HOW TO HIRE · PETS

How to hire a puppy sitter in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to puppy visits. Here is what to ask and how to keep training consistent.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a puppy sitter in five steps

  1. Meet firstWith the puppy at home.
  2. Share the routineFeeding, toilet, crate, play and training words.
  3. Agree visit lengthToilet break only, or play and training too.
  4. Check vaccinationsWhether your puppy can go outside yet.
  5. Agree updatesA message after each visit.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

There is no register of puppy sitters in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Licensing covers boarding — taking animals into someone's premises — and Defra's guidance for England says care given in the owner's own home, by sitters and walkers, does not need a licence.

If the puppy would stay at the sitter's home instead, ask which licence covers that. gov.uk →

Keys, alarm and access

A puppy sitter will hold your keys and alarm code. Ask how they keep them, whether the keys are tagged without your address, and whether their insurance pays to change the locks if keys are lost.

Put key and alarm arrangements in the booking message.

Animal welfare law

A puppy sitter takes on a legal duty, not just a job. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (England and Wales) a person in charge of an animal on a temporary basis is responsible for meeting its needs — diet, environment, protection from pain and disease — with equivalent duties in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Ask how they would spot illness in your puppy and what they would do. legislation.gov.uk →

Insurance

No law makes a puppy sitter carry insurance, but public liability and cover for animals in their care are normal for a business. Ask what the policy pays if your puppy is hurt, falls ill or goes missing while with them.

Ask to see the current insurance certificate.

VAT

Puppy visits are standard-rated at 20% when the sitter is VAT-registered. An individual under the £90,000 registration threshold charges no VAT and has no VAT number to give.

Ask the puppy sitter whether they are registered; most individuals making puppy visits under £90,000 a year are not, and then no VAT is added. gov.uk →

“Have you looked after puppies before?”

A good answer: Experience with young dogs and their routines.

“How long is each puppy visit?”

A good answer: Half an hour is common; longer for play and training.

“Will the puppy sitter use my training words and rules?”

A good answer: Yes — consistency matters.

“Will you take my puppy outside before vaccinations finish?”

A good answer: Only as your vet advises.

“Are you insured as a puppy sitter?”

A good answer: Yes, with keys covered.

“What will you do if the puppy is unwell?”

A good answer: Call you and your vet.

“Who covers if you are ill?”

A good answer: A named backup.

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per visit or per hour, and what weekends and holidays add
  • The minimum booking — often a short visit every few hours — and whether an early finish is charged in full
  • What you leave (puppy food, pads, crate, chews) and what the sitter brings
  • The routine agreed before the first hour: toilet breaks, feeding times, play, crate time and any training words
  • ID checked and the rating, and insurance that covers a chewed item or an accident in your home

Walk away if

  • No interest in your training routine
  • Very short visits sold as long ones
  • No insurance
  • No emergency plan
LOW
£10
TYPICAL
£15
HIGH
£20

What a puppy sitter costs: £10–£20 per visit

Puppy visits are priced per visit, by length and visits per day, with weekends and holidays sometimes extra. Puppy Visits price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Puppy sitters near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. ArriveGreeting kept calm.
  2. ToiletStraight outside or to the toilet spot.
  3. Feed and waterAs your routine says.
  4. Play and trainingShort games and practice.
  5. Settle and updatePuppy settled, message sent.

Puppy visit
A short visit to toilet, feed and play.
Crate training
Teaching a puppy to rest in a crate.
Socialisation
Getting a puppy used to new people and things.
Microchip
The ID chip every dog must have and be registered on.
Recall
Coming back when called.
Care sheet
Your written routine.

AFTER

When the job is done

Read the visit notesToilet, food and play.
Check the puppyHappy, eating and toilet routine on track.
Keep the keys arrangementAgreed and secure.
Close the loopReview once you have lived with the result for a few days; if it falls short, the make-it-right step lets the sitter respond before it goes live.

STEP 1Tell the sitter, in writingSay what went wrong with the puppy visits and what you want. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the service must be provided with reasonable care and skill.
STEP 2The Locufy make-it-right stepBelow four stars, you decide whether the complaint about the puppy sitter goes to the sitter first. We follow it through, and then you review.
STEP 3Escalate itWith no register for a puppy sitter, escalation runs through the consumer helplines, which can pass cases to Trading Standards: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, and Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claimsIf the puppy sitter still is not settled, the limits are £10,000 in England and Wales (small claims track), £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland (small claims court). Keep every message and invoice as evidence.

Hiring a puppy sitter: questions people ask

No. No licence applies to visits in your home in any UK nation.

Yes. Every dog has to be chipped, with the chip registered on an approved database, by the time it is eight weeks old.

Yes, while in charge; welfare law in each nation requires the puppy's needs to be met.

Most people pay between £10 and £20 per visit; £15 is the typical figure. The puppy visits price guide shows what changes it, and a search above lists puppy sitters nearby.

Young puppies need frequent toilet breaks; ask your vet or trainer for your puppy.

Tell the sitter in writing. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 still sets the standard: reasonable care and skill.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in pets

How to hire: Puppy TrainingHow to hire: Dog WalkingHow to hire: Pet SittingHow to hire: Doggy Day CareHow to hire: Dog TrainingHow to hire: House Sitting with PetsHow to hire: Dog GroomingHow to hire: Mobile VetAll 701 hiring guides →

Puppy sitters near you

Puppy sitters in LondonPuppy sitters in ManchesterPuppy sitters in BirminghamPuppy sitters in GlasgowPuppy sitters in BelfastAll puppy sitters on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk (Defra) — dog day care licensing guidance
  2. Animal Welfare Act 2006, section 3 — responsibility for animals
  3. Animal Welfare Act 2006, section 9 — duty to ensure welfare
  4. Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, section 24
  5. Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, section 9
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. gov.uk — get your dog or cat microchipped
  8. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  9. mygov.scot — make a court claim for money
  10. nidirect — small claims process
  11. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  12. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register