Invest in a carpet cleaner when you can, if you have carpet or a steam cleaner (even the little ones) if not. They are invaluable as are belly bands and washable diapers for dogs who tend to pee inside. Try not to let yourself get overwhelmed with dogs and take time for yourself!

If you can, make little cards to give to your clients and write something nice about the dog(s) and ask politely for a review when they have time. The more reviews, the better!

Welcome to dog sitting and to Rover! Its a good

Definitely take your pup to a vet! This is to make sure that it is not a mange or something serious. A spoonful of coconut oil (refined solid) can help as well but get it to a vet!

My little Chihuahua licks his when he is sleep as a comforting thing, kind of like a baby with a blankie. My little chi/rat terrier mix is allergic to some grasses so he licks and bites at his during the Spring time and has to have Benedryl for a couple weeks.

It really depends on the dog. This time of year, a dog can go outside and get those burrs in their paws. When they pull it out, little spurs of it can remain. Check closely with light. If this has always happened, then it might be a soothing thing.

Cosequin is also a great product for this!

There is a great thing called "Outta my box" that will stop this. They are little doggy treats that make the poop unappealing. It worked well with mine!

Also, the longer you wait, the more chance that you cannot have another dog in your home or yard because Parvo stays around for a long, long time once it is there. The pup needs a vet quickly and hopefully they can catch it in time to help him.

A carpet cleaner used weekly or bi-weekly, a wax melty thing with nice scents (they last a long time), and constant cleaning. I will use the occasional candle but make sure it is up and away from pets! Natures Miracle really helps with spot cleaning too.

Cleaning is a constant thing with dog sitting, just to keep your home from smelling "doggy" and then comes the other smells.

Oh Yes! They learn by practice and she sees that the other dog gets something by limping so she will try it too. Just as dogs learn to go out, play, lay on furniture, etc. by watching what the others do. As long as you know that she is fine, its okay. Just never reward her for doing it or she will continue.

Perhaps giving the other dog his meds or treats out of sight of the girl and give hers to her away from him might help. That way one does not know what the other is doing and you are not just singling her out with treat time. Dogs are funny little animals, they learn quickly!

I am unsure but I know that when I did that, I forgot to hit "save" each time and it would not save. Each thing that you choose needs a save. If it still gives you issues, Rover's help desk is awesome!

Belly Bands on every male unless you have watched them and know that they will not mark! It saves a lot of heartache and needless scrubbing. It does not hurt the dog but saves your peace of mind.

Even the best of dogs usually have an accident in a new place and even more so for a puppy. Three of your greatest investments are belly bands, washable diapers, and a carpet cleaner for carpet or a steam cleaner for other floors.

I actually charge a few more dollars for any dog under a year old just because they are more work than an older dog. I have been blessed that the very few young dogs that I have watched were relatively good but accidents happen.

I actually use belly bands for most male dogs unless I have watched them before and know that they do not pee inside. It does not hurt the dog and saves my sanity!

I have been doing this for several years now and it fluctuates year to year. Usually I get at least one month that is completely dead. It used to bother me but I found that I can use that month (minus a few days) to do the deep cleaning or rearranging that I was unable to do due to being so busy.

The off month is never the same. I find that Spring Break, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are the busiest but this year, I was dead during the fourth but super busy in the weeks after. You will most likely stay steadily busy with some odd periods where everyone seems to want to travel. It all evens out in time,

I just had a potential client set up for a meet and greet four different times. She canceled twice and was a no call/no show the last two. She used the excuse that she had a chronic pain attack that morning but was feeling great that afternoon....the appointment was for 3pm so she told on herself.

I finally just referred her over to two other sitters to choose from because I was done with it and marked her as an "Owner was not a good fit". Sometimes there are reasons, sometimes people just are rude. I have very little tolerance for rudeness but have some understanding of circumstances.

Not everyone has the home training to call if they will be late so I try to understand if they are a few minutes late but when they are an hour or two without a call, I contact them to ask if they are planning to come over because I have plans. That usually gets an answer.

Rude people get on my nerves!

I also have had that problem this week. My client is not a Rover client, he is a long time client from before I was with Rover. He had two dogs that were wonderful and one was killed by a neighborhood dog. Now he has a girl dog that he neglected to tell me was unaltered and she is also aggressive to certain dogs. Shes fine with most but there was one here that she wanted to eat and that is unacceptable.

My plan is to just let him know that I can no longer watch them. It is better to just be honest and respectful. If you know any of the other sitters, ask if they want you to refer them to that person, if not, tell them about the sitter list up top.

It is not worth it to watch dogs that the client does not bother to train. Be kind, considerate, and say thank you for being a client.

Angela

I have clients that were clients before I joined Rover and I charge them a little differently due to the fees that Rover charges. It is not very much and dogs that stay with me weekly get a little less charge as well because I have a couple of dogs that come a couple of days every week and have for 3+ years.

If new people come around, I do ask that they at least consider going through Rover because their insurance coverage and sitter help is amazing!

Really, it is whatever you feel comfortable with doing.

