Choosing a sitter who brings their own dog.

Choosing a sitter who brings along their own dog.

Having a pet sitter who brings along their own dog is not everyone’s cup of tea and many  reactive or protective dogs won’t tolerate another dog in their house but it can also bring lots of benefits. From experience we bring you some of the advantages of having a sitter who also brings along their own furry friend.  We also share some of the things we consider when bringing our dog Gus along to sits.

When we began our pet sitting journey over ten years ago we had always had dogs at home but didn’t have one at the time. We missed our furry family member and one of the benefits of sitting was we got to cuddle pooches again. Fast forward a few years and we now have our lovely rescue dog, Gus. He was chosen for elements of his character we knew would fit into our lifestyle of travelling and pet sitting. He loves being around other dogs as he spent the first 2 years of his life with lots of different dogs around him. He is also used to cats around. He has a vague interest in smaller pets such as rabbits but has no prey drive. He’s calm and adaptable to different environments so pet sitting with him is easy.

But what benefits does it bring to the owners who ask us to pet sit for them?

·     Socialisation with a dog from outside of the family: Like us, making new friends can be fun for dogs. Dogs are social creatures who have ‘packs’ and if they have been socialised at any early age most dogs enjoy having another dog around. If your dog is the only dog in the household having another dog around even for a short time can be like having a friend to visit.

·    Dog focussed sitters: Dog owners know what it is to have a dog around. Bringing their own dog usually means walks, doggy cuddles and general care for the dog(s) is a focus for that sitter. When we pet sit our focus is on the pets. We walk Gus rain or shine and ensure a routine for him so understand the importance of this for the owners dog too. Having a dog ourselves also means we are used to finding dog friendly activities when we are out and about. We have a car that is suitable for transporting our dog and come with a wealth of knowledge that comes from the experience of having a dog as well as that all important ‘book knowledge’ of dog behaviour, body language and first aid.

Not all sits are sits are suitable for bringing along a dog. So when we are considering a new sit here are some of the things we consider before and during the sit:

·     Fitting in:  When we have a request for a new sit the owners usually already know we come with Gus. It is clear on our website and we always remind people that this is our usual approach. But we also do an initial check of numbers and gender of dogs living in the family as for dogs some ‘packs’ are more difficult to fit into than others. For example we rarely sit for more than two dogs unless that pack is very used to additional dogs joining it. We also don’t sit for a male and female pair where the male is protective of the female as introducing another male dog  can be difficult.  Conversations to help us to understand whether we are the right sitters are really important from the beginning so everyone is confident and happy that the dogs are all going to be fine in each others company. So, fitting into the pack is important but also the routine of the household. Gus is a really easy going and adaptable dog but an example of fitting into a routine is where a dog is a ‘grazer’ with their food. Gus likes food and a bowl of food hanging around all day seemingly being left would be just too much for him. We always check that one!

·    How do we know it will work out with the other dogs?

We usually know from experience whether Gus will fit into a household once we understand the other dog’s personalities and behaviours. We are very objective about Gus when it comes to him fitting in and understand his behaviours. When meeting a new family for the first time we always introduce the dogs away from the property (even if its just the garden) and gauge their behaviours around each other.  We have never had a problem when Gus meets other dogs to date but if we did, the benefit of having us sit as a couple is that one of us would take Gus off and away from the sit while the other continued.  We always have our back up plan.

·    During the sit

Dogs have their own ways of finding their place in a pack. We sit for dogs who give Gus a little growl if he gets too close to their favourite toy or their dinner. This is normal behaviour and Gus will just move away and not be bothered by that. At mealtimes Gus is always fed away from the other dogs as its their home and this also avoids any food resource guarding. Gus tends to be a dog who prefers to do his own thing and really doesn’t mind if a dog sits in his bed or takes a toy of his. He likes to play but it’s usually if another dog initiates play. If they don’t he doesn’t bother. He’s very aware around older or unwell dogs and just keeps his distance. There are also times on any sit where we need to leave the dogs to go shopping or nip out without the dogs. Initially we never leave Gus in the house with other dogs until we are sure everyone is happy together without supervision. If you have a sitter who brings their dog be clear about how your dog might react to another dog in the house and if there are any resource guarding issues.

We prepare well for all our sits, talking to owners about their dogs and how they might react to another dog in their home or pack. This preparation, we feel, prevents issues on the sit but if they do happen we are ready to take action and take Gus elsewhere.

In our experience bringing along our dog to sits has been a positive experience. We prepare well, choose the kind of sits we think will work for everyone and ensure the dogs have met first. We are vigilant to any behaviours in the first day or so and then encourage behaviours where the pets can all accept each other.

If you have any questions about choosing a sitter who comes with their own dog please drop us an email or message.

Thanks for reading

Nicky (Retired & Inspired Pet Sitting Services)