House Sitting Trends | feedback

House sitting is a growing trend world wide. We report on this tide, which is a win-win for House Sitters and Home Owners.

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Name: Ian White
Location: Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia

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Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The Don'ts of Dog Training

Dog ownership can provide some of the richest and most fulfilling experiences in a person's life. That being said, dog training can sometimes drive a person to the point of pulling his or her hair out. Although, most dogs are exceptionally intelligent, they also tend to be quite hyperactive and often possess short attention spans.

Many dog training methods suggest all sorts of different techniques to try. However, most people are surprised to learn that effective dog training has less to do with the methods that are employed, and more to do with avoiding two fundamental mistakes.

Lack of Consistency

Unsuccessful dog training is almost always a result of inconsistent patterns of behavior by the trainer. Like children, dogs crave consistency. Effective dog training requires that the trainer react with the same response each time the dog fails to comply with a command. For every action the dog takes, there must be an expected reaction from you. This helps the dog learn that there will always be a single certain consequence when it behaves a certain way. It doesn't matter if you respond to the dog with physical discipline or with the simple word, "no." If the rule is: no dogs in the bed, but sometimes you let him get away with it, you can bet your dog will never transition into a well-mannered pooch. Although, it may seem harsh at times, tough love through consistent discipline is the only way to teach a dog what is acceptable and what isn't. Consistency is the key, and no dog training method can be effective without it.

Improper Physical Discipline

Physical discipline can be an extremely effective method of dog training. That being said, you should never swat or spank a dog on the nose. Although, a quick tap on the nose may seem like a good way to get your dog's attention, the unintended consequences can have a drastic long-term effect on your dog. Training a dog this way often causes them to develop a tendency to flinch and cower. This generally makes the dog fearful and hesitant to approach when he or she is called. Also, this method of dog training produces poor guard dogs as a simple raise of the hand tends to send them cowering.

If you decide you want to incorporate physical discipline into your dog training methods, your best bet is to use either a choke chain or a traditional swat to the dog's backside. This will get the dog's attention, but won't have the same unintended consequences as a swat to the nose.

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Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Grafton NSW homeowner finds wonderful house sitter

"Thank you for the opportunity to advertise freely on your site. It was difficult to pick one housesitter from a list of wonderful offers. I would thoroughly recommend your site to friends seeking a housesitter.
Many thanks Deborah W (graftongal)

Housesit Details:

Grafton North Coast 9 Dec 2008 until 25th Jan 2010

RURAL TRANQUILITY CLOSE TO TOWN! 10km from Grafton, a beautiful historic town with heritage buildings only 40 minutes from pristine beaches on the north coast of NSW. Grafton also has a brand new large shopping centre, and a major restoration of an art deco cinema is currently underway which will be operational by the end of the year.

We have a one year old house with expansive rural views, only 7 minutes from Grafton, and a dalmation dog and ginger cat who both live outside. The dog has plenty of space to run around the garden and can be exercised easily at home as there are 60 acres with the property. She loves to play as she is still a puppy. The house has air conditioning, an inground 10 metre pool, 2 living areas including a baby grand piano, 4 bedrooms 2 bathrooms, and kitchen with gas cooking , electric oven, dishwasher. The garden comprises lawn and trees with no garden beds to maintain, only mowing.

The pool will require basic maintenance :emptying the skimmer basket, checking the level of water and topping it up if required, and a vacuum once a week -10 days which takes about 15 minutes to keep it crystal clear.

The balance of the property is on agistment and does not require any intervention, except to keep an eye on the water trough occasionally for the horse. We are looking for a single or couple preferably, (no young children) to housesit and feed our animals and enjoy our house. We look forward to your enquiries

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Sunday, May 31, 2009

Launceston Tasmania homeonwer finds house sitter for 12 months at short notice.

"We decided in a short time to get a House Sitter in, we then discovered this wonderful site and once we place and ad, we had the right applicant chosen within 24 hrs. This is a brilliant site and we recommend it to everyone thinking of following in our foot steps."

Tony and Lyn (tonylyn)

House sit Details:
12 months + ongoing Evandale Deddington, launceston TAS Australia

Hello We are a young retired couple wishing to travel Australia on a permanent basis starting around mid July 2009.

We require a mature couple who are non smokers, pets ok, who are willing to participate in handyman work around the house and farm area. We will require absolutely NO RENT in exchange for simple handyman tasks such as gardening, some painting, general maintenance and so on.

