Blog

  • June 24th, 2020
    Written by: Kimberly

    Do you have a picky pet?

    You're not alone. Many pets show preferences for different types of people and different situations. It is not uncommon to have a dog that doesn't seem to like other people - or at least doesn't warm up quickly.

    At FurBabies Home Pet Care, we have certainly met a few dogs that didn't seem to take to us right away. But we assure you that in the vast majority of situations, your dog will not only warm up to us - they'll be excited for the visit.

    How We Calm Your Dog

    One word of caution. There are some dogs that have not been socialized that do occasionally show signs of aggression towards strangers and non-family members. In those cases we do ask that you try training your dog in advance, teaching them not to be aggressive towards other humans.

    We are MORE than happy to give you some resources on how to socialize your dog. We do not put our pet sitters at risk, so aggressive dogs may require a bit of training before we can start watching them.

    With that in mind, dogs that bark, or run away, or show mild aggression out of fear - these are often dogs that just need a bit of care to get used to our presence. We use several tricks to make sure that your dog is ready for our service. These include:

    • Meet and Greets - If you're concerned your dog may not be ready for a pet sitter, let's arrange a meet and greet. That way you are present when we take your dog and they feel safer knowing that you approve of us. The mere act of letting us in your home and showing them we are a "friend" can be enough to dissuade their fears.
    • Treats and Love - We come equipped to every job with treats, toys, and affection, so that they start to look forward to seeing us.
    • Calming Voice and Dog Experience - Dogs sense tension and fear. But our pet sitters are highly experienced and able to remain calm in almost any situation. Your dog will pick up our comfort around dogs, and feel more relaxed with us.

    In addition, dogs - including picky dogs - are usually fine once they're on a leash and outdoors with someone they know. So once we've met them and given them a chance to get to know us, they should be more than comfortable with our presence after a short amount of time until they become excited to see us every day.

    Even if you have a picky dog, our pet sitters are ready to help. Give us a call today for more.