Dog Sitting Checklist

Dog Sitting ChecklistDog Sitting Checklist for Repeat Clients
By Ben Waterworth
 
After a while of doing your in-home dog sitting business you will soon get a large number of clients who wish to use your services again and again. If this is the case you shouldn't become complacent with all the minor details and a checklist is just as important for a client who uses you frequently as for one who is using you for the first time. Here are some suggested checklist options before you commence your stay with your client.
 
1. Always return to their residence to become reacquainted with their place and dog. In the time that has passed since your last visit they may have changed their house, gotten other pets or even moved house completely. The dog you will be looking after too might have changed so it's important to make sure you are still comfortable in looking after them.
 
2. Go over the general terms of service you would've gone through on your first time with the client. Has anything changed? Do they expect you to do more or less this time? Go over each detail as much as possible to ensure you both know what to expect from your services.
 
3. Make sure you still agree on the rate of pay. Your fee may have increased over the time since you last provided your services or you may want to charge more based on events that happened last time. Always put this in writing and ensure you both agree. For instance, does the dog require grooming or special dog training schedule? It may have for instance, acquired chewing habit. As a sitter, you may have to work on the dog chewing habit. Extra tasks like this may require more compensation.
 
4. Go over the details for the following items:

• Feeding: has anything changed since the last time you looked after the dog? Maybe they have started on different food or are fed more or less during the day? Has the position of their dog bowl changed? All these things need to be found out. 
• Medication: has this changed? Has the dog started on any new medication or have they stopped taking it all together? Very important information that needs to be found out. You may encounter situations when the dog is hyperactive during the night or has acquired a bad habit of not keeping to the usual norms of relieving itself at the dog toilet area. Training dogs like this or cleaning a dog which has become messy can be a burden on you.
• Exercise: Has the dog walking session changed? Do they have any new toys that you should play with them with? Ensure these details are also found out.

 
5. Discuss household tasks again and confirm what other jobs are expected of you during your stay. Did you do certain tasks wrong last time and you need to improve? Or are there other tasks that you did well and will be given other ones as well? Go over these to confirm.
 
6. Confirm all contact details of the client. They more than likely are going somewhere different this time so you need to ensure you know exactly where they will be and how to reach them. Also confirm:

• You know all details and contacts for their place of stay
• All local contacts still remain the same in case you need any assistance
• Their local vet hasn't changed and that you know how to get in contact with them if need be

 
7. Confirm the schedule and length of stay and ensure the clients have all your current contact details in case they need to change any details
 
8. Make note of any other concerns you may or may not have with the client and ensure they are all confirmed
 
By doing this you can ensure that there will be no repeat of any concerns each of you may have had with any previous visits and that you are both clearly on the same page with everything that you provide with your services as a dog sitter. In doing so it will make a much more pleasant time for both of you.

We offer a medium where you can check out various tips and information on dog sitting. For instance, if you have taken up a job of a carpenter in Australia, you can apply for dog pet sitting and enjoy staying at the pet owner's house for free.