Guide for interacting with guest dogs

As a Sniffspot host, you probably love dogs. An important part of being a great Sniffspot host is to channel that love in sensitive and safe support for dog owners that come to visit your spot. 

Many of our guests have dogs that are reactive, just like many dogs in general are reactive. In fact, 75% of US dog owners report that they have dogs that are in some way reactive. Reactive simply means that a dog reacts to stimuli. Stimuli could be other dogs, people, squirrels, men in hats or other things depending on the dog. The reaction could be overexcitement, barking, lunging, fear and all the way to snapping or biting. For reactive dogs, having safe, private spaces where stimuli can be controlled is especially important. 

In order to provide safe spaces for all dogs, hosts need to follow these guidelines when sharing their space:

1. Spots need to be free of dogs, other domestic animals and people during guest visits. Never meet with guest dogs unless specificaly arranged in advance with that guest and we recommend avoiding meeting guest dogs whenever possible.
2. When setting up your spot listing, make sure to provide complete, detailed information on Others Audible/Visible From Spot During Visits (Dogs, Other Domestic Animals, People). Read more about this here.
3. If domestic animals are audible or visible from the spot, we recommend dog-secure fencing between them and the spot. 
4. If possible, ALWAYS keep your dogs, other domestic animals and people non-audible and non-visible from spots during visits.
5. We require that all hosts by default keep their dogs away from guests and their dog(s) when guests are arriving and visiting the spot. If you want to arrange a playdate, make sure to read how it works first. Make it clear in your listing that, unless the guests requests, resident dogs will be non-audible and non-visible during visits. 
6. Make sure you and others on the spot property are aware when guests are visiting the spot. You and other people on the spot property should avoid approaching or meeting the guest and their dog(s) when guests are arriving and visiting the spot unless you confirm specifically with that guest in advance. If a guest has visited multiple times, it could be easy to relax and come out to say hi - do not do this unless you confirm in advance. This is not safe. 
7. If the spot is enclosed, make sure you or others on the property do not open any doors or gates during visits. 
8. In general, minimizing distractions will increase your spot earnings. Learn more about minimizing distractions here.

By following these guidelines, it will go a long way toward ensuring that all hosts and guests have a great experience with Sniffspot!

Note: we do not allow dogs that have a bite history or have been designated as dangerous by a court of law.