Sunday 5 October 2014

10 top tips to find the PERFECT PET SITTER or PET MINDER

If you’ve read any of Perfect Pet Sitter’s references you’ll see clients confirming again and again that our 24/7 services (‘Live-in’ or ‘Home-from-Home’) are outstanding. But this Blog’s audience is world wide – so I want to give you my 10 tips to find a perfect pet sitter where you live.

Hugo & Finnegan, my 'golden boys', more of them later.....
1/  DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Obviously any dog minder, cat carer, or visitor coming to your pet must love animals – but is that enough? Pet minding is straightforward - when everything goes smoothly. However, if the unexpected happens, you need a carer with a cool head, commonsense and experience. So if you have the choice of an 18 year old with a ‘qualification’ or a mature person with a life times knowledge of living with and caring for pets, it really is a no brainer.

2/  PROFESSIONAL FOR PEACE OF MIND
If you really want the best for your pet, go for a professional sitter. A high percentage of their work is repeat and recommendations, so their reputation depends on providing ongoing, high levels of care. It matters to them to ensure happy pets - because happy pets = happy clients.

3/  CHECK OUT REFERENCES
If the Pet Minding service has a Blog featuring the pets they’ve cared for, look for a cross match between the blogs, and testimonials from the clients of those pets. And ask to speak to one or two of the referees.

4/  IS YOUR DOG THEIR JOB?  DO THEY CARE FOR YOUR CAT?
Ask how long they will be with your pets during the day. Example, when Perfect Pet Sitter is caring for dogs, over and above formal exercise we take them out and about with us just as you would. But further, we guarantee not to leave dogs alone for more than 5 hours. That 5 hour limit is important as it rules out using sitters in full time jobs.

Be wary of using someone who who has a full time job or out early morning to evening just looking after your dog ‘on the side’. Cat owners who work themselves might not mind. But with dogs, where’s the company your canine craves – and what about decent exercise?

5/  BOOK EARLY!
Don’t leave your pet’s care to the last minute - they're too important! Book early to avoid the desperate ring round ending up with that ‘friend of a friend’ (especially on a long term need). Apart from the fact they often drop out at the last minute, it is likely your beloved pet will not be high on their list of priorities.

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To take you through tips 6-10 I’ll use a practical example - a recent sit with gorgeous Golden Retrievers, Finnegan & Hugo.

Finnie & Hugo with me at Queenscliff Lagoon, NSW Australia
6/  PREPARATION
My hand-over with Hugo & Finnegan was smooth with no stress from these huge, furry teddy bears. But that didn’t happen by chance. Preparation is key, planned, and takes place by visiting owners and dogs well before sits begin – and I’d visited Finnie and Hugo four times before I came to stay.

Some sitters charge for this with others it’s inclusive, but your sitter should be willing to do this as pre-sit familiarisation meetings really pay dividends. They make the transition so much easier with dogs who then come to know you. They help owners too who see they don’t have to worry by observing how relaxed and at ease their VIPs are, in this case Very Important Pets, Finnie and Hugo. Is your sitter prepared to spend time getting to know your pets?

7/  IN DEPTH KNOWLEDGE
Once Perfect Pet Sitter is booked clients complete our comprehensive Checklist. Then during pre-sit meetings, (ideally both at home and out walking if dogs) as well as getting to know all about our furry charges, we go through our check list which informs us of feeding and exercise routines, medicines, vets and much more.

As an example, Finnie & Hugo were to have two exercise sessions a day, but as they are big boys each walk was limited to about 30 mins. Does your sitter have an existing checklist?

8/  HANDOVER DAY
On handover day with Finnegan & Hugo I suggested my arrival was just before the the owners left. I arrived and immediately took Finnie & Hugo out for their first walk of my stay.  Then, whilst we were out, the owners set off for their trip.  

This approach ensures when we return to the house there is no upset as dogs have not had the drama of goodbyes. Because they know me and I’ve already been accepted as part of the family, they settle right away as all is normal from the get go. What will your sitter do to make the parting easy and non stressful?

My daughter with the boys -  who's taking who for walkies?!
9/  COMMUNICATION
We send as many emails or texts as owners request, from daily to every few days. Such communications are vital to reassure and keep owners in the picture.

