What Makes a Great Dog Sitter (and Why Some Never Turn It Into a Real Business)

Ever wondered what separates a great dog sitter from one who never quite gets it off the ground? In this episode of Paws to Profit, we’re digging into the real traits, habits, and mindsets that turn a simple love of dogs into a thriving pet sitting business. 

You’ll learn the biggest mistakes new sitters make, what successful ones do differently, and how to shift from treating it like a hobby to running it like a business. 

Whether you’re just starting out or want to level up your pet care hustle, this episode will help you see what truly makes a great dog sitter — and how to become one yourself. 

Find me here https://pawstoprofit.com.au/

Transcript

Tanya williams
Hey, it's Tanya Williams here, host of the Pause to Profit podcast and Chief Pawson at a Three Spoilt Dogs, which is a ah doggy daycare and dog sitting service here in Brisbane, Australia.

00:16.09
Tanya williams
And today I'm going to talking about what makes a great dog sitter. And we're also going to address why some people actually don't succeed or get it past hobby stage.

00:26.64
Tanya williams
um Now, I have been doing this for 12, 13 years. I lose track of time, I think. And um I've used dog sitters myself. So I know ah what makes a good dog sitter.

00:37.77
Tanya williams
And we're going to address some of those things in today's podcast. Now, let me just start by saying I am far from perfect. Okay. I have made plenty of mistakes over the years and it's called being human and it's okay. We all make mistakes.

00:53.00
Tanya williams
But um speaking of mistakes, I think let's start with the mistakes that we make because um you might be making one of these. You might be making a few of these. ah You might making none of them. And if you're not, then fantastic.

01:05.48
Tanya williams
But, you know, have a bit of a listen and see if any of these sound like you. So see, these are a few of the mistakes that I see dog sitters making. Now, the first one is only using third party apps. Like I know a couple of people and they are often complaining about I'm not getting enough bookings and so forth.

01:23.08
Tanya williams
But they're on like one of the third party dog sitting apps and that's it. They don't promote themselves. They don't do anything. um to to get their name out there. um And just using third party apps, I think is is dangerous because you miss a lot of opportunities. So look it is fine to use them. I um i still have a profile on um one of them.

01:44.55
Tanya williams
um Not that I use it very often, um but you know, you don't have full control over these apps. Okay. If you put all your focus on your profile on your third party app, remember you have no control. So they could literally shut down tomorrow and then you just disappear along with them. um They do take a hefty fee for the service um as well. So normally it's around that 20% mark.

02:06.00
Tanya williams
And um you know, the other thing is you can have, you'd be using the apps and, have your own website or your own brand and be doing stuff as well. Okay, so don't think you just have to focus on the third party apps.

02:19.17
Tanya williams
The other mistake is not having ah clearly defined target demographic. Now, target demographics is a marketing word, it's but It's really about being very, very clear on who your ideal um target audience is. So, you know, like for us, we only look after oodles and small dogs.

02:38.60
Tanya williams
We don't have big dogs. We don't have aggressive dogs. There are certain breeds of dogs that we don't have. I'm very clear on that on our website, on our messaging, on my pet profiles because I want to be clear to make sure I attract the right clients. So the fact that we look after oodles Oodle owners love that. So we have so many Cavoodles and Labradoodles and Spoodles and Moodles and all the rest of it because they know that when they stay here with us, their dog is going to be with other types of dogs that are the same as them.

03:07.93
Tanya williams
So that makes makes them feel comfortable. Okay. So we um clearly define that in everything that we do. So confusing messages on the types of dogs you look after and the service you provide just...

03:18.73
Tanya williams
well confuses people right you need to be really clear and look I still get inquiries of people that um you know have bigger dogs um because I haven't read the website properly or or they've just said oh great dog sitting here I'll just inquire and that's fine um but I always say no to them so you know you're still going to get inquiries from people who may not be a great fit but it's up to you how you deal with that as well The other mistake I see is competing on price. So it's easy to look at what other people are charging and go, well, I'm just going to charge that.

