This page is currently under construction. I will be sorting and linking these questions eventually. If you have any other questions you would like to add, please Contact Me and I will answer them.

What does pet-sitting include?
Pet-sitting includes feeding your pets, giving them fresh water daily (or at each visit, if less than daily), and cleaning up after them (litter boxes, etc.) as per your instructions. If time permits, I will also exercise your pet, walk your pet, groom your pet, give your pet attention, or just keep your pet company, as per your instructions. I can also perform basic house-sitting duties if time permits.

How does your animal training service work?
First, we schedule a free consultation so we can determine your training needs, set up a training schedule, and create a training plan. Then I will meet with you and your family for an hour per week where we go over basic training techniques while training your pet.

Can you train my aggressive animal to be less aggressive?
It's possible, but I can't guarantee it. Because of the time and dedication required, I can't guarantee full results in the six week training time. It may take months of even years to reduce or eliminate this behavior.
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Can you train my cat to stop clawing the furniture?
Training an animal to stop doing something, especially something that comes naturally, is one of the hardest things to train. I have several techniques that we can try, and they will work given enough time and consistent behavior from the trainer, but because of the time and dedication required, I can't guarantee full results in the six week training time. It may take months of even years to reduce or eliminate this behavior. Cats especially have a hard time changing their behavior based on training, and it would behoove you to introduce other tools such as cardboard and carpet scratching materials, and the use of pheromone products such as Feliway.

Can you train my cat to stop urinating or defecating outside the litter box?
This is very difficult to do with training. Using behavior modification in other ways, such as using pheromone products, changing the litter, adding more litter boxes, etc., will likely be more successful.

Can you potty-train my puppy?
I can help you potty-train your puppy and give you the techniques you need, but you will need to do most of the work, simply by virtue of the fact that you spend more time with your puppy than I will.

Why am I required to be there when you train my animal?
If I train your animal by myself, the animal will learn the behaviors and learn them quickly, but you need to learn how to ask the behaviors yourself. Furthermore, training is a bonding experience between you and your pet. Your pet will learn the nuances of the training cues when you ask them. If only I were to train your pet, there would be some turn-over time where the animal would have to learn the cues from you, and the behavior might regress during that time.

Will you pet-sit for or train exotic animals?
Yes! Absolutely! It would be my pleasure. I have a lot of experience with exotic animals, and you can rest assured I can take care of them or train them safely.

Will you pet-sit for or train reptiles?
I will pet-sit for them. It is possible to train reptiles to perform some basic behaviors, as well. At Moorpark College, we had a Galapagos tortoise that we took for walks. We told him where to go by using a target stick to target him in the direction we wanted him to go.

Will you pet-sit for or train birds?
Absolutely! I have experience training raptors, parrots, and macaws.

Will you pet-sit for or train rodents?
Certainly! My very first training assignment at school was to train a pair of rats to run a maze. You can see my rats on my Pictures page.

Will you pet-sit for or train fish?
Sure! My expertise is not with fish, but I can take care of them, and any animal can be trained. We've all seen the Mythbusters train their goldfish to swim through hoops, and if they can do it, so can I.

Will you pet-sit for or train illegal pets, such as ferrets or sugar gliders?
Yes, and you can count on me to be discreet. While I don't condone owning illegal pets, once they are in captivity, they still need a high level of care and expertise, and I can provide that.

Can I hire you for longer periods of time?
Yes. All times are negotiable. I can come earlier, stay later, or train longer, provided you can reimburse me for my time. I can even pet-sit for an entire day or overnight. Such one-on-one care is more costly, but many pet owners feel it is worth it to have their pet pampered with so much attention, and to allow the pet to stay in their home rather than go to a boarding facility.

Will you visit the house more than once a day when pet-sitting?
If you request, I will do it. Please see my pricing schedule on the Fees page. If you can't afford me, it is possible to work out a lower payment if you can prove financial hardship.

Will you perform any house-sitting duties?
Yes! I can water your plants, take your trash bins out or in, retrieve your mail, rotate your blinds, change which lights are on and off, park in your driveway while I'm visiting, or perform any other similar chores you may require, all at no extra charge.

How late can you visit?
My normal animal training hours are between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. any day of the week. Pet-sitting and dog-walking can occur between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. any day of the week. The animal training and dog-walking hours aren't more flexible beyond that, but pet-sitting hours can be negotiated. For instance, I can stay overnight, or visit early or late, particularly if an animal has special medical needs.

