Wag is dominating on demand walks now. I'm in Portland, OR and Rover Now used to be crazy busy and super competitive - like if you didn't grab a walk within 30 seconds it was taken. Now there are like 3 or 4 requests a week and always from the same people

Great point about looking bad to clients! Also frustrates sitters, but clients likely matter more as a business

I also think it is good to tell owners about situations like that so they know to tell future sitters, not necessarily to get compensated. The owners don't know how their dog acts without them unless we tell them and that can help another sitter avoid problems

Absolutely Lisa, I leave pups to take out trash, grab the mail, throw in a load of laundry...nothing wrong with that unless you know the dog will panic - it's good policy to ask.

Puppies drive me crazy!! I am a dog person, do frequent, and don't mind high energy but nope! Even with my dog to help entertain them, I find they almost never stop moving and have such a short attention span. Getting several dogs calmly out the door when one dog simply isn't capable (or struggles real hard) of being still isn't my cup of tea. Not the puppy or owner's fault. I can teach an older dog my house rules but puppies drain my energy plus I can't get any schoolwork done because they never stop. I have one pup (1.5 yrs) that I have taken on for daycare because he is a corgi and the owner is fantastic to work with. He was an endless ball of energy at first but is improving. After awhile he will now lay down for half an hour or so when I place my dog. If we have him all day, he will be chill after 530. I also worry about whether the pups are crate trained because I have to leave the house and sleep at night. That applies to adults too thouhh. It can also be an issue mixing puppies with other adult dogs. My dog takes anything and plays safely but other dogs likely have a limit of pestering they can handle before getting irritated and puppies don't stay away. Then it becomes a constant game of goalkeeper. I have enough business that I would rather have dogs that can be with other dogs and/or easily separated which for me means no puppies. They also tend to eat everything. I'll have the house freshly cleaned and they find string from rope toys or instantly eat the flora that was tracked in after a walk before I have even unleashed everyone... furniture, or my dog - you name it! Not at all worth it for me. I am happy to walk them, puppies aren't very difficult to leash train especially if the owner follows through. But, I don't host them often. There is a profile setting to mark that, but you will also have to do some personal weeding. Rover only counts as a puppy until year one which isn't when puppy behavior stops for all dogs.

My dog loves to be rambunctious with other dogs too. I always make sure to keep her nails filed down with a Dremel to reduce the risk for scratches and makes it so she won't accidentally break the skin on another dog. There have been some surface scratches before but usually on my dog and not others. Nothing that ever required attention or received complaints - I only let her romp with permission from the other owner. I also had to teach her to not have her mouth open near the other dog's face because I worry about eyes getting poked. That took some persistence, but she learned. And I still have to put a temporary stop to play time occasionally because the excitement gets too high. I don't allow playing when I'm not in the room, someone has to come pee with me lol just because both dogs are having fun and owner is okay with roughhousing doesn't mean they can have free reign. Things do happen despite constant attention, and you're not wrong that those scratches could happen at a dog park. And food schedules get off and stress/anxiety abosultely cause stomach upset. The dehydration thing seems off though. Typically, dogs always drink when they are thirsty. When I first started keeping dogs, my dog would drink all the water as a form of resource guarding. I put water bowls in separate areas, and she was only allowed to drink from her bowl and I kept her from overdrinking. Now she is used to hosting and shares her water like a champ though I typically keep two bowls out anyway. They all tend to end up drinking from the one bowl because they follow her lead. I did have a dog get hurt on a walk, but that's a different situation. It was a freak thing, and Rover was going to do the Rover Guarantee but I have my own insurance that covered it completely. Rover leaves $250 to be paid by you or the owner. The dog was a regular and the owners weren't upset in my case so there was no conflict and no refunds needed, especially since the vet was totally covered. You may want to offer some sort of accommodation just for the sake of the review they may leave.

I am pretty flexible, but I wouldn't stay up that late. I am an early to bed early to rise person though. I'm not sure what I would do about the charge; it would probably depend on the dogs. Remember a normal business would charge, but I also agree with helping people out during unforseen circumstances. I don't recommend getting into the habit of being too flexible, and they really shouldn't complain about not allowing a midnight pick up. It is easy to become routinely taken advantage of. I started off super accommodating and ended up having to get stricter which was much harder, especially with any repeat clients who expected me to continue to do whatever they want

I tell clients that too if it comes up. I started to do wag when I first signed up for Rover but decided to only do Rover unless I didn't get enough business. Good to have confirmation that Rover is better for walkers!

