Hi Tracie, I do this a lot picking up pups from doggie daycare, groomer, etc. I simply book it as a drop in visit, and adjust the price to my transport fee before finalizing the booking. My drop in and walk price is $14, my transport fee is $10. Works great for me.

Ask to join closed FB groups for clients you are targeting. Homeowners association groups for instance in your own neighborhood or nearby.

Put that info in the first couple of sentences in your profile. So if people are looking at the quick view profile, they'll see it. Of course, many don't read too far down, so you may still end up having to explain.

I charge the same for walks and drop ins to avoid owner confusion. Since the drop in can include a walk with the map, I find it easiest on everyone just to book a drop in and include the walk. works best for repeats when you're initiating the booking.

Agree with Walt's answer. Sounds like you're doing more of a drop in visit than a walk. I use the drop in visit whenever possible since it includes the walk map for the owner, and allows for the other additional activities you're doing.

I try to read the client at the m&g and let them know then how often I plan to send photos and updates depending on what I perceive is their interest level. Some are very needy and want more, others every couple days. Time zone differences very good to point out. If they're in Europe do they want a bunch of photos at 2 a.m. when it's dinner time at home?

I handle the pricing like Jennifer does, by subtracting out the unneeded visit as a price adjustment down. But I just leave the unnecessary visit on the app alone, and it goes away the next day. I think this is less confusing since client won't get an alert for the unneeded visit.

I do not offer a discount for extended stays. That's a lot of wear and tear on your home, and your psyche! I personally do not want to encourage extended stays so do not offer them cheaper.

I had this situation also, when the owner didn't tell me, and I didn't ask (shame on me! ) that their pick up time would be be late Sunday evening. Now before booking, I ask what time their drop off and pick up times will be, then I pro rate extra time as needed. I also offer transportation to pick up and drop off their pup for an extra fee. Most take me up on it, and then I can control my time more easily. Clients also like it since they don't have to come pick up thier pup after a trip. Just be sure to communicate with them in case of travel delays, etc.

I agree with Erica, those pups will likely become lifetime clients! I have 3 of them since they were tiny puppies, 2 years later.

I do take puppies as well. For drop ins or walks, I charge $3 more per visit than an adult dog. I will take repeat clients' puppies for boarding as long as I've had them already for dropins, at $5 more per day. That way I know what I'm getting into having them at my house. They must be undergoing crate training tho if they want boarding.

I did buy the Rover car magnets from the Rover store. 2 magnets for about 50.00. No issues with car paint or anything, but also I don't leave them on all the time. My only issue with them is that your sitter URL is so small at the bottom that it just blends in. It advertises Rover predominantly.

I'm a sitter and have this situation over and over. Rover needs to add the ability to book non-consecutive dates for drop in visits, just like they offer for dog walking. They launched it, then pulled it for some problems. I agree with others that sitters are not going to want to book out a month of visits without getting paid. Work around is booking the visits as Dog Walks, and pay separately each week.

PayPal can be used by many different money making ventures, (think Ebay sellers), so they have set a minimum of 20K of earnings before they'll send a 1099. I used the Home and Business version of Turbo Tax which includes business income on Schedule C. Well worth the tax prep money in my experienc

I like the cards tho as with others I used to print out the itinerary and log activities, then leave it at my clients' home when I left after drop in visits and walks. They knew I was there and did what they hired me for. My 2 issues with the cards are: I also have problems with reception when trying to close out my appointments. I get the message that the card failed and Rover will attempt auto sending to client. Several times this auto sending went to them at 3 a.m. Ugh! The other issue is that the message to client can't be added until the 30 minute appt is closed. This takes valuable time away from getting to my next appt. all actions should be able to be completed within the allotted appt. time.

Rover has algorithms that figure it out, but basically respond to messages quickly, books the majority of requests you get, take photos for every stay, get repeat clients and good reviews. There's a good article on the Rover blog sitter section, under "getting started".

Wow great advice from Walt and Jessica. I'm a part time walker and drop in sitter in my mid sized Midwest town, started in July '15. I now have a regular clientele of M-F working people who need their pups checked in on between 11-3. Plus occasional repeat customers at other times. I've kept my price the same since I started. I'm netting $1000-1100 a month working about 20-25 hours a week. I could make more if I boarded also, but can't due to my own dog's special needs. I'd suggest for best results on Rover to price competitively, be available, respond quickly to customers and get good reviews. Do all you can to be first or second in search results. Like all websites, people don't go down the list too far. Good luck!

