away from situations that stress them out, like a busy dog park. Dogs have their own personalities and don’t always do what we expect, but if you learn how to tell when your dog is stressed and feeling aggressive, you can prevent fights by getting them out of that situation.

Importance for Pet Sitters

As a pet sitter, you take care of many different dogs with totally different personalities and triggers. Even the gentlest dogs can act strangely when they feel threatened. There are two big things you can do to help dogs stay happy and comfortable.

Learn Good Introduction Etiquette

When you’re introducing dogs who haven’t met before, here’s how you can help them feel at ease:

• Introduce them on neutral ground, like on the pavement outside your home or in a park (not a dog park).
• Keep their leads loose so they have room to walk around and sniff each other (not nose-to-nose). If a dog is straining against their lead, it could hurt their neck, and the other dog will think they’re being aggressive.
• Be calm and talk to them in a soothing tone of voice. Dogs sense when people are tense and are likely to mirror how you’re feeling.

Want to learn how to read a dog’s behaviour during your Meet & Greet? Check out our illustrated dog behaviour guide. How you greet a timid dog should be different from how you react to an exuberant, jumpy pup.

Prevent Fights by Feeding Dogs Separately

Even dogs who know each other may fight over food. Food aggression is the top cause of dog-to-dog bites during stays, and it’s easily preventable by feeding in separate rooms or crates. Even normally docile dogs can experience food aggression, so play it safe and feed dogs separately.

If Dogs Fight During a Stay

Hopefully you never experience a dog fight when you’re on the job. If you do experience one when you’re caring for a dog:

1. If a dog is injured, call the vet and follow their instructions.
2. Call Rover’s Trust & Safety team at +44 808 169 8525.
3. Call the owner. We know it’s unpleasant to deliver bad news, but the sooner you let them know, the sooner they can help.

Every pet owner knows that sometimes unexpected things happen. We’re here to help you make the right decisions during these times of stress.

Most stays end with a happy dog and 5-star review. Nonetheless, we also want to make sure you have the information you need just in case a dog feels threatened. Whether you’re a pet owner, pet sitter, or general dog lover, understanding how to read a dog’s body language will help you deliver the best possible care.