Describe your dog’s normal day
Write the routine the sitter should preserve: waking, meals, walks, toilet breaks, play, quiet time and bedtime. Note which parts are fixed and which can move.
Familiar food and routines can make a change of carer easier to navigate. Leave enough of the usual food and show how you measure it.
- Meal amounts, times, treats and water routine
- Walk and toilet-break pattern
- Sleep location and settling routine
- Usual play, enrichment and rest
- How long your dog is normally comfortable being left
Make every walk rule explicit
Do not leave the sitter to infer whether your dog can be off lead. State the rule, the route boundaries and what equipment to use.
RSPCA guidance recommends keeping dogs on a lead around farmed animals and wildlife. Your handover should also cover local hazards, recall limits and the safest response to triggers.
- Lead or off-lead rule, with no ambiguous exceptions
- Harness, collar, tag and lead locations
- Preferred routes, duration and places to avoid
- Reactions to dogs, people, traffic, livestock and wildlife
- What to do if your dog freezes, pulls, bolts or refuses to move
Translate personality into useful actions
Labels such as “friendly” are not enough on their own. Explain greetings, handling preferences, guarding, door behaviour and the early signs that your dog needs distance.
Include household boundaries and any escape risks. Show the sitter exactly how gates, crates or internal doors are normally managed.
- Greeting routine for visitors and deliveries
- Known fears, triggers and calming cues
- Handling, grooming and touch preferences
- Food, toy or space guarding
- Doors, gates and garden checks
Agree how the sitter gets help
Provide your contact details, a backup person, your usual vet and the out-of-hours service. Explain what changes you want reported promptly.
For prescribed medication, copy only the current owner- or vet-provided instructions and leave the original labelled supply. The sitter should contact you or a veterinary professional if anything is unclear rather than guessing.
Show the sitter what “normal” looks like
This fictional example demonstrates clear, observable instructions. Adapt the structure to your own dog rather than copying the care details.
- Morning: breakfast between 7:00 and 8:00am, then a 25-minute lead walk.
- Walk rule: keep Bailey on lead everywhere. Cross the road if another dog is approaching head-on.
- Settling: Bailey circles his bed when tired. Leave him undisturbed once he lies down.
- Doors: clip the lead on before opening the front door; check the garden gate after every visit.
Walk the sitter through it once
If possible, take a short familiar walk together, demonstrate the harness and show the feeding setup. Confirm that the sitter can access the home and find the lead, food, cleaning supplies and contact details.
Finish by asking what still feels uncertain. A question before the sit is safer than an assumption during it.
Sources and review
How this guide was prepared
SitSorted editorial uses UK-first, authoritative sources and reviews the page when its practical guidance changes. This guide organises a handover; it does not replace advice from your vet or another qualified professional.
- Published
- 24 July 2026
- Last reviewed
- 24 July 2026
- Reviewed by
- SitSorted editorial