Last year I did some custom holiday cards thru a local store using the cutest of their pet's photos I could find in my photo reel. This year I've had very regular clients every week all year, so am looking at a bulk rate for Chuck It ball launchers, or some similar generic toy. I like the idea of the magazine and some cute companion gifts. Great ideas!

I agree most clients don't read the profile, they just go to the first sitter on the search results. In my experience they are surprised I charge more for additional pets. I try to screen them as much as possible the politely decline if I can tell on the first interaction it's not a good fit. Time is money, don't waste either! Good luck.

Does Rover send a reminder to a client who has a pending booking about to expire? I only use Rover as a sitter not owner, so am unsure what the client gets from Rover. I don't want to inundate clients with unneeded messages. But am already loading up with pending bookings for Thanksgiving week but no payments yet. Thanks for whatever you can share!

I do only drop ins and walking. I charge the same price, as I've found it's too confusing for clients if I charge a different price for each. So, I tell them on initial contact they're essentially paying for the time with their pet. Walks and drop ins are both scheduled for 30 minute sessions. Whatever they want me to do want me to do in that 30 minutes is fine. I like how the new report card app works, because you can record a walk as an "event" that occurs during a drop in visit. All with the 30 minute window. So if you're also feeding, watering plants, etc. all those activities can be done in the same 30 minute window.

I'm only on Rover and do only drop ins and walking. Have no desire to do boarding or house sitting. I'm plenty busy. May be regional. I live in a mid size, Midwest city that is pretty affluent with little travel time. No more neighbor kids available to watch pets, so people seem to jump at the chance to have someone come to their home. Also, I found other sites take a higher percentage of my earnings, so I've stayed away from them.

I've run into this situation too. Finding some owners who think the website cumbersome to list multiple pets, they deal with so many service sites so they take a short cut and list all the pets as one. Then on first contact they're getting a quote for much less. I added a sentence in the first part of my profile "click on the additional rates and services link to see rates for multiple pets and cats." Clients seem to rarely read thru a whole profile so get that out early. This has helped.

Before I set up a m&g, I will ask if they're asking about care for more than one pet. If they say yes , then I message them about the additional cost. If they're gaming it, you won't hear back. Archive and move on.

I do only drop-ins and dog walks, and I charge the same price for both services for the first dog, and only slightly less for each additional dog, per visit or walk. I found this was easier for clients to understand than charging different prices for drop ins and walks. Eliminates lots of back and forth explaining charges. My rates are $12 for first dog, $10 for each additional dog per visit or walk. In my experience, no matter how nice the dogs are, more dogs = more work and cleanup in a household, so I feel my additional dog charge is justified. Have never been questioned on it. I also have first cat, and additional cat rates. However, I will deeply discount the cats if I'm at the client's home anyway for their dogs. Hope this helps!

I only ask how I get access to the client's house. If they offer a key or garage/security system remote, I tell them my procedure - all client's physical keys are kept in a lockbox in my home separate from any personal info, like addresses or names. I color code them. Only ask for one key,

I charge $10 for first cat, $5 for each additional cat, per visit, if I'm doing cat care only. If I'm there for dogs also, I will charge normal rate for the dog(s) and discount the cats.

Absolutely take photos at the end of every stay. Time stamped, or even better, a shot in the client's home that includes a clock, auto feeder, etc. I do this on every stay. I also take photos of their doors locked and garage closed when I leave. Never know who else has access to the house.

I had a similar situation when I was new to Rover, and was not comfortable giving personal info of potential references for a stranger. Fortunately the client and I realized we have several mutual acquaintances, and all was well. She has become a good repeat client. Might try that approach.

I charge $12 per visit for the first dog, and $10 for each additional dog, per visit. Clean up, feedings, walkings are all more work with multiple dogs. I don't charge regular clients the holiday rate, only clients who use services only on holidays. Hope this helps.

I started about a year ago doing walking and drop in services in my college town community of about 130,000. I'm in an outlying area, and marketed my business with custom door hangers/flyers in the neighborhoods I wanted business from. I took off on my bike one day and delivered a couple hundred flyers as door hangers. I've gotten excellent repeat business from this very targeted approach, which may come in handy for you if your service area is limited. It takes a bit of effort at the outset with the flyer delivery, but it's one and done! Then let word of mouth take it from there once you get your first few customers. Good luck!