03:50.39
Tanya williams
But there are a lot of um factors that go into pricing. So things like experience, the type of service you provide as part of your fee, the communication you provide, all the little extras, if you've got great reviews, demand for your service, time of year, all of that type of thing.

04:08.16
Tanya williams
Now we have a tiered pricing structure. So we have a standard price that's like the day-to-day price, but then we have a different price for school holidays And a different price for Easter and Christmas as well.

04:19.84
Tanya williams
um And that is based on mainly demand um because we fill up so far in advance for those dates. So we've you know increased the prices slightly on um on them to to make up for that.

04:32.42
Tanya williams
Now, I probably still should be charging more than I do, but I am really mindful of keeping the balance of like not overcharging because I want to keep my loyal clients happy so they don't go elsewhere. So price is something that you might have to play around with, but you can't go out and start charging really high prices if you have no experience or if you have no reviews and testimonials. You need to start somewhere. I think when I started, was charging about $40 an hour and our standard fee now is around $65 an hour.

05:02.56
Tanya williams
um So again, everyone's different, but don't just look at price because I can tell you right now, there are people that are cheaper than me. There are people that are more expensive than me. Really, most of the time, price is irrelevant. And if someone doesn't want to book my service because they think it's too expensive, then they're not the right fit for me anyway.

05:20.87
Tanya williams
So I don't get upset about it. I don't get offended by it. I'm like, that's fine. You can go and find someone that's cheaper. I have no issues with that. But just be mindful of what you might be getting for that as well. Another mistake that I see, and I see this often in a lot of groups, is people working for free.

05:38.63
Tanya williams
And I think that, oh, well, someone's providing me accommodation, I'm staying in their house, um you know, or it's just a friend's dog that I'm looking after, like, so I should do it all for free.

05:49.13
Tanya williams
And I don't think that is a ah great strategy. Firstly, you're looking after to a member of their family and you're providing a valuable service because you're enabling them to go on a holiday or go to work without any sort of worry or stress about their dogs, right?

06:03.46
Tanya williams
So you're providing a service just like any other service provider out there. So whether you're a hairdresser or a a mechanic or a an accountant, they all charge for their services. They don't just go, oh, well, you know, like, you know, letting me do this or I'm going to do this like for you for free.

06:20.56
Tanya williams
No, you pay for those services and you should be paying for dog sitting services as well. So even if you're staying so at someone's house, you are still working and you should be compensated for it. Now, you know, much you might choose to charge a lower rate, but the fact that there's someone staying in your home, like for me, like I've had, um you know, a lot of most of our sitters have been in our home staying here with our dogs and And I would not have it any other way but to pay them because I want to know um them to know that they're valued and appreciated.

06:51.25
Tanya williams
And they've got really important job because it's great for me knowing that someone's actually in my house. um So it's not sitting empty for two or three weeks at a time. But the fact that my dogs are in their own environment makes me even more comfortable as well because they're here in their own space.

07:06.92
Tanya williams
um And I'm more than happy for someone to come and stay here and look after my dogs. And I will pay for that. um i would never expect someone to work for free. And you shouldn't be doing that either.

07:20.94
Tanya williams
um One of the other issues is feeling undervalued and underpaid. um So I hear this often as well people like, I um'm um don't feel like i'm I'm getting appreciated or valued for what I do. People just see it as this, you know, like, well, you're just a dog sitter.

07:35.42
Tanya williams
ah That's an important job. And if people are saying that to you, well, you know, they're definitely not the right fit for you. um And they won't value value you or your services. So have a look at, if you're feeling like that, have a look at if you're charging enough. So if you're if you're doing it for free, start charging straight away.

07:53.58
Tanya williams
um Are you working with the right clients who are happy to pay for your services? Because if you've got people wanting to negotiate and go, oh, can you do it cheaper? or, you know, whatever that might be, or I can't afford that, then again, they're not the right fit for you.

