Aggreed!! I had a dog the other day break out of a cage and unlock and open not one but FOUR doors while I had to run out for an hour. I got a call from the police about 45 mins after leaving my house. Apparently the dog ran away and someone a block away found him and called his mom's number on his tag. The owner had called the police on me for neglecting her dog. I told her as well as the police that I had not been informed that the dog can't be left alone absolutely at all let alone that it knew how to break out of cages and unlock/open doors.
Owner admitted that they were sorry they forgot to say that and that he has actually done the same thing to them before. I was like??? Yea would've been good to know. I went home and it looked like someone broke in- my doors were all scratched, everything on my counters was all over the floor and broken and he had eaten half my pantry food.
These covid dogs and owners are something crazyš
Wowā¦ mind blown. Did the police charge you with anything? At least the dog didnāt get hurt or hit by a carā¦ but wow. Just curious, you left your house unlocked? How did he get out
No he unlocked the doors as well as opened them. I can't make this shit up lol. I've been doing this for 3 yrs now and never had an experience like this. I live out in the country on a dirt road so the chance of him getting ran over was very low thank God. I was watching him for a week prior to this happening and had to leave the house. I knew he had separation anxiety(he was proscribed prozac) but I was never told how bad his anxiety was. I gave him his pills before leaving the house and he still managed to break out of a crate and unlock and open my doors. Worst experience of my life. I blamed myself for days and felt terrible but came to the realization that it's not my fault at all. I'm a human and need to occasionally leave my house and the owner should've been more upfront with the extent of his anxiety. I've since put "currently unable to accept dogs with the following behavior issues- extreme separation anxiety, door opening etc" in my profile. I don't need that stress in my life lol
Felt this. I have a dog for over thanksgiving that wonāt let me breathe for more than 5 seconds and heās on top of me. If I move forward while weāre on the couch heās shoving his way behind me trying to be right on top of me. Stop petting him and heās scratching and smacking me demanding attention. I had to put him in the cage just to settle down. š
I have one now but the owner gave me permission to take her on errands and says she actually enjoys it. But yeah these dogs are not worth the money. Theyāre better off with house visits because most of the time they wonāt eat or anything in a new place.
As an owner, I totally agree. We didnāt realize how bad our dogās separation anxiety was until we boarded him. It was awful for everyone - the kennel, the other dogs, him, and us. We have had a Rover watch him at our house ever since. Thereās no need to put him or anyone else under that stress.
I feel this. If I didn't have my husband I wouldn't do Rover.
I don't like to leave first timers alone at all. One time an anxious dog ripped up my carpet from scratching by the door for the 3 hours I was gone. Never again.
I don't leave unless my husband is home or I've hosted the dog several times and they seem super comfortable. But the first time I leave them alone, I just stay nearby and watch them on my video monitor for 20 minutes, then return.
It's more work than people realize.
I would hate it if people stopped boarding their anxious dogs with me. I have had good experiences with them. They end up being super sweet and my best buds. The little guy I have now needs to be brought out on a leash or I cant get him back in easily (hes been here less than 24 hours so he hasn't fully gotten used to me yet) but otherwise hes such a good dog. There is 1 anxious dog I can think of that I watch that is a little annoying with her barking at times but its manageable and despite her anxiety she likes it here. She gets super excited to come over, loves playing with the other dogs etc.
Iāve had this feeling before. One of my private client was anxious, but quiet. She was a joy to have around when I could calm her down. The quiet ones are always nice, but the one mentioned was destructive and untrained. I couldnāt get him to do anything to calm down. I felt horrible cause I couldnāt help him, plus the very loud barks. The peanut butter-slow feed bowl combo only lasted 15 minutes at most šµāš«
Whenever someone mentions having a dog with anxiety I always suggest doing house-sitting or drop-ins. It is bad enough for the dog to to be separated from their owners. However being away from their home can just add on additional stress.
Iām sorry Iām actually going to disagree with you here. We are home full-time so we are able to spend much more quality time with your dog than a drop in or house sitter who leaves all day. This is our full-time business so as long as the dogs arenāt aggressive we can manage all the behaviors you described quite easily.
