I grew up with large dogs back at home (12 years of experience), and have also professionally cat-sat in my home for several years. In my time taking care of different animals, I realized that you need to cater to the specific personalities of the pet. Does your dog get lonely and need a little more person-time than usual? do they have specific ritual for going to the bathroom? Is there something that makes them anxious to look out for? I try to cater to these specific needs as much as I can. It's a little cliched, but for me it's more of a passion than a job. The amount of dog and cat photos I have on my phone is more than proof of that.