08:05.61
Tanya williams
But you also need to show, you know, the value that you offer. And you also need to show, like, ah articulate that in how you provide that to your guests in the communication and and in your in your messaging and so forth.

08:19.62
Tanya williams
Another common issue is not knowing how to market yourselves. Now, this is super common, particularly if people feel like um marketing is pushy or they've never worked in marketing before or really don't know much about it. They just feel really uncomfortable with it, right?

08:36.00
Tanya williams
But here's something you need to know. if you're running a dog sitting business, you need to get comfortable with sharing your services and putting yourself out there. Okay, fact. Now, i have a big section in the pause to profit program that covers marketing.

08:50.66
Tanya williams
um And this is one of the areas that a lot of people struggle with. So if that's something that you think I need help with that, then take a look at the program because you will get so much out of it. And there is so many ways to market yourself, like free ways to market yourself.

09:06.55
Tanya williams
I'm not going to cover them on on this episode. We're going to cover some of those in another episode. But, you know, you don't have to go and spend huge amounts of time on social media. You don't have to go and spend money on any sort of advertising.

09:20.31
Tanya williams
I've never spent a cent on ads ever anywhere for our services. You don't need to. um So if you've got people trying to sell you expensive ads and SEO and all that sort of stuff, you don't need to do that, okay?

09:36.53
Tanya williams
um Poor communication with owners is something that a lot of people do wrong as well. Like communication is vital. Okay. You've got to answer inquiries really quickly. Like if you think can wait a day, then forget about it because those people have already moved on because chances are when they're looking for someone, they're reaching out to multiple people. So I like to get back to people as soon as I see a message um because, you know, you miss out the otherwise.

10:00.28
Tanya williams
You know, send back, send, you know, thanks to thanks for your inquiry. Yes, I'm available on those dates. This is our process. Give them some information more than just the question that they ask as well. So they might just go, hey what are your rates?

10:12.96
Tanya williams
Don't just give them the rates, give them more of a background that makes you seem more valuable um or shows that value. So I send out a um ah frequently barked questions guide.

10:24.24
Tanya williams
um I send them a whole bunch of information. I might send them a couple of links to the website where they can see testimonials, the pricing and so forth. And give them a a bit a bit of a feel for the experience they're going to have with me.

10:35.90
Tanya williams
So, um communication is super important. Communicate your process with them as well. So if you um are doing meet and greets, which you always should be doing, then say, this is our process. We start with the meet and greet and this is, you know, and this is the, like the process that we follow because you want to manage the expectation with them as well.

10:53.98
Tanya williams
Um, you know, send lots of photos and videos of guests as well. My clients love this. You know, I'm always sending updates going, oh, look what they're doing now.

11:04.63
Tanya williams
Hey, look at this silly little thing. Or they're playing with their friend, Freddie, or, you know, whatever it might be. um and they love that and they appreciate it because they can see how much fun their dogs are having and that they will care for.

11:15.18
Tanya williams
um The other thing I do is I do i have some fun little extra things I do at Christmas and Easter where we do like whole photo shoots and stuff like that. I'm not going to share that because that's my little secret. But um get creative with how you communicate with with your owners.

11:30.52
Tanya williams
The other one is not setting boundaries. Now, you need to be clear on what you will and won't do it's okay to say no. Okay, so if you get requests for something and you go, no, that's out of my comfort zone or that's on a service that we offer,

11:47.22
Tanya williams
Or I don't want to do that. Or it's just not what we offer. Then it's okay to say no. ah Okay, you can set the rules because this is your business. So if you're, um you know, getting cancellations, um you can have rules around that.

12:01.05
Tanya williams
um You can set rules on pricing and deposits and all those types of things as well. If you think a dog is not a good fit for your home, then it is much better to be honest and say no, because believe me, i have taken on some dogs because I've felt bad for the person because maybe they've had a last minute cancellation or something really sad has happened. They've had had to go to hospital or something and I've gone, okay no problems. Like I'll look after them.