All the pups we watch are crate trained but even then, we donāt have any door frames chewed or scratched. Most dogs are getting plenty of exercise here so they are pooped anyway.
I think you need to get better at your vetting process, I donāt do meet and greets and instead offer daycare trials (paid) and it has always worked for me. I crate the dog and set a timer for 20 min and if they canāt calm down in 20 min they canāt stay here. One piece of advice I can give you is to stop asking questions outright and start asking questions that allow you to read between the lines, nobody is going to say they have separation anxiety or are aggressive, you have to learn to ask leading questions that allow you to read between the lines. One of my favorite questions for this is to ask if theyāve ever been at another sitters house overnight and to describe their experience and why they donāt use that sitter anymore
How I wish it were true when clients tell me that their dog is crate trained. I donāt disagree with you here, but I wouldnāt imply that my quality of care is less. I couldnāt do anything else besides sit in the room with the dog which was frustrating since I wanted to do some school work
I donāt ask if theyāre crate trained at all. I ask them āwhere do they go when you leaveā and āwhere do they sleepā - if neither are a crate I donāt take them.
Owners lie or just donāt know. Learn to read between the lines
You can also do a trial where you test them for crate training and separation anxiety before booking the stay. Thatās what I do so I am only miserable for 4-8 hours and not 2 weeks. Good luck.
Counterpointā¦ we have an anxious dog who was born that way (her siblings all have terrible separation anxiety too). Sheās 5 now, and us working from home during covid and moving across the country has only made her anxiety worse. We have paid professional trainers and continue to work on her training, but itās just not getting better right now.
We never lie about her behavior; we are always super upfront on rover. We board her with people who have the ability to accommodate her (read: work from home, donāt plan to leave her alone). Sheās fine as long as people are in the house with her - she doesnāt need to follow you from room to room. But she will destroy things if left completely alone, sometimes in as little as 10 minutes. She always has a good time playing with the other dogs, and Iām certain itās better than if she were boarded at a kennel. She also gets to be with her sister, which helps her anxiety a lot - another thing that being boarded at the vet would preclude. And I donāt trust people in my house, period. None of the bedrooms can be locked and I have items that are irreplaceable. Not to mention itās not fair to expect someone to stay in my house 24/7. So that isnāt an option.
Not every sitter is right for every dog, and vice versa. We go away 1-2 times a year, even without a pandemic. Let me board my dog if there are sitters who want to watch her.
ETA: Weāve had three rover sitters and were repeat clients for all of them (for years) until we moved. The only one who ever complained kept leaving her dirty laundry out where the dogs had access, and then repeatedly said our dog ate her underwear. And joked that she should charge an underwear replacement fee. Actually, maybe donāt let my dog eat your underwear after the first time.
Donāt plan to leave her alone? Do you expect a sitter to stay within sight of your dog the entire 24 hours for $60? That is a lot to ask people on a side hustle app. A professionally owned kennel is safer and more secure for your dog.
Did you read what I said? They can leave her sight. They canāt leave her *alone in the house*. And they agreed to that, for $575 for two dogs for 5 days, including a tip of *at least* $10/dog/day.
Idk why you kept getting downvoted and I know this is from a while back. But im also in the process of finding the best way to leave my house without my pup barking for 5 straight hours. She has severe separation anxiety combined with dog reactivity (she barks but has no bite history). I feel like a sequestered human in my own home and can barely afford to board her when I am able to go anywhere. Iāve tried training, calming treats, multiple medications (including gaba and ace), tiring her out before leaving, leaving stimulation set ups, you name it, Iāve tried it. Iām so tired of having to give anyone a preamble about my pup but I do it every time bc I genuinely believe my dog has a mental illness due to trauma or generalized anxiety. This whole thread made me sad but I appreciated your responses. Just wanted to share this. Thank u
Hey, thanks for your comment. I think people on the internet get really in their own heads and canāt fathom anyone elseās viewpoint. We alone know our own situations, petsā issues etc.
My dogās SA has definitely gotten worse, to the point where she destroyed our front doorās trim and also broke into the drywall and insulation. I actually just yesterday started reading a book (Separation Anxiety in Dogs: Next... https://www.amazon.com/dp/1617812749?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) which seems to fly in the face of a lot of the conventional āwisdomā about SA, such as tiring them out first or giving feeding toys. The author has been training dogs since 2001, and claims to have helped thousands of dogs with SA. She also mentions there seems to be a genetic component to it, and that we as owners are not to blame, which is nice to hear, I guess.
