I’ve just watched a demo at the New Forest Show by a dog trainer who showed, for dogs that sniff, how to set up a sniff trail - he said that 15 minutes of mental exercise was as good as a 40 min walk, especially if no sniffing was allowed. I’m not saying he’s right or wrong, but it’s an interesting suggestion.
In my experience, for some dogs a 40 min walk will be, for the walker, an amble while the dog very happily sniffs (for the most recent dogs I sat for it was a 40 min hurtle while they tracked down every possible scent!)
4 Likes
Not unreasonable at all. I ask for an hour walk each day (either all at once or twice a day, sitter’s choice). I have a doorbell cam but mostly we go through the garage so we can’t verify when sitters come and go but I’m ok with that.
My pup will be ok if she gets shorter walks for a week, though I do ask on the video call that sitters can meet the exercise requirements.
But really you should bring it up to the sitter. Maybe they interpreted 40 min walks to mean 40 min of exercise and played with them inside for the rest of the time? Or if the dogs are used to being walked together and she walked them separately - maybe they were a bit anxious so she brought them home?
@LiamSits I initially did not see that HO didn’t include in her listening or communicate she had an exterior camera.
So yes, she shouldn’t make a bad review.
1 Like
Okay. I get where you where you are coming from now. I too was initially outraged by the sitters behaviour (still am) and advised giving a honest review - until it became clear the HO hadn’t informed the sitter about the doorbell cam.
Both HO and sitter should make honest reviews regardless of any mistakes/none disclosures.
The ONLY reviews made should be 100% honest reviews
3 Likes
I’m not now saying the HO should give a dishonest review. I’m saying she shouldn’t give the sitter a review at all.
A non-review actually speaks volumes and she won’t need to get into a tit-for-tat with sitter and have things escalate
@DianeS
15 minute of mental stimulation won’t help or improve a dogs general fitness as much as a 40 minute walk, so I believe the trainer is wrong on that one.
You are right, on a walk, the dogs gets both exercise and the joy of sniffing 
1 Like
A none review may speak volumes to you but what about the people who don’t know about this unwritten rule and don’t know what it means ?
I certainly would not have come to that conclusion if i had not been a member of this forum and seen thats what some people do.
Also what one person decides is bad for them may not be an issue for another person.
You have decided a none review equal bad review but what if it doesn’t ?
What if someone just didn’t review for a completely different reason.
It is so much easier for everyone if honest, factual reviews are written.
4 Likes
No one can see missing reviews of a sitter. Not on the web site, not on the app.
Missing reviews on a HO profile are visible on the app, but that’s not the case with sitter profile.
So, a non-review from aHO to a sitter speaks absolutely nothing at all, as no one will know.
(Unless you read a HO profile first, then you could notice the sitter doesn’t have a review from them. But that doesn’t help a HO whose looking applicants profile.)
6 Likes
Many future sitters will look at the reviews that you gave others.
If something seems mean or nitpicky or otherwise off, good sitters might not apply.
That’s reality.
1 Like
I think paranoid is too strong a word. It’s more about trust and privacy. If we were sitting for cars and it was only a front door camera I most probably wouldn’t have a problem but after a recent experience I wouldn’t accept the sit.
3 Likes
Sorry. I have seen a lot of blank reviews but realize now maybe they were just from sitters. I just assumed it worked both ways and my previous responses were based on that.
Anyway, I’d still advise not writing a review at all for this sit
Agreed. I think that’s what the OP decided anyway.
But if you don’t give a review, according to the presumed rule on here, then its to be assumed a bad sit.
So good sitters might not apply.
That also then must be reality.
Why can’t everyone just give honest reviews ?
3 Likes
Can you share your own experiences? Have you given honest reviews and what happened?
1 Like
I certainly can.
I have had 7 sits so far this year, all have been really positive experiences and all have been very accurately listed by the HO so I haven’t had any suprises during my stay.
My reviews have reflected my experiences and have been very positive because of that.
I have also been extremely happy with their reviews of me. Probably because I was honest with my application so no suprises for them either.
Honesty works for me.
3 Likes
It’s not paranoia. It’s a basic right to privacy.
If you install external cameras/monitoring you’ll need to clearly inform sitters of them.
I personally wouldn’t mind if a HO had a doorbell cam etc but I’d feel differently if there was a cam monitoring an external deck or pool area etc.
I think the considerate thing to do after informing sitters of external cams would be to ask them if they’d prefer the cams to be switched off or better yet, if you feel you don’t need them on for security whilst you have house sitters in place, simply tell them you’re turning them off!
1 Like
A non-review doesnt speak volumes to me, especially now that there is a 14-day time limit for reviews. The missing review could just be a forgetful/distracted/busy homeowner or sitter. Multiple missing reviews could be a red flag, but not one.
I really dislike the passive-aggressive approach of not leaving a review instead of leaving an honest, negative, one. EDIT - I mean that, under the new blind review system, I would prefer if people were honest about their negative experiences instead of leaving no review and hoping that we get the hint.
5 Likes
Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to imply someone was somehow in the wrong to feel like cameras meant the HO didn’t trust them, or to wonder if it meant someone was watching. I was just using that as shorthand.
1 Like
Some people take the ‘if you’ve got nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all’ approach.
That’s not being passive-aggressive it’s more about not wanting to dwell in negativity. If they’ve had a disappointing experience maybe they just want to move on. Nobody is obligated to leave a review.
3 Likes