Hello everyone! I’m new to TrustedHousesitters and newish to pet sitting.
The owners of the place where I’m staying are also very new to this process. So, there weren’t any instructions in the Welcome Guide shared about grooming the dog (brushing teeth, combing and brushing the dog, baths, toe-nail clipping, etc). The only dog instructions were about food. Is grooming something that I should assume I am required to do? Do I need to ask the owners while they are on vacation if I should do this?
I looked for conversation threads on this but couldn’t find what I was looking for. My apologies if the topic has already been addressed.
Grooming is unusual unless it’s just a good brush for the pet and/or a shower after a muddy walk. The request for nails and groomer visits isn’t normally part of the role of an unpaid pet sitter (doubly so if it wasn’t listed in the WG & listing responsibilities) @Doggyheaven46#loveagoodbrushtho
@Doggyheaven46 This is unusual. Usually, instructions concern feeding, walking and -if you’re lucky - how long dogs can be left. If this info isn’t forthcoming, just ask. It’s also worth always asking about any health or behavioural issues which sitters should be aware of (not always mentioned in the listings).
We frequently have to ask where the dog brushes are, and are quite often met with responses which illustrate the pet parents haven’t used them for some time , if indeed they have any
Teeth-brushing and nail clipping isn’t really the responsibility of sitters, IMHO, and we wouldn’t do it. We have done one sit where the 3 dogs required their legs and tummies washing after each and every walk - they had their own doggy shower - but this was their routine, they were happy with it and it was absolutely fine (but not mentioned in the listing). We always ask if there are any facilities for washing dogs after muddy or wet winter walks, or somewhere they can be left to safely dry off.
Also, ask if pets are happy with being groomed, as not all are. We did sit for one Maine Coon cat whose coat was terribly matted, because the PP was a little afraid of her so wouldn’t attempt it. We asked permission to try grooming her and managed to tease out some of the tangles and cut out the worst, so the poor girl would have felt a lot better. Regular, ordinary brushing, particularly of long-coat breeds, is more usual.
Sitters provide overall basic care for the pets and aren’t expected to be specialist dog or cat groomers, so don’t worry too much about that aspect of a sit.
Grooming is a nice way to bond with the pets, and I would just use common sense as to what’s required - some breeds (eg. Cockerpoo) don’t shed much hair, but have a very fluffy coat which will easily become matted without daily grooming, especially if mud is allowed to dry in it as well. I usually towel dry dogs after a wet, muddy walk - partly as it is better for their joints not to be lying around soggy, and partly as it makes it easier to keep the house clean. If it’s a breed that requires a regular appointment with a professional groomer, I guess you may be asked to take them to that appointment as part of the sit. I wouldn’t attempt teeth-brushing as I can’t imagine it’s something that many dogs enjoy, especially by someone they don’t really know and trust.
We towelled them dry after their leg / tummy showers. These owners always shower their dogs after every countryside walk (they live in a very rural location) and explained why: In the UK, Alabama Rot is most prevalent from November to May when conditions are most likely to favour its development. Nobody really knows the cause but in the UK it tends to be associated with walking in muddy and woodland areas, it is thought to be associated with the bacteria known as E-Coli.
I’ve done brushing specifically for cats whose humans had requested it. They definitely needed it. Some were super fluffy. One of them especially LOVED brushing and belly rubs.
My next sit will involve a dog with a skin condition that requires weekly baths, which is fine by me. I booked the sit months ago and vaguely recall that they have a built-in dog bath.
The only other time I’ve had to wash a sit dog was when one happily and thoroughly rolled herself in a smelly compost pile in community fields in a U.K. village. She was a year-old miniature poodle and I just put her in the shower with me. She enjoyed it.
Some dogs shed more than others—like labs and huskies shed a lot, but hypoallergenic dogs such as yorkies and poodles have minimal or no shedding. What kind of dog are you caring for? If you are caring for a dog that sheds a lot, brushing the dog shows that you are being proactive.
I would leave the toe-nail clipping to a groomer. Baths—Depending on the length of the sit and if the dog gets dirty, I would also leave that to a groomer or get an ok from the HO if you are comfortable in giving the dog a bath.
While many dogs may not enjoy having their teeth brushed, many HOs do not brush their dogs’ teeth. I used to brush my dog’s teeth every other day and he loved it. I used a finger toothbrush that goes over the index and would then apply the toothpaste, which was a chicken flavor. He would lick the toothbrush until it was all gone!