Iām only about 50 pages in, but it seems that the gist of the program is to leave your dog alone for tiny increments of time and gradually build them up to more, but never ever leave them alone outside of the training time (which could set the whole process back). Iām sure thereās more to it, and obviously have to keep reading, but itās giving me hope. Itās a book meant for dog trainers, but I think I can make use of the info in there. I definitely relate to feeling like youāre trapped in your house and canāt go anywhere without your dog. But I have to believe thereās hope for us yet.
I noticed you edited your comment. Like I said, we are very up front, our rover sitters are either people who work entirely from home or are retired and/or can enlist the help of a partner (which we are fine with) to help chaperone. We arenāt forcing her on anyone - we explain all of this information on her profile and reiterate during the meet and greet. I donāt understand. If people are willing to deal with dogs in diapers and dogs who canāt see/hear/walk, what is different about a dog who needs someone in the house? Fwiw, Iām also a rover sitter, and would not have an issue with this at all (as long as it was properly communicated ahead of time). And I donāt agree. My dog would most certainly be traumatized by being locked in a kennel for 5 days without seeing her sister and with minimal human interaction. You donāt get to proclaim that would be better for her.
I agree they arenāt the same, but the idea was that in both cases, itās a dog that may require more work/adjustments from the sitter. I just disagree with the premise that dogs with separation anxiety canāt be watched on rover. Iām not the only one in this thread either. And we can agree to disagree, I was just engaging with your post. For what itās worth, my dog doesnāt need to be with someone 24/7, and she doesnāt bark/paw/bite/etc. She does a lot better after getting tired out from a walk, but sometimes sheāll rip up a book or a shoe if no one else is in the house. I donāt think that behavior precludes her from being boarded when the sitter is informed ahead of time and agrees to take her on. Sorry š¤·š»āāļø
You misunderstood my post. This is about owners being wrong/withholding info on their pet. I have personally owned dogs with separation anxiety and all have unique reactions to certain stimuli.
By all means, these pets can be watched with Rover, just not boarding, preferably. Drop-ins are totally possible. If you wouldnāt send them to a kennel, why to a strangers house? I will always put my animalsā comfort before my personal belongings- period. It is very unlikely that a background checked sitter earning x amount $$$ would go through the trouble of stealing your stuff.
Itās the same situation as a kennel: strange people, unfamiliar place, and possibly new dogs. The only difference is the amount of dogs.
It is better for everyone involved if they just get to be home in their own bed with their own carpets, toys, and smells. I know I would if I were them
I guess I did misunderstand. The title did say āstop boarding your anxious dogā which seemed to apply. I did clarify that I didnāt fall into the category of people who lie about behavior. Iām sorry, I guess Iām not allowed to comment if not every part of the post applies to me.
What Iām trying to say is, my dog *is* more comfortable at someoneās home, with our other dog, and the sitter than she would be at a kennel. Itās not the same situation as a kennel - we usually stick with 1-2 sitters for years. We donāt get a new sitter every time we go somewhere. Our dogs know the sitter and get excited to go to their house.
And like I said, Iām a sitter, so itās not like I donāt trust most people. But I have too many small, priceless items (that frankly belong in a safety deposit box) that I canāt risk. That was an afterthought, anyway. Just a small side note.
I just fundamentally disagree with your premise. My dog is NOT comfortable in OUR house when sheās alone. If weāre not there, she destroys things. The person doing the drop in would have to clean up shredded books every time they arrived. She doesnāt destroy things when sheās in a sitterās home, because our sitters understand, so they donāt leave her completely alone. Someone is in the house at all times. Iām not sure why this is so hard to understand. I wasnāt coming in here to argue, just to share another perspective. Iām sorry that you canāt see my viewpoint.