I would contact the owner through Rover, let them know why you feel that the dog is not good for your home and/or pet sitting setup, and then archive their request using "dog was not a good fit" or "owner was not a good fit" or whatever best fits the situation.

Since the pup is already with you and not much you can do at this point, perhaps buying a disposable doggy diaper would be a good choice for you all. You can allow her in the living room with you and perhaps ease her anxiety since she will be around people and other pups and it will save your carpet and peace of mind.

Some dogs just have it in them to eat that way. I actually just had a regular stay come in and she started eating that way out of the blue. They bought her a "slow down bowl" and it makes her have to concentrate on eating. It is well worth having one!

I do not take a dog without a meet and greet because you do not know what you are getting if you do not. Just because a photo shows a happy dog does not mean that it is a happy dog with other dogs. Just because the photo shows a dog within your weight range, does not mean that this dog is now in that range. It is always best to meet the dog and owner, not just to meet the dog but for your dogs (if you have them) to meet them.

Just remember, if you do not do a meet and greet and they drop off a dog that is out of control once they leave, you may be stuck with that dog. If you do a meet and greet, you get an idea of how the dog is and how it acts with the owner not in sight.

I have to agree with the majority on this, if they want their dogs fed cooked meals, they should bring those meals. I do have a customer who feeds their dog a concoction of turkey, a veggie mix, and something else and it STINKS! He cooks and pre-packages it all for her stay though, so I am happy to feed it to her. She also has her dry food for the vitamins that dogs need.

Be really careful about cooking another dogs food because you never know what you might get (salmonella in foods beyond your control) and the dog get sick.

I have found that there are few people that do not read the profile so it is not going to be an everyday thing. I have had people come for a M&G that say "Oh, I did not realize that you were in (my town), and this is too far for us to bring our dog". Some people just do not read.

Belly bands are a lifesaver! We also use Natures Miracle Urine Destroyer and it helps a LOT for those carpet issues. We also have a Rug Doctor carpet cleaner...expensive but so worth the money ! We are saving towards replacing the carpet with laminate.

We use belly bands as well. They are low cost, comfortable for the dogs and a carpet/furniture saver! We only keep neutered and spayed dogs but almost every male wants to hike, even though my home is clean. Belly bands are so worth it!

I have also gone over capacity by 3 or 4. When I do that, it is normally because the dogs that are here are regulars and the ones that want to stay are regulars. I do not go over capacity with dogs that I have never kept simply because one dog can cause complete chaos if it is a barker, whiner, etc.

When I do go over capacity, I have separate out times like half go out and when they are brought in, I take the other half out. While out in the morning and evening, food bowls are filled and put in the crate so that it is all ready for them to come in. It is all about finding a comfortable stride for you!

I second Jessica's Pro Tip about the crates too!

Angela

I would have been too! I have had clients tell me that their past sitters left their dogs in crates while they (the sitter) went to work 8+ hours. That is not a good thing at all. I have heard of bad things but have also heard great things too! I guess, as in life, there are all types!

I did not intend to say that you lost them due to rates. I stated that when you took your break, they probably had to find other sitters. I have referred some and some came back and some continued to use that sitter because they were closer or whatever. I apologize if it came across that way.

I agree with Robin about the person you know...that is sad indeed! Money does not dictate level of care and we, as sitters, know this well. My clients choose me because of my level of care, not because of price and would stay even if I had to go up in price. That should be the goal of all sitters.

Most of the ones that I spoke to that charged so little were those that were trying to make a little money for this or that. Some work just during the holidays to earn extra, and some find out that it is not an "easy" job! There are many who want to stay home to work but few who survive this job!

I am one of the "insanely low price sitters" and I do so because that is all that I need to charge. I give the same dog boarding services that a $40 sitter does but because it is not my homes primary income (my husband works outside the home in a professional aspect), I do not have to charge that amount. To me, that is an insane amount to ask to sit a dog but everyone has their ideal prices. My mouth fell open the other day seeing someone in my area that charged $50 per night.

I did not charge that to "steal" clients although I have talked to other sitters that charge that price and that was their primary reason. I worked through Craigslist for years before joining Rover and charged the same price there too. I felt that this was the right price for me. I am home 24/7, sleep a very few hours, allow drop offs and pickups at crazy times, am up in the middle of the night doing school work (online student) and have a large fenced yard for play/potty so they get play time in and outside. I do everything a regular sitter does plus more (as far as availability and such) but I do not feel the need to charge more than I do. They get top-notch treatment for a lower price and that is just how I am. I also have very few issues and about 95% of my business is repeat clientele who are either travel workers or frequent travelers. We are busy about 11 months out of the year so prices do not reflect care level here!

That being said....Some dogs feel like $100 per night dogs for the $15 that I charge and some feel like I should not be charging because they are so incredibly good. It all evens out.

It is all about what works for you. Perhaps when you took the break (and I would have done the same had my dog been sick), your clients found someone else and chose to stay with them. People will choose some with lower prices but then they want someone that will love their dogs and spend time with them at least equal to what the pet parent does. I do not feel that it "steals" from higher priced clients as we all give different services. I have a man that sits in my area that charges $40 per night and he is super busy just as I am with a $15 charge.

Angela