When Things Get Ruff: Handling Common Dog Sitting Situations Like a Pro

Running a dog sitting biz means more than just puppy cuddles and wagging tails — it’s also last-minute bookings, cancellation drama, special requests (yep, even spoon-feeding!), and the dreaded payment awkwardness 

In this week’s Paws to Profit episode, I’m spilling the kibble on:
How to handle tricky clients with calm confidence
Setting boundaries around cancellations + late pickups
Talking about money without feeling weird
Managing dogs with behavioural quirks
Communicating clearly (and kindly!) with every owner

If you’ve ever thought, “I wish someone had told me this before I started,” this episode’s for you.

Listen now and subscribe to get updates on new weekly episodes

Transcript

anya williams
Hey there ah dog lovers and ah dog sitting biz builders. Welcome back to the Pause to Profit podcast, a show that helps you turn your love of dogs into a thriving five-star business that you actually enjoy running. I'm Tanya Williams, your host And Chief Pawson at 3SportDogs, where I have seen it all from last minute bookings, the special requests that make you question your life choices. Yes, it can get like that sometimes. Because today we're talking about ah something every dog sitter faces, the common situations that pop up.

00:35.54
Tanya williams
in your dog sitting biz and we're going to talk about how to handle them like a pro. Yeah, we're chatting about last minute bookings, cancellations, special requests, behavioral issues, payment stuff and all the human drama that comes with dogs and you know we can we know that we can get some owners in a bit OCC so yeah we're going to talk about all that stuff. So hopefully by the end of this episode you're going to know how to navigate these moments calmly, confidently,

01:03.32
Tanya williams
and with boundaries that make you a professional and not pushy. So let's dive in, shall we? So grab a puppuccino, glass of wine, cup of coffee, whatever you feel like, depending on what time of the day you're listening to, I guess.

01:15.70
Tanya williams
And now let's get started. So I'm going to start with last minute bookings. Now, I get last minute bookings all the time. so picture this, you're about to pour a glass of wine, it's a Friday night, you're about to watch a movie,

01:33.05
Tanya williams
And then you get a message saying, hey, Tanya, can you take Daisy tomorrow? We've just been invited to an event. Now, that might sound familiar, look, last minute of bookings can be both a blessing and a headache. Now, of course, sometimes they come at the most inopportune moments. But as a professional, we deal with it accordingly. So how you handle it is up to you And of course, it's going to likely depend on your situation as well. So, you know, that request might be from a regular client or is it someone that's brand new? um I've actually woken up to booking requests from brand new clients before that want someone to look after their dog that day.

02:13.21
Tanya williams
So look how I handle it is ah different depending on the circumstance. So sometimes I'll say, yep, no problems, that's fine. If it's a regular, um because if they're a regular client of ours, we know the client, we're aware of all the circumstances, we you We know what they're like with other dogs and so forth. So I'll usually respond immediately to go, yep, okay, yep, that's no problems. What time do you want to drop them off?

02:36.92
Tanya williams
If it's a brand new client, um I will also answer um as quickly as possible. But I might start with a few questions. So it might be, like oh, that's great. Yes, look, we we could be able to handle that for you. But can you tell me a bit more about your dog? What time would you want to drop them off? You know, are they vaccinated, worm, do sex, et cetera, et cetera, good with other dogs, all that sort of information that you're going to need. um You know, what sort of dog are they? Sometimes you get a text message and won't actually say what sort of dog it is and what sort of breed it is. So, you know, that's the first thing that I usually ask because we often get requests for dogs that we don't look after. um But you know, you've got to judge that accordingly, right? Depending on, um you know, how um how you how you're run your business. So here's a few suggestions for you. So I think it's always good to have a clear policy. So for example, bookings made within 48 hours might incur a small surcharge or an additional fee.

03:35.64
Tanya williams
I have very rarely ah instituted that um and will only usually institute that if it's a last minute booking or if it's a dog that we've had the before but their owners could be a little bit problematic in that they tend to cancel last minute or a show up really late or those sorts of things. So you've really got to do what you're comfortable with.

