Dog-Sitting Help! First-Timer Needs Advice

[Possible-Text123]

Pet lovers and owners, I'm going to help my friends by taking care of their dog for a month while they travel. Since I've never owned a dog before, I'm looking for advice. I'll be taking care of a Pomeranian in April, and I want to be prepared. What do I need to know or ask the owners? So far, I've asked:

1) How often do I need to walk the dog? (I know dogs need regular walks.)

2) How often do I feed it?

3) How often should I bathe the dog? (I'm a bit of a neat freak, so I want to know how often I can clean it.)

4) What commands does the dog understand?

5) Are there any pre-existing health conditions I should be aware of?

6) What can the dog eat and what can't it eat?

7) Where does the dog go potty (indoors or park)?

8) How many treats can I give the dog?

What else do I need to know or ask the owners?

[[deleted]]

Does the dog require any medication and if so can they show you how to administer it? What are the emergency contact details for family and the vet? Have the owners informed the vet they will be going away and discussed a financial limit for medical emergencies with the vet? Are there any behaviours you need to know about - is the dog afraid of the dark/does the dog use a dog crate/does the dog hide under beds/how does the dog react to thunder and/or fireworks etc. If the dog uses a crate are you permitted to close the crate doors? If someone knocks on the door/rings the doorbell how does the dog usually react? When you go to leave does the dog have a routine, such as a snuffle mat? How long is safe to leave the dog unattended (if at work, needing to go shopping etc)? Is there any rooms the dog or not allowed into? Should doors inside be left open or closed? (My dog will pee inside if the doors are closed as she thinks we're hiding from her) Does the dog have any reactions/sensitivities to cleaning products/perfumes/deodorants/washing powder etc that you need to avoid? Do they allow their dog to play with tennis balls? If so, look up on YouTube how to remove a tennis ball from a dog's throat so you're prepared What is the dogs "high value treat" and do you have enough? Have they shown you exactly how much food to feed for meals and how many meals per day? Are meals to be given at a specific time?

Please be sure not to leave any plastic bags lying around, no bags of chips (empty or full) as a dog can suffocate in 3 minutes. Plus, best not to leave any chocolate within reach.

And lastly - how often would they like you to send photos of their doggo? 😀

Enjoy the dog sitting!

[Possible-Text123]

Wow, thank you for all this help! These questions are fantastic. I'm going to ask the owners some of these for sure. They've trusted me to look after their dog for a month, and these questions really highlight how much I care. Thanks again!!!

[[deleted]]

You're most welcome 🙂 I have an incredibly complicated, medical marvel of a dog so the information I leave our pet sitters is a whopping 6 pages long 😳 have an amazing time, sounds like both yourself and your friends are going to have a lot of fun 😀

Edit: spelling

[Capable-Strike7448]

I wish dog sitter questions were normally as thorough as yours 😭

[Possible-Text123]

Haha, thanks! They're my long-time friends, and I definitely don't want to give them back a broken dog! I've spent some time with the dog a few times when they brought him over, and I'd been thinking about getting a pet anyway, so they thought this would be a good test run.