12:27.83
Tanya williams
Even though in my gut, I know that this dog isn't the right fit for us and I've regretted it. um You know, and you know you learn from those mistakes, but you've got to be honest with yourself and the parents because there is probably a better fit out there um for them if you're not it or you don't feel like you're it.

12:47.12
Tanya williams
So just make sure you're setting boundaries and having some clear guidelines. The other one I want to touch on is having no clear profile or brand. So when I talk about profile or brand, what I'm really talking about is visibility and having clear messages about who you are, who your older client is, the types of services you provide, your experience, your why, your values, that sort of thing.

13:11.48
Tanya williams
That should be on your profile. So if you're using third-party dog-sitting apps, very clearly articulate all that type of information. um If you've got your own website, do the same on that. Your About page should share your story, okay?

13:25.48
Tanya williams
So, you know, whether it's on ah an app or on your website, having that information is going to attract the right people to you. So really be clear on the who, what, where and how of your service.

13:38.86
Tanya williams
So that's a bit on the mistake side. i think the mistakes that I see many people making, the mistakes that I have made myself because, as I said, I am not perfect and I've made these mistakes. I went, shouldn't have done that.

13:50.99
Tanya williams
Anyway, you learn from them, right, and that's the main thing. So I want to sort of touch on now What makes a good dog sitter? Now this is based on my experience and my observations over the years um and look you might not have all these traits naturally and that is okay. It doesn't mean you're going to be a bad dog sitter.

14:11.27
Tanya williams
There's just sort of general things that I've come across and that I've found through working with dogs myself for all these years and with other people that um have had looked after my babies um that I think really sort of go a long way to to helping you. So you know as anyone that's a dog sitter knows, it is a super rewarding job.

14:30.78
Tanya williams
And sometimes I can't believe I get paid to look after so many beautiful dogs. um And there there are plenty of people that can look after a dog, but what makes a truly great pet sitter are some of these traits. Okay.

14:43.93
Tanya williams
So this is just based on my experience. So the first thing is being warm, calm, and patience with animals. Now, Some animals will test your patience. Believe me, no matter how cute they might be, you will get little ones that are just so cute and adorable, but have these little annoying barks.

15:01.87
Tanya williams
um You will get some who will pee in the house. You'll get some who are who are too much or they get in the ah face of two other dogs and they will test your skills. Believe me. But when you are calm, they will become calm as well because dogs pick up on our emotions. So I have learned this. If I get angry,

15:21.16
Tanya williams
or yell or even if I'm sitting yelling at my computer right because it's not even related to them they feel that they feel that energy so um being calm and being able to show affection is a great way to make them fall in love with you but also make them feel protected and um so they trust you and so forth as well so you do have to have some patience and that's one thing that I've learned to be a lot better at um And it makes a huge difference. If you're stressed out about a situation, the dogs are going to be stressed out about that same situation because they're going to feel your energy, right? And that high level of stressed energy, they can easily pick up on.

16:00.47
Tanya williams
So just being calm and quieter and patient makes a huge difference. Another great skill is communication with pet owners. This is so, so important.

16:13.69
Tanya williams
um And it goes from everything from answering inquiries in a timely manner, organizing meet and greets, confirming pi pick up and drop off times, sending photos and updates, you know, all that sort of stuff. It's all part of that communication process with the owner.

16:28.93
Tanya williams
And the key to making everything run smoothly is communication. You know, I am always um on text messages and emails, getting back to people, reconfirming times for meet and greets, confirming drop-off times, um you know, answering inquiries quickly, you know, all that sort of stuff, sending out, you know information that people need because I know how important communication is because myself as a dog owner, that's what I want as well.

16:56.95
Tanya williams
So think about putting yourself in their shoes um when you are going through all this. Now, another skill I think you need, and I think this is a really must-have one actually, is you need to be organized and you need to be reliable.

