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….

Dog on a tightrope!

As a dog minder and full time live in pet sitter on our Northern Beaches, I strongly advocate teaching dogs tricks. Working closely with our canine pals builds trust which enhances our relationship with them. But above all – dogs love it!

If you need proof of this take at look at Ozzy. He’s recently claimed his place as Britain’s most accomplished canine tightrope walker.

Ozzy the 'Dog on a Wire'

Apparently his owner, Nick a 51-year-old carpenter, bought a book called Puppies For Dummies before enrolling Ozzy on a six-week training course and taking some tips from celebrated ‘dog whisperer’ Zak George.

Ozzy’s acrobatic antics were then posted onto YouTube video which led to acclaim and TV stardom.

Nick said that Ozzy is most happy when he’s working on tricks which he sees a game. But – and this is key -  Nick says they only practice when Ozzy is in the mood - after he’s done all his important stuff like sniffing around and meeting other dogs. I very much agree - dogs must play too. Training is most successful on a 'little and often' basis, that way your dog looks forward to it as a fun time. 

It really is rewarding working with dogs teaching them simple tricks. They love it and who knows, if your dog gets really good, s/he might end up a tv star like the fabulous Ozzy!

To see the full Daily Mail article and view the video click here:  Dog on a wire!

You could never make him do this if he didn't want to!

Cat a Catalyst for Doggie OCD

An interesting case when pet sitting this week.

I was caring for a pair of dogs; Koda, a 3 year old German Shepherd bitch, her older companion Bella and the family cat, Jasper. When introduced to the pets I noted Koda's obsessive behaviour around the cat - following him, licking him, whining and pacing.

Beautiful Koda

My assessment was there was a specific event which had conditioned Koda to act this way as every evening a 'ritual' kicked off. Jasper would announce his arrival and demand to be let in by meowing continuously outside the terrace doors until one of the family got up to let him in. He was very persistent in this so someone would jump up the minute his calling started. The cat would come in and Koda in turn would pant, pace and whine – until the cat went out again.

The trouble is this was not just once a night - it was repeated for the whole evening. Jasper would meow to come in then demand to go out, cry to come back in, then demand to go out again, and on and on the whole night. And just as the family reacted to the cat's meow - so in turn Koda reacted by starting her obsessive behaviour. The family would tell Koda to calm down but that had no effect which meant evenings – or any time the cat was around - were very unsettled.

The family had thought Koda's obsessive behaviour around the cat was because she loved him. In fact it was that Koda had become 'conditioned' by the cat's meow. In her world the meow = her pack moving = she has to move too. But she didn't know why she was moving and so was constantly confused and anxious. This resulted in her obsessing over the cat until it went out once more.

The irony is that it wasn't really Jasper causing Koda's distress – it was the family's reaction to Jasper's demands which made Koda repeatedly go into a hyper state.

The way to solve this is to deal with the root PROBLEM (family's reaction to the cat) rather than SYMPTOM (Koda's distress). Telling Koda to be calm will never work - if calm is wanted then that is what needs to be demonstrated.

Surprisingly it is relatively easy to restore calm starts by letting Jasper know he can no longer dominate the whole household! In future the cat meowing at the door had to be COMPLETELY IGNORED. Not only should no one open the terrace door, but the curtains should be closed (the cat would give up quicker if he could not see anyone inside). Meanwhile Koda had to be encouraged to lie quietly and not be allowed to pace even when the cat cried. And only when Koda was calm should she be touched or praised.

3 habits are being broken here:

1. the cat's 'top dog' habit of getting everyone to wait on him by meowing
2. the family's habit of jumping up to open the door the second the cat cried
3. Koda's habit of pacing and moving on hearing the cat cry because she anticipated family/pack movement

For a night or two the cat might continue to call, but once he fails to get anyone to open the door he will learn if he wants to come in he must use the rear of the house just like the rest of the pack.

Changing behaviour in this simple way will get results otherwise:

'If you always do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you always got'.

SES Rescue dog needs Perfect Pet Sitter to the Rescue!

When I got a last minute request to help with an emergency couple of nights staying with two dogs, it was great for once to be able to say that I could actually help.

The immediate nature of this meant it was not possible to include my usual three familiarisation visits this time. However, I still went to meet the dogs the day before so that they had an intro to me before I arrived to stay on Wednesday. 

I could see they came from a home where they were completely adored and where their welfare is paramount - which was why their owners did not want to leave them anywhere except in their own home.

First morning at Graham Reserve

One of the two dogs – the Boxer - is an SES trained rescue dog. His job is to find people still alive trapped under rubble. I expected to find a 'serious' dog - but not at all. He and his companion Caffeince were friendly, outgoing, well socialised, and very well trained.

Seeing how these two related to each another was really interesting. The SES dog, Wellington, is six but Caffeine is 11 with weak back legs. When we went out Wellington 'looked out' for his pal all the time and if he lost sight of Caffeine he looked worried. It put me in mind of a son being attentive to an older father. I suppose that's anthropomorphism but I make no apology.