It’s good to know while you holiday away - your dogs holiday at home. Finnie & Hugo went to all sorts of places and sometimes they even enjoyed three walks a day.  Frequent emails were sent to Finnegan and Hugo’s owners letting them know all the adventures their boys were having. Is your sitter happy to meet your requirements for keeping in touch?

Finnegan - you wouldn't think he's 11 years old
10/  WELCOME HOME
Every walk is recorded by GPS with many photos taken during each outing. This is all put together and on your return your receive a complete record of your dog’s time with us. Containing maps, pictures and showing all the fun that was had whilst you were away, it’s a photo album/diary all rolled into one. Pages show how long we were out, where we went, and time of day walks took place. These albums, presented on CD, are unique to Perfect Pet Sitter. How will your sitter prove they have exercised your dog to your requirements?

After a few days we follow up to see how the pets have settled – just occasionally reassuring owners if their pets are missing us all will return to normal very soon!

Clients often offer to give us a reference - and as writing references takes a lot of effort, the fact so many of our clients have bothered to do this for us says a lot! (Finnegan and Hugo's reference can be viewed on our Refs page). What references can your sitter offer, and are they recent?

So there you have it – 10 helpful tips to ensure you leave the pet you love in the best possible hands.


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FOOTNOTE: Cuddly golden teddy bears, Finnegan and Hugo.

One of our popular recent blogs was ‘Two Dogs - Twice the Fun or Double Trouble?’ (click here to read) But if I’d already stayed with Hugo & Finnegan before I wrote it, the title would have been ‘Two Dogs – Totally Tremendous!' Spending three weeks living in with these golden boys was a very special experience.

Time for sleep, Hugo would sneak into my room hoping I wouldn't notice him on my bed.....
I’m pretty easy going about what pets in my charge do. This means I’m happy to let cats and small dogs who are used to sleeping on beds share mine. However when going to bed and finding 45Kg Hugo (yes – he is 45kgs) taking up the whole of my bed, I had to draw the line!

It was a struggle to get Hugo to relinquish the spot but I managed. (Just as well Finnegan couldn’t make it onto the bed as well – if there’d been the two of them I’d have had to have slept on the couch!)

P.S. Did I let Hugo on my bed for cuddle in the morning? I’m not confirming or denying….






Saturday 6 September 2014

Want to live forever – get a dog?!

As Perfect Pet Sitter we provide live-in 24/7 minding for cats and dogs. At the end of our round-the-clock sits, we've bonded so well with the dogs in our care when the owners return we're frequently asked to continue walking them.  And because we’re in touch with our clients they keep us updated about their fur pals adventures and developments.

One of of my clients recently told me a tender story about Indi. (Featured with Lilo in previous blogs and pictured here, Indi is a two year old German Shorthaired Pointer).
Elegant Indi tried to comfort...

She said her son was excited playing with his new remote control car when it’s front wheel broke off. He was in the garage downstairs when Indi happened to wander down and find him there crying. Indi immediately began nudging and licking him.  When this didn’t work she ran upstairs and looked at her owner. She said it was as if to say ‘come on, you need to follow me…’   So much so that she did follow Indi downstairs where she found her son upset and was able to comfort him.

She said it was pretty clear that Indi had tried to make her son feel better, but when that didn’t work she didn’t know what else to do, but had the idea of bringing her to help.

I thought this was a touching story, and very sweet that Indi had shown that loving trait.

This story took me back to when I was a little girl and yearned for a dog of my own one day. I would dream of how that dog would be my best friend and that he’d comfort me when I was upset. 


Flash in his prime, about 3
So imagine then my disappointment when many years later as an adult I finally got my own dog, Flash, but if he saw me upset he would run away and leave me!

We’d rescued Flash at the age of two and I suspect his three homes before he found us had some influence on his unease in certain situations - almost as if he was afraid when seeing emotions displayed.

It wasn't until Harry (our second rescue GSP) came along that my vision of canine comfort come true. If I was feeling down he knew and would come close and lean on me. If I was upset he would sit by me and lick my tears.... my dream realised at last - and Harry was my dog of a lifetime.
I totally adored my Harry and I think he did me too

It’s been known for a while that owning a dog is good for keeping blood pressure low. The way most dogs sense we need comfort is a good example of how they help us in this regard. They also are a major factor in our social lives, providing a link to the outside world and alleviating loneliness.

But research, published in July 2014 in the journal of Preventative Medicine, has  found that dog owners over the age of 65 act 10 years younger than their biological age.

