Dog Sitter

Choosing The Right Dog Sitter
 
So you're going away and you are about to leave your beloved dog in the hands of a complete stranger for dog sitting. What do you need to look out for? Well here are 5 tips in order to choose the right dog sitter for in-home dog sitting while you go and enjoy your holiday!
 
Observe Qualifications
While there may be some dog sitters with no formal qualifications, it's always a good idea to hire somebody who has conducted a training course or has some form of qualifications to do with dog sitting or handling. If you were to leave your child in the care of a baby sitter you would be more than likely check to see if they had any formal training and it's no different in leaving your dog in the care of somebody who is essentially a stranger. Make sure you check their resume thoroughly to see what courses they have taken in order to want to look after dogs, and if they don't have any you should rigorously question them as to why they would be suited to looking after your dog. Provide a detailed dog sitting checklist to make sure you have specified all your requirements. Many trainers have good experience in dog training so as to help your dog get over some of its bad habits.
 
Check Experiences
Many travelers with special skills opt for dog pet sitting as they can stay for free at the pet owner's house, look after the pet, and also work in Australia. Ask them about previous clients and who they have dog sit for in the past. Look at their resume to see if they have a list of clients they have sat for, how long each sitting was for and whether or not they have repeat clients. If they have a long list of repeat clients it's safe to assume they are obviously well sought after and are constantly called back for doing a good job so you can look upon this quite favourably. If they have limited experience, question them as to why this is the case. They may just be starting out in the industry and are yet to have their real fist job, so if this isn't the type of person you want to look after your dog then politely let them know and move on to the next candidate.
 
Take note of schedules
If the first two sections of this list check out then make sure you run by your schedule with theirs to ensure that they are available as much as you need them. It is no good if they aren't available during periods of your holiday and if that will become an issue then again, you should reconsider choosing them in the first place. Let them know how long you are going to be away for and what exactly you need them to do in the time frame and if their schedule meets yours then you can move on to the next step.
 
Watch them with your dog
Allow them time to get to know your dog and you can even leave them alone with them and quietly observe how they interact with each other. Watch your dog and see if he/she takes to the dog sitter and if they do then that'll go a long way in establishing some form of relationship between the two. You can also observe the dog sitter to see how they treat your dog and if you are happy with the way they interact with each other then you can move on to the final point.
 
Contact References
If everything so far checks out, contact references they have listed on their resume or if they don't have any listed ask them to give you contact details of previous clients so you can check out their history and what they are like during a dog sitting. If they check out then you have no doubt found a perfect dog sitter to look after your dog and will have peace of mind knowing your favourite dog will be left in highly capable hands! 
 
So by following these simple steps you can ensure that you will be leaving your dog with a very capable and highly trained professional that will treat your dog as well as you would. If you have any doubts about anything with the dog sitter then you should maybe be a bit wary about leaving your dog with them as the last thing you want is to have an issue on your return. Whether your sitter would help in dog walking or get a dog toilet trained, you can get just the ideal sitter you want if you do a careful search and thorough research. This will make a happy experience for all!