We need a sitter who is willing to stay with our PUPPY almost all day. We would like to not leave the puppy alone for more than about an hour. Some sitters are in the THS game so that they can have a place to stay while they go skiing or engage in other non-pet sitting activities. The concept is understandable, but puppies need more attention than older dogs. Older dogs may be able to stay at home all day without the need for interaction and relief. Puppies, however, need lots of attention, exercise, and interaction. To leave a puppy at home alone all day is asking for trouble. What is the best way to entice a sitter to stay with a puppy and not leave the dog at home alone all day? The sitter is being offered housing in a luxurious home with all expenses paid in exchange for providing exercise and attention to a puppy. If additional compensation should be offered what is a reasonable fee to pay?
For a THS sit no money is exchanged .
For a puppy who canât be left alone , you may need to go to another platform and find a paid sitter.
Pay for a sitter. THS is the wrong platform for it.
Hi there,
Your needs are certainly understandable, but THS is a mutually beneficial & free exchange only. Sitters here are mainly travelers from abroad or another area of your country who will provide free pet care in exchange for a free stay in your home and the opportunity for a âunique travel experienceâ - the THS homepage explains it all. Listings that do not grant a sitter the opportunity to see and explore your area, have high demands and request sitters to provide round-the-clock care often really struggle on this platform because they simply do not align with the goals of THS. Your needs are likely best suited for a paid local sitter or service. Hope that helps!
Tell the truth.
My husband is a passionate gliding pilot. He is away from the house from dawn to dusk. Itâs me that has fun with the animals. This works for us.
As others say, do not offer to pay a sitter on this platform. You will be stoking an already raging fire. We do this as a fair exchange. Others are not so honest.
I would say that this should be on another platform as a paid sit. Even sitters that work from home would like to go shopping, go to a museum or a restaurant. I would say that at a minimum being able to leave the pet 4 hours should be possible.
Another thing that is useful to know is that many sitters donât want to sit puppies at all as it is a lot of work (me incl. Iâve had several dogs and also been a breeder. 
I donât want to take that on for other than my own).
You might get a sitter. But the pool of sitters that is interested would be much smaller. You might especially loose the sitters that are attractive and have the power to be choosy.
To make it more interesting I would say two things - put in a cleaning service and a dogsitter so that your THS-sitter has the option for outings. That might sway me. For instance a professional end cleaning and someone that can come and take care of the puppy a couple of times a week so the sitters can do :insert outings of your area:
This would probably be a tough sell for most sittersâwho are most often using sitting as a means to engage in leisure travel at a reduced cost-- unless you found someone who lives pretty locally and wouldnât be as interested in sightseeing or partaking in the activities for which the area is known.
When my husband and I sit in the US, which is where we are from, we often end up doing sits in areas that arenât particularly touristic, or may be, but we arenât particularly interested in what is on offerâI have no interest in skiing for example. So we can end up spending almost all our time at home barring a trip to the supermarket or a daily walk that may last an hour or two.
So I may be open to doing a sit like this in these circumstances if it was on the shorter sideânot anything lasting weeks or longer. Even if I generally donât spend a lot of time out and about, I want to have the option if I do decide to do something, so this wouldnât be an ideal scenario for an extended period.
You never really know what sitters are looking for in their sits, and it is possible you will find someone.
I telecommute and spend more time with pets than most sitters, but Iâd avoid such a sit. Why: I can stay at my own luxurious home and not take care of a puppy. Or pursue many other sits without a puppy. Not interested in payment. Thatâs not what this platform is about.
Why donât you actively advertise for a family (if your home is big enough)? âSeek family to care for x-month old [breed] puppyâ. Specify that at least one person must remain in the home to play with it. I think youâd have more luck that way.
What are you in the THS game for?
Um, the point of THS is to have a sitter come and take care of your animal in your home. All expenses paid? Are you paying for their travel to your place, all their meals, etc.? Iâm a little confused by this as we typically pay for all our travel and personal expenses while on a sit.
If you are on THS, then you are looking for free care for a puppy which requires a lot more work than an older dog or cat. While it is not unheard of for sitters who are willing to take this challenge, they are few and far between. Be very detailed in your description of responsibilities. As others have said, maybe state it is best for a family or couple. My husband is a skier, but I am not, so while doing a sit in Utah, he will ski and I will hang out with the pets.