This new research from the University of St Andrews provides irrefutable data them demonstrates that owning a dog makes older people fitter and healthier.
(To see the full report click here)

From having a reason to exercise as an older person, to a child learning about nurturing and the responsibilities that come with caring for an animal, a pet gives us purpose and everyone benefits when a dog is around.

So to the long list of known benefits of pet ownership, they'll also dry your tears – and you’ll live longer.

Flash aged 10 when we brought Harry (age 2) home. He used to hold Flash's lead and take him walkies round our garden!















Friday 15 August 2014

Help! My puppy won't come back!

Elly's a Delta Therapy Dog
On a beautiful New South Wales Spring day I was enjoying walking Elly (my daughter’s Delta Therapy* Dog) around Curl Curl lagoon when I became aware of a woman walking a Staffie puppy. I noticed her as she was giving the puppy a non stop stream of ‘commands’.

The fact the puppy was completely ignoring the owner didn’t curb the torrent of words. Certainly anyone within earshot would have known her dogs name was Zippy…..

Zippy! don’t jump up
Zippy! come here
Zippy! leave it
Zippy! come on, I’m leaving you behind, I’m going home
Zippy! come away, no, stop that, this way
Zippy!! Oh no, opps, sorry she did that (to a passer by she jumped at)

Elly who's 8 thinking she's a pup
Whilst the owner thought she was giving commands, all her dog heard was ‘Zippy bla, bla, bla, Zippy dag, dag, dag, Zippy dag, bla, dag, bla.’

By chance Zippy ran up to me as I was giving Elly a treat, the owner said I could give Zippy a treat too. In excitement Zippy began jumping up (of course!) but I got her to sit and then gave her a treat. I then began chatting with the owner and asked if it was her first dog. It was.

Just then Zippy, who I found was 12 months, started to run towards a couple of dogs – and the owner immediately went to call her back. I suggested she let Zippy go and meet the other dogs.

I didn’t understand why at an off leash park she kept calling her dog back. First of all you're setting yourself up to fail if you call as your dog is running towards others. Secondly, your dog is there to play and interact. She said she called Zippy to stop her jumping up at people (a strategy clearly not working!)
Turbo walking round Little Manly

So this time she let Zippy go. We watched and I waited for the ideal instant to recall Zippy and saw it when, just for a moment, Zippy was standing on her own. Right then, before she found another distraction, I called really loudly and with lots and lots of inflection in my voice:

ZIPPY!! COME!  ZIPPY!!!

I put my arms out and how I wish someone had been filming because Zippy, who had met me barely 5 mins earlier, came flying to me in a straight line like a missile. As soon as she reached me I gave her a treat. The owner could barely believe it and said ‘Wow, she’s so good for you!”

It wasn’t magic, it was just that the owner, being inexperienced, was making a number of common mistakes but perhaps the biggest was:

STOP TALKING!!

To Zippy her owner was background noise - like us being at home and having the radio on. A training voice has to differ from background noise. If your dog can’t hear you, they can’t respond to you. And your dog won't hear because it will tune out and and ignore ‘commands’ which are given in a continuous monotone.

Talking is fine to reinforce bonds, but with training the command voice has to be distinctive -  loud, clear AND encouraging.

Also, I always work to achieve a relationship where dogs I'm caring for find me more interesting than anything else. This is essential as you need a dog or puppy to want to come to you as you cannot make them do this from a distance. To achieve this they must ALWAYS associate returning to you with good things, fun (play) and/or food (tasty treats, chicken or steak work best).  

Some dogs work for fun, others for food, some for both. Find the key to your dog and you are half way there.

Elly and I were leaving and nearly at the car when I saw Zippy - she’d followed the food/fun person! The owner was calling in the distance - and of course Zippy was ignoring her! So I called Zippy and ran towards the owner calling ‘Zippy!’ using my most exciting voice. Zippy bounced along next to me enjoying this play - which is what it was to her - and as we reached Zippy’s owner, once again she was amazed.

The owner was constantly calling Zippy back in an attempt to stop her jumping at people. But if a child has bad manners at home, would you expect them to behave well when eating out? 

To stop a dog jumping in public you first have to teach them not to jump up at people in the home. This is an issue I help owners with routinely.

Training dogs take patience, time, repetition and commonsense. But if you are new to dogs it really is worth the investment of even one session with a trainer. The reward is results which come fast once you know how to implement effective training strategies.

