How to Write Clear Instructions for Your Dog Sitter
Whether you’re leaving your dog for a few days or a few weeks, there’s a lot that you need to let your pet sitter know.
At Grand and Graham Pets, before creating an online portal with client accounts, we used to provide this checklist for our clients to ensure that everyone is set up for success. We’ll walk you through each section in detail and provide a PDF checklist that you can use when you’re building your own instructions.
Daily Routine
Food | How much food do they eat and how often? Where is the food stored?
Treats | Are treats given at regular times? After certain behaviors? If treats are a part of your routine to reinforce specific behaviors, leave especially detailed notes on how and when they’re used.
Bathroom Breaks | How often do they usually go out? What signals do they use to let you know they need to go out?
Exercise and Playtime | How often do they go for a walk? Any favorite routes? Detail what their activities and enrichment time usually look like.
Sleeping | Where does your dog sleep? Do they have any bedtime rituals? Let the sitter know if the dog may want to sleep with them as well.
Important Items | Leave notes where all your dog’s important items are, such as: leash, collar, waste bags, bed, carrier, comfort items, and any extras or backups of highly used items.
Personality
Likes | How do they like to spend their time? What motivates them? Include their favorites like: toys, dog parks, places to hide, activities, and anything else they’re fond of.
Dislikes | Does anything give them anxiety or trigger unwanted behaviors? Be especially clear around anything that would cause them to be reactive, for example, if they need to be kept away from other dogs on a walk.
Favorite Crimes | Warn your sitter about your dog’s favorite ways of misbehaving. If they’re always getting into the trash or trying to eat one of your plants, it’s better for them to be prepared.
Medical Information
Veterinary Info | Give them the name, phone number, and website of your regular vet. If the vet requires any special prep or carrier procedures, let them know as well. If your vet doesn’t have an emergency room, make sure to also leave your preferred pet emergency center as well.
Medication Needs | If your dog takes any medications, leave detailed instructions as to how much, how often, and how these meds are administered. Be sure to note if your dog has any adverse reactions or if any special tricks are needed to get them to take them. You’ll also need to talk to your sitter to make sure they’re comfortable and qualified to administer all of the medications. For liability reasons, some sitters will only administer certain types of medications, such as in pill form, and not injectables, for example.
Medical History | Leave notes on any medical history that your sitter may need to be aware of. For example, have they injured a knee and need to be careful when playing, or do they occasionally have really bad dandruff?
Allergies | Make clear notes of any allergies, especially if you know how their allergic reaction manifests. If you keep any medications on hand for allergic reactions, let the sitter know what and where they are.
Obedience & Behavior
Commands | Make a list of all the commands that your dog knows, and what routines you use to maintain them. Make note of any verbal and hand signals that go along with the commands.
Rules and Boundaries | Are there any rooms that the dog needs to stay out of, or furniture to stay off of? The dog is likely to test boundaries with a new sitter, so make sure the sitter is prepared to reinforce boundaries if needed.
Door Procedures | Do they need to sit in a specific place or keep a certain distance when you’re opening the door? Are they a door-dasher? Always let the sitter know if you have any safety concerns with your dog trying to get out of the door.
Crates or Safe Zones | If you have any specific crate training, your sitter needs to know the routine. It’s also helpful to know any places in the home where your dog feels safe.
Cleaning and Grooming | If your dog gets regular grooming sessions, ask your sitter if they’re able to transport them for it. Be sure to note where any dog shampoo or cleaning wipes are in case the dog gets in a mess. If your dog has any anxiety around baths, you also need to let them know.
Other Important Information to Leave Your Dog Sitter
Contacts
Your Contact Info | Phone and email, time zone, and anything they should know about how and when to contact you. This could also include contact information for the hotel or resort where you’ll be staying.
Local Emergency Contacts | If they can’t get a hold of you in an emergency, who should they contact? There should be an emergency contact who is local, knows the dog and their medical needs, and is prepared to take the dog in case of an emergency. It’s also a good idea to include the contact info of a neighbor you trust if something is needed with the house.
Vacation Itinerary | If you’ll be traveling a lot during your trip, it can be helpful to include your basic itinerary outline so they’ll know when the best time to contact you for updates is. Some sitters, like ours, will send you daily photo updates on how your pets are doing. This may also include flight numbers or departure times, so they know when to expect you home.
Household Info
Security Measures | Keep any keys or passwords that your sitter will need in a private, but easily accessible place.
Fire or Emergency Safety | This is a good time to check your smoke alarm batteries and ensure that there is a working fire extinguisher in the kitchen.
Mail | How should mail be handled while you’re away? Check with your sitter to see if they’re able to take in packages and mail. Some may be able to forward important mail to you for additional fees.
Circuit Breaker | Make sure yours is clearly labeled and easily accessible if it’s needed.
Heating and Cooling | Leave detailed instructions on the temperature range that you would like the home kept at and how to adjust the settings if needed.
Wifi password and TV setup | In addition to passwords, also make sure your router is in an accessible spot if it needs to be restarted during your sitter's stay. The use of TVs or gaming equipment isn’t something every client is comfortable with. If you are, discuss with your sitters and leave instructions on how to use them.
Household Rules | Do the dogs need to stay off the balcony? Does everyone need to stay out of the bedroom? Having rules and boundaries is standard, but you need to leave detailed notes as to what they are.
To make your travel planning easy, download a free PDF of our pet sitter instructions checklist to get you started!
How to Find A Reliable Dog Sitter
At Grand and Graham Pets, we discuss all this and more with our new clients during our onboarding process. Together, we’ll build a full portfolio of how your pets are cared for and how the house should be looked after while you’re away. While everyone’s process will be different, we recommend looking for pet sitters who have an established way of getting to know their new clients and recording important information about the pet’s care.
If you’re planning your next vacation or work trip from San Francisco, we encourage you to reach out to Grand and Graham Pets to take care of your pets while you’re away. Our experts will guide you through the process of detailing your dog’s routines and ensuring as little will change for them as possible.
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