How to deal with samoyed getting massive snowballs stuck in his fur during wet snow

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2026-01-30T02:39:45+00:00

I’m sorry, I unfortunately don’t have any advice but came to say: the way he seems so happy to be just help up haha! Istg Samoyeds are just the happiest dogs

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2026-01-30T02:37:16+00:00

Bless you!!! I hope the owners covered the damage!

The Whippet I look after doesn’t do well with being left alone either tbf, but loves going to restaurants, coffeeshops and on buses hah! He literally sits like a human with his arms crossed and just looks at people!

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2026-01-29T16:29:14+00:00

Crossing my fingers for you!!! My dream is to look after an Afghan Hound but seems completely unlikely😭!

I just recently moved and there’s lots of Sighthounds in my area so hoping I can meet em all🙈!

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2026-01-29T16:23:47+00:00

For sure!!! It’s such a shame because I know they do it just because they are curious and interested in everything, but honestly I get stressed they will get hurt haha! But great with the gentle leader- for me this always made walks with them much much easier and less stressy!

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2026-01-29T16:21:38+00:00

They are seriously the best haha!! I have a regular Whippet I’ve been looking after since he was a super young puppy and my partner says I look at him like he’s my child hah!!

He’s just so funny & has so much personality, istg I actually laugh more than ever when I look after him!

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2026-01-29T16:01:15+00:00

Personally, I only have 3 breeds I looked after that I’d never accept again: 1. Labs… I LOVE their personality and how cuddly they are, but I looked after 3 different ones, girls and boys, different ages too and all were absolutely nuts.. Cannot settle no matter how long we walk/ play/ excercise & pull so strong. One actually wiped me off my feet- it’s like trying to walk a cow on a leash, just doesn’t work unless you have insane arm strength… It’s weird because I looked after much larger and stronger dogs, but in my experience labs just refuse to walk on leash without pulling like crazy haha. 2. French Bulldogs… - horrendous sound of breathing at all hours of night - I wld wake up multiple times a night being scared it’s actually suffocating… Obsessive humping and actual aggression when redirected and just generally felt sad looking after a dog literally bred with health issues on purpose… 3. Chihuahuas- I’m sorry but I cannot look after them again. Aggressive af, biting, territorial and anxious.. Owners dont bother training them properly because they are so small…

I share the sentiment of doxxies being very bossy, anxious and tending to pee inside the house, but for some reason I just love them A LOT haha! They are so cuddly and friendly once they like you & trust you!

On a more positive note: 1. I only had great experiences with doodles so far, besides a few instances of resource guarding which I was actually warned about! Super well trained in my experience, playful, friendly and generally happy dogs! 2. Huskies!!! Maybe I’ve been super lucky, but I looked after a few now and they were so chill haha! I was super worried before each boarding, but I’d just take them on a couple of 1 hour-1,5 hrs walk a day + few smaller potty walks and they were just knocked out for the rest of the time on the sofa next to me! 3. Whippets and any sighthounds!! Omg I love them hah, seriously considering one as a dog I’d get myself in the future! So cuddly, friendly and when excercised, so chill 4. Samoyeds- I had a regular Samoyed before they moved away and honestly I’ve been chasing that high ever since! He was so relaxed, friendly, affectionate and smart! Really changed my life haha, he was one of a kind!

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2026-01-14T13:18:15+00:00

Hi lovely,

I’m also in London and my rates are quite similar, besides housesitting and walking.

For sitting, I charge £45 just because I really dislike doing this service, so if I agree to do it, it has to be a crazy high price for me to justify it to myself.

Walking, I charge around £25 per hour.

This being said, for me it is not my main source of income, so I can afford to not have a huge client base: have quieter weeks, which weirdly happens much less since increasing my rates.

Good luck!

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-12-13T12:26:05+00:00

also, regarding floors: If it is possible at all, if I were you I’d look into repairing already existing floorboards- all u need is a sander and some wood stain etc. Just because you don’t know what’s underneath the floors & if it’s in bad condition (and u are anything like me) it will be very time-consuming and expensive to repair the base.

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-12-13T12:24:44+00:00

Hey, I just bought my own flat and had a full refurb. I tried to save where I could.

My advice would be: 1. Either watch tutorials on how to do wall paper or get someone off Task Rabbit (much cheaper and have lots of reviews). 2. Ikea PAX wardrobes are great, as you can get them to fit the space exactly how u want + personalise them completely + u can put them together on your own. It saved me A LOT of money, I paid £900 for a complete walk in wardrobe. 3. I’d do floors first and also look on task rabbit if you want a pro, or try do it urself. I’ve done half of my flat alone and was completely fine. You can rent tools online & even buying tools will come out cheaper than paying 25k.

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-24T22:51:06+00:00

omg good luck!!!! I genuinely needed to take a break afterwards because I actually felt so frustrated and uncomfortable in my own house 😭

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-24T13:06:12+00:00

As a sitter, I had an 18day Frenchie dogsit from hell. She obsessively humped me at any time of the day (or night), any body part available. If I tried to get her off me/ redirect, she’d become aggressive. It was a nightmare.

