I base my pricing differently for every dog depending on their personality (if it's easy or a pain to keep them in the tub), coat, and size. As a general rule of thumb I go by 1 minute = $1 and tack on extra charges from there. Extra charges would be: blow drying vs. air drying, brushing, or providing your shampoo vs. using the owner's.

For example: a small dog that loves baths and only takes a few mins with no brushing, I'd charge $5. A big dog with long fur that I just cannot seem to keep in the tub and needs to be brushed afterwards, I'd charge around $20.

I don't list these prices on my profile because there is such a large price range, but do mention to my clients that I offer it. These aren't meant to be really competitive rates, just enough to reimburse me for my time and supplies. Still a steal considering self pet washes go for $10-$15 and groomers starting at $20+ .

The only time I don't charge is when the dog makes a mess or gets dirty under my watch and I first ask the owner for their permission to bathe their dog.

And I, too, get inquiries for dogs that are outside of my preferences, yet if you read through all of the manuals from Rover, it states that your search rank will decrease

I am currently caring for a Rover dog and just received an email yesterday from Rover telling me that my search rank will improve if I send clients photos of their dogs throughout the stay.

The pieces that go into Rover's "algorithm" include:

• How quickly you respond to new inquiries and the percent that you respond to within 24 hours (your response rate and time are displayed on your profile)
• The percentage of bookings you acquire out of your inquiries (say you have 5 inquiries but only book 1 of those potential clients - that negatively impacts your search rank)
• The percentage of your clients who receive photos during their dog's stay
• The number of returning clients you have
• Your clients' reviews

Basiclally, more the experience/time/bookings you have = higher rank

Thanks for the suggestion Mark! I forgot to mention in my initial post that the guest dog has arthritis and cannot be limited to the confines of a crate. I realize now that I must make this a requirement for future clients!

I try to be selective about the dogs that I sit and am very upfront with potential clients about my schedule (I work a full time job and the dogs are alone most of the day, they must get along with my dog and be okay alone).

I had a meet and greet with a potential client, they agreed that their dog would be fine with my lifestyle and our dogs seemed to sniff each other then went off to do their own thing. All seemed to go well so we booked the stay which just started this morning, He is really misbehaving, not at all what I observed at the meet & greet and the opposite of what the owners told me he is like. They told me their dog would be okay alone for most of the day, he never barks, and that he loves other dogs. However, I have been listening to him howl on my doggy camera all day. He lunged right for my dog as soon as the owners left and I had to crate my own dog, which is upsetting her. I now have two howling dogs at home that do not get along while I am stuck at work. Even when I am home, he is aggressive towards her and I have to put myself in the middle to protect her. This stay is two weeks long, and I am desperate for suggestions!! I cannot put my own dog (or myself) through this stress for two weeks and I imagine my neighbors will be complaining about the howling very soon.

The current situation is that my dog is crated in the bedroom with the door closed, and the guest dog has free roam of the living room/kitchen. The owners told me he cannot be crated or else he will howl more and cannot be limited in a crate due to arthritis. My dog is howling because she is upset that she can't see the other dog and he is howling because he is both alone and because hears her howling. I cannot leave them in a room together for fear that the guest dog will attack my dog.

Any suggestions on what to do? How to tell the owners? Any options I have?