If you are unsure about what length of pet sitting visits to book for your dog, you have come to the right place.
We have worked with a lot of different breeds and we have tried a number of packages over the years. We have some of the best practices that we have found listed at the top of this article.
At the bottom of this page you will find a chart that shows the visit lengths that we have found works the best based on:
- Breed,
- Energy level,
- Social needs
- Anxiety level.
If you like, you can skip ahead to the chart at the bottom of the page.
Scheduling Dog Sitting Visits
During the four years that we have been in the pet care business, I have visited about 300 pets and completed over 3000 visits. After doing so many visits I’ve noticed most of the things we do during a visit are split into 15-minute chunks.
Think in 15-Minute Time Blocks to Choose A Visit Length
A meal takes about 15 minutes. A short walk takes about 15-minutes. A long walk takes about 30 minutes. Playtime takes about 15-30 minutes. Oh and taking care of the cats, that takes about 15-minutes. It’s like a magic number
For Example:
If you want lots of indoor playtime and a meal. You should book a 45-minute visit. The meal will take about 15-minutes and the playtime will be about 30-minutes.
Another example would be a meal and a nice long walk. The walk would be 30-minutes and the meal would be 15-minutes. So 45-would work here too. If you wanted to add in some indoor playtime, add 15-minutes. So you would need to book a 60-minute visit.
When you allow 15-minute blocks for the major duties your sitter is responsible for, your sitter and your pets will be happy that you scheduled enough time for everything to be done well. As you customize your visits, you can ask your sitter to break playtime, walks, etc. up into one third, or one quarter of the visit for example.
Dog Sitting Visits Lengths
Let’s compare the most common visit lengths.
30-Minute Visits
This is the minimum amount of time for a dog pet sitting visit. This gives your sitter enough time to prepare a meal and go on a short potty break walk. 30-minute visits are usually best suited for morning visits. I always recommend scheduling at least one or two 45-60 minute visits later in the day along with your 30-minute visit.
45-Minute Visits
A great choice for dogs that want a nice long walk or indoor playtime. Keep in mind, 45-minutes is not long enough for a nice long walk and lots of indoor playtime. With a 45-minute visit, you would need to pick one or the other or pick a short walk and a bit of indoor playtime.
60-Minute Visit
This is the best choice for dogs. 60-Minutes is enough time for your pet to completely de-stress. You pups will get a nice long walk and lots of playtime and a meal. If your pups are less active, 60-Minute visits are still a great choice because your sitter will help your dog relax while you are away.
Adjusting Visit Lengths For Your Dog's Needs
Keep in mindto schedule the perfect amount of time for your pets you may need to further consider the number of pets that you have, other house sitting duties your sitter will be in charge of, the number of medications administered, and any special needs your pets may have.
Households With Multiple Pets
If you have multiple pets and different types of pets you will need to factor in some time for their needs as well. Depending on how many pets you have and all of the tasks your pet sitter you will to complete, you may need to schedule another 15-30 minutes. You will be the best judge. Just be sure to book enough time upfront to avoid charges if you sitter goes over time. You can read more about recommended cat sitting visit lengths here.
Mix and Match Visit Lengths
Many clients like to mix and match visit lengths.
For example, something like this works well for many dogs.
- 30-minute morning visit
- Nice long 45 or 60-minute early afternoon visit
- 30 or 45-minute bedtime visit
What Time Can My Dog Sitter Come To My Home
We offer the following visits for dog sitting and you can mix and match as you see fit.
- Morning: 7:00am – 9:30am
- Late Morning: 9:30am – 11:00am
- Mid-Day: 11:00am – 2:00pm
- Early Afternoon: 1:00pm – 3:00 pm
- Late Afternoon: 3:00pm – 5:00pm
- Evening: 4:00pm – 6:30pm
- Bedtime: 6:30pm – 9:00pm
How Many Dog Sitting Visits To Book Per Day
Two visits per day is the minimum for most dogs. Three visits is recommended. IF your budget allows, four visits per day is a great way to go.
I have had a couple clients that have a doggy door and their dogs could go in and out whenever they wanted. Their dogs usually ate just one time per day. A single 45-minute or 60-minute visit in the evening worked for them, but that is rare.
Two Visits Per Day
For two visits per day, I recommend setting up a morning visit and a bedtime visit. If you have a smaller dog or a lower energy dog, this can be a good option. I like to set up at least a 30-minute visit and a 45-minute visit. More time is better because the visits do go by quickly.
The more time your sitter has to be with your dog, the better your dogs will feel. If your budget allows, I highly recommend booking at least a 15-minute early afternoon visit to break up the day.
Three Visits Per Day
We see a huge improvement in the mood of dogs that get three visits per day. A mid-day walk elevetates your dogs mood and keeps them happy until their bedtime visit.