17:12.31
Tanya williams
Now, chances are you're gonna have multiple dogs being picked up and dropped off on any given day, particularly if you do daycare. So for me, um we have drop-offs from 7 a.m. in the morning, so I might have two dogs dream being dropped off at seven and then one at 7.15 and one at 7.30 and then one at eight and one at nine.

17:31.24
Tanya williams
So, you know, you're sort of stopping and starting what you're doing throughout your day. But I am very mindful of being ready for people when they, um you know, are dropping off at their given time.

17:43.48
Tanya williams
I plan my schedule accordingly. So I'm not going to plan to record a podcast or get on a webinar when I know I've got dogs being dropped off or picked up. So you need to plan you your time and your day accordingly.

17:53.97
Tanya williams
um And you've got to be reliable. So there's a few things in this. So if you're always saying no to bookings or new bookings, or you're frequently not available at drop-off time, so you've popped out somewhere and gone, oops, sorry, I'm not home, then then parents are going find someone else because they want someone who is consistent and reliable in their service delivery.

18:16.71
Tanya williams
Now, I've had situations when I've wanted to find a new sitter for myself um to look after my dogs for whatever reason, we're going on holiday or whatever. And I have had situations where people just haven't shown up for the meet and greet or they've rang three hours later and went, oh, I'm really sorry. Like I was still asleep.

18:36.54
Tanya williams
And like, seriously, you think I'm going to hire you if you can't even show up for a meet and greet? And you're three hours late and think that's okay. um I was just like black mark straight away.

18:47.76
Tanya williams
um You know, you can't do this job like, well, you can't do this job successfully if you are not reliable. So hate to say this, and this is a very big generalization, but I found in general, it's been a lot of young people, like students in particular that I've found this with,

19:06.63
Tanya williams
where they treat it as a little hobby and they go, oh well, I'll take it or leave it. They don't take it seriously and they don't understand what a big responsibility is to take on a client and commit to that.

19:17.51
Tanya williams
Now, that is not everybody, so please don't get offended if you are a student doing this. um But you need to really take this seriously. So if you organize a time to do a meet and greet, then you need to be there at that time or ready to do that um because it is not a good look and um you will not get repeat um business from that.

19:40.98
Tanya williams
Another is to be okay with mess. Now, I like my house, okay? I like things to be where they go. I like a clean, tidy house. But when you're a dog sitting in your home, you need to be okay with a bit of mess. And I have gotten better with that over the years for sure.

19:58.37
Tanya williams
um So there is going to be mess, okay? there There are some days I can walk out and someone's ripped apart a toy and there is, I call it snow. i'm like, oh, look, the lounge room's snowing. Because they've ripped it apart and there's, you know, bits of um toy all over the place, that's fine. We just clean it up, okay?

20:15.80
Tanya williams
um You know, and there are constantly dogs that will pee and wee on the floor, even though, like poop and wee, even though you'll have grass mats and pee pads and so forth, because if someone else has weed there, then they go, well, maybe I'll wee here as well.

20:29.01
Tanya williams
you'll get spilled water bowls, you'll get dirty or muddy floors, stuff that's been raining outside and you've let them out and they've come back in and you haven't wiped their feet. You know, you're going to get a bit of dirt, you'll get nose print on the doors or the windows.

20:41.33
Tanya williams
um You know, we get buts beds pulled dog beds pulled around the house, you know, all sorts of things. And you know what? It comes with the territory. So if you hate mess and you hate anything being dirty,

20:54.81
Tanya williams
then ah you're either going to have to suck it up or dog sitting isn't right for you because mess comes with the territory. And you know what? I am cleaning up all during the day. So, you know, at the end of the day, I'll always do like mop the floors.

