First Time Pet Sitting? Questions to Ask!

It's time to find the pet sitting match for you!

Congratulations, assumingly, you've got a meet & greet (or consultation) booked with a new client wanting a Pet Sitter / Dog walker. Here are the questions to ask the owners for first time pet sitting their pet to ensure they get the best service and it's a suitable match for yourselves!

1. How did they come into your life and have you always had pets?

   This is a great conversation starter but it also helps to establish the background of the pet. For instance, if they are Covid dog, they will most likely have a nervous / reactive disposition as the key stages of socialisation had been missed (no fault on the owner!). Similarly, if this is their third dog compared to their first, expectations and behaviours will be different as the owners are well rehearsed.
   

2. What are the pet's quirks?

   EVERY pet has their quirks and I mean E-V-E-R-Y pet, it would be boring if they didn't. These quirks can be anything from the pet eating little and often to them only go to toilet in a specific area. It's important to understand and recognise these quirks for what they are so you know what behaviour is considered normal or a flag for concern that needs to be monitored.
   

3. Does the pet have any reactivity or possessiveness?

   Whilst we ask this question, it's not to shun the pet's behaviour but more to assess if we feel comfortable with such reactivity and possessiveness (particularly when assessing it alongside the size of pet and the regularity of the occurence). It's crucial for all owners to respond honestly as it means we can reduce situations occurring as it's not fair to put a pet up to failure. If you don't feel comfortable with the odds of safely removing a pet from said situations, it's not a match for you.
   

4. If the pet has reactivity, possessiveness or potential harmful quirks, how does the owner redirect that pet? This one is very important, if you take away anything from this, take this. As we've said about, we don't shun a pet for it's quirks but assess if we can keep the pet safe in all situations. If the pet does have reactivity, possessiveness, etc. we need to be shown how the owner's redirect their pet's attention to a positive. Every pet has something works for them and as a Pet Sitter / Dog Walker, we need to be able to reinforce this. If you don't feel comfortable with how they are redirecting their pet, again, this might not be the match for you. If you are hesitate but think it can work, test it out and see - you might even suggest alternative corrective behaviour further done the line.
   

5. What services are they looking for?

   
   

   It's time to see if your expectations align: what they are looking for, is that what you offer? Whether it's group dog walks to 1-1 dog walks, to grooming on a stay. You need to both outline what you offer and what they are wanting, there's nothing worse than miscommunication that could have been prevented.

   
   

6. Are they happy with their pet being online?

   
   

   Assumingly, you post your business on social media and like any safeguarding risk (dog thefts are still a thing!), you need to get permission that they are happy with their lovely pet being online and if there are circumstances to abide by e.g. only post their pet once the owner is home.

   
   

7. Entering and exiting the home, what's the situation with the key?

   
   

   The owner needs to think about what they would like to do with the key: key lock, safe place, key cut or something else on entering and exiting the home. It's a quick fix but serious one to think about to ensure no one gets locked out or in!

   
   

   Following these questions should help you out for your next consultation with a new client on the horizon.