I’ve trained many dogs and below is a reference from Sarah who owns the wonderful Turbo, an Australian Bulldog. Rather than taking Turbo walkies, Sarah was taken for a daily drag! One session with Turbo and he was walking to heel :-

Turbo the Australian Bulldog who I've trained
Dear Maralyn...

Turbo and I are very grateful we met you. It has  greatly improved our relationship...we  now understand each other ...

and it only takes three little words!!  sit...heel...come...maybe four.. as sometimes I say "lets go"....

I now understand how to control him with a lead.... we have more eye contact as well.
My back is also very grateful to you...

I've even heard people say when passing what an obedient dog.. if only they knew what we looked like before your training!

I've been singing your praises to all my doggy friends...and anyone that will listen...you did a magnificent job.

I still let him sleep on my bed as he now knows who is mistress!. But.. he still refuses to wear silk pyjamas......

Lots of licks....Sarah and Turbo
Turbo does love to chew a ball!


Zippy’s owner had a demonstration of what a couple of minutes can achieve when you know what you’re doing.  I gave her my card and very much hope she calls me.

If you are having puppy or dog problems do contact me. A one-to-one hours session is $65 which could be the best and possibly only investment you need to get on the right track with your doggie partnership.




*Delta Therapy dogs. Before a dog can be accepted to become a Delta Therapy Dog there are many tests for not just the dog but also the owner.
Using a willing volunteer as an Elly Chair!
Once they have passed the rigourous selection process the dog and owner make regular trips to aged care facilities, hospices and children in homes.

This whole scheme is run by volunteers and my daughter with many others gives up her Saturday mornings so those who love dogs but do not get to see them due to their situation or illness, can pet them.
Click here for more info on Delta Therapy Dogs







Sunday 3 August 2014

Jack Russells Rock!

As Perfect Pet Sitter I care for dogs of all shapes and sizes - from mighty to tiny. Whilst I confess, I used to be a ‘big dog person’, the more I care for our smaller breeds the more I see their many charms.

I’ve found some of our little canines are not little at all – they’re big dogs – they just happen to be in small bodies! This is never more clearly shown than with the Jack Russell.  Each JR has a unique personality, yet there’s one trait they all share –  determination!

Perfect Pet Sitter has cared for many JRs and each sit has been memorable for one reason or another.

Sadie the mountain goat bread thief!
There was Sadie, known as a Parsons Jack Russell (longer legs than usual) a feisty and smart cookie. Sadie had the skills of a mountain goat as I found to my cost when one day all that was left of a loaf on the kitchen counter was a wrapper. I couldn’t understand it, then I realised Sadie had jumped onto a chair then across to a stool and from there hopped onto the kitchen counter – where she enjoyed her banquet!

Gail provided our live-in pet minding service for Diesel from Manly, and so I only met him a few times.
Diesel in front on a joint walk with Lilo in Manly
Yet when he saw me in Graham Reserve after a break of 6 months, he came to me like an old friend and I felt honoured and touched by his lovely greeting.



Sie at Mona Vale was another sweetie who loved to run. He would set off at top speed with his little front legs pointing straight ahead at the horizontal – for all the world looking as if he was flying.
I've used this compilation of Sie before, but I just love it - look at his little legs - especially on the far right!
If I could photo shop I’d have put him in a superman costume – would have been very fitting for this super dog.

Then there's Lilo, a dear little girl who is partnered with the large GSP Indi. She had been snappy at the start of my stay but I didn’t let her snarls and growling scare me off !
Lilo, fearless and boundless energy
Once we estabished an understanding she was good as gold. She even put her trust in me by volunteering to come and sit on my lap, which is not something she did often I was told.



And last but not least, Pebbles. Dear Pebbles is actually undergoing treatment for cancer right now yet bearing it like a stoic person, contained and dignified.
Here is Pebbles, just look at those eyes
Her soulful eyes look at you as if she understands everything you say. Overall she has a look of wisdom as if she’s seen it all, been there, done that.

I will always love a big dog, but not everyone wants or has the space for a large hound in their lives. So if you want an active, fearless and great companion, the Jack Russell is a terrific choice. They know their own mind and are no lap dog, but that’s all part of what makes them so special.


Jack Russells, little dogs, but lion hearts – and I have to say they have stolen a bit of mine.











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