My boyfriend's mini schnauzer would do this too! Even though he likes me a lot, he'd start barking like crazy whenever we hugged or even if it was some other small gesture, like he knew! But I think he got used to it because he's calm now. My bf would put him in his crate when I'd come over because he was being disruptive and I hated that :/ So I'm glad he doesn't have to do that anymore. Maybe that somehow unintentially trained him not to go nuts anymore? We figured he just thought we were being aggressive with each other from his doggy point of view.

Hey guys,

I've done some actual stays but still have very few reviews. I've had some clients who would promise to give me a review (saying they had a great experience too) but then sort of disappear, even though I contact them after the stay to remind them. I also try to leave a little gift bag on the last day of the stay with a small pet toy, etc. and a note that I loved caring for their pet.

Do all your clients give you reviews? What do you do to encourage them to?

Thanks!

Omg thank you! I found it and it was already checked off. I think I was looking in my "Basic profile" under the "basic info" tab. Rover can be confusing. Yes, I've seen the options for posting your profile on CL or nextdoor or google+, etc Thanks again!!

Thank you! However, I don't see a part of the edit basic profile that's called Dog Hosting Details & Preferences. I think that might only be for in-home sitters, but I'm a traveling sitter.

Blue is one of the best foods! Switching to that from Iams is day and night. I second Jessica - read the rover link about dog food and how to choose a good one. I hope you switched the food gradually over a week-long period, by the way, to avoid her stomach being upset.

Just what I thought, Karen! I've tried craigslist and nextdoor.com. But what marketing checkbox in the profile do you mean? I wasn't able to find it.

You definitely don't have to. A yard is a plus, especially for big dogs, but just an apartment is fine, depending on the dog's activity level. I agree with Laura - take pictures of the areas around your home as well as inside of it to show where you'd be taking the dogs.

Hey guys,

When I check out nearby sitters in my area, I find I am all the way on the 6th page. Now I know why I've been on this site for so long but never get hired. I'm sure people find someone they like by the time they get to the 5th page.

I have 1 testimonial so far and 3 badges. But I see people on the second page with one testimonial and only one badge. I completely filled out my profile, answered all the questions fully, and have 14 photos. My price is only $5 more than the minimum.

Also the area of the zip code I entered is completely empty and the search shows sitters in other zip codes, until I got to later pages, where it then began showing the sitters in the area I was searching for. So it shows people farther away before it shows my profile when I'm closer to the zip code entered, if that makes sense.

Is there anything else that could put you higher in search results? Does anyone else have this issue too?

Update: thanks everyone, for replying! It was really hard for me to choose the "correct answer" - you all helped me. Good luck to you guys and I hope you get many happy bookings :)

Definitely OK. I don't have a dog either because my family doesn't want pets (if I was able to have one, I'd already have one a long time ago). That's one of the reasons why I want to dogsit - so I can hang out with dogs since I can't have one of my own. Not having a dog is good for traveling sitting because you are more free and don't need to go home to take care of your own dog and it's good for boarding dogs in your own home because some dogs might be not like other dogs.

There a checkbox for it under Profile-->Traveling Sitting Profile-->Basic Profile & scroll down to "Your Preferences." I can't uncheck mine for some reason

The "in owner's home" option isn't only overnight. During the day counts too. That's what I'm doing also. There is an option you can select or deselect under profile->traveling sitting profile->services and rates for overnight care. If you uncheck that, that means you don't offer it and only do daytime visits.

Yup, you can. There are two options for sitters and pet owners: to watch the dog in the sitter's home or the pet parent's home. I, for example, am a traveling sitter, which means that I only watch pets in the owner's home. When you search for a pet sitter, choose the option: "in my home."

Of course! Food gets stuck in their teeth just like for humans, which leads to plaque and tartar buildup. I work in grooming and I brush most dogs' teeth with no problem. Brushing at least a few times per week prevents expensive dental procedures later on. Dog toothpaste is enzyme-based so you don't have to brush as thoroughly as you do for human teeth - the dog spreads it around his mouth with their tongue when he licks it and the enzymes break down food particles. Besides toothpaste, there are additional ways to keep a dog's teeth clean: dental chews and water additives.