What to Tell a Pet Sitter Before Leaving Your Pet in Their Care

The Expaw team helps dog and cat owners find suitable pet sitters every day. Over time, we have seen dozens of pet stays and noticed that a calm and comfortable stay depends not only on the sitter’s experience or the conditions in which the pet will live.

The conversation before the stay is just as important. The most useful things owners share are rarely about the pet’s breed, age, or weight. More often, they are small details that have long become part of everyday life at home.

A pet stay means a new environment

Even if your pet quickly gets used to new people, a new place is still a new place.

Different smells. A different routine. A different person.

We have noticed that during the first few days, habits or behaviors that seem insignificant at home can become more noticeable.

If your dog usually needs a walk every five or six hours, it is better to mention this in advance. If they sometimes chew things when left alone, the sitter should know that too. If your pet tends to eat poorly during the first two days in a new place, this is also useful information.

This does not mean that any of these things will definitely happen during the stay. But if they do, the sitter will be prepared.

Do not make your pet seem easier than they really are

During the first meeting, owners sometimes say: “They do not usually do that. Only sometimes.”

That “sometimes” can be very important.

A dog may bark when left alone. Be afraid of elevators. Sleep only next to a person. Dislike other dogs. Wake up at six in the morning.

None of this makes a pet difficult. It simply helps the sitter understand what the stay may be like.

The right sitter is not someone who only accepts “perfect” dogs. It is someone whose lifestyle is suitable for your particular pet.

What you should tell the sitter in advance

There is no single questionnaire that works for every dog or cat. But there are a few things that are almost always useful to discuss.

Tell the sitter:

• • How long your pet can usually go without a walk;
• • How they behave when left home alone;
• • Whether they need to take any medication every day;
• • Whether they are afraid of loud noises, elevators, or car rides;
• • How they react to other animals and unfamiliar people.

Everyday habits that already seem completely normal to you are also important. For example, if your dog always sleeps on the bed, refuses to eat before a walk, or knows how to open interior doors, it is better to mention this in advance.

Things that are easy to forget

Owners often forget to mention not problems, but habits.

That the dog only drinks from a ceramic bowl.

That after the evening walk, they always bring a toy and cannot settle down without a short play session.

That they do not like people approaching them while they are eating.

For you, these things are part of the usual routine. For the sitter, they are new information. So if you think before the stay, “It is probably not important,” that may be exactly the kind of detail worth mentioning.

What else to prepare before the stay

Before taking your pet to the sitter, make sure that:

• • Their vaccinations are up to date;
• • They have been treated for fleas, ticks, and internal parasites;
• • If your pet takes medication, you have prepared enough for the entire stay and explained how to give it;
• • There is enough of their usual food for the whole stay.

These measures help protect not only your pet, but also other animals that may be staying with the sitter.

If you are planning your pet’s first stay, you can visit the Expaw website to get to know a sitter in advance, ask questions, and choose someone who is a good match for your pet.

The more you tell the sitter about your pet’s habits beforehand, the easier and calmer the first few days in a new home are likely to be.