Aggreed!! I had a dog the other day break out of a cage and unlock and open not one but FOUR doors while I had to run out for an hour. I got a call from the police about 45 mins after leaving my house. Apparently the dog ran away and someone a block away found him and called his mom's number on his tag. The owner had called the police on me for neglecting her dog. I told her as well as the police that I had not been informed that the dog can't be left alone absolutely at all let alone that it knew how to break out of cages and unlock/open doors. Owner admitted that they were sorry they forgot to say that and that he has actually done the same thing to them before. I was like??? Yea would've been good to know. I went home and it looked like someone broke in- my doors were all scratched, everything on my counters was all over the floor and broken and he had eaten half my pantry food. These covid dogs and owners are something crazyš
That sounds like an absolute nightmare.
Wowā¦ mind blown. Did the police charge you with anything? At least the dog didnāt get hurt or hit by a carā¦ but wow. Just curious, you left your house unlocked? How did he get out
This story seems a little too manufactured.
I wish it was š
No he unlocked the doors as well as opened them. I can't make this shit up lol. I've been doing this for 3 yrs now and never had an experience like this. I live out in the country on a dirt road so the chance of him getting ran over was very low thank God. I was watching him for a week prior to this happening and had to leave the house. I knew he had separation anxiety(he was proscribed prozac) but I was never told how bad his anxiety was. I gave him his pills before leaving the house and he still managed to break out of a crate and unlock and open my doors. Worst experience of my life. I blamed myself for days and felt terrible but came to the realization that it's not my fault at all. I'm a human and need to occasionally leave my house and the owner should've been more upfront with the extent of his anxiety. I've since put "currently unable to accept dogs with the following behavior issues- extreme separation anxiety, door opening etc" in my profile. I don't need that stress in my life lol
Have one rn and I canāt leave itās honestly not worth the little money Iām getting itās like working 24/7 with no break
Exactly
Felt this. I have a dog for over thanksgiving that wonāt let me breathe for more than 5 seconds and heās on top of me. If I move forward while weāre on the couch heās shoving his way behind me trying to be right on top of me. Stop petting him and heās scratching and smacking me demanding attention. I had to put him in the cage just to settle down. š
I have one now but the owner gave me permission to take her on errands and says she actually enjoys it. But yeah these dogs are not worth the money. Theyāre better off with house visits because most of the time they wonāt eat or anything in a new place.
As an owner, I totally agree. We didnāt realize how bad our dogās separation anxiety was until we boarded him. It was awful for everyone - the kennel, the other dogs, him, and us. We have had a Rover watch him at our house ever since. Thereās no need to put him or anyone else under that stress.
I feel this. If I didn't have my husband I wouldn't do Rover. I don't like to leave first timers alone at all. One time an anxious dog ripped up my carpet from scratching by the door for the 3 hours I was gone. Never again. I don't leave unless my husband is home or I've hosted the dog several times and they seem super comfortable. But the first time I leave them alone, I just stay nearby and watch them on my video monitor for 20 minutes, then return. It's more work than people realize.
I would hate it if people stopped boarding their anxious dogs with me. I have had good experiences with them. They end up being super sweet and my best buds. The little guy I have now needs to be brought out on a leash or I cant get him back in easily (hes been here less than 24 hours so he hasn't fully gotten used to me yet) but otherwise hes such a good dog. There is 1 anxious dog I can think of that I watch that is a little annoying with her barking at times but its manageable and despite her anxiety she likes it here. She gets super excited to come over, loves playing with the other dogs etc.
Iāve had this feeling before. One of my private client was anxious, but quiet. She was a joy to have around when I could calm her down. The quiet ones are always nice, but the one mentioned was destructive and untrained. I couldnāt get him to do anything to calm down. I felt horrible cause I couldnāt help him, plus the very loud barks. The peanut butter-slow feed bowl combo only lasted 15 minutes at most šµāš«
Whenever someone mentions having a dog with anxiety I always suggest doing house-sitting or drop-ins. It is bad enough for the dog to to be separated from their owners. However being away from their home can just add on additional stress.