03:56.86
Tanya williams
um As I said, I don't normally do that for my regulars, um but I do like to be flexible in how I approach things. So, you know, that's up to you. But having a policy in place and having some procedures and stuff, and if it's on your website, it's It gives you that extra flexibility, I guess. So if it is something that you're not comfortable with, you can always say, look, refer to our terms or refer to this policy on on this particular thing. It just gives you a little bit of a backup support, okay? But but but but bear that in mind because you need to be doing stuff that's really relevant for you.

04:33.75
Tanya williams
Also, don't skip the essentials. So if it is short notice, you still want to know about vaccination, you want to know about feeding, you want to know about routines, you want to know how they are with other dogs. So all the types of questions you would answer in a meet and greet. If it's easy to jump on a call with them, I would say, hey, can we we have a quick chat now and talk about it? um you know Or you know if it's more convenient to you to email them. But either way, you want to get that information, okay? You don't want to skip those essential things because believe me, i have been there and done that before. And then you'll you'll you'll ah have a dog show up that is not a right fit for you that's really naughty or does you know has bad behavioral issues or whatever it might be that the owner hasn't disclosed and it can be a total nightmare for you. So

05:21.37
Tanya williams
um You know, I want to know, you know, for me, like is it a noodle or a small dog? You know, what sort of information can you provide for me? Obviously, we can't do a meet and greet because it is so late notice, but you need to be comfortable with the situation. Okay, you are in control.

05:38.81
Tanya williams
You also want to be fully transparent. So you can say, hey, happy to help you, but just letting you know that there's a $20 late booking fee or whatever that might be, right? And I'll also need to see a vaccination certificate or, you know, any what ah what other information it is that you're looking for.

05:56.02
Tanya williams
So be very clear. Again, we've spoken about communication on a previous episode. Clearly communicating what the boundaries are and how you want to operate in this situation is totally on you and totally up to you how how you handle that, okay? Okay.

06:11.52
Tanya williams
Let's also now address cancellations and no-shows. Now, you know, they are super annoying, I know, especially if you get a cancellation for a booking that might be for a week or more and all of a sudden it's a last minute, oh, you know, we've got COVID or someone in our family sick or this has happened and we can't go away or whatever it might be because that impacts our revenue, right?

06:35.70
Tanya williams
But we also need to be mindful of how we handle that. So yes, it does sting. However, ah you need to think about the longer term picture as well. So first thing of all, you've got to have a cancellation policy in place.

06:51.64
Tanya williams
So have that on your website, somewhere on your Facebook page, however you're managing all of your stuff. And it could be, you know, if they cancel um after, you know, before seven days and then get a full refund, if it's within 72 hours, they might get 50%.

07:06.68
Tanya williams
You know, if it's less than 24 hours, they don't get a refund. Again, it depending on how they've paid, how they're booking, are they booking through a third party app? Are they booking direct? Have they paid already? you know, what's the situation? It's going to differ person to person. But, you know, make sure you send a friendly reminder you know, 48 72 hours before each booking because that could sort of help you handle some of those cancellation issues. You know, you define your cancellation policy and what works for you, okay?

07:37.21
Tanya williams
um I often don't charge cancellation fees unless the client has a history of cancelling. And if they do, I typically take a non-refundable deposit.

07:49.14
Tanya williams
when they make the booking. I've got a couple of people that are notorious for doing this. So now I say, that's fine. They can come. I'll book them in, but we need to take a 25% non-refundable deposit and you need to let me know if anything changes within 72 hours. um You know,

08:07.60
Tanya williams
You've got to be mindful of how you handle this. You've got to keep a professional, guys. As much as it's it' annoying as crap sometimes um when people cancel on you because they don't understand the impact that they're having on your business, you need to be professional and remember that, you know, if it's a regular in particular, you don't want to upset their parents. You want to be like, okay, that's fine. Maybe in future if you just let us know a little bit earlier, that would be really appreciated. It's all about how you approach stuff, right?

08:37.08
Tanya williams
You've got to keep your reputation intact while also trying to protect your income. Now, another ah common situation is special requests from owners. Now, everyone probably gets these. You know, can you hand feed Bella with a spoon? Can you play her favourite music every second night before bed? Can you give her a walk, you know, um at this particular time every day? Or maybe she gets a three-course meal. You know, there are all sorts of crazy requests that we get.

09:05.98
Tanya williams
And of course, some of them are fine. you go, yeah, that's reasonable and so forth. it And some of them are just unreasonable. Again, you get to decide what's reasonable and what is an extra for you. So there might be things like for us, you know, we will often give dogs medication and I don't charge for that, but I know some places do and that's okay.

09:25.34
Tanya williams
So you need to be decide, well, okay, if I do need to give medication, am I going to charge like, you know, an extra $5 for that or, you know, whatever it might be. you are in charge of this stuff. So when you get special requests from people, again, on your website, um you should clearly have what comes under your standard overnights or your sitting and what is an extra.

09:49.30
Tanya williams
Because the more you have that information up there, it's going to cover your butt, but it's also very clearly communicated. So you also need to remind people of that when they're booking that, hey, this is a standard stay and all these other little things are extras and could attract an extra fee So, um you know, you need to be kind but firm. I can send you one daily update but I can't promise hourly photos, for example, because i'm um I'm, you know, focused on giving all my guests attention that they need in real time. So you can turn those extras into premium add-ons. So if you want that, that's fine. We can do that. But there'll be an extra fee for it. And often when you say that it's going to be extra, People will go, oh, it's okay. Like, oh, we don't really need to do that. So again, it's like anything. People can test the boundaries sometimes and and say, oh, we want this, this and this.

10:45.11
Tanya williams
But again, you are in charge of how you handle things. And special requests aren't bad. They just need to have boundaries. And sometimes they also need to have a price tag.

10:56.98
Tanya williams
Another common situation that you will face all the time is dogs with behavioral issues. Now, I always say to clients, please be honest with me about any sort of issues. If they chase cane toads, if they bark at the side of another dog, if they... um are super anxious, like whatever it might be, please let me know in advance. Once we can decide if we want to take the booking, but if we know about it, we can manage it accordingly. Like we have literally had dogs that will chase cane toads and that's only a Queensland thing for most people listening. But if we if we know that, then when we take them out of a nighttime in summer, we can put them on the lead and we can make sure that they can't run around and chase anything in the yard. Okay. So it's a little stuff like that, that we need to be able to manage. So, um, you know, sometimes all owners will go, Oh no, they're fine. They're just a little shy, but they'll be okay. And then they get here and they're howling and they're pacing and they're, you know, they're they're hiding under a table or or whatever it might be. So again, honesty from and ah from your owners is so important. But how you compensate for that is ask thorough questions at the meet and greet.

12:06.17
Tanya williams
You know, have they ever bitten anyone? what What happens in this situation? If they're left alone for an hour what does that mean? How do they react? You know, how are they in storms? Like, you know all the questions that you might ask in a meet and greet And don't forget, I've got a a um a download on this if you want to grab it as well that has all the questions you should be asking. um But, you know, all that sort of stuff, like be really thorough with your questions.

12:31.35
Tanya williams
I always say to people, let's do a trial day, particularly if it's a longer stay. So if we have dogs that are staying for longer than five days that are new clients, they have to do some sort of a trial. So whether it's a daycare or an overnight, so we can get to see them firsthand without mum and dad around because they do often act differently when mum and dad are around, right?

12:52.66
Tanya williams
um And see how they act in our home environment where they would will normally be staying with other dogs. And that gives us the chance then to go, hey, look yep, that's fine. That's a minor thing we can do with that. Or, or you know, may not be out right fit.

13:07.61
Tanya williams
That is the best way to deal with things and, um you know, better for the parents as well because you don't want to be stressed. They don't want to be stressed. And communicate quickly if stuff happens. Like we just had a a dog actually this weekend who is a beautiful, beautiful boy. And within the first hour of arriving, decided he was going to go and dig all the water out of the water bowls and there was water absolutely everywhere. And it was like, oh, wow, this is going to be problematic. But here's the thing. He didn't do it after that.

13:39.19
Tanya williams
He had his little fix. We were like, oh, my God, this is going to be problem. We're gonna have water all over the house constantly when he stays. But after that, he was fine. So again, like by having him stay and for for the night, we got to see his typical behavior and we're able to manage that, um you know, ah effectively and go, okay, that's not not going to be a problem for us.

14:00.66
Tanya williams
So you've also got to know when to say okay? Okay. if it's a safety issue or other guest safety or behavioral problems and so forth, you need to be able to go you know what, they're you know just not the right fit for us. um But you know we can recommend someone or maybe you can't or whatever, but it's okay to say no to a dog who isn't a good fit for you, okay? So um as I mentioned, grab a copy of the onboarding blueprint that's going to help you with this in-depth stuff in knowing how to do all this.

14:33.86
Tanya williams
payments. Now here's um another one. Now, you know, it's a bit of an elephant in the room, I guess. Sometimes we're not comfortable asking for money, but guess what? You're offering a professional service and you should be fine to have a conversation about money. Okay. You love dogs, you love helping people, but you also run a business. It is not a charity. so if ah So here's a few things that might go wrong, right? So a client forgets to pay before drop-off, if that's your policy. So you just have to remind them, hey, just a reminder, our policy is that payment on drop-off. oh I'm so sorry I didn't get cash out okay that's fine this time but but you know next time just ah a reminder that that's how we like to do things you know it doesn't need to be a horrible conversation or negative conversation it's just a little reminder or someone says you know can I pay you after the state well actually our policy is this and we do this for this reason again just reinstate what that is

15:31.51
Tanya williams
or oh you know your prices have gone up and um you know maybe you haven't let people know again in that situation you need to be communicating that sort of stuff so we're about to have a little so tiny price rise for next year they're only small but i'll make sure we clearly communicate with our um clients and our regulars that these are our new rates i don't do that on existing bookings but it would be for new bookings for example so again that's on you So if you're a little bit, you know, awkward or doesn't, don't like having those payment conversations, you know, here's a few tips. So for me, I like to take payment upfront. So, you know, you think about, you go to vet clinics and groomers and all that, you know hotels and stuff, ah you know, you can say to confirm your booking, you know, we, we need to take payment within 24 hours.

16:24.54
Tanya williams
You know, lots of places do that. It's part of our normal day-to-day life. So why should you be any different? So if you want to make sure that someone, um you know, isn't cancelling on you, well, they can still cancel, I guess, but you want to make sure that you're getting that payment up front um or on drop-off or whatever it might be. Make that part of your policy. Okay.

16:42.36
Tanya williams
um And so this is our procedure. I have a little PDF that I send out to clients and say, here's a, I call it a FBQ, frequently barked questions. yeah I know I'm a bit crazy like that. But it's, it clearly states a lot of the questions that we get answered, but it also talks about terms and payments and all that sort of stuff as well.

17:03.74
Tanya williams
Also make sure you communicate early. Don't wait till the night before. So when you send your booking confirmation, you know, send all those details. This is how we accept payment. This will be the payment amount. This is when it's due.

17:17.36
Tanya williams
It's clear communication. Your client clearly understands when that's supposed to happen. It's in an email to them that that states what all those details are. Good for you. Good for them.

17:28.22
Tanya williams
Not hard, okay? Okay. um And of course, if someone's you know overdue, look, look this has happened to me before and most of the time, they've clearly forgotten. I thought, oh, I thought I'd pay that this way or whatever. and And I've never had an issue with any over overdue payments where people have gone, well, I'm not paying or you know i I think you've overcharged me or any of that sort of stuff because I'm very clear in my communication. yeah. You can just send them quick text message. message Hey, just a reminder, I can't see payment for, you know, buddy stay. Has that been paid? um or How did you pay it so I can double check? Thanks a lot. You know, it doesn't need to be, again, negative or or feel awkward. It's just a factual little friendly reminder going, hey, this is the situation.

18:12.60
Tanya williams
um You know, if someone is refusing to pay or doesn't pay on time or they continue to do that, that's a bit of a red flag. So if they're constantly paying a week after their stay or or they're not paying until, you know, like days after or whatever, you need to manage that accordingly. Say, that's great, but can come and stay. However,

18:32.79
Tanya williams
You need to pay up front or we we ah we won't be able to accept, buddy. um So really be clear and, um you know, sometimes you just need to be a bit firm about it, right? Teach your clients how to treat your business. And if you act like a professional, then they're going to treat you like a professional.

