How does dog sitting work?

[Puppyyayornay]

We have a 7 month old cockerpoo, and as much as I don't want to leave her, my kids still want holidays 😂
So, I’m thinking about dog sitting in our own home, that will be the least unsettling for pup.
How does it work though, having someone staying in your home? I know I can ask the sitters when I start to look for some, but just interested in your experiences of having someone you don’t know staying in your home. Like, how to use the tv, the oven, washing machine. Do they come for a look over the house first?

I’ve used Trusted Housesitters. You don’t pay the sitter but pay for site membership. Once you have some sitters interested you have FaceTime / Zoom calls to get to know the . Check previous reviews and references. Once you’ve selected someone they generally won’t see you until the time you want them although we have always requested they come the day before and stay until the day after we come back - and since we don’t have a spare room we pay for a b&b for these extra days. Trustedhousesitters have a template of an information guide that you complete with instructions on how your house works, pet information etc. You are also prompted to ensure your house is ready for sitters - making sure it’s clean (I get cleaners in), clearing space in wardrobe etc if you don’t have a spare room. I recommend having the sitters come to meet your pup the day before you go and go on a walk together, introducing them to local places. All sitters we have had will send you regular updates on how they are getting on.
Choosing a sitter and getting the house ready is not stressful free but I prefer it to putting animals in kennels. Also means you have someone in your house when you’re away.

Yes basically I showed them how to work the telly and thermostat and left snacks. But I find it much better for mine to go to a registered home dog boarder. They have to be licensed and insured which home sitters don't have to be, and are more likely to do it professionally so be more dog savvy overall.

We are dog sitters - we use both housesitters uk and trusted housesitters.

For most of ours we have FaceTimed the owners for a good chat first, then if they accept us to do the sit we book it in.

We arrive usually an hour or two before the homeowner wants to go away and have a cup of tea with them, meet the pet/s. They have a house manual (this can be online in the app or printed off) telling us how the heating etc works, and the pet's routine/vet details. At the end of the day we are capable adults with our own house so we can work most things out 😂

Most of the time they have a spare room but occasionally we stay in their room, as long as it's clean it doesn't matter. It's nice to have a clear shelf in the fridge/some empty drawers to unpack into, but we don't mind living out of a suitcase if necessary!

We always leave the house clean, and so far we have enjoyed all our sits.

I've got to be honest you're more likely to get applications if you live in A. A desirable location or B. Have a great house. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.

We had a dog sitter last year. We made the spare bed up for him, although because was happy to sleep on the sofa. I also left pizzas, ready meals, milk, bread etc but he brought his own. I gave him a breakdown of our dogs typical day, food etc., and contact numbers, emergency numbers such as local vet, WiFi code etc.

They did visit before, showed us insurance details etc.

The only downside was that we had to make the house ‘visitor ready’ on top of preparing for the holiday . The cost wasn’t much more than other options.

I have pet sitters for pets that aren't dogs, both through Trusted House Sitters and paid sitters.

It's the same as any guest - you tidy & clean and try to make things comfortable for them. Stock up with pet supplies as far as possible so the sitter only needs to top up fresh stuff (that you pay for - I leave petty cash). They supply their own food but you should make the basics available to them (eg condiments etc). I say to help themselves to anything but to let me know if they use anything up. Leave enough loo roll and cleaning supplies.

Be clear about how long your dog can be left for. What he's like meeting other dogs on walks, whether he can be walked on or off lead. Where he sleeps. Normal daily routine. How to get to vets in an emergency (which you will need to pay for obviously). How frequently you want updates from them (daily is normal, unless there's a problem).

I show them round but also leave a written guide to the house. If they're not local, let them know where's good to walk the dog, what attractions are dog-friendly, plus other things they might like to do.

I'm a paid pet-sitter. I'm insured and DBS checked as well as qualified in canine first aid.

I won't accept a sit until I've done an overnight trial beforehand to make sure the dogs are happy with me in their home and giving them their meals etc.

If the trial goes well then I will book in a longer sit. Owners leave me all the details like routines, WiFi codes, how to work everything in the house and I get a copy of the key too.

I only take on sits where the dogs can be left during the day so that I can do my regular dog walks (never left more than four hours in a stretch) and I charge £50 per night. If a dog couldn't be left that long then I would need to turn the client down.

Thank you, I had a look last night. Looks good

Great info, thank you

Thank you, didn’t think of making wardrobe & fridge space. Good idea 👍