Advice for being a successful sitter on Rover

Sitter Resources / Dog Care 101

Expert Sitters Share How to Avoid Burnout

By Rover Staff |

Cute Dachshund Dog Sleeping By Feet Of his Female Owner in Living Room

The past year was a bit of a rollercoaster. For many sitters on Rover, demand for services ticked back up after a pandemic-induced slower period. To support sitters in this transition, Rover hosted a Facebook Live event on September 24th with a panel of experienced and trusted sitters giving advice on ways to avoid burnout and effectively manage their calendars to optimize business.

We at Rover are invested in the wellbeing of everyone in our community, and to show our support to sitters specifically, we felt it important to offer this event. Rover employee Phil Hill spoke with two experienced sitters on Rover, Annie and Lauri. We also picked 20 sitters on Rover—from a group that filled out our related survey—to each get $200 toward the self-care activity of their choice.

Annie is a sitter on Rover, based in North Carolina. She has several years of experience and performs services on Rover part time. How Annie avoids burnout:

  • Sets specific boundaries. Annie only takes up to 3 dogs at once and they must be small.
  • Takes a few days off here and there to regroup and rest
  • Only take one new client at a time (along with other repeat clients)

Lauri is an experienced sitter on Rover, former vet tech and animal control expert, based in Florida. How Lauri avoids burnout:

  • Only does specific services like dog walking and pet sitting but prefers to not watch dogs in her own home (dog boarding)
  • Blocks one week per month to take time away and relax
  • Uses the Meet & Greet to really make sure the pet is a good fit and match

Here are a few more tips from our conversation with Annie and Lauri:

1. How to say no to a booking, without guilt, in a way that does not upset a prospective client:

Lauri: When Lauri does a Meet and Greet, and realizes that she might not be able to perform a service for a prospective client, she prefers to tell them the truth and say that she is not the best fit for their pet. Rather than just say she is booked, she explains that she doesn’t think she is the best person to care for that pet.

Annie: Typically when Annie has to turn down a booking it’s because she is already booked and full, which people tend to understand. Keeping your calendar up to date and organized is helpful to prevent potential disappointment, too.

2. How do you work with pet parents that require different types of communication?

Annie: When a client isn’t in close communication, Annie sends them the information they need and make it clear that the ball is in their court. For clients who like more frequent communication, she lets them know that if she’s not responding it’s likely because she’s in the yard playing with the dogs or out on a walk with them. Annie sticks to a morning, afternoon and evening update so that clients know what to expect.

Lauri: Communication is key! Lauri always tells the client, at the beginning, that she likes to send a lot of pictures and updates so that they have peace of mind. However, she makes sure to ask them up front how much communication they would like. She understands that some people don’t want to be tied to their phone during vacation, for example. She says having that communication up front mitigates a lot of issues.

3. How do you handle intense weather? This could be that it’s too hot, too cold, smoky from forest fires, etc.

Lauri: “I live in Florida, so it’s hot,” she said. If someone books a walk, and it’s almost 100 degrees out, she communicates with the owner that she might be a little worried about the heat and suggest that they do a 5-10 minute walk just to take the pet out to the bathroom (when applicable) and then let them know she could play with the dog inside, in the AC, for the rest of the booked time. She said, “At the end of the day, I’m not going to risk the safety of the pet.”

Annie: In the case of extreme weather, when they can’t spend as much time outside, Annie likes to tire their brain out with obedience training or puzzle treat games.

4. Do you have tips for working with dogs with disabilities?

Lauri: “I have a lot of experience working with dogs with disabilities and senior dogs,” she said. “My biggest piece of advice is to not accept anything you can’t handle.” Lauri believes that animals need a higher level of care that only certain people can provide and recommends that if you don’t have any experience administering injectable medicine, for example, don’t accept bookings where that is required. Lauri has a couple clients with dogs in diapers or wheelchairs, and she said she wouldn’t take those bookings if she didn’t already have experience.”

Annie: I ask pet parents how they communicate with their dog,” she said. Annie likes to ask pet parents how they get their dog to come to them, for example. Do they use the word “no”? This tells her a lot about the dog and what they’re used to. It also informs her how to care for the pet.

We at Rover got so many great questions from sitters on Rover, and while we didn’t have enough time to answer all of them with Annie and Lauri, we hope this session was helpful. Thank you again to Lauri and Annie for sharing their tips. If you missed the Facebook Live, you can view the recording here. Stay tuned for the next panel!