I’ve been with this site for over a decade now as a fulltime sitter and have never seen so many listings with such ridiculously long lead times. I can understand for a long sit of more than 2 months home owners may advertise these sits some months ahead. But, today’s new listings include a sit for just 5 days for August ‘26 which is eleven months away. This is becoming more and more common and I have no idea why this would be. For long term sits I’m also finding that HO’s put them out a year ahead and then don’t reply to applicants partly I believe because they’re just checking the waters and secondly because they don’t actually have firm dates yet - wasting everyone’s time. I’ve also come across two lately who listed a 4 month sit but only intended to be away for 6 weeks sometime within that four month period. Again, a complete waste of time for sitters who go to the trouble of applying. Does anyone know why this has started to happen? I, for one, would not commit to a housesit of 2 weeks or less almost a year out and those that do, I wonder if they are more interested in the destination than the pets they will be required to care for. One more ridiculous listing today was for someone who wouldn’t ever leave their dog alone in the house. Home owners please be reasonable in your expectations and don’t list your sit until you have firm dates and then respond in a timely manner to applications … after all, it’s just basic good manners.
I saw a listing for Christmas Day 2026 . Just one night . The host has put it up so that sitters can make contact .
This is a workaround for when they list dates which overlap by a a few days with a sitters who already has a confirmed sit . In that case there is no way for the sitter to contact them . So the listing for one day is so sitters can make contact . Which is a clever idea .
It’s not a sit that I would choose , but there are sitters who don’t mind these sits and take the dogs with them everywhere.
Not every sit will suit every sitter .
Like I saw a two night sit for a small holding with lots of animals ( goats, pigs, chickens , dogs etc ) and lots of responsibilities. I didn’t think they would find a sitter, but a family with young children applied and they loved the experience .
When we were sitting full time we used to confirm sits months in advance, but those sits you describe wouldn’t ever attract us (who on earth can say with certainty what they’ll be doing or where they’ll be for 5 days next August?). And, yes, we’ve seen sits where the dog can’t ever be left alone (and again, we wouldn’t apply). Sometimes, I’ve read listings and thought them absurd, or over-demanding, but then noticed they’ve received applications, which just goes to show there’s a suitable sitter for every sit. Or, the sits will prove to be a disaster for all concerned and end up being moaned about on this forum!
This is something which can only be determined by individual sitters, since no one-size-fits-all.
We’d apply for sits of 2 weeks way in advance but no shorter unless it was a return visit.
Our world revolves around the Schengen rules because we live in the UK but have family in Spain. So our world is measured in 4 very separate chunks of the year, so I like to have at least 1 or 2 sits sorted in each chunk as a starting point, and then I leave the rest until nearer the time.
What you’re seeing is marketing malpractice combined with rapidly shifting travel patterns.
People are simply doing what they’ve been sold by an aggressive, misleading strategy…and now it’s devouring its own tail - and current markets.
It’s marketing self-sabotage, in full view
I have a full time job, and would need to plan my vacations far ahead. Especially if it requires intercontinental flights, so I can buy tickets while they are cheap. A two week sit confirmed several months and maybe up to a year ahead is ideal for me.
I have already bought my tickets for an intercontinental two week trip in July 2026, booked hotels and hope for sits. I’ll be going regardless, and I will be picky about sits, as usual. But I am fully open to it. For the trip I am open also to a few days of a petsit and hotels for the rest of the stay. I plan to go to a couple of locations in that country regardless.
A lot of people plan far ahead. My sister was just complaining to me that she has to let her work know what weeks she wants off next year in October. She has 6 weeks vacation and has to choose her weeks for all of 2026 by next month. So, she will pick her weeks and then decide where she wants to go, but the dates will be set already.
Sometimes accommodations need to be booked far ahead depending on where you are going and the time of year. I’m planning a trip to Morocco and booked an Airbnb five months ahead. I had narrowed my search to three that looked great and 2 got booked while I was thinking about it. I quickly booked the third before it slipped away.
For sits, I do like to confirm far ahead, but only for long sits. I tend to visit regions for a few months at a time. If I see a sit that’s at least 3-4 weeks someplace I’m interested in going I will apply. Then, I will plan the rest of the trip around that one with either additional sits or other accommodations. I wouldn’t book a shorter sit several months out unless it aligned with a longer sit that is already confirmed.