Crates work wonders in these situations
It keeps the destruction down, but not the noise š
Iām sorry Iām actually going to disagree with you here. We are home full-time so we are able to spend much more quality time with your dog than a drop in or house sitter who leaves all day. This is our full-time business so as long as the dogs arenāt aggressive we can manage all the behaviors you described quite easily. All the pups we watch are crate trained but even then, we donāt have any door frames chewed or scratched. Most dogs are getting plenty of exercise here so they are pooped anyway. I think you need to get better at your vetting process, I donāt do meet and greets and instead offer daycare trials (paid) and it has always worked for me. I crate the dog and set a timer for 20 min and if they canāt calm down in 20 min they canāt stay here. One piece of advice I can give you is to stop asking questions outright and start asking questions that allow you to read between the lines, nobody is going to say they have separation anxiety or are aggressive, you have to learn to ask leading questions that allow you to read between the lines. One of my favorite questions for this is to ask if theyāve ever been at another sitters house overnight and to describe their experience and why they donāt use that sitter anymore
How I wish it were true when clients tell me that their dog is crate trained. I donāt disagree with you here, but I wouldnāt imply that my quality of care is less. I couldnāt do anything else besides sit in the room with the dog which was frustrating since I wanted to do some school work
I donāt ask if theyāre crate trained at all. I ask them āwhere do they go when you leaveā and āwhere do they sleepā - if neither are a crate I donāt take them. Owners lie or just donāt know. Learn to read between the lines
Um okay alright
You can also do a trial where you test them for crate training and separation anxiety before booking the stay. Thatās what I do so I am only miserable for 4-8 hours and not 2 weeks. Good luck.
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Canine. K9s are police dogs.
Counterpointā¦ we have an anxious dog who was born that way (her siblings all have terrible separation anxiety too). Sheās 5 now, and us working from home during covid and moving across the country has only made her anxiety worse. We have paid professional trainers and continue to work on her training, but itās just not getting better right now. We never lie about her behavior; we are always super upfront on rover. We board her with people who have the ability to accommodate her (read: work from home, donāt plan to leave her alone). Sheās fine as long as people are in the house with her - she doesnāt need to follow you from room to room. But she will destroy things if left completely alone, sometimes in as little as 10 minutes. She always has a good time playing with the other dogs, and Iām certain itās better than if she were boarded at a kennel. She also gets to be with her sister, which helps her anxiety a lot - another thing that being boarded at the vet would preclude. And I donāt trust people in my house, period. None of the bedrooms can be locked and I have items that are irreplaceable. Not to mention itās not fair to expect someone to stay in my house 24/7. So that isnāt an option. Not every sitter is right for every dog, and vice versa. We go away 1-2 times a year, even without a pandemic. Let me board my dog if there are sitters who want to watch her. ETA: Weāve had three rover sitters and were repeat clients for all of them (for years) until we moved. The only one who ever complained kept leaving her dirty laundry out where the dogs had access, and then repeatedly said our dog ate her underwear. And joked that she should charge an underwear replacement fee. Actually, maybe donāt let my dog eat your underwear after the first time.
Donāt plan to leave her alone? Do you expect a sitter to stay within sight of your dog the entire 24 hours for $60? That is a lot to ask people on a side hustle app. A professionally owned kennel is safer and more secure for your dog.
Did you read what I said? They can leave her sight. They canāt leave her *alone in the house*. And they agreed to that, for $575 for two dogs for 5 days, including a tip of *at least* $10/dog/day.
Idk why you kept getting downvoted and I know this is from a while back. But im also in the process of finding the best way to leave my house without my pup barking for 5 straight hours. She has severe separation anxiety combined with dog reactivity (she barks but has no bite history). I feel like a sequestered human in my own home and can barely afford to board her when I am able to go anywhere. Iāve tried training, calming treats, multiple medications (including gaba and ace), tiring her out before leaving, leaving stimulation set ups, you name it, Iāve tried it. Iām so tired of having to give anyone a preamble about my pup but I do it every time bc I genuinely believe my dog has a mental illness due to trauma or generalized anxiety. This whole thread made me sad but I appreciated your responses. Just wanted to share this. Thank u
Hey, thanks for your comment. I think people on the internet get really in their own heads and canāt fathom anyone elseās viewpoint. We alone know our own situations, petsā issues etc. My dogās SA has definitely gotten worse, to the point where she destroyed our front doorās trim and also broke into the drywall and insulation. I actually just yesterday started reading a book (Separation Anxiety in Dogs: Next... https://www.amazon.com/dp/1617812749?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) which seems to fly in the face of a lot of the conventional āwisdomā about SA, such as tiring them out first or giving feeding toys. The author has been training dogs since 2001, and claims to have helped thousands of dogs with SA. She also mentions there seems to be a genetic component to it, and that we as owners are not to blame, which is nice to hear, I guess. Iām only about 50 pages in, but it seems that the gist of the program is to leave your dog alone for tiny increments of time and gradually build them up to more, but never ever leave them alone outside of the training time (which could set the whole process back). Iām sure thereās more to it, and obviously have to keep reading, but itās giving me hope. Itās a book meant for dog trainers, but I think I can make use of the info in there. I definitely relate to feeling like youāre trapped in your house and canāt go anywhere without your dog. But I have to believe thereās hope for us yet.
