Bad Boy! (How to deal with behavior issues)

Every house sitter has experiences with untrained or misbehaving dogs once in a while. In this article we like to share some tips, how to deal with "Bad Boys". Being prepared can make your house sit more safe and comfortable in case you have to deal with bad habits of dogs you have to care for.

When we are talking about misbehavior, we refer to minor problems like pulling on the leash, excessive barking or jumping on people. Other more serious behavior issues take a long training to correct, need the full attention of the owner and sometimes professional help; this is not the job of a house sitter!

Be aware, that taking care of other peoples pets while the owners are away, makes you responsible for any damage and harm, which can cause a very serious financial problem. For us, any serious misbehavior, mainly aggression, would be an absolute no-go for a house-sit; the risk that we or someone else getting hurt is simply too high and it’s not worth it.

What are possible unwanted or unpleasant behaviors?

1. Pulling on the leash

2. Not returning (when calling)

3. Jumping on people

4. Excessive barking or hauling

5. Chewing (on things)

6. Chasing

7. Resource guarding (food, toys)

8. Refusing collar or muzzle

9. Peeing (in the house)

10. Escaping

11. Digging (the owners garden)

12. Begging or stealing food

13. Biting/Nipping

14. Unsocial behavior to other dogs or people (the postman)

15. Separation anxiety/phobias

16. Aggression

Again, we are not professionals and this is not a dog trainer guide, so we will not go into details of each of these behaviors. Anyway, in the one or two weeks of your house sit you won’t be able to change the dog’s behavior. While most issues (1-13) might be tolerable and “just unpleasant”, unsocial behavior, phobias, or aggression are definitely something, you don’t want to be confronted with. With our tips, you might be able to manage some of these behaviors in order to have a better time for you and the pet.

Let’s get strated:

No 1: Talk with the owner

When you talk with the owner about their doggy, try to figure out, which behavior issues are important to mention. But be aware, some owners might have a different “view” of their pets habits and trivialize the problem. Talk with the owner about commands, the dog already understands. Take into consideration that the dog might behave differently with you then with the owner; a dog can be a lovely pet in the presence of its owner and a “terrorist” when you are on your own with him. If you have the chance to meet the pet together with the owner before your stay, observe the dogs behavior; that can tell you something you might have to expect during your house-sit.

No. 2: Keep the dog on the leash

Whenever you are in public, you are responsible for any action of the dog. If you are not sure about his behaviors (2, 3, 6, 14 and 16), be cautious at all times. Not all dogs are well trained or they might not respect you as well as their owners. If you are not sure whether he follows (your) commands properly and instantly, don't let him off the lead. We also recommend not to get in close contact with unknown dogs even when on the lead; that means: no “Hello”-sniffing, if you are not sure about the situation (and the other dogs attitude). That might sound odd or even cruel, but bad experience tells us that.

On the other hand, don't use the lead to restrain the dog in their natural behavior. They need the freedem to sniff around, run, play and explore. A good solution is an extendable leash, so you have the him under control on a "long arm".

No 3: Avoid trouble and remove triggers

Avoid trouble relates to most of the unwanted behaviors. Some examples of what we mean:

• If you know your dog is difficult to handle among other dogs (13) don’t walk to a dogs park; chose another round to get his walk.

• If he shows unsocial behavior to people (3, 13), keep him on a short leash during the walk and avoid too close contact with people especially around kids

• If he tends to chew on things (5) remove stuff and keep forbidden or dangerous objects out of reach. Try to redirect his attention to other toys.

• If he is an escape master (10), close the hole in the fence.

• If he is stealing food (12), don’t let your dinner leftovers to lie around. If you have a begging dog, try feeding him at the same time you eat to reduce the trigger or put him in another room during your dinner.

• If he is a puller (1) try our tips below (no. 4)

• If he pulls away for chasing (6), shows aggression against cars, people or other dogs (14), avoid the situation that triggers that behavior.

• If your dog is playing too excited or gets into a fight with another dog, never ever step in with your body; this can cause serious injuries.

In any situation of over-excitement or aggression, you need to stay calm and keep the dog under control. Retreat from the situation and soothe your dog.

No 4: Pulling on the lead

This is very common and certainly the most annoying misbehavior. In order to have a good time during your walk, try the following:

• If the dog pulls excessively, stop walking and stand still for a moment. Eventually, he will stop pulling and come back to you to check, why you not following him.

• Try calling him back to your side, even he is on the lead. But don't pull.

• Reward him with treats when he came to you, but only then. Do not lure him with the food to come or to follow you.

• After he came and stay beside you, then go on walking. If he starts pulling again, interrupt immediately and stop again. You need to repeat over and over again that until he learns that pulling does not bring him any further.

• You can try to use a long lead to give him more space if this is safe to do. If he continue pulling, you interrupt that behavior immediatley as said before.

• Finally, you can try to walk him on a short lead by changing directions repeatedly (walk back and forth) and keep him following your changes. Use the treats only for rewarding when he follows without pulling in another direction; do not lure him in the direction he shall go. This is already a kind of training to walk to heel, but if you have a long assignment with your house sit, it might worth to try it.

These are the most basic tips. Some other general interactions with your dog can improve to way you get along with each other. Especially on a long term assignment, the relationship between you and the dog is essential for a successful house sit.

If you want to interrupt or stop a behavior you first need to get the pet's attention. That means the dog should look at you and notice your order. When the dog is doing something else while you want to train him, that’s pretty pointless.

Be consequent: if you don’t allow something once, don’t let him do it next time. Otherwise, he will never understand why a behavior sometimes is ok and next time it’s forbidden. Always allow or forbid the same behavior patterns.

Interfere at the right moment: if you react to a behavior, you should do it immediately in the situation. Any delay your pet might not be able to make the connection to the wrong behavior and such feels punished for nothing.

Avoid wrong rewards: often owners going to “correct” their pet but saying “No, my boy, you should not eat the steak from the grill” by petting them at the same moment, while “Big Boy” is chewing on their 50$ steak. The dog will recognize this “positive” attention as a reward ... and steal the steak next time again. A strong “No!”, restrain yourself to pet and give the order exactly at that moment is the right way to react. On other habits, ignoring might help as well e.g. jumping on people. Ignoring works as a negative reward, which eventually let the dog, stop it.

If you use treats as a reward, use them wisely. For instance, it would be wrong to lure the dog to come to you by holding food in front of his nose. The reward has to come directly at the positive behavior, but not to trigger it.

Stay calm: in a critical situation make sure, you are the boss; the dog is not controlling the situation, you do. Dogs recognize human uncertainty or fear. Don’t get worried or excited, no shouting, pushing the dog or pulling on the lead and of course, we don’t beat our dog.

Finally: serious behavior conditions (aversions, phobias, aggression) need professional help and should not put in the hand of house sitters. In such cases, you really should consider refusing the offer for a house-sit.

Disclaimer: We are not professional dog trainers. We reflect personal experience and things we learned on the way here and there. Every dog is an individual and behaves differently. Behaviors can vary by bread, their age, because of former experience, the owner's habits, the training status and so on. Therefore the mentioned tips might work with one dog but not with another. We cannot take any responsibility if our “tips” fail to work on your dog. Seek professional help, if you face “bad boys”, which ruin your house sit.