Before you go any further in the process, I warmly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the THSâs philosophy. From the way and the things you write, I see that you havenât fully grasped it yet, mentioning payment, covering all expenses, and being in disagreement with the sittersâ desire to go and enjoy themselves for a few hours a day.
This is not a criticism, rather an encouragement to fully understand âwhat we do hereâ, which might be very different from other pet sitting platforms, most of them offering paid transactions.
As you look more into it, you may possibly come to the conclusion that this is not for you and, if you havenât had any applications yet, you can cancel the subscription.
Thereâs a shoe for every foot, maybe this isnât yours.
If you think itâs a fair exchange (and you sound like you potentially do?) then go for it and post your listing - but please make it super clear on the listing page that your dog is a puppy who can only be left for an hour max.
Personally I donât sit puppies - theyâre too much hassle to make the exchange worth it.
Starting off assuming that sitters are being a little unreasonable to want to do non-pet sitting activities isnât ideal. No oneâs going to want to travel all the way somewhere to not be able to leave the house. The exception being I think full-time nomads/van lifers who want to enjoy a luxurious house! So maybe market your listing to those people? Last year I did a year of travelling in a van and broke it up with pet sits and something like this I would have definitely considered if the time/location worked. Iâd consider it even more so if the listing was upfront about being happy to accept nomads.
It looks like you need to link your profile.
So others can see your listing.
https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/how-to-add-a-listing-or-profile-link-to-your-forum-profile
That made me laugh out loud!
Honestly, wasting my day stuck sitting inside a home, no matter how luxurious, is never going to tempt me to sit for anyone.
Hi @sdsmith4u
Welcome to the Forum!
Your title âno skiingâ is confusing as it seemed like your post would be about âno skiingâ in a certain location. Instead, you would like a sitter to care for your puppy and the puppy cannot be left for more than an hour.
I, along with many sitters, would not accept a sit to care for a puppy, particularly if the puppy cannot be left for more than an hour. Why? For the very reasons that you mention. As your puppy needs lots of attention, exercise, and interaction, why would you leave those responsibilities to a total stranger(s)?
The first few days and months of puppiesâ lives are crucial in their development when they are learning socialization, potty training, dos/donâts, and the world around them.
In my opinon, a puppyâs needs and bonding time should come first and that level of care and commitment should come from you. If not, why get a puppy?
Why would you want to miss out on the growing, bonding, and learning of your puppy?
@sdsmith4u, welcome to THS Forum. I sympathize with your question. It seems wholly genuine. But conflicts with THS philosophy. Tough. âAll expenses paidâ is a given on THS, unless you are offering to pay atypical expenses such as housesitter travel costsâŚ
We are fully booked this winter, including multiple months in a luxurious home. With local skiing.
Puppies are a really difficult sell to housesitters. Weâve done one (unexpectedly!) and were lucky.
Suggest list your property and see what happens. The housesitting community is diverse. Maybe thereâll be a taker. Encourage you to concurrently explore alternative platforms or local dog sitting services.
Good luck.
Is there a reason you are considering leaving your puppy while it needs so much attention? The replies you have got replicate my thoughts exactly. Having had two challenging sits with puppies I wouldnât take on another and agree you should look elsewhere and pay for the service you require. Iâm not tempted by âluxuriousâ homes but by the pet(s), location and dates
@sdsmith4u
THS is a mutual benefit to both the sitter and the pet owner. The sitter gets a place to stay in exchange for the care of your pet. Your post seems a bit one sided thinking the sitter is the only one who benefits. Your assertion about the sitter being in the THS game is offensive. Why are you in the THS game? To get a free pet sitter?
You paint extremes in your post. You mention the dogs only being left for 1 hour then talk about people being away all day. There is a huge difference between the two. Only being able to leave the puppies for an hour will be a hard sell with most sitters. Thatâs not even enough time to go grocery shopping or to a movie or out for dinner. Do you ever ski? What do you do about those things? Do you really never leave them home for more than an hour alone?
I fully understand not wanting sitters that will be out all day and find it humorous when HO talk about the ski areas they live by but then say the dogs canât be left alone more than an hour or two. The best thing you can do is list your expectations clearly in your post so that only people that are willing to commit to your requirements apply.
Excellent points!
Yes, how old is this puppy? Ours is 9 1/2 months old and itâs only over the last month that we noticed more maturity and consistency with recall, training and being fine at home by herself for about 2.5 hours (thatâs the maximum amount of time we have tried so far).
Iâm hoping the OPâs is not too too young.