I insist the Meet and greet be at our place. Then when the dog comes, He thinks" Hey I've been here before and it turned out fine."

I have never thought about charging for them. For me it is just part of doing business. I enjoy them and hardly ever do i have a meet and greet and not get the booking

well said !!

I have a one page form with questions concerning the dog and actions and reactions. I sit at a table and go over these questions while their dog is exploring my house. The answers to those questions come in so handy when the dog actually comes and stays.. I designed the form and questions my self and covers most thngs.

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We have received tips before; usually it is for service that was above and beyond the normal. Sometimes ii was money; sometimes a souvenir gift fro where they have been. Don't ever ask for one, but you should always do your job as if you could get a tip at the end of the stay. Be gracious and thankful and ask to sit their pooch again.

That would be a great sit!!!! I would have an in depth meet and greet and make sure that it is a good fit. A single nite trial run is a great idea. This would be a closer association than a marriage so you have got to make sure it is a good fit.

I thought it meant" do you have a job elsewhere and are gone from your home to be at the job and are not at home with the dog you are sitting."
We all do things during the day, but Rover wants to know if you are home and prepared to take care of the dog you agreed to sit. That could be taking the dog with you and making certain it is ok to be alone for an hour or what ever it takes to care for the dog.

I have 99% of the calls for boarding, even though I do say I will do walks and drop in day care. That is just fine with me

I had my add on Craigslist for quite a while and then somehow it was taken off and I didn't really care. I never got a thing from them. Craigslist isn't what it used to be at all.

I always have our Meet and greets in our Condo where the new guest dog will be later on. If we have a guest dog at that time, my wife will take the current dog for a ride in the car for the half hour. We want to know how the dog reacts to me, not with other dogs.

I just joined. It should be fun. Compare notes.

good idea.

It is my understanding that reviews do help a lot in you ratings. Here is what I do. I type a page of comments about the stay and bring up mostly the good things their dog did and perhaps a couple of things that weren't so good. In the last paragraph I tell them that Rover with ask them for a review of how the sit was and that I would really be appreciative of the best written review they could possibly give me. This has worked for me.

It was free when I did it. It is full of very helpful information on how to do your job better.

It is sad, but it is a cost of doing business

I think that total honesty is the best way to handle any business transaction. If this information was not passed on to the owner, you may be charged with sitting a dog that needs to go out every 3 hours or suffers from anxiety if left alone. How would your home look then? It is to ever one's best good if there is nothing hidden

I have been a Rover sitter for nearly a year now and am now rated quite high. I want to raise my prices a little. Can I tell my 6 repeat customers that they can have my "OLD" prices until August 1? (6 months)

I got the same notice. There was a box to ask why and I did and so far I got an auto response that didn't tell me anything. I'll post it here if I learn anything.

That is tough. No matter how you handle it or don't handle it.

That should come out in the Meet and Greet. I always end a m&g in the place where the stay will be so when he comes there for the stay, he already knows it and it is not new to him.

I don't begrudge Rover 15% of the total. I couldn't do all that they do by myself.

I really didn't like the sound of it at first. I thought 50% was a lot more than 15% just to pick a sitter. I did sign up for it in early December when things were so slow for me. So far I haven't had a call from that Rover service. The pet owner aught to pay the fee rather than the sitter. Would Rover ever pick the "best sitter for this dog" if the sitter was not signed up for the 50% deal? I doubt it.

Everything should come out in the Meet and Greet. On both sides.

I have never heard of pet rent. I guess it is like a security deposit paid monthly to offset the costs of repairs and maintenance after you move. I'm sure the owners are correct that additional people and or pets do cause wear and tear on a place. The landlord or person in charge would have to answer that. I'll wager that if they can charge you for one and you pay, they will charge you for whatever they can.

I am still learning what goes into that but I think: How many calls you get to sit; how many you accept and how many you turn down. How quickly you answer an e mail about a stay. How many repeat sits you have with the same dog. You mentioned pictures and reviews. Rover may read some of your e mail conversations with possible clients ??? Whether or not you order cards and posters etc.??

The smell of other dogs stays quite a while even if it has rained. I stop the walk and stand in the middle of a likely place and let the dog walk around with a longer leash for a moment or two.

I agree. I've had the same thing. Once is enough; I guess they say.

I thought that was to enter you in a drawing.

How long has the ad been running? I have repost mine every few days, or it goes off. I have had one response to my Craigslist ad in 6 months.

I ask at the meet and greet where they sleep at home. We don't mind a small dog in bed with us. We used to let our own dogs sleep with us if they wanted. I don't worry about pack mentality with a small dog

I found the edit dog notes earlier today but there are no notes there to edit.

How can I see the dog notes I wrote earlier about a dog I have had before?

Those pet reviews are pretty darn handy when you get a return visit after a few weeks and are not for sure what that one liked or disliked.

We look at dog sitting as treating your guest dog as if it were your own. If you have never been a successful dog owner, it would be hard to be a sitter. Food, water, treats, playtime, walks, scratches and rubs are all what dog owners do for their own dog and should be part of a sitters responsibility. You have got to love the dog and want to do these things for them; plus more if they need it.

You would never make the amount back. There are a lot of other ways to be known in your community. Be active and be out and about and do things and tell people what your job is and give them a card and ask for the business. Either them or a friend. Go for walks and talk to other dog walkers about their dog.

I'm cheap, I guess but I have the owners bring all of their dog's own stuff. Crate, food, treats, toys etc. I do have a leash that we like and extra poop bags .

That could have been seen at the meet and greet. I may have missed it too, but don't be afraid to ask and answer tough questions at the m&g. That is what it is for. I see nothing wrong in asking for more $ because of the 20 ingredient food. Be assured the owner knows it is a pain for you and wondered why you didn't say something.

That is what I do.