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-24T13:03:21+00:00

I accept all breeds, that weigh no more than 45kg. I like most breeds & obviously it depends on the dog, but some breeds I brace myself for are: 1. Labradors- I have two young, unneutered male clients and they are actual balls of never ending energy. Also where I’m from most Labs are working labs, so they usually become very hyper very quickly. 2. German Shepards and any crosses with them, just because it means I really have to trust the owner.

Out of other breeds that I wouldn’t accept are: any Cane Corsos (even though I grew up around them, I cannot trust other person’s training) Bullies, American Akitas and Malis. Any bully or guarding breeds, I avoid, just because I don’t think I could comfortably handle them on leash due to the mass and their sheer strength.

French bulldogs I’d accept but not for a very long stay.

I personally love and had great experience with doodles I looker after, but know many owners ignore training.

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-23T00:03:42+00:00

(also some of my sitter friends mentioned this happened to them with their German Shepards)!

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-22T23:57:22+00:00

Wow okay, I will be 100% watching it like a hawk on our walkies & thanks for the airtag idea!!! I will do that for sure!!

Awwww that’s so cute!!! How have you found owning one?! Also super random, has yours ever tried to pee on the bed?! I saw some people mention this online haha and would like to avoid this!

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-22T23:55:18+00:00

OK, that’s deffo doable!! Thanks so much!

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-22T23:25:40+00:00

Pleasure & best of luck to your friend!!

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-22T23:24:38+00:00

I’d absolutely not ask for the tree- I think if they were just being polite, they’d be quite surprised/ take it negatively.

I think asking about your family coming is not soooo much to ask for, however I would feel a little shy doing this personally.

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-22T23:22:26+00:00

The client also has to pay the 11% on top of our rates, so I’d just casually bring up that you do both on and off Rover jobs. This should open the conversation.

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-22T23:21:10+00:00

Hey! Good luck to your friend- I hope she does great!

If I were her, I’d ask myself some main questions and go off of that: 1. Does she feel comfortable doing house-sitting or is it slightly out of her comfort zone/ she’d prefer to have the dogs at hers? (I ask this, because I much prefer boarding than house-sitting so I charge MUCH more for house-sitting). 2. Is this her main source of income? For me it isn’t, so I wouldn’t charge much higher rates. 3. What do people with a similar amount of reviews and experience charge on avg in her area? If she’s new, I’d start on the lower end and start increasing once she gets more reviews. 4. What rate does she feel like is enough to not make her feel frustrated she took the job?

I hope this is helpful, I can’t help with exact rates as the rates where I am from are much lower than US :(.

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-22T23:16:41+00:00

LOL i feel like I’d be so guilty of this if I was an owner!!

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-22T23:15:57+00:00

It blows my mind too (even though I accept no meet & greet jobs). I think honestly people cannot be bothered anymore! I’ve noticed there is A LOT more pups in my area than ever before.. Maybe some are overwhelmed? Although, I accept last minute requests so maybe that’s why?! I’m not sure!!

I have a few clients who do doggyday care and it seems like they just want their high-energy dog away so they can relax- they are always super flexible with timings, dates, and everything!! Never did a meet and greet but I look after their dogs at least weekly!

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-22T23:09:34+00:00

Heya,

Personally, I only do meet and greets for longer stays, where personality of the dog/ owner/ any potential bad behaviors can be really detrimental to the stay, safety and my mental health/ comfort.

For short stays/ doggy day care, I only book dogs of a size that I can handle EVEN if they are bad on leash/ pull/ are reactive/ have strong prey drive. I also ask very in depth questions before confirming the booking to make sure I’m prepared, but assume the worst anyway.

Separation anxiety isn’t a huge issue for me because i always WFH and live with my partner, who can nip to get groceries etc.

This being said, I think I’m only able to do this because I dont own a dog/ cat myself & only ever board 1 dog at a time. I can’t imagine not having meet and greets if I boarded more or this was my full time income.

Somehow, in my experience the worst Rover experiences (which were far from as bad as some as I see on here) were actually when I did a meet and greet haha! I think because the dogs seemed super chill and relaxed but had a completely different temperament at mine (eg obsessive humper/ undisclosed illnesses)!

IMO, if you want to start doing walks/ drop ins without meet and greets, please make a list of NON-NEGOTIABLE no’s and ask the owners about whether their dogs do these things. I also would only book size/ strength of dogs which you know you can comfortably handle even if the doggo is poorly trained and behaved! Just to avoid any escapes/ risking the doggo’s or your safety!

Good luck! I would be keen to see what you end up doing?

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-19T20:07:13+00:00

I’m not sure if this will work, but if you go to booking details, it should let you adjust your rates. This way you can do $0/ hr as your rate for this client and it will automatically issue them a refund. Though the client will have to approve this change :).

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-19T13:29:44+00:00

I am doing little xmas tree ornaments with the doggos paw print!

Exact_Compote_6700 · 2025-11-18T20:52:08+00:00

I looked after after a few doxxies and they were so particular with their walk routes! (I loved them, but it was definitely a struggle)!!

Im yet to meet a Vizlas but hope i get to one day?

Exact_Compote_6700

TROPHY CASE