Time Slots For Three Visits Per Day
Three Visits Per Day - Option #1
- Morning: 7:00am – 9:30am
- Early Afternoon: 1:00 – 3:00 pm
- Bedtime: 6:30pm – 9:00pm
This visit schedule breaks the day up evenly. Rather than setting up a evening visit, which is intuitive because it lines up with a dogs regular mealtime, I like to set up an early afternoon visit and split the evening meal between the early afternoon visit and the bedtime visit. Over the years, we have found this schedule works very well for dogs that are OK with having their evening meal split into lunch and a late dinner.
Three Visits Per Day - Option #2
- Morning: 7:00am – 9:30am
- Late Afternoon 3:00pm – 5:00pm
- Bedtime: 6:30pm – 9:00pm
This visit schedule is great too. You can keep your dogs meal closer to their normal time and feed them at the late afternoon visit.
Four Visits Per Day
Clients love setting up four visits per day. You can mix and match visit lengths and time blocks to customize they day for your dog with nice long walks. Lots of time to play in the back yard, and pleanty of time for snuggles and love.
This is the perfect option for dogs that are usually with people all the time.
Good Time Slots For Four Visits Per Day
- Morning: 7:00am – 9:30am
- Mid-Day: 11:00am – 2:00pm
- Late Afternoon: 3:00pm – 5:00pm
- Bedtime: 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Summary
As you can see there are many factors to consider. The most common mistake is to book too few visits. Be sure you book enough enough visits so that your pets are happy while you are away.
The chart below can get you started off on the right track with the set up for your dogs.
| Breed Name | Recommended Visits | Energy Level | Anxiety Level | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affenpinscher | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening |  |  | Toy |
| Afgan Hound | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •30-Minute Bedtime |  |  | Hound |
| Airedale Terrier | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •30-Minute Bedtime | | | Terrier |
| Akita | •45-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening | |  | Working |
| Alaskan Malamute | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Noon •60-Minute Bedtime | | | Working |
| Austraian Cattle Dog | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •30-Minute Bedtime | | | Herding |
| Australian Shepherd | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Evening |  | | Hearding |
| Basset Hound | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •30-Minute Bedtime |  | | Hound |
| Beagle | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Evening | | | Hound |
| Bernese Mountain Dog | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •30-Minute Bedtime | |  | Working |
| Bichon Friese | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •30-Minute Bedtime | | | Non-Sport |
| Border Collie | •45-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •45-Minute Bedtime | | | Herding |
| Boston Terrier | •45-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening | | | Terrier |
| Boxer | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Evening | | | Working |
| Bull Terrier | •45-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •45-Minute Bedtime | | | Terrier |
| Bulldog | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening |  | | Non-Sporting |
| Cardigan Welsh Corgi | •45-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •45-Minute Bedtime | | | Herding |
| Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | •45-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •45-Minute Bedtime | | | Sporting Dog |
| Chihuahua | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening | | | Toy |
| Chow Chow | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Evening | | | Working |
| Dachshund | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Evening | | | Hound |
| Dingo | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •30-Minute Bedtime | | | Hybrid |
| Doberman | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Evening | | | Working |
| Doggy-Poo | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening | | | Sporting |
| English Mastif | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Evening | | | Working |
| French Bulldog | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening | | | Non-Sporting |
| German Shepherd | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Noon •60-Minute Bedtime | | | Working |
| Golden Retreiver | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Noon •60-Minute Bedtime | | | Sporting |
| Grate Dane | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening | | | Working |
| Great Pyreneese | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •30-Minute Bedtime | | | Companion Dogs |
| Greyhound | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Evening | | | Hound |
| Labrador | •45-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •45-Minute Bedtime | | | Hunting |
| Lhasa Apso | •45-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening | | | Non-Sporting |
| Malinoius | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Noon •60-Minute Bedtime | | | Working |
| Maltese Dog | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening | | | Toy |
| Minture Pinscher | •45-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •45-Minute Bedtime | | | Toy |
| Newfoundland Dog | •45-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening | | | Working |
| Old English Sheepdog | •45-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •45-Minute Bedtime | | | Herding |
| Pekingese | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening | | | Toy |
| Pit Bull | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Evening | | | Terrier |
| Pointer | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Evening | | | Hunting |
| Pomeranian | •45-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening | | | Toy |
| Pug | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening | |  | Toy |
| Rottweiler | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •30-Minute Bedtime | | | Working |
| Saluki | •45-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •45-Minute Bedtime | | | Hound |
| Shih Tzu | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening | | | Toy |
| Siberian Huskey | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Noon •60-Minute Bedtime | | | Working |
| St. Bernard | •45-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening | | | Working |
| Standard Poodle | •45-Minute Morning •45-Minute Noon •45-Minute Bedtime | | | Sporting |
| Visla | •60-Minute Morning •60-Minute Evening | | | Hunting |
| Yorkshire Terrier | •30-Minute Morning •45-Minute Evening | | | Toy |
