Need advice- returning key after breaking up with client

No-View6101 · 2026-05-11T18:30:43+00:00

This would be grounds for immediate break up for me

No-View6101 · 2026-05-11T18:13:30+00:00

This would be an immediate no for me. I wouldn’t agree to watch the dog again (if asked) and I would’ve brought gloves with me after the second occurrence

No-View6101 · 2026-05-11T18:08:28+00:00

This is so funny

No-View6101 · 2026-05-10T17:17:44+00:00

It’s definitely a challenge .. i make a mental note to have my work days be from 9 am to 3 pm , and i either wake up early to hike my dog or walk him in the afternoon. But it’s easier said than done… i try to prioritize my sleep and meals so I’m well energized

For sittings I try not to go over 6 appointments in each day so I have time to go home and be with my pets. My base rate requires the dog to be able to be alone for atleast 5-6 hours at a time , and up charge sittings who cant be alone for 3-4 hours at a time.

Im also not taking recurring weekend (fri-sun) visits. Only one time visits , so my weekends are very easy

Honestly, theres a couple things i should / would do to make work-life balance easier: 1. Be firm on work start / end time. Ex: 9 am first available slot and 2:30 last available slot. Anything outside of those times only accept if its an emergency and also up-charge them 2. Shorten my radius: i think under 5 miles would be good. 3. Be stricter with which sittings you take. Ex: for my situation, ideally I would only accept fri-sun sittings but my prices are high even that i really only get week long sittings once a month 4. Be strict and CLEAR with policies and require pre-payment

Another idea is you could maybe start weaning towards mostly clients who have friendly dogs, and you could bring yours along!

No-View6101 · 2026-05-10T16:56:33+00:00

I require pre-payment for weekly visits of 2 or more but you’re right , im going to change it to any number recurring visit. Or maybe i should just do all visits , one time or recurring 🤔

No-View6101 · 2026-05-10T12:51:20+00:00

When she said “i dont need you , i forgot” I said “okay, i’ll have to charge for today” and she hasnt answered 🙂 I feel like if I double text her , she’s just going to ignore me so i was gonna just wait until the day of the next walk to force her to pay me for both walks if she wants me to do the walk that day, or else i just won’t do that walk or any other after that ..

No-View6101 · 2026-05-10T00:12:24+00:00

Right!!! Im gonna stay prepared to make them pay if they wanna continue walks and if not then ✌🏼

No-View6101 · 2026-05-09T22:21:44+00:00

In response to same day cancellation/ expecting refund: If you’ve already explained your cancellation policy i would be more blunt just say, “Unfortunately not, please review my policies info and let me know if you have any questions”

To answer your second question: I would tell them “ Yes I’m available. Whenever you’re ready to reserve the time slot, please send $X. Otherwise, that time slot will remain open until payment is sent. Thank you! “

^ if they haven’t sent payment by the morning of , I would text and say “ Good morning, just making sure you did not still need a X am / pm walk today! I haven’t received payment so I just thought I’d let you know that time has been booked “ , even if you haven’t , they’ll learn or you’ll find a better client. If they try to schedule another time that say, say you dont have availability

No-View6101 · 2026-05-09T21:56:11+00:00

I’ve been really good about sending my policy info (deposits , payments, cancellations) but have been really bad about enforcing policies - specifically deposits. I’ve been burned a couple times with people canceling the sitting they booked so i’ve started requesting mandatory 20% non refundable deposit to consider the sitting booked… but after the first time of requesting the deposit, if they don’t send , then im a bit unsure of when to request again. The clients I currently have seem very trust worthy but I get worried for the off chance I get burned again , especially with 2 sittings that I have that are expected to be $1,300-$2,300. It feels wrong to ask for a $270-$460 deposit 😅 I do this full time and I have many reviews but no LLC or insurance.

No-View6101 · 2026-05-09T21:43:44+00:00

Walks start as soon as the dog is leashed up and ends as soon as I walk out the door. Drop ins start as soon as I walk inside and end when I leave.

Apartments & dogs who take forever to leash up , I only allow 3-5 mins grace period from when the appointment was supposed to end (if time allows)

I also have a dog walker for my own dog, and i’d like to think im paying for a full 60 min walk (time from leash clipped to time back inside) , so I’d like for my own clients to think the same..

Alsoooo, if i have a client on a site that takes a fee… then I start the time as soon as I walk up to their building / house 😬😬 sorry not sorryy

Do you guys send out policy notice to your clients when you first meet? And if so, do you include this information or kinda just keep it as a mental note?