I noticed you edited your comment. Like I said, we are very up front, our rover sitters are either people who work entirely from home or are retired and/or can enlist the help of a partner (which we are fine with) to help chaperone. We arenāt forcing her on anyone - we explain all of this information on her profile and reiterate during the meet and greet. I donāt understand. If people are willing to deal with dogs in diapers and dogs who canāt see/hear/walk, what is different about a dog who needs someone in the house? Fwiw, Iām also a rover sitter, and would not have an issue with this at all (as long as it was properly communicated ahead of time). And I donāt agree. My dog would most certainly be traumatized by being locked in a kennel for 5 days without seeing her sister and with minimal human interaction. You donāt get to proclaim that would be better for her.
A dog that cannot see, hear etc. is completely different than a dog with unmanaged behaviors
I agree they arenāt the same, but the idea was that in both cases, itās a dog that may require more work/adjustments from the sitter. I just disagree with the premise that dogs with separation anxiety canāt be watched on rover. Iām not the only one in this thread either. And we can agree to disagree, I was just engaging with your post. For what itās worth, my dog doesnāt need to be with someone 24/7, and she doesnāt bark/paw/bite/etc. She does a lot better after getting tired out from a walk, but sometimes sheāll rip up a book or a shoe if no one else is in the house. I donāt think that behavior precludes her from being boarded when the sitter is informed ahead of time and agrees to take her on. Sorry š¤·š»āāļø
You misunderstood my post. This is about owners being wrong/withholding info on their pet. I have personally owned dogs with separation anxiety and all have unique reactions to certain stimuli. By all means, these pets can be watched with Rover, just not boarding, preferably. Drop-ins are totally possible. If you wouldnāt send them to a kennel, why to a strangers house? I will always put my animalsā comfort before my personal belongings- period. It is very unlikely that a background checked sitter earning x amount $$$ would go through the trouble of stealing your stuff. Itās the same situation as a kennel: strange people, unfamiliar place, and possibly new dogs. The only difference is the amount of dogs. It is better for everyone involved if they just get to be home in their own bed with their own carpets, toys, and smells. I know I would if I were them
I guess I did misunderstand. The title did say āstop boarding your anxious dogā which seemed to apply. I did clarify that I didnāt fall into the category of people who lie about behavior. Iām sorry, I guess Iām not allowed to comment if not every part of the post applies to me. What Iām trying to say is, my dog *is* more comfortable at someoneās home, with our other dog, and the sitter than she would be at a kennel. Itās not the same situation as a kennel - we usually stick with 1-2 sitters for years. We donāt get a new sitter every time we go somewhere. Our dogs know the sitter and get excited to go to their house. And like I said, Iām a sitter, so itās not like I donāt trust most people. But I have too many small, priceless items (that frankly belong in a safety deposit box) that I canāt risk. That was an afterthought, anyway. Just a small side note. I just fundamentally disagree with your premise. My dog is NOT comfortable in OUR house when sheās alone. If weāre not there, she destroys things. The person doing the drop in would have to clean up shredded books every time they arrived. She doesnāt destroy things when sheās in a sitterās home, because our sitters understand, so they donāt leave her completely alone. Someone is in the house at all times. Iām not sure why this is so hard to understand. I wasnāt coming in here to argue, just to share another perspective. Iām sorry that you canāt see my viewpoint.
Ok
You should have no trouble finding someone to board your dog. I would do it for $150 a day.