Pet Sitting 101 Pet Sitting What is Pet Sitting? In 1997 Pet - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Pet Sitting 101

Pet Sitting What is Pet Sitting? In 1997 Pet Sitters International (PSI) successfully campaigned to have “pet sitting” added to the Random House Dictionary. “Pet sitting” is defined as “the act of caring for a pet in its own home while the owner is away.” Dog walking is also a form of pet sitting since it involves coming to the pet’s home to provide exercise and companionship. Caring for pets in the clients’ homes is what separates pet sitters from boarders or doggie daycares.

What are the Advantages of Pet Sitting? Advantages for the Pets/Owners • Pets are happier and experience less stress at home in their familiar environment. • Diet and exercise routines are uninterrupted. • Travel trauma for both owner and pet is eliminated. • Pet's exposure to illness is minimized. Advantages for You • You get to enjoy the company of an animal • You get paid • You have work experience

Preparing for a Pet Sitting Job • Make sure the position is right for you. Make sure you feel comfortable in their home with their animals. • A love of animals is perhaps the most important qualification a pet sitter can have. As you'll be spending your time with your client's animals. • Discuss expectations and needs. The pet's owner will have a variety of expectations of you, the pet sitter, based around their pet's specific needs. Make sure all expectations are clearly stated and understood, and that you feel comfortable with them. • Knowing the basics is important. Know where the pet's food is kept, how much they need each day, when and where to feed them, and any medications they're taking.

• Time commitment is another expectation that should be understood right away. For some jobs, you'll be required to stay in the owner's home. For others, you might only need to check in daily or every other day. • Ask questions. It's your job as a good pet sitter to make sure all bases are covered, so have a running list of questions to ask pet owners. How old is the pet? What is their medical history? Do they do well with children? Other animals? How often should the dog be taken out? How often should a cat's litter box be changed? Does the dog get crated? These are questions that should be addressed before the pet sitting job begins. • Check with the owner about how often they give the pet treats or rewards, based on the pet’s behavior. The owner may have certain discipline methods for the pet that they will expect you to follow, like withholding treats for bad behavior or acknowledging good behavior with a special treat.

• Get all necessary contact information. Certain information is important in the event of an emergency or medical issue. • Most owners will readily provide contact information for their veterinarian. Make sure you know where this information is written down. It might be a safe bet to enter contact information into your phone in the event paper copies gets lost. • In addition to the owner's contact information, ask for the phone number of a friend or family member close by. This way, in the event you can't contact the owner, you have a second person to contact in case of emergency.

• Determine pay. If you're pet sitting for a friend or family member, pay may not be an issue. However, if this is a more professional endeavor you can expect to be paid and should determine the amount before the job begins. • Meet the pet beforehand. If possible, schedule a practice visit. This way, the pet is familiar with you beforehand and you'll know where to find food, water, treats, and toys. • Even if you already know the pet, a practice visit isn't a bad idea. There may be information about the pet that's never come up in casual conversation that you need to know as a pet sitter.

• Follow the schedule the owner provided. The owner likely left you written instructions for pet care and upkeep. • Feed the pet at the right time and give them the right amount of food. Cat owners sometimes let their cats have open access to dry food throughout the day. If this is the case, make sure to fill food bowls when they're running low and make sure clean water is provided. • Give the pet any medications she needs. Pets who are on medications usually need to stick to a regular schedule and dosage. Follow the owner’s instructions on how to give the pet her medication and don’t forget or neglect the pet’s medication.

• Clean litter boxes regularly and let dog's out as many times a day as the owner recommends. • Do some basic upkeep for the pet owner’s home, if you are pet sitting at their home. Water the plants. Collect the mail. Keep the home clean, nothing else! • Give the pet extra attention. A big part of your role as a pet sitter is to keep the pet safe and comfortable while her owner is away. The pet is likely nervous without their owner present so show them affection and attention on a daily basis. • If the pet has a favorite toy, play with them often. It's best to play with the pet until the appear to run out of energy and lose interest in the game. This way, they'll be tired when you leave and more likely to sleep and relax until you return.

• After you fulfill duties like cleaning and feeding, sit with the pet and give them some attention. Pets, cats and dogs especially, are very social and crave human interaction when their owners are missing. • Be careful about bringing in outside food and treats. The owner might have the pet on a specific diet and you don't want to disrupt that while away. Never give a pet table scraps without the owner's consent.

Dog walking • Keep the collar tight, but not too tight. You want to make sure the collar isn’t too tight around your dog’s neck. A good rule of thumb is to ensure you can place one to two fingers between the collar and your dog’s neck. You also don’t want the collar to be loose enough to slip over your dog’s ears if it tries to back out of it. • Wrap the leash around your hand until there is very little give between you and your pet. Pull the leash close to your body but allow enough give to allow your dog to walk naturally. • Clean up after the dog. Don’t forget to bring poop bags to clean up after the dog if they do go to the bathroom.

Dogs • Feed dogs on their regular schedule. Most dogs eat twice a day. Figure out the proper amount you should be feeding the dog daily. • Avoid giving dogs an excessive amount of treats. Too many treats can lead to weight gain or health problems. • Give the dog water. Food is not the only thing dogs needs to survive. Water is just as, if not more, important. Make sure dogs have open access to water at all times. • Most dogs should have a Mircochip and info collars. • Provide the dog with plenty of exercise. Provide the right amount of exercise for the type of dog you are watching. A small toy dog may be better playing games of fetch or ball to tire it out, while a Labrador needs to have good long walks, for at least 30 - 45 minutes twice a day in order to burn its energy. You may have a dog that actually requires a ton of exercise and never tires out, for example terriers are often capable of running all day without tiring. • No one wants their dog to run away. Supervise while outside.

Cats • Liter Box. Clean out the liter box daily, make sure you put enough liter in afterwards. • Don't overfeed the cat. Some cats have food out all day other cats are fed on a schedule. • Away have fresh water for them. • Brush cats depending on their coats needs. Long-hair cats several times a week and short-hair cats weekly. This will help reduce shedding and also help the cat avoid the dreaded hairballs. • Make sure the cats gets enough play time. Cats need daily interaction to keep him/her both emotionally happy and physically fit. Use cat toys, talking, and grooming as chances to spend time together. • Indoor or outdoor cat?

Reptiles • Give them some light. Most lizards need light to help them thrive. Only keep it on during the day for about 12 hours. Place the lamp within the enclosure but out of reach of the lizard. Be careful that the lizard cannot touch the lamp as he will get burnt, but it needs to be close enough to provide effective heating. Turn the lights out at night. • Make sure they have a place to hide. Most lizards like to hide themselves away sometimes. Rocks and small logs work for this purpose. • Change the water regularly. However, different lizards will require different types of water dishes. For instance, some do best with a small bowl, while others will need a drip water system. As an example, chameleons need dripping water because they won't drink from a small bowl. • Mist the lizard. Depending on the type, lizards will need to be misted once a day. The mist helps create the humidity needed by some lizards. Bearded dragons will not need to be misted, but iguanas will.