Be honest with yourself first: a puppy is the hardest animal to hand over. Toilet training regresses, routines are still forming, and the amount of supervision required is far beyond what most sitters expect when they read the word puppy.
State the commitment plainly in the listing
A twelve-week-old puppy may need toileting every couple of hours, cannot be left alone for a working day, and is actively learning what is normal. If you describe this as a friendly young dog, you will attract sitters who are not prepared for it, and the sit will be difficult for everyone including the puppy.
What to arrange
- Toilet routine: how often, where, what the cue word is, what to do about accidents. Ask the sitter not to punish accidents, because it sets training back.
- Alone time: the current maximum, honestly. If it is forty minutes, say forty minutes.
- Crate or pen arrangements, including whether the puppy is settled in one and how it is introduced.
- Vaccination status and what that means for where the puppy can go. Say clearly whether it can be walked in public areas yet.
- Feeding: puppies eat more often than adults and the amount matters. Write the schedule.
- Biting, mouthing and chewing: what you are teaching and what response you want from the sitter, so training stays consistent.
- Socialisation you want continued, and what to avoid.
Vaccination timing is not optional
Where a puppy can safely go depends on its vaccination stage, and this is a genuine health question rather than a preference. Confirm the current position with your vet and write it down explicitly for the sitter.
Consistency matters more than perfection
A puppy will not be trained by the sitter, and should not be. The goal is that the puppy does not go backwards. That means the same words, the same routine and the same responses. Write down the specific cues you use, because a sitter using different words for the same request is confusing for an animal still learning language.
Choose the sitter differently
For a puppy, prioritise availability over everything. A sitter who works from home, or is not working during the sit, is worth far more than a more experienced sitter who will be out eight hours a day. Ask directly what their days will look like.
Our questions to ask before confirming covers the rest of the conversation, and the emergency vet guide matters here too because puppies eat things they should not.