"Highcliff" is a three acre property built in 1870 circa and located in the beautiful Nile River Valley only 20 mins comuting distance from Launceston and the Airport. If you feel that this is for you, then please contact us via email at highcliff activ8 thankyou regards Tony and Lyn

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

Housesitter found for small sailing town - spectacular views and kayaks, power boat,and bicycles included Pamlico North Carolina

"Thanks for your great service. Just wanted to let you know that we received many qualified applicants and have hired one of those. I have removed our ad. "

.. jayhawk64

house sit details:

Pamlico North Carolina USA 1 month From 2009-08-01

House on the water with spectacular views and kayaks, power boat,and bicycles included. Ocean beaches a ferry ride away. Must be willing to care for our 2 cats as well as looking after our home.

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Wellington NZ homeowner securely finds a lovely housesitting couple for sunny house

"Wow! I signed up as a houseowner yesterday and had 6 fast responses. 24 hours later we have interviewed and accepted a lovely couple who only signed up as sitters themselves 2 weeks ago. Thanks for the wonderful and secure website :)"
Wendy in NZ (login wjkhar)

Housesit Details:
Karori Wellington New Zealand
6 weeks AvailFromDate = 2009-06

My family lives in a lovely sunny house with a 18 month old cat and a 4 month old kitten. We are going on our first long overseas trip and our primary concern is that our cats don't get lonely while we're away... Our house is on a bus route and is 8 minutes drive from central Wellington. It has heat pumps to keep you cosy. Please get in touch if you love cats :)

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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Qualicum Beach BC Homeowners delighted with sitters to mind their home with lots of live theater, miles of beach, curling and hockey during the winter

"An amazing website!!! SO well thought out, easy to use friendly. We had many responses to our ad and are delighted with the people we found. Many thanks "
...Dan and Carol (Angus1)

Housesit Details:
Qualicum Beach British Columbia Canada 4 months 2009-11-05

Looking for a couple to take care of our home and our two golden retrievers.

We live in a new home with all the latest amenities, central to both Qualicum Beach and Parksville on Central Vancouver Island.Mild winters (usually), ski hill close by, lots of live theater, miles of beach, curling and hockey during the winter.

Victoria is a two hour drive. Many artisans ans crafters live in the area therefore many galleries.

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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

How to Keep Your House Safe While You're Away

Fox news have written an excellent article on making preparations for travel with home security and pets in mind.

The following observation is interesting

"House sitters are usually a “better choice for cat owners since cats usually don’t appreciate change,” Arden says, but where the debate really heats up is deciding between a sitter and a kennel. "


Read entire article on Preparing for Travel, with home security and pets in mind

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Wednesday, May 06, 2009

House Sitting Services Offer Inexpensive Vacationing Opportunities

House sitting is quickly becoming the popular choice when it comes to taking an economical vacation. One of the reasons for this is simply because the vacationer gets to take a rent-free vacation at a place of his choosing. This fact alone provides a huge savings that allows even those who are strapped for cash to enjoy a bit of down time for relaxation and fun.

Homeowners provide their residence to house sitters free of charge. In exchange, the house sitters promise to watch over the home, take care of the pets, and perform any necessary duties as required by the homeowner. It is a good situation for everyone involved, since each party obtains something that they need or want without the exchange of money.

Another reason for an increase in the house sitting trend is the increase in the number of people offering house sits. Not only are house sitting opportunities more readily available, but also, they are more readily available in a greater number of locations. From fun in the sun to fun in the snow, vacation goers can enjoy almost any type of vacation at a reduced cost.

House sitters can enjoy some of the most exotic spots in the world at a fraction of the normal cost. If they prefer, house sitters can choose to enjoy a trip to some less exotic space while still enjoying a reduction in the cost of the trip since rent is free. House sitting opportunities are growing in numbers, allowing more people to take advantage of an excellent opportunity to see different spots in the world.

Since house sitting vacations provide a less expensive way to get away and enjoy the pleasures of life for a few days, people can start to enjoy more than one vacation a year. With minimized costs in the forefront, the excuses for not taking a vacation are greatly diminished. House sitting holidays are just another one of the amazing opportunities out there for frugal people looking to enjoy life to the best of their ability.

By Susan M. Keenan ©2009

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