I'm in Portland and used to get a ton of Rover Now requests. I turned it off for a few months because I got full, but I had some clients move and turned it back on and there are almost no requests anymore. Like everyone else said, Wag is dominating that field. Rover also changed how Now works since I did it before making it more difficult for walkers to get regular clients through our own profiles so we end up getting paid less which I don't care for...doing Now walks was super helpful in building my profile though. It'll just take some time. You might want to sign up for Wag if the going is too slower

I wouldn't keep giving a goody bag or thank you card to repeat clients. The cost will add up for you and they will tire of the cards. You might still do it for holidays! I have fun making dog themes 😂 but quality service and communication is what they really want

You will still get paid, and the owner knows you did the walk because of pictures. It will say on your profile that not 100% of clients received a Rovercard which isn't a huge deal. If you notice partway through a walk, I would go ahead and start it even though it'll think it's ending early, but it doesn't really matter as far as payment goes. Owners love the Rover cards and are important on a customer service level, especially with new customers.

I always start right away with a nice long walk sometimes starting with the new dogs on the opposite side of me before walking them on the same side about ten minutes or so into the walk just depends on the dog. That gets some energy out and bonds everyone and establishes your authority. That doesn't always immediately carry over to behavior inside the house though. If that is the case, I keep everyone calm for awhile and go on another walk before allowing excitement and playing. All just based on the dogs! It doesn't sound like this dog is truly aggressive so it's good practice in case you get a tougher case!

Is there really a way to make them pay for a late pick up? I go over my policy at the meet and greet, but things happen when people travel or they can be dishonest. I'm not strict about a 24hr mark but 6-8 hours is too long. But after the stay is booked, the owner doesn't HAVE to agree to a change..

I wonder about late pick ups too because they don't HAVE to agree to the added charge in Rover right? Is this something that Rover would help us with? They do have access to our messages so they have evidence of the situation. I am not super strict and haven't had repeated problems, but I did start to tell people that I will add day care charges after a certain point unless I am asking them to drop the dog off earlier or pushing back their pick up time because I will be doing dog walks. So far the only time that there was potential for an owner being dramatically late, I reminded him I would have to charge him a dog day care rate because it was really an entire day. He argued at first but then sent a friend of his to come pick up the dog within two hours of our conversation.

I totally understand! I live in a city too and have stopped taking clients who live where there is no free parking. I either have to take the bus, which I don't mind but costs money, or pay to park. I agree with everyone else. Tell them the situation and they might offer to pay you more to keep you. You won't be the only walker with the same problem. Only someone who lives in the area wouldn't be paying for parking so even if you lose them you will be doing them a favor by bringing it to their attention.

I did extra training with placing and ask people not to give her attention, and she is doing much better! Some people still give her attention, but she is handling it better

I find them to be the sweetest and most loving breed of all! They are capable of doing a lot of damage, just like any other large dog or bully breed, so when they have the wrong owner an individual dog is absolutely dangerous, just like any large dog or bully breed. With the right owner, even pit bulls that used to be fighters or were horribly abused can be turned back into gentle sweethearts. The insurance and restrictions are frustrating and is definitely something to consider when owning any "vicious" breed, even though there is no such thing as an inherently vicious dog breed. If you rent, it can be difficult to find a place to live in most cities. But more and more policy makers and companies are coming around and relaxing restrictions. I find that there are more "mean" little dogs than big dogs, but that is because people are a lot more lax with small dogs because owners feel like they can just pick them up to keep them from biting. People who own more powerful breeds have a tendency to take pet parenting more seriously. Any breed of dog can be dangerous, either from biting or picking a fight with another dog that may not even normally fight. I use my pit bull to help with small dogs that go after big dogs because of the danger that the little dogs can provoke. She has zero reaction to posturing or attacks from other dogs and is able to help them learn to not be afraid. But most of the time, it is the owner that is causing the behavior, regardless of breed or the initial cause of behavioral issues.