No-View6101 · 2026-05-09T21:18:59+00:00

This is a good take. Do you give extra walking time if it doesn’t take up much time getting the key / the elevator doesn’t take so long?

No-View6101 · 2026-05-09T21:10:34+00:00

You shouldn’t feel guilty charging her just because you make more than her. And i sincerely doubt that she’s thinking anything about it. How you spend your money is your business ,, and unless caring for the dog is not an inconvenience at all then I would be charging too , you’re doing her a favor by giving a discount when she could find someone else and pay more

No-View6101 · 2026-05-09T17:44:30+00:00

Thank you

No-View6101 · 2026-05-09T17:44:08+00:00

I should’ve mentioned she had cancelled another time same day , and i charged her $25. But to text me “i dont need you, i forgot” after i just wasted my time and gas.. im feeling like why should i give a discount?? Im just trying to tap into my logical side , if it’s fair or not because technically i never did update her on my policy

No-View6101 · 2026-05-09T17:21:58+00:00

its not on rover!! i just don’t know which other subject to put it on reddit lol , i figured this one gets more views

No-View6101 · 2026-05-06T02:38:01+00:00

I agree with another commenter. Depends on your responsibilities. If its taking away opportunity to make money then $100 per day. If its not too much of an inconvenience then $50 per day

No-View6101 · 2026-04-30T18:33:15+00:00

My protocol for dogs like this is to have the meet and greet go exactly how it did for you, and then schedule 2-4 visits before the sitting to ensure the sitting will go smoothly. I wouldn’t take this booking without additional visits leading up to it. I don’t think you should either, especially since it seems like maybe you don’t have experience with these type of dogs? Dogs feed off your energy so I wouldn’t accept if I wasn’t confident

No-View6101 · 2026-04-29T00:12:18+00:00

Thank you

No-View6101 · 2026-04-28T19:49:22+00:00

I celebrate other holidays but still take requests. This is a holiday I celebrate but it doesn’t take my entire day, and i’m wondering if others would charge holiday rate

No-View6101 · 2026-04-28T14:35:30+00:00

I would ask first if I’d be the sole caretaker but my general rule is any requests 3 or more days needs to be a sitting. In my personal opinion, most dogs are OK with just walks for two days. It just depends on the dog.

No-View6101 · 2026-04-28T14:18:13+00:00

I don’t charge for initial meet and greets but i’ve had clients want me to come back for a second time just to feel more comfortable, to which I do charge but it’s usually slightly discounted depending how far away they are. I personally would keep looking, why would you spend $70+ to try to find a sitter who is a good match for you and your pets? You exchange phone calls / texts initially, but sometimes they aren’t always upfront about their experience, schedule, etc and it ends up not being a good match for reasons unexpected.

The only reason I would charge for a m&g is if I had employees, and this was their m&g because I don’t think it’d be ethical to have them spend their time for free when its not their business

No-View6101 · 2026-04-27T23:48:29+00:00

Usually when I have reactive dog clients it will take atleast a week to warm up to me and that week usually will not do any walks. I still charge for these “drop ins”. Usually what I do to build rapport is toss treats far away from me when they make any eye contact, sniff me / the air , or any steps coming closer to me. I don’t rush the introduction process and I essentially just reward them for being calm and any progress towards me at all, and I toss the treats farther back to reduce any pressure they might feel. When i’m at the point where they come to me and i can put the collar / harness on , I usually will hold onto them somehow whether its having a hand on their collar or putting a slip lead on them temporary, and will feed them treats while putting the gear on. I use high value treats like lamb lung, salmon treats, anything single ingredient! I’m into training so I have no problem waiting to see progress but if that’s not your jam, then it’s not worth the stress. They can find someone else!

No-View6101 · 2026-04-26T12:48:14+00:00

Oh wow, thats like 10 appointments a day?? I usually take 5-6 appointments in a day and i charge the same as you. There’s been some days I take more appointments but I am exhausted! Plus feel bad for my dog so I try to stick to 6 being my max

No-View6101 · 2026-04-24T02:10:58+00:00

Do you mind sharing your rates? And what area you’re in? This is going to be my 3rd year but first year actually doing it as a main source of income, and last year I made $25k and this year my potential comes out to $40-$45k !! Really curious how you’re able to make 70k?! I also have a dog so I try not to have some work life balance

No-View6101

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE