How to Compare Dog Sitting Services

If you live in an urban area, there are many dog sitting services competing for your business, and it can be hard to feel like you know how to select the best options for day care for your pet. Lots of customers start by looking at the cost of services, but in reality, there are a few things that you may want to look at first.

Extras: How Walking and Other Activities Are Added into Dog Sitting

For sitting with a dog, businesses only really have to provide a warm body. If you’re going with a dog sitting service, you’ll want to know specifically what services are included. The number of walks per day is a good start. Also ask about how attentive a dog sitter will be to your pet’s dietary routine, and what kinds of other additional services (like trips to dog parks) will fill up all of that time where a professional will be around your canine. Factor this value into your overall costs for a dog sitting service.

Looking at Integrity and Home Security Issues

Another huge part of hiring any dog sitting service is looking at how business owners can reassure customers about who will be taking care of their pets. Dog sitters and other similar workers have access to homes, and therefore, they have access to a lot of valuable personal belongings. Bad behavior on the part of a dog sitting professional can leave a home open to vandalism or theft. It’s extremely important for new dog sitting customers to ask about any security issues, to provide detailed instructions on operating home security systems, and to ask for a heads-up on employee turnover in order to know that they are engaged in the process and well-informed about how the business provides for their security and well-being.

Care Issues: Canine Caregivers and Their Methods

Another aspect that many customers like to look at is the professionalism of dog sitters when it comes to treating dogs correctly. Lots of people can walk a dog, but it takes some knowledge of canine behaviors to avoid some kinds of injuries on walks, and to handle some kinds of aggressive or extreme dog behavior. Again, giving dog walkers specific information about your dog’s temperament will help, but asking the tough questions about qualifications will also give customers peace of mind when they know that dog sitters aren’t just on the job, but competent enough to handle what comes their way.

Providing Insurance

Some dog sitting shops and other pet care businesses provide basic insurance for clients. This doesn’t often cover every eventuality, and in terms of liability, customers have to meet their professional services halfway, but hashing out details prior to hiring is a good idea.

In general, dog sitting customers will want to go over the full checklist of issues and concerns about the value of dog sitting services relative to the cost. This includes considering a “robust care package” of walks and activities, concerns about canine diets, and lots of other necessary details. Doing your homework up front will keep your dog healthier and happier when outside workers are responsible for its care. Having detailed agreements is even more important for puppies or dogs with behavioral problems or health issues.