Choose the right day- / holidaycare or a trusted dog sitter
Want to find a trustworthy person with whom you could leave your dog on a holiday? Look for an opportunity to let your dog have contact to other dogs? Feeling that you need one day a week off from your dog-related duties? Here is your guide on how to choose a good caregiver for your dog.
First, let me briefly outline all options you may consider if you need someone to look after your dog:
your family and friends
dog day- and holidaycare
private dog sitter
I guess, the first option is not available, otherwise you would have closed this page already. So, let’s get to it: how do you understand that a dog sitter or a dog boarding service is trustworthy?
Day- / holidaycare
There are many individuals and businesses offering their services in this field. Finding the right one for you may be tricky. After working in a daycare for 1,5 years, and trying out 5 daycare facilities for my own dog, I’ve developed a checklist about how to choose a daycare:
Group size — no more than 6-7 dogs
Location — enough space for every dog to find their peace
Activities — no all-day-playing
Photos — every day; videos are a bonus
Car — is equipped with safe kennels
Equipment — dogs are never tied up together, each dog has their own leash
Respect — all your requirements are fulfilled
Trust — all your questions are answered
Consistency for the dog — if your dog wears a harness only, no one is putting a collar on them without consulting you
Private dog sitter
It is a great option if you have several dogs or / and your dog is very sensitive and needs extra care. I’m always recommending to find a private dog sitter if your dog has special requirements because of their age: whether it is a puppy or a senior dog.
Normally, people in Switzerland use the website Petsitting24* to find a professional. Keep in mind: anyone can offer their services as a dog sitter / dog walker there, and normally those marketplaces have zero professional requirements to people using it for finding clients.
Read reviews carefully, ask questions and trust your gut feeling. Of course, the checklist from above can also help you choose a reliable professional. At the end of this article you will also find a list of questions I recommend to ask before leaving your dog with a stranger.
*I’m not affiliated with Petsitting24, and I have never used this platform to hire someone or to offer my services.
Questions to ask
General:
Where do you normally walk?
Do you let dogs off leash? Where? You let all of them together or in smaller groups?
Where do dogs rest during the day?
Do you separate dogs from each other? How, where, why, for how long?
Are there other employees / interns / friends or family members who look after dogs?
Are the dogs ever left unsupervised? For how long, where?
More difficult (and annoying 😂) ones to check if the person has an action plan for difficult situations:
What would you do if a dog runs off?
How would you stop a dog fight?
What do you do if an unknown dog approaches your pack when you’re walking?
All those questions do not have right or wrong answers.
Please, remember: dog professionals are still humans, and all of us make mistakes. If something stressful happened to your dog while staying at a daycare, try to understand: what has happened and why; what learnings did the caregiver learn from this and what will they adjust to avoid similar situations in the future. Even the best professional may have a dog fight in their group, dogs sometimes do stupid things. An important thing here is that mistakes are not turning into routines.
Finding the right person can take time. Trust your gut feeling and don’t compromise.
My recommendations for businesses I know are here.