I’m confused, why would this be a good idea for anyone. HO’s have the ability to search for sitters and contact them directly.
But the search system for sitters is flawed. You don’t know where that sitter is? You don’t know if they’re free for your dates? You don’t know if they fancy the look of your sit and on it goes. Very time consuming either way with little reward @Wendy - cresting and posting a great listing for your travel dates is the way to go! 
#showmethesit
Because those sitters may not be interested or available. That is why you create a listing and have sitters who are interested and available apply to the listing? Are you a HO that does not create a listing for sitters to apply and just invite sitters?
Personally, I don’t accept sits way in advance, but don’t see any issues with folks who post well ahead. That means more opportunities for sitters who might be tight on money, for instance, who might be looking for travel discounts / might be accumulating rewards points toward trips. And of course, some people are planners and some aren’t, and some people have less flexibility, because they have to organize to hand off responsibilities for kids, other loved ones who need care, etc.
This platform serves many people, with different needs. I don’t expect it to cater to just my preferences. And if I don’t want to see sits way off, I can use the date filtering feature.
Horses… Courses…
I’m desperately looking for a sit in a particular country for the winter of 2026, to celebrate my partner/co-sitter’s 70th birthday. We’re happy to take on any sit between two weeks and two months. So far, my saved searches in that area are coming up blank. Of course.
And I find myself thinking “Darn! I wish HOs would post listings further in advance!”
I totally agree with you about HOs just testing the waters or posting a sit with fixed dates when the dates are actually far from fixed; that’s selfish, cavalier and not how this platform should work. But I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing to list a sit welllll ahead. You never know, there might be sitters out there just dying to celebrate a Special Event in your area, who are watching like hawks - well in advance - for something to come up….. 
Good luck!
We share a lot of the same principles/methods, I think. But the one issue I have with these listings is the lack of urgency from the HO wrt replying or acknowledgement of applications.
I was just ‘left on read’ for well over a week before getting the disappointing “it didn’t work out” message, without any direct contact — so now I don’t know if it will never be a match, or they just had a perfect sitter apply, or a favorite repeat sitter, or 
. It’s doubly a bummer because I’m actually in their country right now & not too far away, so could have done an in-person meet if they thought it might be an option in future…but again, .
That said, I’ve reached out politely to say sorry it didn’t work out, congratulate them on finding someone, & ask if they’d like to consider me for future sits or if they just felt it wouldn’t be a good fit, in which case I wouldn’t want to monopolize one of their application slots — so we’ll see what they say, if anything.
I prefer listings that are at least six months out both as a homeowner/pet owner and as a sitter.
When trying to find a sitter, I have noticed that the quality of applicants I get when I post the listing far in advance tends to be much higher than if I post three months or less in advance of the actual sit. I think this is because many of the best sitters have a loose plan of where they’re going to be in the world months in advance. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, but this is something I have noticed.
As a sitter, I like to plan my sits about six months in advance because I do not sit full-time, and I have to travel to most destinations. I absolutely disagree that it makes a sitter less caring about the pets that they sit for when they plan ahead. Also, owners who post their listing farther in advance tend to be more organized than owners who post last minute and I very much appreciate an organized homeowner to sit for.
For myself, I’m happy to hear that more people are listing earlier, although what’s wonderful about THS is there are so many options. The people who want to organize who their lives far in advance can do so, and the people who prefer last minute can do that as well.
Yep. Definitely true this.
Seems like I’ve seen sitters post about being booked up through [random date more than 1 year out], so clearly some sitters want to plan that far ahead.
I only post dates once I have my flights purchased, and the sweet spot is generally about 2 months out - my sits have run from 1 week to just over 2 months. The exception is anything that includes US Thanksgiving or Christmas - those sits I post like 4 months in advance.
I was originally replying to a comment from @Silversitters about a HO listing a sitting for one day for Xmas Day as a way of accessing potential sitters with overlap days which is the logic I didn’t understand.
Interesting. I’ve not noticed this trend because I have specifc specs in choosing a sit and generally don’t look more than a month or two out.
That said (without identifying other sitting resources), it beats seeing 99% of sits (mainly international) with a few days to a wwek+ of lead time !