Dog Sitter Starter Kit. Everything You Need to Start Your Doggie Daycare.

Starting your own doggie day care from home can be an absolute dream job and these days it’s easier than ever to get started! Watching pups from home can be something you do in your spare time, while you work from home or as a stay at home parent! If you are already a dog lover, there really is no better way to side hustle some extra cash. So, if you’re feeling the itch to start working with more canine friends, we have compiled a list of must-have tools to get your started!

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Find your dogs

Alright, let’s start by stating the obvious! If you want to get paid to watch dogs, you should probably make sure you have some dogs to watch! Maybe you have some friends and family members lined up who totally trust you to watch their pups. If you don’t, you are going to want to download the Rover app!

Rover is an app that connects you to local dog families in your area. People can easily find you and message you just by using the app. Here are some tips on getting seen sooner.

If you want to keep at this dog sitting side hustling, having Rover as a back up can be a good idea even if you already have a few pups lined up. Rover takes a small commission for helping connect you with families, but you are in total control of how much you charge!

Click here to get a $20 Rover credit!

Prepping your home

Before you welcome in your new brood, make sure you have taken the time to consider the results of a house filled with dogs!

There are some precautionary methods you can take to ensure your space is well maintained and you aren’t going totally crazy.

Here are some ideas:

Declutter to avoid hidden potty spots and chewing hazzards
Create space in main sitting areas
Prepare easy access to an outside door for potty breaks
Set up designated feeding areas for each pup
Get leashes and poop bags set up near potty doors
Create a designated play area (this can be as easy as a bin full of chew toys)

Getting simple systems in place and creating a clutter free home can help you keep an eye on all the dogs and make transitions like feeding and walking as easy as possible.

Protecting your carpets

There is no doubt that you are going to have the occasional bodily fluid accident happen. To avoid going into stress-mode or risking your carpets being ruined, plan ahead by getting a high-quality hand-held carpet cleaner.

The absolute best one we have found is definitely the Bissel SpotClean Portable Carpet Cleaner.

Not only is this hand-held cleaner easy to use, and lightweight, but it is also one of the more affordable options available.

The Bissel SpotClean Portable Carpet Cleaner only takes a few seconds, allows you to give messier areas a deeper clean and leaves your carpet spotless and (almost) completely dry after cleaning.

Pooping with purpose

Whether or not you are up for walking dogs on a daily basis, there is no doubt that you are going to be dealing with a fair amount of poops throughout the day.

In order to stay on top of things, there are a few ways to make poop scooping easier and more environmentally friendly.

Don’t use individual bags

If you have a back yard full of dog droppings, picking up each one individually can be time consuming and wasteful. Instead, look into getting a pooper scooper with a bag attachment. This way you are able to clean up more mess in shorter time and only use (hopefully) one bag.

Get environmentally friendly bags

Another option for pickin’ up the poopies is to get compostable poop bags. This way you aren’t throwing away as much plastic and are doing a small part to work against global warming. There are several options you can get on Amazon, depending on how many you need to get started with!

Toys for days

Having toys on hand can be an absolute life saver. Families may send their dogs to doggy day care with a favorite toy or two, but having your own stash can help prevent fighting amongst dogs and avoid them turning to your possessions as a chew toy!

These toys are sometimes available at donation centers like Goodwill, or you can buy dog toy packs for around $20 on Amazon!

Another good idea is to keep these toys in a designated area like a basket, drawer or (if you’re really committed) a doggy play room!

Quality leashes

If you are committed to walking your dogs throughout the day, (this is also an option on Rover if you don’t want to commit to full-time doggy day care), you are going to want to make sure you have quality leashes on hand.

Some good ideas to get you started (especially if you’re walking multiple dogs) is:

Hands-free dog leashes
Multiple dog leashes
Doggy back pack (this can be great for small senior dogs)

Guilt-free treats

Another great thing to have on hand is high-quality treats. After all, dogs love the hand that feeds them, right?

Be sure to consider any sensitivities some pups might have, of course. In general you should be in the clear if you stick to more natural treats like our personal favorite dog treats, Nudges! These are natural dog treats made with real meat and are easily chewable and breakable!

That means if you have 4 pups at home, you can easily break apart one treat to split amongst them, and every dog no matter the age should be able to easily enjoy!