When pet owners hire new sitters, they usually leave extensive instructions about how to feed, walk and generally entertain their critters. Unfortunately the pets often have a different plan for dealing with strangers. The cat that will go to a set location to eat for the owner won't come out from under the bed, or the dog may take a lot stronger arm for you to handle than for their owners. So you have to improvise. Maybe you feed the cat at a different location, or you get the dog on the leash in a confined location and make them sit before going through doors. After the first couple of visits both the critters and the pet sitter find a routine.
Sometimes the owner forgets to mention something because it has become so automatic. One dog was supposed to be very reliable about pooping in each of the two visits per day, but I had the devil of a time getting out of there in half an hour the first couple of visits. I tripped over the solution on the third visit when I let the dog take me back into the house after peeing. I fed her, which she inhaled, and took her out again to immediate results. I later found out that was the routine the owner usually followed, but she had forgotten to tell me.
Luckily, the animals that require extra work like shots for diabetes or oral medications tend to be easy. Perhaps it is because they are already used to being handled so much by their owners, and they are often elderly.
There are totally serendipitous discoveries too. I was sitting for a dog that was sweet but tough to calm down. I had tried all the usual approaches and had gotten her to a tolerable point, but we weren't near placid. I happened to have her in the kitchen once when I washed out her food bowl, and when I turned around she was in an almost Zen-like trance. Somehow being in the room with the washing ritual acted like a balm. No one had ever mentioned that, but I took full advantage of it. And the dog had exceptionally clean bowls.
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