There are three main ways you can become a professional dog walker or pet sitter: Become an app based sitter on Rover, Wag!, Care.com, or Barkly Get a job at a dog walking and pet sitting company Start your own dog walking and pet sitting company There are pros and cons to each path to …
Many pet sitters get into this field because they love dogs, but quickly find out how awesome cat visits are. Pet sitting is the perfect service for cats because cats love to stay at home and they tend to get into less trouble than dogs at pet sitting visits. Cat visits also tend to be …
A dog walking and pet sitting company is easy to start, but it takes some business savvy if you want to offer the best quality of service, avoid burnout, and be successful long term. If you are just walking dogs on the side for some extra cash, you probably don’t need to much of what …
If you have ever wondered how to ask a client for a 5-star review on Google, this article is for you. It can be a bit nerve wracking to ask a client to write a public review, but if you follow these steps it’s easy and you can be sure you don’t end up with …
If you are not familiar with Calendly, it’s awesome. Calendly can check two of your calendars to see when you are already booked. Then, based on your booked appointments and your availability, Calendly will show your real-time open availability to anyone you share your calendly link with. And, it allows them to book an appointment …
n this week’s pet sitter high five I’m sharing a list of local pet sitting associations and networking groups. These groups are great for getting tips and referrals from local pet sitters and dog walkers. Florida Polk County Pet Professionals Network Northeast Florida Pet Professionals Illinois The Chicago Pet Care Providers Collaborative (CPCPC) …
Create a Referral Program One of the best ways to increase your word of mouth marketing is to offer a referral program. An easy referral program that has worked well for us is donating $10 to a local animal shelter (in the client’s name) for every referral. This program has helped us network with local …
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In this article I’m going to share the best resources I’ve found to learn everything you need to know to be a successful pet sitting entrepreneur. If you are still on your journey towards learning all of these topics, don’t worry. You don’t have to learn everything overnight. It can take years to master each …
10 Topics Pet Sitting Entrepreneurs Need to Know to Be Successful Read More »
In this article, we share all of the questions we ask in our Online System’s home and pet profiles. These are all of the custom questions we enter. So, these are in addition to any of the questions your online system asks by default. Here they are, in no particular order. We have a couple …
In the first few years of your business, sales calls can be sparse, but as your reputation grows and you work hard to continually offer excellent service, the calls will eventually flood in. When you have been successfully running your business for 4-5 years, you will notice a major upward shift in the number of sales …
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Early on in our company we had a very strict cancellation policy. I did not want to be taken advantage of by a client booking enough visits to fill up my schedule (which would not allow me to book other clients), only to have that client cancel at the last minute and ask for a …
A Win-Win Cancellation Policy For Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers Read More »
Resources for Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Business Owners When you start or own a pet sitting and dog walking business, using the right tools and resources can make your job much easier. I often look back and think, “What if I started my pet sitting business knowing everything I know now?” I would have …
There are many factors that will either help or hurt your SEO. If you want a full and up to date guide that covers every detail of how to make your website soar to the top of Google’s search results, check out the The SEO Workbook by Jason McDonald. But, if you want 5 things …
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Assessing for Aggression Issues By Setting Up The Door
For a lot of pet sitting companies, hiring can be stressful, but it’s easier when you know what type of applicant you are looking for. Many different personality types, and people from very diverse backgrounds, can all make great pet sitters. So, it is important not to have too many preconceived notions when going into …
5 Reasons Good Pet Sitters Quit One of the worst things that can happen to a pet sitting company owner is losing a good pet sitter unexpectedly. It’s important to remember even your best people will likely move on to other opportunities some day. So, be sure you check in with your teammates regularly and …
It’s no secret—pet sitters who adopt technology scale their businesses faster than the competition. Many old school pet sitters have been slow to leverage new tech, and that can be a big advantage for new pet sitters and dog walkers coming into the business. Easy to learn technology can help you: Communicate with your team …
We are here to answer the big questions. The questions that really matter – and this week we present the 10 best winter boots for pet sitters! I follow a rule. I invest in things I use every day. As a pet sitter and dog walker in the winter, I am on my feet and …
The Four Main Roles in A Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Company There are four main roles in a pet sitting agency. In the early days of an agency, it is possible for just two people to cover all four roles. Usually, one owner who organizes everything on the business side, and one employee or …
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The 12 Best Books for Pet Sitting Company Owners Every time I start a new book that I know is going to be great, it feels like I have one of the world’s best business consultants advising me on how to run my company. A long time ago, I realized I didn’t have to re-invent …
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The Five Common Paths To Becoming A Dog Walker or Pet Sitter So, are you wondering how to become a professional dog walker or pet sitter? The journey might look a little different for each individual, but in general there are five most common paths into a career of caring for pets for a living. …
Looking back, the first hire in my company should have been an office admin. Hiring an office admin is key to getting days off when running your business. A good office admin can help out with pet sitting and dog walking tasks as well as taking sales calls, relaying messages from clients, making notes in …
Is Your Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Company Ready For An Office Admin? Read More »
Do you have clients that request exact times for their visits? Has this been a headache to manage? Don’t worry, there is an easy solution. Early in the stages of planning my pet sitting and dog walking company, I decided to offer visits during standard time slots rather than guaranteeing exact times — and I’m …
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When you are developing your business model it is critically important to understand how the population of your area will impact the amount demand there is for pet sitting and dog walking. Every town, no matter the size, will have some demand for pet sitting. But the demand will be much higher if you live …
Learn which Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Services Will Work In Your Town or City Read More »
Did you know you can offer 7-day per week service and get two days off every week? Although, as an owner, it may seem like credible feat to work 7 days per week, it is not sustainable over the course of years (trust me, I tried it). Also, it is much harder to hire talented …
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The Complete Guide To Setting Rates For Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Visits The purpose of this guide to to cover all of the common questions pet sitters and dog walkers have about pricing. I also cover: common fees policies pricing for various services I have tried throughout the years. The types of services you …
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In hot weather, a normal walk for a human can be extremely exhausting for a dog. When the weather is very hot, dogs still need to go outside. However, it is important to take extra safety precautions when the weather is less than ideal. Although the dogs may love to walk, they won’t tell you …
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Managing Communication at An Agency Different pet sitting and dog walking companies will have different ways of communicating with clients, and communicating between team members. Also, there will be specific ways that team members can contact clients. Often companies will channel all communication from clients through their main office. This is important so there is …
Managing Pet Sitter, Dog Walker, and Office Admin Communication at an Agency Read More »
Learning Objectives In this lesson you will learn: Learn what it is like to shape a behavior A fun game of how to clicker train a human What it is like to be in the dogs shoes when you clicker train them Clicker Game One of the best ways to learn how to clicker train …
Learn Clicker Training Quickly By Training Your (Human) Friends Read More »