What do you charge for walking/drop in visiting/sitting Additional dog/cats & puppies?

HI Jennifer:

I do both walks and drop-in visits, but I haven't had any puppies or cats. I do charge a little extra for both, considering puppies require more attention, and more potty outings than dogs. And cats would most likely include cleaning the litter box of the daily mess. Walking puppies require more work than a dog because a puppy is more likely to be going through training and the pet parents would want you to reinforce that. It's good that you are looking at your competitor's in your area for what they charge. I did that too! Did you also look at the other Rover sitters in your area? It's important to keep in the same range as your competitors on Rover, (not stating you have to charge exactly the same as them). That being said, yes, I do charge the most for walks and drop-in's for my zip code, but I have years (in some case decades) of more experience than the other sitters, and I'm still competitive with the other professional services offered in my county. So basically, a good gauge is checking what the other Rover sitters in your area charge for those services and go from there.

Great questions. I'm a drop in sitter and dog walker. I don't do boarding or house sitting.

1) I charge a base price for the first dog, and 20% less for each additional dog, per visit. For cats, I charge a lesser base fee than dogs for the first cat, and half that amount for each additional cat. However, I customize pricing for dog/cat households where the dogs are lots of work but not so much the cats. Example: client with 3 dogs, one of which needs insulin injections, and one cat, 3 visits a day for a week. I priced all the dogs at normal rates, and the cat care at $30 for the entire week. Clients only wanted litter cleaned every couple days and dry food monitored. However, I also have some cat only clients, who are very particular. Example: one cat needs visited twice daily, litter scooped and fresh food/water each time. I charged my full cat rate for each visit.

2) I do not charge more for puppies, administering meds, or the like. My charges are based the number of pets. Whatever the owner needs for their pets during my 30 minute vists/walks is what I'll do.

3) I definitely monitor the competition in my area for reasonable pricing, and check out profiles, like a potential client would. It's a good idea to update your profile occasionally. So many sound alike.

Good luck!

Hi Jennifer -

1) I take it on a case by case basis. I do drop ins for a family who has two cats, but they have so far not required my care so I don't adjust the rate at all. I'll adjust the rate based on how much extra work the additional animals will require, taking into consideration that I'm already making the trip there and back for the first animal.

2) I automatically charge more for puppies on overnight sits (I'm a boarder), but not for daycare, walks, or drop ins. Since the latter are all very time-limited, it matters less how old or how exuberant the dog is, since I'll be spending the same amount of my time with them regardless. For boarding, puppies just tend to require more of my energy, more frequent potty breaks (perhaps interrupting my sleep schedule) and are just more exhausting over a longer period of time.

3) Yeah, I pay attention to what the going rates are in my area. It matters more when you're first starting out and wanting to attract more business, but it's a good idea to check periodically, especially if you aren't getting the demand you want for your services.