How to create the PAWFECT dog-sitting listing
Dog sitting can be really wonderful and very rewarding, so long as the arrangement works for you. This is one reason you’ll want to nail your dog sitting listing on North Shore & Beaches Dogs directory.
Here are a few tips for not only getting local dog owners to consider you, but to attract the right type of doggie clientele for you and your lifestyle.
Keep your listing title short ‘n’ sweet
When creating a listing title, it’s a good idea to keep this short and be clear about what you offer for two reasons. 1) This keeps your listing easy to view – especially when scrolling on a phone. 2) Owners can see at a glance what you can offer.
Here are some listing title examples:
- Waggy Tails dog daycare
- Doggy daycare in my home
- Emma’s holiday dog sitting
- Dog sitting in your home
- Drop-off dog walking
- Dog walking (will come to you!)
- Pooch patrol dog/house sitting
Pawfect listing pic
Profile photos don’t have to always be of you or you with your dog. These are nice but if you would rather not have your face online, then you can upload a picture of just your dog (if you have one)!
The key thing is that the photo is warm and friendly. Nice natural light is best. You also want the photo to fit snugly in the profile image dimensions. For this reason, make sure your main subject (eg, your face) is in the centre of the photo. See how it looks when uploaded and you can always change this if you are not satisfied.
A great, happy photo will boost your listing.
State your availability (if applicable)
Be clear about when you can do the dog sitting. If you can just do a Monday and Tuesday because these are the days you work from home, for instance, then say this in your listing. For example:
Available Mondays and Tuesdays only: 8am – 6pm.
Be clear about pay expectations
If you want to get paid for dog sitting please be clear about this in your listing. Some dog owners are just after reciprocal dog-minding relationships and don’t charge each other.
It’s up to you if you want to include your dog-sitting rate in your listing. We suggest you don’t as this varies between sitters and is dependent on experience and other factors, such as if you will walk the dogs, take them to the dog park or just provide minding. Most dog sitters also charge a different rate for dog daycare and another for overnight stays. If you would rather agree on the rate with the owner when you chat, then you could say something like:
Happy to chat about my dog-sitting rates. Just contact me by clicking ‘send message – Woof!’.
It’s OK to be upfront about your expectations to be paid so you avoid any awkward conversations.
Describe your dog
One, if not the, most important thing to get right in a dog sitting arrangement is the dogs. Some dogs will just not get along or be a misfit – say a big old dog with a small one who wants to rumble and play, or a dog that does not get along with your children.
Describe your dog and the other dogs you might look after, as well as the kinds of dogs which you think will suit in terms of temperament, size, and so on. If you have small children be explicit and say the dog ‘must get along with small children’. If you don’t want to deal with any puppy mess say, ‘must be toilet-trained’ and so on. If you do this you will be less likely to get enquirers from dog owners with dogs you know won’t work with yours.
For example:
I have a medium-sized Cavoodle named Duke. He’s very sweet and gets along with most other dogs his size or smaller (bigger than knee height and he might be scared). I also look after a young Dashound on Monday who likes to play, so wouldn’t go so well with senior dog who might just want some peace and quiet! Other days are fine, though. I also have two small kids (6 and 8 years old) who love dogs and the dogs must love them back. Contact me so we can arrange a doggie play date/meet and greet to see if the waggy tails will get along.
Be succinct
Try to keep your listing description short and to the point. Not too short that you are light on key information but just long enough to tell a dog owner about you, your dog (if you have one), family, where the dog sitting will take place, your availability and what you can offer (for example, a walk a day, a fully-fenced backyard). Most people will be scrolling these and don’t want to get bogged down in text or too much information.
Setting up a pawfect dog sitting listing will help you to make dog sitting work for you and your life. Good luck and woof!