21:09.41
Tanya williams
um I've got a special cleaner that I use to do that with. But during the day, I'm often just like picking things up with paper towel or doing a little spot mopping or or like, and constantly re-cleaning water bowls and and all sorts of things. So,

21:22.87
Tanya williams
You know, there is responsibility that comes with this job. You can't just sit there and go, I'm just going to sit here and watch Netflix all day and cuddle them. No, it doesn't work like that. You need to also be flexible in handling surprises. So unexpected things happen.

21:38.25
Tanya williams
and you need to be roll ah'm okay with it, and you just need to roll with it sometimes. So, you know, as I mentioned, dogs can have toileting accidents. You might have a dog that's afraid of thunderstorms. You might get little escape artists who like to scoot out a door really quickly.

21:53.23
Tanya williams
You might get dogs snapping at each other or dogs that can jump the baby gates. um But you've got to learn to deal with all these types of things, okay, because like life, Not everything goes goess according to plan.

22:06.54
Tanya williams
Being calm helps. Take a few deep breaths if you're feeling stressed about a situation and find a solution. So for example, we have a couple of dogs that love to jump the baby gates. So we have the baby gates to create little zones in our house and to stop dogs getting to the front door so they can't get out.

22:24.89
Tanya williams
um So we have a whole process and a safety process around that, which I'll talk about on another episode. um but we had and we're like what are we going to do to stop this because you go out to to get get another dog and they would have jumped three baby gates to get out and be right at the door so you had to be super careful so we found these little sc screens that we could put across the top of the baby gate which means it made the gates so much higher and they can't get across solution okay if you've got dogs that um you know do pee inside

22:55.38
Tanya williams
then having grass mats and pee pads helps with that. If you've got dogs that like to escape, making sure your your yard and your house is super, super secure. So, you know, some dogs can get through the panels on your pool fence.

23:08.84
Tanya williams
um You need to make sure that's secure. Make sure they can't get under any fencing anywhere. We've got the sides of our house blocked off so they can't get to the sides of our house at all. We've got six foot fences. We've got stuff along the bottom. They cannot get out.

23:21.07
Tanya williams
So you've got to make sure that you have a safe environment for them. So they're probably the main things and there's probably a few other things I can add that to that list but they're the main things I would say, um you know, are what it takes to be a successful dog sitter and, you know, maybe why some of you don't succeed is because you're making some of those mistakes that I've mentioned as well.

23:41.31
Tanya williams
um And one of the goals of this podcast is to really keep it real. So I don't like to sugarcoat things because that just adds calories, right? So um I'm going to share real life practical stuff because I deal with this every single day.

23:55.94
Tanya williams
Okay. I am good at what I do. It's why we are booked out constantly. It's why we are so busy. It's why we in demand because I know what I'm talking about. And i think in All the years that we've been doing this, I think we've had maybe three, two or three um emergency vet visits because we are um super responsive to things and we are super on top of any issues that a potential dog might have. And we're going to talk more about that in other episodes. And I cover a whole section of that on the Pause the Profit program online as well.

24:30.83
Tanya williams
Now, a little bit about what's coming up. So in the coming episodes, we're going to be covering a bunch of topics. Now, we're going to at where to start when setting up your dog sitting business, so what you need to know, the things you need to have organized, if you should use third-party apps or not. We're going to do a whole episode around that.

24:46.44
Tanya williams
I'm going to talk about creating great client experiences. I'm going talk about safety and cleaning. And, of course, we're go to touch on free marketing ideas. And there's a whole bunch of other topics that I'm going to be covering today.

24:58.14
Tanya williams
So if you um are enjoying the podcast, can you please leave a review because that helps more people find it. So if you're listening on Apple or Spotify, whatever it might be, please give me lots of stars and leave a review.

25:11.91
Tanya williams
um If you have any questions at all, you can also shoot me an email or you can reach out on Instagram at pause to profit. You'll find me there as well. um But, and if there's any particular topics that you want covered, you know, reach out to me and let me know. We might be able to add that to this schedule.

25:26.66
Tanya williams
But in the meantime, that's the end of this episode and ah have a porsome day and I will i see you on the next ep.