I love being a dog sitter. It’s a 24 hour job. Dog walking of course is a day gig and you don’t have your four paw staying in your home. In my case I am busy mostly as a dog sitter and included in my fee is a walk. I specialise now in small dogs but I will go to a clients home to feed, walk and play with large dogs ( I can also care for cats and other exotic animals).
During the night I wake up several times and do a quick trip out into my expansive back yard for doggy wee wees. If you don’t do this you might wake up to toileting accidents! Having a torch to check the yard as they go out at night is important so your doggies do not encounter possums, cats, toads and any other possible dangers. So being a dog sitter is a bit sleep disruptive but of course worth it.
Breakfast time is after school drop off… I may take one of my sits in the car if they are well behaved. I have set the back seat of my car up with soft pretty old cushions so it’s comfy and inviting. I always cover seats with something plush with a plastic cover underneath in case there are toilet accidents. Many dogs love the car trip and it settles them right down if they are a little anxious. Note – make sure you lock in your doggies with a dog seat belt and harness. Never attach to the collar.
Note – make sure you lock in your doggies with a dog seat belt and harness. Never attach to the collar.
At breakfast time I assemble my guests in the kitchen and make them wait. They all know what’s coming next …a yummy breakfast!
I feed each pet individually in the order of who has been best. It’s a little bit of a reward… And reminds them if they are well-behaved they will be given lots of treats and special attention.
I do try and train some of my unruly guests, which is a bonus for my human-dog parent clients who are often very busy. After I fill their bowls with their preferred food I take them to a private place away from the other dogs so they can eat their food in peace.
I never let the dogs eat together as …if there is ever going to be an argument …it will be over food!
The meakest,mildest,smallest of the four-legged community can turn into a raging wolf over a small treat… beware and be careful!
I always speak with an authoritative but kind voice. And I probably sound absolutely crazy… But I speak to all my animals like humans, as if they understand everything.
Weather permitting, it’s walk time. I live in an amazing place in Queensland with lake and beach walks. I personally like to walk maximum of two dogs at a time for safety. My dog walks are usually from half an hour to 1 hour. Keeps me fit and it’s the highlight of my day!
Walks on the beach with my furry clients
Then I usually have some chores to do around the house and quite often there is a lot of mopping to do with the dogs bringing a lot of sand in from outside… And my dogs are allowed to lounge around the house wherever they like when I’m busy doing chores.
I do a second round of walks after housework then I have to pick up my daughter from school.
My daughter and the local kids often play with my guests then. I always padlock gates and have many little small gates to block escapees.
I block and lock all exits. Entry by any visitor is under strict instructions to not move my blocks.
ONE NEVER WANTS AN ESCAPED DOG!!! So far so good but in the early days I had a few close calls so I have put several safety measures in place. Always padlock gates… salespeople have come through before and left them open. Luckily I was able to call my doggy guests back but it scared the heck out of me and I think I went prematurely grey! Phew!!! (I recommend this for pool gates too.) After some yard play…It’s laze about time for dogs in the house… dinner and bed… a bed full of dogs!!!!
We share the bed with all the dogs which makes for an interesting sleep!
My one other big tip as a dog sitter is the importance of socialisation. You’ll learn pretty quickly what dogs work together and what dogs don’t.
I always introduce my dogs without the clients around so that there are no territorial issues.
I make this clear to my clients before they arrive and they will have already seen my house in the meeting greet prior to dropping off the dog.
Within about 15 minutes the dogs are usually socialised and I send a picture to the client.
Socialisation is the success of my little dog sitting house… I am a gentle but firm pack leader.
And they know from the very start from the tone of my voice and from the treats that I give them that they need to behave and be friendly to the other dogs… And that I will not tolerate naughty behaviour.
So far so good! I think I might be half-dog, half-human… with the online training PetCloud has, and insurance that comes with every client booking, I would definitely recommend becoming a Pet Sitter with PetCloud!
If you’re a Pet Owner on the Sunshine Coast near Caloundra or Currimundi, you can head to the website to see great Pet Sitters in the area.
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