The owners told me I needed to be aware that Caffeine could not exercise too hard. In the short time I was there we did four walks, but each time I made sure we took lots of rests. In that way we could safely stay out for an hour (the last walk a couple of hours) without Caffeine overdoing it.

It made a very pleasant change to be taking out dogs like these - mature and already well trained. Whilst I very much enjoy training dogs which is a challenge and rewarding -the dynamic with these dogs was so different.

Pups get distracted all the time and look round at the world - everything but you! They have to learn to focus on their owners. These two, by contrast, constantly looked at me and made sure they stayed by me. I hardly needed to call them but when I did they came at once - which if you think this was the first time they'd met me was pretty impressive.

Well done to the owners for doing such a great job of training their dogs.

Mud, Mud, glorious mud.....

Weds 3 April to Friday 5 April

Gave Bodhi a long walk of 3.55 miles which is around 6 Ks. We did a similar walk once before but this time I recorded it on my Garmin GPS and have sent a print out of that to the owners. We walked to the Wharf side of Manly, along the Fairlight path and right around to Forty Baskets where Bodhi had lots of swims (see pics).

I then walked with him up the hill to Balgowlah but then returned to Forty Baskets as my daughter brought Elly for a walk so it was round 2. The two just love one another and have established a great rapport.

Bodhi at 40 Baskets

Later when Elly came too

 Heaps of exercise on Thursday,  three outings in one day again, but over to today and our walk to Graham Reserve and (out for nearly an hour) if there is an inch of water, Bodhi will find it.....

I know it's here somewhere...

found it!

Wot?  I'm muddy??

Ha de ha ha!!!

Foot Note: Delighted to say Bodhi is responding spectacularly well to my heel work with him. He does like his own way and will ignore you if he's allowed to, but by calmly insisting he is improving in leaps and bounds making it a pleasure to have him on the lead.

Back again with Bodhi the Bear now for the whole of APRIL:-)

Well I knew my stay with Bodhi would be eventful - not even a week into my month with him and so it is proving! 

MY GARMIN GPS DATA, our first walk of day to Graham Reserve

Exercise is vital not just to a dog's physical health but just as much to their mental well-being, plus a well exercised dog is a happy and balanced dog. So having arrived on Good Friday morning, without even unpacking I immediately took Bodhi to Manly Lagoon.  A lovely day and Bodhi playing in the water and with other dogs. Then I began to walk to the far end of the Lagoon but had barely passed the children's play area when a shout went up. I looked left to see two ladies sitting on the grass eating salmon Subs for their lunch. Well one was. Bodhi had swooped on the other lady and fully snatched the Sub right out of the lady's hand and he'd gulped it down in two huge bites!

I apologised to the woman (who took it well) and I paid her so she could buy another sandwich. At one level it was funny, but big Bodhi doing a Ram Raid would not amuse everyone. I'm now extra vigilant when I see anyone eating or food left about on the ground as this dog will not pass it by!

Tues 2/4/13 our 3rd walk (reluctantly on Bodhi's part!)

Tuesday 2 April a glorious day on the Northern Beaches and we took advantage of it with Bodhi having no less that 3 walks in the one day. First one was early and a little after 8am we'd done  2 miles (see print out above). The second one was only short, we had a coffee at Ash's Table and sat looking at the fabulous Manly beach. But the third was funniest. It was the afternoon and I called 'walkies' to Bodhi expecting him to run towards me - only to see him backing away towards his kennel -  hilarious! Reluctant or not I took him to Manly using him being a little less keen as a good time to reinforce 'heel' and to get him to sit each time before we crossed a road. We did another 2 miles with that third walk - so with nearly 5 miles in one day. Being over 8 Ks this should make sure he is that well exercised happy and balanced dog! 

Later that night.........

Crickey - 8 Ks !!

My back itches....

Fallen in love - with a Quokka!

Having taken the opportunity to see my relatives in Perth wanted to visit Rottnest Island. As you probably know, Rottnest is famous for its Quokkas which have no fear of people. There is a decent population of them on the island but sadly on the mainland they are in decline due to Feral Cats and dogs against which they have no chance as they are slow and docile.

My sister-in-law told me to take a container to offer the Quokkas water which is like nectar to these dear little marsupials. Despite forgetting to take a container, this cutest little creature was more than happy drinking from my hand. As you can see it even had its paws on my hand to keep the supply coming. It was very gentle with a delicate tongue which you could just feeling licking away like crazy. Completely and utterly adorable and lovely interaction with a wild animal.

Back to Sydney next week and looking forward to seeing Bodhi (the Bear) again and will be with him all over Easter and right through the whole of April. Am wondering what exploits he has in store for me..... whatever they are they will be active and fun that's for sure!