I sat two pups and brushed their teeth after breakfast every morning. I would have to place them on a stool to brush their teeth. However, one of the dogs loved having his teeth brush so much that he would jump on the stool without me having to lift him.
We will give the dogs a brush if its needed and would also bath them as well if they’ve been in mud etc, but we’ve never been asked to specifically do any grooming,we do like any animals we care for to look their best for when the pet parent returns home.
We’ve only been asked once to clip nails. I told them that i used to take our dogs to the groomers for that. He cut them on the way out the door and all was fine.
I like to brush a dog or cat as most seem to like it. If it wasn’t mentioned to you by the owners, i would bother though unless you think they need it and you can see brushes. I personally would leave the owner to clean their pets teeth.
No I wouldn’t expect a sitter to clean ears or nails. We do that before we leave.
I do show them where the brush is (we have a golden so lots of fur!) so they can brush her idf they want to minimize fur getting everywhere. She loves it and I brush her daily at home but I leave it up to the sitter.
If it were an unusually long sit (more than a month) I would probably arrange for the sitter to take her to the groomers (I would pay) or a mobile groomer, whatever their preference was, once or twice during that period. But for a week or two, no real grooming needed.
Personally, as a sitter I would be hesitant to do grooming beyond basic daily brushing teeth and hair, especially if not discussed, because every animal is different and will also react differently w you than w their owner. Personally, my dog has thick, dark nails with a quick that runs far down. So she can be easily be easily nicked. She will trust me to do it for her and she lets me brush her teeth, but she would probably get nippy if someone else tried to do that for her. (Also, to be clear, I don’t use THS for her bc she has some other moderate behavioral challenges that I wouldn’t expect someone to wrangle as an unpaid sitter.)
I personally think any needed grooming should be performed by the owner before leaving. and as stated above, if it will be needed during the time away, that the owner should arrange for professional grooming w the owner payment on file. Need for a grooming appt should be mentioned before confirming sit and sitter should be able to weigh in on appt time.
I hope you don’t mind if I piggy back on your post a bit, I clicked on it bc I have an issue w a sit that falls in a similar theme.
I showed up to my sit and dog had significant hygiene issues when I showed up. Bodily fluids matted in the hair on the face, burrs tangled in the face, and the worst breath- to the extent that it is impacting the amount of time I can stomach having it in my immediate proximity for petting bc it is overwhelming. I also found small flying insects crawling throughout its hair. No dog shampoo was provided. I gave it a bath with the hose in the yard w some shampoo I picked up. Several of the issues have cleared after a good cleaning, but I am curious if other sitters have encountered this and how they responded. I don’t think the owner is abusive, just clueless and flaky based on my brief experience.
I haven’t discussed w owner yet bc communication has been challenging and unpredictable, and I figured I will wait to bring it up when he is back stateside. He did let me know unprompted in the middle of the sit that the dog had a grooming appt scheduled, but did not let me know until the night before an appt that was very early the next am and asked me to pay. I told them I couldn’t do it bc of the time conflict. But honestly I wasn’t super comfortable with being unexpectedly asked in the first place bc the dog can’t get in and out of my vehicle, and I’m used to dealing w a dog that is pretty traumatized by going to the groomer. Plus this really feels like something that the owner should take care of whether than asking an unpaid sitter to do it during the midst of a wk stay.
I agree with most of what everyone has said. The one thing that may come up is if it’s a really long sit, the dog or cat may need more comprehensive grooming. Like if you’re there for 3 months, for some breeds it would definitely be inhumane not to get groomed regularly and do absolutely nothing. In a situation like this, I would expect an HO to coordinate a groomer or provide instruction depending on the breed to be agreed to ahead of time.
Example: (We have a single-coated dog who is very easy to maintain the coat of and he does shed more at certain times of year, so our guide has instructions for grooming, but we also don’t have excessively long sits and in truth, brushing regularly outside means less hair everywhere inside. We also aren’t militant about it if a sitter doesn’t do it and additionally don’t have excessively long sits.)
That being said, most people will maybe ask for regular coat brushing in the case of a long coat and maybe showering after an especially dirty walk.
I’ve been asked to brush cats’ teeth over a 5 day sit but I only did as much as I cooperatively could do with the cats, which wasn’t much.
So grooming isn’t underachieving of but I would expect general maintenance as opposed to a full-blown professional job as both HO or HS.
