Hi everyone, I’m new to the forum, it was suggested by someone l should join for advice. I’m a pet owner looking for a sitter. I’ve had my dates live since last September and have had very little interest, two applicants who then pulled out. So l reached out to sitters, most had other sits booked on my dates, and were lovely but at least 8 didn’t even reply which to me is rude if your putting yourself out there as a sitter? Anyway l was hoping I’d get some advice on whether my profile needs updating or whether l can do anything else to try getting a sitter?
Hi @Amilone. What many owners don’t realise is they can remove their dates very briefly then re-post them. Instead of their listing being “lost” in the many hundreds of listings and labelled Low Applications, it will become New and therefore visible to sitters once again. An owner can follow this simple tactic as often as they want to, to keep it visible to sitters.
One thing I picked up from your last sitters’ review was that one of your dogs came on heat during the sit. As I and other sitters don’t sit dogs that have not been de-sexed, I suggest you include this in your listing.
Do include for how long the dogs can be left alone and whether the older ones have any health issues or medication. Apart from this, your listing looks fine and you are considerate towards your sitters in regards to booking the field for the dogs’ exercise.
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Hi Temba, thanks for that advice, I will make some changes and never thought of re-posting the dates, thanks for that 
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I would lead with an eye catching title that shows that there are 4 dogs, something like “4 super Goldies , etc…”
4 dogs is a lot of work! Would you accept families?
I would personally prefer to read the Responsibilities written in a more engaging tone, rather than a list of “do this, don’t do that”.
Some details are better left in the Welcome Guide, for instance the mention of taking the rubbish out.
Also, I’d like to know why I cannot take out the dogs on the lead: do they pull too much? is it an unsafe area? etc. This only to get a better idea of the reason, while totally respecting the preference.
Is the CCTV mentioned in one of the reviews an outdoor or indoor camera?
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Hi there, I had a look at your listing for you. You have lovely pictures, your dogs look very sweet, and I like your introduction. Really I think it’s just the fact that it’s 4 dogs, and not many sitters will want to take on 4 dogs as a free exchange - it is quite a lot to mange, even for a couple. Myself and my partner only ever do maximum 2 dogs at a time, and that’s many other sitter’s limit too, so it will restrict your pool of sitters. But don’t be discouraged, there may be the perfect sitter out there for you. Some tweaks to your listing may help. Here’s some ideas to consider:
1: Title
Your title is quite generic and doesn’t do much to attract attention. Try something more specific & exciting that tells sitter right away why they should pick your sit. E.g: Explore Trowbridge; close to Bath, Stonehenge, Salisbury & more!
2: Intro
In your intro, just add how many sitters you’re willing to host (do you have space for a family, for example?) and when should a sitter arrive?
3: Home & Location:
This section is fine and quite clear, just break it up a little with paragraphs and perhaps some bullet points to make it easier to read. Some of your info can be simplified & saved for the welcome guide rather than your listing (e.g: small details about cooker, washing machine etc). Just a simple overview of your home will do.
4: Amenities
As you have a doorbell camera, you’ll need to add this under the safety & security section of the amenities.
4: Responsibilities:
Responsibilities section is okay, but it would help to add some more details about the dog’s personalities & sociablility. You have done this in captions in some of your photos, but only app users can see captions. People who don’t use the app, only the webpage, will not see these captions. So consider condensing & adding some of this info to the responsibilities section. Language such as ‘must’ and ‘not permit’ etc can come across as some what commanding; try instead, for example, “we kindly ask sitters not to have company during the sit.”
It’s also helpful to tell sitters how long the dogs can be left during the day and where they sleep. What is their recall like in the field? Sitters also obviously need physical strength to lift one of the dogs in & out of the car, so adding this to your intro will help find the right match.
As for invites, they rarely work out are are often a frustrating time waster for owners. Sitter’s availability calendar cannot be easily edited and is often incorrect, only showing unavailable dates where another THS sit is confirmed (which doesn’t necessarily mean a sitter is available for dates that aren’t crossed out).
This is why it’s best to have a highly attractive listing that gains applicants; sitters who are available and keen to sit for you and visit your area will find you through their own search.
Sitters are also not ‘putting themselves out there’ for any owner - it’s a mutually beneficial exchange, whereby sitters seek sits that they’re interested in and feel they’re a good match for. Unsolicited invites often go ignored or declined, especially if there is no personalised message sent along with the invite (thought I do agree it is a bit rude to decline with no response if the owner has written a nice message; it’s not hard to simply say “sorry but I’m not available/interested.”)
Hope that all helps and best of luck!
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In my opinion your listing sounds friendly and forthcoming, and it seems somewhat sitter-oriented and that you can negotiate to make the exchange good for both parties, which is great.
To help out, I’d like to share my thoughts. As a dog-owner for decades, and dog show-people in the family (I haven’t, for reasons to follow) it seems to me that four dogs is in general a lot of work for a mutual exchange, and that might be an obstacle. I’ve sat for 3 dogs, made possible by the hosts by bringing my grown child to help out. It was a nice short sit, mainly because I needed to go there anyway. It wasn’t a sit I would have chosen if other sits were available. I think this is your challenge. UK has a lot of options for sitters.
