The Pros
What should I put in my booking notes? A sitter's honest list
The gate latch. The thunder thing. The neighbor-cat treaty. What providers actually need to know — from the people who read the notes.
· 1 min read
The short answer
The booking notes that make a stay easy aren't about your dog's personality — they're about specifics: exact feeding amounts and times, where everything lives, quirks that look alarming but aren't, what's genuinely off-limits, and how your dog tells you they need something. Two minutes of honest detail beats two paragraphs of 'he's a good boy.'
Every sitter has opened booking notes that say 'he's friendly, food in the pantry' and then spent the first hour playing detective. The notes that make a stay effortless are unglamorous and specific. Here's what the people reading them actually want.
The food, precisely
Not 'a scoop' — which scoop? Level or heaping? One cup at 7AM and 4PM, or free-fed? If treats have a daily budget, say so. If the food lives somewhere strange because the dog can open the pantry (they remember), say that too.
The quirks that look wrong but aren't
The dog that shakes during thunder. The one who carries a shoe to the door but never chews it. The 3 a.m. hallway patrol. Providers meet these behaviors cold and have to decide: normal, or call the owner? Every quirk you write down is a decision they don't have to make nervously.
The house itself
The gate latch that needs a lift-then-push. The door that sticks in humidity. Which neighbor knows you're away. Where the leash, towels, and poop bags actually live. If there's a cat next door with an established treaty line, describe the border.
The signals
How does your dog ask to go out? What does the 'I'm about to be sick' pace look like? What settles them — pressure, distance, a specific word? You've spent years learning your dog's language; the notes are where you hand over the phrasebook.
What you can skip
Their life story, their Instagram, how much you'll miss them (we know). And nothing you write is too much — ask any provider: the too-long note has never once been the problem.
Booking notes are a phrasebook for your dog's language. Write the real one.
FAQ
What information does a pet sitter need most?
Exact feeding amounts and times, medication details, where supplies live, your dog's specific quirks and signals, emergency vet info, and anything about the house itself — the sticky door, the gate latch, the alarm code that beeps twice.
Can I update my booking notes after booking?
Yes — message your provider directly through the booking with anything you forgot. They'd always rather know.