I also just received a very very sketchy request that appears to just be an attempt to pick up girls and they have an empty profile as well. How did you report yours to Rover? I want to report the one I got today

Don't get a puppy! I am home a ton because I work on Rover, and I personally will not get a puppy. That is also a lot to ask/expect of a sitter. You would need to work very closely with the sitter, who will have the dog more than you will. They would be the one training and exercising the dog, and you would have to follow up at home the same way they do at day care. I've known several people who kept someone's puppy for an extended period of time, and the puppies think they belong to them instead of the owner. That is possible if you are able to find someone to keep your pup 5 days a week for almost year, followed by 4 days a week. It won't know who it belongs to.

Agreed! It'll take time, and your anxiety/concern is picked up by them. Lots of exercise, basic training, and some structure should help too. I find that placing helps a lot with anxiety and teaches even the neediest dogs how to relax when not everyone is there.

I always do a meet and greet ASAP. Over the holidays, I had a few occasions of having to choose one person over the other and went with the first one to book. I chose the second person once just because I liked them more and had a great feeling about it. The other owners also took almost two weeks to do a meet while the second person set it up within days and even took off work early. It's totally up to you how to choose. It's your business and you are taking care of the dog(s) and dealing with the owner so just because someone was first doesn't mean you automatically have to give them preference

I assume LA has Rover Now? That's really how I got going. Reviews are crucial so by doing Now walks you get those reviews and likely a few regular clients from it. I also did business cards in pet stores and my vet, but the reviews and a well written profile are the two biggest things! Rover has good tips on profile writing, and I searched local sitters and read their profiles to help give me ideas. Also beware that what you write will attract certain people! I get a lot of dogs with issues that need extra care because of my profile, but I am happy to work with dogs. also keeping your calendar updated does put you higher in the search.

Definitely need to invest in weather gear! I also ended up buying a good leash to use on most of my walks, partly because rope leashes are crazy popular and not fun when a dog pulls. I also got a small and large slip leash, treat pouch, play pen that I typically keep around the front door, a wall mounted baby gate to block the kitchen, extra food/water bowls, and a spare wire crate. I personally waited to get the expensive items during holiday sales. I didn't have a spare crate at first but had an incident with a owner that mislead me about them having a crate, and I had to turn down their dog the morning of the booking. It has also turned out handy for daycare so owners don't have to bring a crate in order for me to leave the house, and it occasionally comes up that a boarder is truly crate trained but doesn't have a crate. Always always always have poop bags on hand! I also have several dog beds that are actually floor cushions from when we lived in a small apartment, but doggy guests love it as do owners. I have a lot of towels for weather and dog accidents and found a good enzyme cleaner. I also have a lot of rope toys and the remains of stuffed toys my dog has already destroyed. Most dogs won't get defensive over them and can play with them together, just check with the owner and always watch to make sure the dogs don't swallow anything. If I leave out a ball or rubber or squeaky toy, it tends to instantly get claimed by someone and has potential to cause problems. I also recommend basic first aid supplies just in case.

Absolutely charge per dog! Almost everyone does so you won't be an outlier. I personally don't charge full price for each additional dog, but four dogs are more work than one plus you are running a business. If you haven't officially set an additional dog rate you should. Potential clients will be able to see it, and it'll be in the price they see when they request the booking. That should help avoid awkward conversations. It won't prevent everyone from asking, but it is easier for you to respond when you already have it clearly laid out. In this platform, people don't have the same respect for pricing as they do for more official businesses so we have to stick up for ourselves.

If it's two dogs that can be walked at the same time, I do charge for the second dog but not the full price because it's not as much work as a separate walk. Same as hosting two dogs from the same household in my home. If they want two different walks then I would do full price for each, but I've never come across that situation. I know some people do full price for both dogs but it's entirely up to you!

I also have a small radius and when I was setting up my regular midday walkers I planned them out geographically too and confirmed that the times were good with the owners. I have two puppies that I walk so they aren't as time flexible as older dogs. I also don't do more than 4 walks in that midday block. I might be able to squeeze in 5, but I don't want to be hurried and not give the dogs proper attention!

I don't ask in the handwritten card. I just say thanks for letting me hang out with their pup, we had fun and hope to see them again soon! If there was anything unique or goofy about their dog I'll stick that in too lol