Episode 28: How To Pet Sit for Aggressive Dogs

In this episode, Bella speaks with Jennifer Taylor, the Founder and owner of JenLovesPets, an award-winning San Diego pet sitting and dog walking company. After sitting down with Jennifer in her home town of San Diego, Bella was so impressed with the vast knowledge and stories that Jen has that she immediately knew she had to be on a podcast with the intent to help elevate the pet industry when it comes to approaching and accepting clients who are aggressive or fearful. In This Episode: Jennifer Taylor, JenLovesPets.com Bella and Jen talk about "aggressive" dogs and how people often lump fearful dogs into the same category. Jennifer discusses some of the causes of aggression and ways to overcome it. Listen in as they discuss: 1. What is the difference between fearful and aggressive dogs? 2. What advice would you have for a sitter who encounters a fearful or aggressive dog during a consultation? What steps should they take to ensure their safety? 3. What if that situation was that pet sitter's staff member? How can one train their staff to acknowledge these types of pets and alert management? 4. Tell me a success story with a two and four legged client and how you were able to create a happy environment for that pet (the one you told me) 5. Where can sitters go to get more education on this topic for themselves and their staff? They also discuss how a pet sitter would go about working with a fearful dog by including dog behavioralists and trainers on the team. Jen also lists some great resources for those who want to work with fearful dogs. Mentioned In The Episode: The Pet Professional Guild - http://www.petprofessionalguild.com/ Subscribe To The Show: Transcript: This is episode 28 of Bella in Your Business. Welcome to Bella in Your Business, where Bella will discuss anything and everything about your pet sitting business to help you land on target. So get ready—Bella’s got your chute. Let’s jump. Welcome to Bella in Your Business. I'm Bella Vasta with Jump Consulting, and today I have a very special guest. Jennifer Taylor started Jen Loves Pets back in 2010 in the beautiful city of San Diego, which I adore. Jen has grown to have five employees, but the most interesting thing—and the reason why I have Jen here filling up your airwaves today—is because Jen and I had a discussion when I was recently in San Diego. And it’s a discussion that I really wanted to get on record. Jen has such vast experience in aggressive, shy, and scared dogs. She used to volunteer at the Humane Society and take classes there. She studied diagnostic sources through the professional guild and worked with trainers and dog behaviorists. She has a lot of incredible stories to share with us. Jennifer: Thank you for inviting me. Bella: Absolutely. I know that you’re going to be such a blessing to so many people, whether they’re just starting out their pet sitting company or they’ve been doing it for years and trying to figure out how to transfer their knowledge or way of doing things to their staff. When you and I were talking outside of Starbucks, you started telling me so many interesting stories. Before we get into that, I want you, in your own words, to tell us about your background in behavior. Where did you learn it all from? Jennifer: When you ask that question, I’m like, wait, where did it all come from? I have no idea. But no—it was volunteering at the Humane Society and rescue groups. They work with all types of dogs and take them to classes to help with behavior. You learn from those trainers, you learn from dog behaviorists, just working really close with extremely intelligent dog people. Bella: It’s a lot of the school of hard knocks, as many would say. Getting thrown into it and learning from the gurus and the people that live, sleep, and breathe this stuff. So let’s make a good foundation for this podcast today. Let’s talk about what is the difference, Jennifer, between a fearful dog and an aggressive dog? Jennifer: Aggression is a symptom. Typically, most aggression is fear-based, so it’s kind of tricky. Aggression can come from fear, territorial, predatory, or protective instincts, which are natural. It can come from frustration. But a lot of the time, resource guarding is mistaken for aggression. Aggression is usually a symptom. Bella: As you’re saying that, Jennifer, I’m thinking about that kid that’s acting out, angry and throwing a tantrum, but deep down inside, he’s hurt or feels misunderstood. Jennifer: Definitely. Since you brought that up, health issues can also cause aggression. There are a lot of different health issues that can come about—if a dog’s in pain, he can’t react normally. Bella: I want our listeners to think about that because we go on many different consultations and experience so many different situations—from the really happy, lovable pets to the ones backed away in the corner, teeth showing, hackles up, gums showing, whale