Crate that animal before house cleaning? The house cleaner wants to know if you can crate that animal because she says he’s dangerous. Mad dogs and maids go way back. There are aggressive dogs, mongrels, and pups, but they’re just being territorial.
Once the mutts have had a little dog training you won’t need to crate that animal. Today on Ask a House Cleaner the cleaning lady gives tips to train the canine.
Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says dogs with aggression are harmless to maids once they know you. Save the cage. Train your pooch.
Listen: Crate That Animal Before House Cleaning
Watch: Crate That Animal Before House Cleaning
Hey there, I’m Angela Brown, and this is Ask a House Cleaner. This is a show where you get to ask a house cleaning question, and I get to help you find an answer.
Question: Crate That Animal Before House Cleaning
Now, today’s question comes from a house cleaner who goes to a customer’s house that has a big dog and it nips at her. She’s afraid that it’s going to break the skin. And she doesn’t like being around this dog. “Can I crate that dog before I show up to clean?”
Answer: Crate That Animal Before House Cleaning
The answer is yes, you can. You have a right to ask the homeowner if they will crate that animal so that you can show up and do your job.
Meet the Pet Before You Crate That Animal
Now, there are a couple of keys to getting along with animals when you show up to clean someone’s house. The first thing you should do when you do your initial walkthrough is to ask the homeowner to introduce you to their pets. This is important because the owner is home and can tell or show the animal how to respond to you. If you’re meeting the pet for the first time when the owner isn’t home, they won’t be able to take cues from the owner about how to treat you. They don’t know if they can trust you or if you’re a stranger.
The instinct of a dog, for example, is to protect their territory. So if a stranger shows up that they don’t know, their first instinct might be to nip at you. They’re going to lash out, bark, and start acting crazy.
But if they take cues from the homeowner who introduces you, it will be easier. “Hey, Barley, this is our new house cleaner. Her name is Angela, and she’s going to be coming here every week.” Then when you go back to clean the dog will see you as a friend, not a stranger.
Pet Introduction
When the homeowner introduces you to the animal, this is a chance for you to get down on your knees so that you are at the dog’s level. This way you can reach out and let them smell your hand.
Dogs have an amazing sense of smell and an amazing sense of intuition. When the size up a person, they’re deciding if they’re a good person. You want to take this moment to maybe pet his face or behind the ears. This will show that you express love for this animal.
I know the animal is a perfect stranger, but you know, it’s a little pet. Who doesn’t love a dog? If you love this dog in this moment when he feels safe with his owner present, he’s learning how to treat you.
Like “Oh, this is a safe person,” and he’s making a mental connection, “This is what this person smells like.”
Now, if you’re wearing latex gloves, the rubber on the latex gloves smells different than anything else the dog has probably smelled. So as you come to clean the house, one of the first things that we do is to put on our gloves. The next step should be to reach down for the dog so that the dog can smell the latex, and they get in their mind, “Oh, yes. This is a house cleaning person, and they have that rubbery smell to them.”
Be Nice to the Animal
Then keep in mind that when you talk to the animal, don’t yell and scream at it because they’re like people. They don’t like to be yelled and screamed at, but if you talk to them in your inside voice and say, “Hey, I’m Angela, and I’m here to clean your house today. Isn’t that cool? You can make a connection with him, and you can sound excited. They will pick up on the tonal qualities of your voice. And they will know that “Oh, yes, this is the nice person that my owner introduced me to.”
Now, even if you don’t get along with the dog and the dog has to go in a crate, the crate is probably still going to be inside the house. That does not mean you ignore the dog. Every time you’re in the room, you can go, “Hey, Barley. How’s it going? Just checking on you there, bud. Making sure everything’s okay.” This helps the dog to recognize your voice and he’ll start to know that you are a safe person in the home.
What’s really cool is this: The more you get to know the animals, the better they will be for you to work around. So when you come to the house, “Oh, yes, she cleans the house, she runs the vacuum. I don’t like the vacuum. I’m going to go head in the other room.” If they’re not crated, they will leave you alone because an antagonistic animal will get in your stuff, they’ll knock your stuff over, they’ll spill your supplies. You don’t want that, but if a dog is aggressive or doesn’t like you, that can be turned around with training.
Crating the Animal
What that comes down to is how you treat the dog. But if there is an aggressive dog that’s misbehaving and not connecting with you, then you can ask the owner to put it in a crate. “Please, crate that animal before I get there so that I can do my job. This way we won’t be fighting with each other the whole time that I’m there.”
If you’re kind to people’s animals, the people will pick up on that as well. Everybody would rather have a house cleaner that loves their animals, instead of one that doesn’t.
How to Deal With Pet Allergies
Now, truth be known, for years and years, I’ve been allergic to pets. I go into someone’s house, and my eyes just water, and my nose clogs up, and I can’t breathe. It’s nasty, but the reality is, it’s not the dog’s fault that he has hair and pet dander. So I can’t get angry or mistreat and blame the dog for my allergies because it’s not the dog’s fault. I still have to love and care for the animal, in spite of the fact that I have allergies.
How I combat that is I drink apple cider vinegar and lemon juice so that it cleans out my sinuses and my system. This helps me and allows me to be around animals. But, if you have problems with animals, ask if they can be isolated. Ask the owner if they will crate that animal before you arrive. That way, everyone can do their job properly. But I’ll tell you what, you’ll go a whole lot further a lot faster if you’ll just learn how to get along with the dog. Once this happens, then the dog will leave you alone.
That’s my two cents for today, and until we meet again, leave the world a cleaner place than when you found it.
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Resources For This Episode
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