That’s a really interesting analysis of the THS search function @geoff.hom .
It appears inconsistent and not very useful or intuitive. I’ll just keep looking at all sits for areas / dates I’m interested in!
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Hello I’m quite new to THS and have posted my dates for a house/dog sit. I don’t have any applicants who wish to sit. I had to use a kennels for the last time I posted as I didn’t get any sitters applying. The most recent post has been ‘’live” for a month but no takers. Any advice on how to attract a sitter is very welcome!
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Hi @Sim
I’m sure many of us will be happy to check your listing and give feedback. Can you link it to your forum name please?
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Impressive analysis. This website owes you money, dude.
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Thanks Richten “Lovely companionable dog in a village with shops” is how my listing starts. Im not sure if thats my profile? Any suggestions to improve my listing will be appreciated.
@Sim I do not see your listing attached, so it is difficult to give you advice. Please attach.
@Sim I added the link to your listing to your forum profile for you. Now our members will be able to take a look at it and provide suggestions to make it more enticing to sitters.
Best wishes for finding the perfect sitter.
Hello @Sim - thanks for adding your listing to the post. Charlie looks gorgeous, I’d make the photo of him with the bow tie as no 1 (flowers can come later). Everything looks good on your photos and descriptions. Maybe change title to “Gorgeous companionable dog in pretty countryside village with great walks & local shops” . Does Lambourn not have a bus route as you’d at not accessible by public transport which means you can only take car owners? Could you potentially lend the sitters your car? As at the moment it sounds as if you need a car without saying so. If you do, add sitters need car and if not, add the tag, car included as a real pull especially for international sitters as rentals are so expensive now. That could be the blocker. Could you take a small family as sitters? If so, also add the family friendly tag and a pic of the other bedroom. How long can Charlie be left for in the day would be useful for sitters too? I know your area well, friends in Baydon and my folks in Manton Down so know it’s beautiful and a great bit of British countryside life. You still have at least 7/8 weeks to get someone which am sure you will. Best of luck 
I agree with @Cuttlefish —definitely put the photo of Charlie in a bow tie as the cover pic! He is SO adorable, and I would not be able to resist clicking on your listing if I saw that face 
As @Cuttlefish also suggested, please do clarify the transportation situation; logistical details like that are important for sitters to be able to evaluate whether a sit is feasible for them. For example, I travel without a car but would love a peaceful countryside sit, as long as I could walk to the store and had transportation to/from the housesit. If your house is inaccessible by public transportation but you’re willing to pick up and drop off your sitter from the train station, you’d certainly widen your applicant pool if you include that in the listing.
I suggest editing the Responsibilities section to outline Charlie’s daily routine and other relevant information (how long Charlie can be on his own, what time he wakes up, etc.)—but delete the extraneous nitty-gritty details, such as where the poop bins are, how to turn on the oven, how hard to push the fridge door, etc. That’s information you’ll provide to your chosen sitter in the Welcome Guide, but no one else needs to know…and you don’t want to scare away potential applicants with a giant text wall of “responsibilities”! 
One last note—your listing mentions horses several times; I assume they aren’t yours, but suggest clarifying that so no one gets the wrong idea.
Good luck! Charlie sounds like a dream, and I’m sure with a few tweaks you’ll receive some great applicants.
Really appreciate your top tips. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your advice. Some good tips.
Thank you for your help!
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Hi Matilde,
I think you could also consider in the future listing your sit on Workaway. Workaway is a platform for people that come from abroad and are looking for volunteering opportunities with farms or larger properties in exchange for free accommodation.
It can be paid or unpaid, but most are unpaid volunteers. There are plenty of sits for experienced farm sitters listed on there and I think you will find your target audience there. People with Workaway often travel in pairs or small groups, and are less interested in exploring & sightseeing and more interested in the experience of volunteering with farm/rural stays and projects.
Hope this helps! 
Hi @Matilde - that’s a great idea from @Nagy26 if you’re still looking for sitters for now and the future. Either Workaway or WWOOFING (willing workers on organic farms). You swap food & lodging for 3/4 hours work a day. Essentially it’s just feeding your sitters on top of the THS commitment for the duration of their stay and then they can take care of the animals and do some extra chores for you on the small holding whilst there. Might work out well all round. We did it years ago in NZ and loved it 
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