I imagine it would be hard to get even friends and family to pay for a service, unless it’s truly needed, just to give a review.

The only people who tend to bounce back from bad reviews are those who are already established with tons of reviews and/or the client left a comment with the review and the sitter can publicly explain the bad review. Try the advice given though. Not all is lost yet just because of a review.

Agree with Walt. If this is her first review, she will have a hard time recovering since Rover only uses PAID stays to calculate the stars on the reviews.

If the client that gave a 1 star doesn’t leave a comment, it won’t pop up in the reviews anyway so no amount of testimonials will change the rating of stars. Sitters can’t comment and defend themselves on these so Rover should make some adjusts to help with that.

This is all great advice, but keep in mind that reviews and testimonials are completely different (reviews are Rover confirmed clients, testimonials can be anyone you know). For instance, you can have 20 5-star reviews and 1 bad review, but that one probably won’t effect your stars. So you most likely will recover. But if you have 1 review that is 1-star, but have 20 testimonials, you will still only have 1 star. Your rating is based off of verified stays and all comments on your profile show whether they are or not.

Oh my goodness, I am so glad you pointed that out!! I wondered why I would always see others who were able to post long responses and I couldn't....Thank you so much!

I agree. And if your existing clients mention the new price or have concerns with it, you could always lock them in at their current rate.

Their first booking would only be free if the booking is for one day only. If they book more than one day, it won’t be free. ($15 x 2 = $30 - $20 = $10 still owed). You don’t want to be misleading and end up losing money, so I would say to stick with $20 off first booking.

nobody trusts an intruder! Just remember, you came in to his home, so he feels obligated to protect what is his, even if it’s not actually in danger. I bet he would not act that way if they boarded him outside of the home...

discipline/encouragement from a trusted, familiar voice). And then that same person just left them with a stranger. They don’t understand, regardless of what mom and dad whisper or cry to them as they are leaving, that they will be back. That it’s all temporary. The dog views you as an intruder and

First of all, be cautious about the advice you get...from the owners or otherwise. Dogs are unpredictable because they can’t use words to tell us how they feel or what they need. And they don’t actually know what we are saying (most commands are mastered by the dog after consistent

means they have to pay you....makes no sense. And if they are trying to rob you or something at a M&G, your first red flag before opening the door would be that they don’t have a dog with them. I have only had one with someone looking to get a dog, but they were recommend by another client.

I had a similar message and then Rover flagged their account for suspicious activity before I even realized it was not a real customer. Someone else must have reported them also. I think this is a weird way to scam people. Usually it’s to get you to send money to them, but them requesting a stay

I agree that you should be able to determine your busy and slow periods based off your previous activity. I have an organizer that I use to track all stays and my income and refer to it for that info. I usually plan vacations around that also, have had clients plan theirs around my availability.

confined all day like at the kennels. The more experience you get though, the better you will be able to handle each individual situation. Best of luck!

crating and anxiety from that pup. Clearly, any kind of confinement made him nervous. My main point is that, sometimes it’s best for the pup (and you and your house) if you stick to what they are used to. Plus, I think a lot of people use Rover because they like the idea that their animals aren’t

once again, he had freaked out and ripped the door knob off the door, chewed up the door frame and even ripped up several pieces of vinyl floor tiles. I couldn’t believe it! Next day, left him to free roam in the LR, DR and kitchen.... He did nothing! He was a perfect pup. I learned a lot about

hole in the side of it. He didn’t get out, but he had cut his gums in doing so and was bleeding. I felt horrible!! The next day, I still didn’t want him just free roaming, especially after seeing what he did to the crate, so I left him free in my laundry room, which is a large room. When I got home

became a sitter, I would crate dogs I didn’t know, never really asking the owner if they were used to it. I assumed most dogs were used to crates. Big mistake! I crated a husky (that clearly never was) and when I got home, he had chewed several of the metal wires completely off and there was a huge

If you can afford to have crates available, then you should definitely have them! I agree though that you should inform the client ahead of time and give them the opportunity to agree to it or not. While my own dogs are crated when I am not home, I don’t require that guest have to be also. When I

I have no issue with giving discounts, but when I get clients who try to talk me well under my listed rate, I politely let them know that I have to consider the fact that it a spot taken away from someone who would be willing to pay my full rate.

It sounds like this is going to be a long term commitment. Don’t lower your rate. 3x a day is inconvenient, as you will have to plan everything else around them, and they are aware of that. I am well established though, so it allows me to be more picky about the requests I accept.

The obvious is to be honest. Keep in mind that a pup parent wants someone who understands and knows how to care for pets...having pups of your own speaks volumes to other dog lovers. Use your pups as a positive attribute and the meet & greets to determine if other dogs around them will be a concern.

Honestly, your higher prices and not having a car (or being able to “shit” one) are minor issues in comparison to what owners will expect from you or what you will have to do in order to remain in business (and sane). Like I said, it has to be a passion. Not just a love for being around dogs.

And this is just a small portion of what it takes to be a reliable and trusted sitter/walker. And that doesn’t include you maintaining your own household..your dogs, kids, spouse, chores, errands, etc.

You will need to entertain the energetic ones, calm the anxious ones and figure out how to separate the ones who end up not getting along. All while, planning and preparing when and where everyone needs to be fed, 2x a day, no one fights or goes hungry, where and how they will sleep so you can too.

Boarding-It’s the most demanding. Both for clients and for you. You WILL clean up pee, poop, throw up, dog hair, shredded trash, whatever is left unattended and looks fun to play with. They will drink toilet water, track in mud when it rains and bark at everything! Sometimes for no reason, at 5am.

House sitting- You will be expected to treat their home better than yours...and if they are comfortable with a stranger staying in their home, it’s because they are watching every thing you do. You may not see the camera, but it’s there. And you should always conduct yourself as if there is.

Drop-in visits- You WILL be there at 6p to let Tiger out and feed him (because that’s what he is used to) or they will find someone who can. There will be really early morning and late night visits. Drive time isn’t included in the visit and neither is looking for the house, keys or gate code.

Every pup is unique and the “perfect” ones are very rare. Most will require accommodations on your end. Walking-They will walk you, not the other way around so be prepared to work more than just leg muscles. They will tangle their leash in your legs and refuse to pick ONE side to walk on.

This is an extremely rewarding job, if you truly have a passion for it. But based off your response, to the help you asked for, it doesn’t sound like you understand what you’re getting yourself into..like all jobs, there are ups and downs. The way you handle the downs will determine your success.

The other thing I want to add is that you have to keep in mind that most people view their pups as family...their fur babies. And they want their pets to be treated that same way in your care...so if your only in it to make a buck, they will sense it. I promise you, they do.

I think it IS unreasonable to ask a client for a ride. The services offered through Rover are designed to be convenient for the owners, not the sitter. They may be the ones seeking you out, but you’re still applying for a job. And if you don’t meet the necessary credentials, you won’t be considered.

I agree with comments of the other sitters. Your priced high for not having experience (according to Rover) and people aren’t going to take a “chance” on someone who can’t verify they’re worth that amount of money. I priced myself below the average at first and raised my prices as I became popular.

I altered my profile, availability and experiences in a way that better reflected what I had to offer and ultimately my business took off. With that said, just like every other job, it requires work in the beginning that isn’t always as rewarding as you thought and sometimes isn’t for everyone.

Hi Rachael. I have quite a bit of experience with clients, and like you, had to start at zero. It took about a month before I got my first booking. Since I had never done this before, I had to start researching other sitters in order to find out what the people in my area were looking for.