Brushing 4 large dogs daily (? daily? I thought maybe 1-2 a week for this breed even for a keen owner?) is also a lot of work. I would assume that if you have a routine it will take you less time, but a sitter would use quite a lot of their day with the tasks involved, would be my assumption reading your listing. Raw-feeding is also more timeconsuming than kibble (I personally avoid as I don’t like the hygienic aspects. Had one dog on raw for a while).
It is unclear to me what the pre-booked field is and how it would impact my day as a sitter. If some task is unclear in a listing I am more likely to skip than to ask. I tend to avoid off-leash dogs, epspecially with hunting breeds, unless in a fenced area where we can be solo without strangers.
For me, I could possibly consider applying if it was family friendly, bringing my older children. That would spread the workload. And some minor adjustment to tasks, as I find it too much for a mutual echange. I see that your home is not family friendly, but what if there was a 12+ agelimit or similar? Just a suggestion. Sitters that bring a pet - could that be possible? Seems your dogs would be fine with a small guest, going to shows?
One thing to consider could be a professional end cleaning. Vacuuming after 4 dogs could sound daunting.
I would like to know where the dogs sleep. Many sitters have that as a criteria.
You should ofc not do anything you are not comfortable with! Just my thoughts, if it could be of help.
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What stood out to me is pr-booked field. I am from the states and never heard that term before. I assume you are booking a field from a farmer that your dogs can run around in? My next thought would be how do I get them to the field? Maybe you can explain that in your profile so those not from the UK have a better understanding of this.
Other than that your profile looks good. I think the obstacle of having 4 big dogs to take care of may be the hindrance. But you have had sitters in the past so someone will eventually come along who is a match. I would put your heading to read, Welcome Families. Families have a harder time to book and you need sitters so this is a win win situation.
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Hi temba, having looked at my profile, I do mention how many hours they can be left and also any health issues/meds needed. As I breed the odd litter, speying them is not an option until they are older. The girl in season was already in season, she didn’t come in during the sit, which was unexpected.
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Actually 4 are not a lot of work, they are very easy dogs to care for. Im not set up here for families as only have one guest room, with one double bed in. The safetly of my dogs is priority, walking on the lead is not 100% safe, other dogs maybe aggressive or there could be environmental issues, broken glass or they come into contact with areas where councils spray week killers. I prefer the safety of a secure field for my dogs and the sitters. I don’t know if the CCTV is mentioned although they did know about it, but just wanted others to know, it is mentioned in my profile.
Thanks for all your comments. I will look at the responsibilities again, being a very organised person, I like to be upfront and honest and give as much information as possible, but I get your point.
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Thanks that’s all very helpful
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I like the changes I’ve noticed! It gives a much clearer idea of what the responsibilities are, and of the dogs’ personalities. The dog walker is a fantastic bonus, a huge help with four dogs.
Great to read that the CCTV will be off during the sit, most people are fine with ring cameras.
A lovely location, a cute house, 4 beauties, and a couple of great reviews—I’m pretty confident you will find someone soon.
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Hi I’ll make it clearer, the field is a secure private field. You drive to it (15 mins away), go through a gate system, then just open the back and the dogs jump out and into the field, its all very secure and private, no other dogs allowed at the booked time. Ive stated that I would put a sitter on my car insurance so they can drive my car, but if not I will arrange someone else to walk my girls. They might be classed as large dogs but they are no trouble at all, two are over 10 and spend most of the day relaxing, other two like to play. I understand regarding families but I don’t have the sleeping space for families, I only have the one double bed available.
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Four big dogs sounds a lot to some, but they are such easy girls and two are elderly. I don’t have the accommodation here for a family, hence why only couples, unless a mother wishes to share a bed with her daughter? I get your point about brushing I’ll change that to a couple of times a week. The two spayed girls coat knots if not brushed at least once a week. Raw feeding is easy, defrost and put in the bowl, along with some biscuit. Some small additions and that’s it. My dogs have their own kitchen area so all very hygienic. I’ll explain better about the field, its a securely fenced private field that I hire for an hour each day. Its safe for dogs and people and easy to get to (15mins drive). I don’t allow anyone to walk my dogs off the lead in public places. Regarding another small dog, this would be ok if the owner was sure it was ok with large dogs, whilst my dogs are very friendly they will not put up with a nuisance male! Regarding vacumming. I only have one rug downstairs, rest is tiled floors, so hardly any hoovering. My dogs are not allowed upstairs. The dogs sleep anywhere downstairs except for the dining room, during the day I restrict them to the kitchen area and in the summer, when this sit is the back door is normally open. This is all explained fully in my welcome pack. Im not sure how much detail I can put in my intro?
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That sounds good. I do agree that details should be in the welcome guide. But I have the impression that these things could be an obstacle getting applications from sitters, and if it was mentioned in listing more would apply to your sit. I at least would find the listing so much more appealing if the things you explain here was in the listing. It sounds sensible and much more doable like it is explained here on forum.
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I’ve updated my profile putting more detail in, hopefully this will be more appealing?
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Hi I used to use House Sitters many years ago. Unfortunately I had four different dogs then. I have recently posted that I need a sitter and have had no replies. I used to get instant reactions from people when I had four dogs that were much more of a handful. I now am looking for sitters for two very friendly golden retrievers. I am not sure if my site is actually showing up even though it says live I have looked and cannot find it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
Bonnie
(Post edited by the Forum Team to comply with the Community Rules & Terms of Service).
If you add your listing to your forum profile @Bonnie2 then members can help you with advice and feedback.
#hereshowtodoit
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