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Why Hire a Professional Pet Sitter Instead of a Student or Hobby Sitter?

When it comes to your pets, nothing but the best will do—and that includes who you trust to care for them while you’re away. It might seem convenient or cost-effective to hire a local college or high school student or to book someone on a popular app like Rover. But when you dig a little deeper, it becomes clear why hiring a professional pet sitter is a safer, smarter choice.

  1. We’re Insured—and That Actually Matters

Many people are surprised to learn that the “insurance” offered through platforms like Rover isn’t really traditional pet sitting insurance. It often only kicks in after your own homeowners insurance is used, and only in very specific situations. That leaves you on the hook if something goes wrong.

By contrast, professional pet sitters carry their own business liability insurance, covering a wide range of incidents—including property damage, pet injuries, and lost key coverage. This means you’re protected, and so are your pets and your home. We are fully insured and bonded through Business Insurers of the Carolinas

  1. We’re Trained, Certified, and Experienced

Would you trust someone with no training to care for a child with medical needs? Then why should it be different for your pets?

Professional pet sitters have years of hands-on experience, understand animal behavior, and are certified in Pet first aid and CPR. We know how to recognize the early signs of illness, administer medications safely, and keep your pets calm and stress-free while you’re away. We also have experience dealing with loose dogs that may come up to us, and know how to handle them to keep your dog safe.

  1. We Take Responsibility Seriously

High school or college sitters may mean well—but school, social lives, and inexperience can lead to missed visits, forgotten feedings, or worse. A professional pet sitter treats your pet care like the business it is—because it is our business. We have policies, procedures, back-up plans, and scheduling systems in place to ensure your pets never get left behind.

  1. We’re Licensed and Operate Legally

Did you know some towns and cities have zoning laws that prohibit pet boarding in private homes? Or that Massachusetts recently passed legislation called Ollie’s Law, which requires stricter standards for boarding and pet care facilities?

When you work with a professional pet sitter, you’re working with someone who understands and abides by local laws and zoning regulations. We don’t board pets in our homes unless it’s legal and safe to do so—we care for your pets in your home, where they’re most comfortable.

  1. We’re Reliable and Accountable

No last-minute cancellations for a party or vacation. No “oops, I forgot.” No guessing when—or if—someone showed up. Professional pet sitters use scheduling software, time-tracking apps, and communication tools to give you real-time updates, photos, and peace of mind.

6. Professional affiliations, Certifications, and Continuing Education

We are members of Pet Sitters International and a Certified Professional Pet Sitter . We regularly take part in educational webinars and courses. We are also Fear Free Certified Professional , which means we are trained to observe pet’s body language and watch for signs of fear, anxiety, and stress , and take actions to minimize them. We are also Certified in Dog Training Knowledge through Catch Canine Trainers Academy , having graduated with distinction from their masterclass. We can help train basic cues and help with behavior modification.

At Great Woods Pet Sitting, we’re proud to be trained, certified, insured, and experienced. We don’t just love pets—we know how to care for them responsibly, reliably, and legally. When it comes to your furry family members, don’t gamble. Hire a professional.

🐾 Ready to Book Trusted, Professional Pet Care?
We offer midday Dog Walking, once a day Cat Sitting, and can help with Dog Training.


Click below to schedule a meet & greet or request services with Great Woods Pet Sitting:

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Dog walking, dog training

Why we use and recommend positive reinforcement and reward-based training.

We use positive reinforcement and reward – based training because it strengthens the bond between you and your dog. All animals, including dogs and humans, learn better without the threat of punishment.

Punishment or aversives are anything a dog will work to avoid. This includes pinch, choke, shock, or ecollars, loud noises, spraying with water, even just yelling can be considered aversive.

Punishment may stop a behavior in the moment, but it doesn’t teach the dog what you want him to do. Punishment weakens your bond with your dog and can also cause fear, anxiety, and stress. Because dogs learn by association, it can also cause your dog to associate whatever he was focused on at the moment, with the pain of the aversive. This can cause him to form a negative association with whatever he was focused on. It could be a dog, person, or a child. The next time he encounters it, he will remember the pain and fear and could become reactive towards it.

Positive reinforcement includes anything your dog will work to earn including Dog Training Treats, toys, praise, or playtime.

Instead of waiting until he does something you dislike, train him by rewarding him for doing what you want instead. Until he is reliably trained, you should prevent your dog from performing the unwanted behaviors and keep him safe with management. Management includes things like crating or confining your dog to a room or a section of the house, keeping him on a leash or long line, or blocking off areas you don’t want him to have access to.

If your dog chews things in your house, make sure everything he might be tempted to chew is picked up and out of reach. Give him plenty of dog – safe options like Kongs and chew toys to satisfy his need to chew.

If your dog pulls on the leash, reward him frequently for walking by your side. We recommend front-clip, Y-shaped Harnesses for pullers, combined with frequent reinforcement. Pulling is self rewarding, it gets him to all the good smells. Let him sniff, but don’t let him pull.

If your dog jumps, keep him behind a gate to prevent him jumping on visitors. You can teach him to go to his bed or place or have him fetch a toy to give him something to do that isn’t jumping.

The more often you reward a behavior, the more it will be repeated. You can build a reward history so your dog is happy to walk by your side. Instead of jumping on visitors, he will happily go to his place or fetch his toy.

If you reward him frequently and generously for coming every time he is called, never punish him for not coming or call him for anything unpleasant, he will learn that coming to you means only good things, and is more likely to come when called. You are competing with things in the environment, so unless you can completely control the environment, I would recommend not letting your dog off leash unless you are 100% certain he will come when called.

Your dog will be happier and less stressed if you use positive reinforcement instead of aversives to train him.

If you need help training your dog, Contact Us today !

AVSAB-Humane-Dog-Training-Position-Statement-2021.pdf

https://hsmo.org/AVSAB-The-Problems-Using-Punishment.pdf

How to train your dog to come every time – 12-Rules-for-Rocket-Recall-with-Book-0522.pdf