Dog sitting & care handoffs · Sitter instructions
Good instructions for a dog sitter tell them what your dog normally does, what care must happen, what to avoid, who to contact, and what to do if something changes. The goal is not to write a novel. It is to make the important decisions easy to find when you are not there.
If you want to turn these instructions into a printable handoff, use our free Dog Sitter Instructions Template & Handoff Builder. If you are still preparing the house and supplies, start with the dog sitting checklist.
The dog sitter instructions that matter most
AAHA recommends giving a sitter the pet’s basic profile, current routine, veterinary contacts, medication information, and emergency details. AKC guidance similarly emphasizes written instructions for feeding, medication, walks, potty breaks, behavior notes, and contact information.
| Section | What to include | Avoid vague wording like |
|---|---|---|
| Feeding | Food name, amount, meal times, where it is stored, and any relevant feeding order or restrictions. | “Feed as usual.” |
| Water | Where bowls are, how often you normally refresh them, and any veterinary instructions that affect access. | “Keep an eye on the water.” |
| Toilet routine | Usual times or transitions, location, cue if used, cleanup supplies, and what would be unusual. | “Take them out enough.” |
| Walks & activity | Typical route or activity, equipment, boundaries, traffic/dog concerns, and what not to do. | “Give a good walk.” |
| Medication | Current written veterinary/pharmacy directions, location of the labeled medication, and who to call with questions. | “Give the pill sometime in the morning.” |
| Behavior & safety | Door management, dog-dog spacing, visitor rules, food/toy concerns, handling limits, fears, and escape risks. | “He can be weird sometimes.” |
| Contacts | Your preferred contact, backup person, regular veterinarian, and emergency veterinary clinic. | “Call me if anything happens.” |
| Supplies | Where food, leash, bags, bowls, crate/carrier, cleaning supplies, and first-aid items are kept. | “Everything is around the house.” |
Start with a one-minute dog profile
Give the sitter enough information to identify and understand the dog without guessing. Include the dog’s name, age if relevant, a short physical description, and the names of any other pets in the home. AAHA specifically recommends photos in multi-pet homes so the sitter can tell animals apart.
For behavior, describe observations rather than labels. “Barks and backs away when unfamiliar men enter” is more useful than “doesn’t like men.” “Will guard a food bowl from the other dog” is more actionable than “food aggressive.”
Write the routine in the order the sitter will use it
AAHA recommends preserving the pet’s ordinary routine as closely as practical. Organize instructions by the flow of the day instead of scattering meal, walk, and medication notes across unrelated sections.
| Part of day | Example instruction |
|---|---|
| Morning | Toilet first, then breakfast from the labeled container. Refresh water. Give the current morning medication exactly as written on the veterinary label. |
| Midday | Toilet/walk using the front-clip harness. Avoid the dog park and the busy school route. |
| Evening | Dinner, toilet, then quiet activity. Keep the dog separated from the cat during meals. |
| Bedtime | Final toilet opportunity, then sleep in the normal bedroom setup. Do not close the crate unless the dog has already settled there voluntarily. |
This is an example of structure, not a schedule for every dog. For recurring weekday care, link the handoff to your dog schedule for working owners or puppy workday schedule.
Medication instructions need to be copied, not reinvented
Write the current directions from the veterinarian or pharmacy accurately and leave the original labeled medication available. If the sitter has never administered it, demonstrate the process before the trip when appropriate.
Do not use a homemade sitter sheet to calculate doses, decide what to do after a missed dose, or change timing because it is more convenient. Put the veterinary contact next to the medication instructions so the sitter knows who to ask.
Build an emergency decision path
AKC recommends leaving the veterinarian’s name, phone number, location, emergency veterinary contact, your own itinerary/contact information, and a trusted backup person who can make decisions if you cannot be reached. Some clinics also want advance authorization before treating a pet in an owner’s absence.
Write the order of contact clearly. For example:
- For an immediate emergency, contact the named emergency veterinary clinic and then call me.
- For a non-urgent health concern, call me and the regular veterinarian.
- If I cannot be reached, contact the named backup person.
Discuss veterinary authorization and payment arrangements directly with the clinic rather than assuming a note on the refrigerator is legally or financially sufficient.
Separate pet-care instructions from access secrets
The sitter may need home instructions, but our browser-saved builder intentionally warns against storing passwords, alarm codes, lockbox combinations, payment information, or other security secrets. Share those through the secure method you already use.
It is fine to note ordinary supply locations such as “leash and waste bags are in the entry cabinet.” It is not a good idea to store a front-door code in a browser-saved template.
Turn the instructions into a printable dog sitter form
The free Dog Sitter Instructions Template gives you fields for contacts, meals, water, toilet routine, walks and activities, rest, medication instructions, behavior and safety, comfort, supplies, and emergency notes. You can build the form online, copy the text, print the completed handoff, or print a blank form to fill in by hand.
Decide what you want recorded during the stay
Do you want a text after every walk, one daily update, or only a message when something changes? Tell the sitter before you leave. Our dog sitter notes guide shows a simple daily visit log for meals, walks, toileting, medication given, behavior observations, and anything the owner should know.
Common questions
How detailed should dog sitter instructions be?
Detailed enough that the sitter can complete routine care safely without guessing. Prioritize quantities, times, locations, boundaries, contacts, and what counts as an unusual change.
Should I write down every habit my dog has?
No. Include habits that affect care, safety, comfort, or communication. Leave out trivia that makes the critical information harder to find.
Can I use the same instructions every trip?
Use them as a starting point, then review medications, feeding, contacts, routines, and safety notes before every stay.
Sources and editorial notes
This guide draws on AAHA pet sitter instruction guidance, AKC pet sitter preparation guidance, and AKC travel-care planning guidance. The tables and sample wording are True to Dogs planning examples. See our editorial standards.