eyes, ears down—all those behaviors that show “I’m scared, get away, I’m warning you.” I feel like all too many times in our industry, as pet sitters, because we care so much, we sometimes put ourselves in situations that don’t set us up for success. That really worries me. What would be your advice, Jen, knowing what you know, if a pet sitter posted in a group saying, “Hey, I went to this consultation and the dog was doing all that. Should we take on this client?” Jennifer: That’s very tricky. There’s a certain line where you have to have a trainer involved—working closely with a trainer, with that client, the dog, and yourself. I don’t recommend putting a newbie pet sitter in that. If the owner of the pet sitting company wants to do it and feels comfortable working with a trainer or behaviorist, I’m totally down for her. But if you’re afraid or nervous, you just can’t. The dog will sense it. So if you’re questioning it, absolutely not. That’s why you want relationships with trainers and behaviorists. You can tell the client, “Look, this dog is extremely fearful. I want to work with you.” But it’s the client’s responsibility to call the trainer—give them a list of force-free and positive reinforcement trainers because that helps build trust. Work with a trainer once or twice a week, and as a pet sitter, come once or twice a week to help build confidence and trust. Bella: What I’m hearing you say is that you’re setting healthy boundaries for everyone. The client acknowledges there’s a problem and wants to be part of the solution. I think sometimes clients are in denial—“No, my dog’s not really like that. He’ll warm up to you after he bites you.” We have to be realistic. It’s even harder when we have staff. When it’s just us, the decision is easier. But when we have staff, they may not know how to assess if it’s a problem. We need to educate our staff on what to look for. It also depends heavily on the situation—is the client leaving in two days and just wants someone to deal with it, or do they want to plan ahead with a trainer over months? It’s really a business decision and liability consideration. Bella: When we were talking, you told me about a couple of success stories that you had. Tell us about that dog—it had something to do with a cage, and it took you months. Jennifer: I loved her. She was comfortable with her dad there at the meet and greet, but her body language was nervous. When he went on vacation and it was time for me to walk in, she was scared to death. I literally had to tilt her crate to get her to come out and go outside to pee. I tossed treats clear across the room for her. The fear in her just wasn’t healthy. I wanted to at least make her comfortable in her own home. I would tilt the crate, she’d run outside, then run back in. I wore bandanas back then, and one night while she was outside, I took the bandana off my head and tossed it in her crate. The next day, I opened the door to her crate, and she slowly walked out. We went outside, and she was sniffing bushes and looking at me out of the corner of her eye. So I got on the ground and sniffed the grass. I basically became a dog. She sniffed what I was sniffing, then I moved to another spot. She followed and sniffed again. I saw her body language relax—her back loosened, her eyes softened. I took off running, and she came running right behind me. Her tail was wagging, she was happy. I put on her leash, and we went for a walk—the owners said that would never happen, but it did. After that, she never had an issue with me again. Bella: That’s incredible. I love how you took the time you needed and had clients who supported your method. I think those two things are really important. Jennifer: The Pet Professional Guild is a great resource—they’re force-free and positive reinforcement-based. It’s an association with courses and tons of information. I’m taking their courses right now to become a dog behaviorist. Bella: And that’s different from a trainer, right? Like a psychologist versus a personal trainer. Jennifer: Exactly. Bella: That’s amazing. It can really help pet business owners understand their four-legged clients, not just the two-legged ones. Jennifer: Our number one priority at Jen Loves Pets is understanding the dogs and cats and their needs. Employees come first, then the pets, then the two-legged hairless clients. Bella: I love that! What other resources would you suggest? Jennifer: Facebook groups are great—so much free knowledge. But you need hands-on training, too. Go to rescue groups and Humane Societies—they need volunteers to take dogs to classes. That’s free hands-on training. Work with local dog trainers and behaviorists. The knowledge you gain is unreal. Bella: How do you pass that knowledge to your staff? Jennifer: During meet and greets, I watch their body language and the pet’s. I remind them—don’t lean forward, stay relaxed, let the dog come to you. Don’t pet on the head; pet under the chin.