18:52.98
Tanya williams
Communication, obviously this is a common one. I've spoken about that this on a previous episode, but good communication is your secret sauce, okay? It stops the small hiccups turning into big dramas. So, you know, I'd like to send a little welcome. Hey, you know, looking forward to welcoming buddy tomorrow. um Just confirming drop-off times and what you need to bring. and This is the the amount due, you know, that sort of stuff.

19:17.11
Tanya williams
um You know, giving daily updates um or, you know, often we do more than that. We give, you know, multiple updates a day, but it's here's a happy photo of him by the pool. Here he is we playing with his friend Toto or whatever it might be. Communicate with them regularly and make sure you stay calm and factual as well. They don't need a 10-page story about it. But, hey, you know, they didn't eat they did it tonight, but, um you know, they were a little bit off today because it was really hot or whatever. But, you know, we're keeping an eye on them and I'm sure that they'll be fine. We're going to, you know, we'll let you know there's any issues. It doesn't need to be huge, right?

19:48.09
Tanya williams
um Just keep it short and professional and just reassuring. Another common situation that you will probably need to deal with is things like late pickups. Now, we do with this often, pretty much most days, I would say, um particularly with our daycare guests. Now, um we've learnt with some of our clients who is great with this and who is not so great. So, We have a couple of clients, so when they say they're going to drop their dog off 1 o'clock, we know that they probably won't arrive until 2 o'clock because we'll get a message saying, oh, we're running late. and We'll be there you know, 1.30 and then they're still running late and they're not here until 2 o'clock. We know who they are. So I'm always super mindful with those guys to go, you know what, I've got a call this time or I've got to record a podcast or whatever, So if they're not here by then, you'll have to come back at this time. You have to be firm with your boundaries. Okay, you can't have people just thinking they can just rock on up at any old time that suits them. When you're dealing with feeding other dogs and having other drop-offs and pickups and all of your day-to-day stuff that you have in life, right, it's okay to set a few boundaries. so you know, we get that traffic happens and we get that flights don't happen on time or they run late.

21:06.65
Tanya williams
That's fine and we are super flexible with that. So if things change, you go, that's okay. I understand that you've you've missed your flight or the flight's happened late or whatever. But what we can do is option A, option B, okay?

21:21.61
Tanya williams
It can be as simple as that. You can obviously have late fees. So if it's like 30 minutes late or an hour late, you can go, you know what? If you're going to be that late, then we understand, but there's going to be a $5 or $10 fee or whatever it might be.

21:35.42
Tanya williams
You know, we've I'm considering um adding something like this, but I'm still and i'm still i'm a bit undecided about how I'm going to manage this movie into the new year So a bit more thought for me on that one. But that's because we've always been super, super flexible with our drop-off and pick-up time. So i am mindful that we just need to tighten that up a little bit as well. And you also send polite reminders. So, hey, just checking that you're still going here at 5 o'clock to pick up, you know, Rosie. um you know most people be like yeah no that's on that's fine you obviously if there's an issue with traffic we'll let you know but you've got to remember also that life happens stuff happens that we can't control that our clients can't control traffic late flights meetings running late that they've you know been stuck at work going oh my god i've got to get out to pick up my dog We need to be respectful of that.

22:27.86
Tanya williams
um But we also need to set boundaries and stuff as well. So again, situation by situation is how you manage that. So there's a few common situations there for you. So, you know, when you're running your dog business, you're wearing lots of hats, right? You're a caregiver, you're communicator, you're an organizer, you're a boundary setter and you're a therapist. I speak sometimes you're a bit of a therapist as well. um But here's secret.

22:51.80
Tanya williams
When you have systems and processes and confidence, you can handle every situation, okay? Okay. So remember, clear policies prevent awkward conversations, boundaries keep you sane and communication builds trust.

23:08.38
Tanya williams
So if this episode hit home, then make sure you follow Pause the Profit podcast, Spotify, Apple, Amazon, iHeartRadio, however listen to it however you listen to your episodes And make sure you grab a copy of our Pawesome Onboarding Blueprint at pawstoprofit.com.au because it will help you handle clients and payments like the pro that you are.

23:32.31
Tanya williams
So until next time, keep ah those doggy tails wagging and those profits growing and you know where to find me if you need any help. Have a Pawesome day.