Do you charge extra for mileage or distance?
No! There's no telling where I might be starting my day from, and I'm not going to charge mileage to and from my house when I may not be coming straight from my house, or returning directly to it. I visit many pets during the day, and furthermore I may have errands to run, and I'm not going to pass that cost off on the client.

Do you do any pet grooming?
I am not covered for pet grooming. I can train your pet to accept grooming without being stressed, but I won't groom your pet other than the occasional brushing or drying off without a waiver from the pet owner in case of injury. I am quite skilled and experienced at clipping nails, but I don't cut or style hair or do anything else with regards to pet grooming.

Do you sit for my pets at my house or at your house?
I do all my pet-sitting at my clients' homes. This allows your pets to remain in a safe, comfortable and stress-free environment for them. Rest assured that I am insured (similar to being bonded) by Pet Sitters Associates LLC, so you are covered in case of theft, property damage, injury to your pet or by your pet, key loss, etc.

What happens if you lose the key I give you?
My insurance, Pet Sitters Associates LLC, will pay for replacement locks and new keys for your entire home. I have never lost a key yet.

Do you board pets?
No. I am not insured for boarding pets, nor am I set up for that kind of venture. Instead, I offer pet owners the ability to safely leave their pets where they feel most comfortable: in their own home.

Do you charge extra to pet-sit for multiple pets?
No! For most pets, it doesn't take me any more time to care for one pet as it does two or more. The exception is dogs. Typically, they each require at least a 30 minute walk, plus play time, feeding, and clean up, so you can expect to pay more for dogs.

Do you charge extra to train multiple pets?
Yes. Each pet requires its own time for training. It is possible to divide the hour among two (or more) different pets, but training may then take twice as long, depending on the type of animal, how fast each individual pet learns, and the difficulty of the behavior.

What experience do you have?
Aside from having pets and wild and domestic animals in my home since I was child, I went to school at Moorpark College's Exotic Animal Training and Management program, where I learned about animal behavior, positive reinforcement, training, and wildlife education. I was given hands-on experience with birds, reptiles, primates, hoofstock, large and small cats, and a wealth of other mammals (see my Pictures page for examples). I have also interned with the Wild Things, Inc., the Oakland Zoo, and Happy Hollow Park and Zoo.

Are you bonded?
I am insured with Pet Sitters Associates LLC. It's similar to being bonded. I carry liability insurance that includes coverage for your pets as well as your other personal property for accidental damage, mysterious disappearance, and theft.

How far will you go for a job?
Typically, I will drive for about an hour for a job. I can drive farther than that, but no more than two hours. If you're not sure, please Contact Me and we can discuss the matter.

Can you walk multiple dogs at once?
I sure can! The dogs need to have good leash etiquette and be friendly towards each other. If, however, the dog is fearful towards other dogs, people, bicycles, or other fast-moving vehicles, then for their safety, my safety, the safety of the public, and the safety of the other dogs, I will insist on walking the dog separately.

Why choose Artemis?
I'm a locally owned and operated, family-run business. I have a lot of experience and a lot of compassion. I can take care of and train a wide variety of animal types. I have experience with domestics and exotics. I have basic veterinary training and I know animal first aid. I am using some of the proceeds from this business to start a non-profit animal education center that houses and trains unreleasable wild animals and uses them to educate the public about wildlife, ecology, and environmentalism.

How many visits are required each day for pet-sitting?
For most animals, just one, but many people opt for two visits per day. For dogs, two visits are required, at a minimum of 30 minutes each. I can also visit once every other day for some animals, provided they are set up to have enough food and water for the interim.

How many visits per day are you willing to make for pet-sitting?
As many as you request. See our Fees page for information on pricing. Additional visits are always cheaper than the first visit of the day.

How long is a training session?
60 minutes. We can go longer if you request it, at an additional charge of $1 per minute.

How long does it take to train an animal a behavior?
That depends on a variety of factors. How much time can the owner spend training daily? How dedicated are the other members of the household towards training and maintaining the behavior? What type of animal is it? How fast does the individual animal learn? Has the animal ever been trained before? Has it ever been trained that behavior (or a similar one) before and lost it? How difficult is the behavior? Is the behavior already associated with a (positive) punishment or an aversive stimulus? For these reasons, animal trainers can never guarantee complete success or how much time it will take.

Do you do overnight stays for pet-sitting?
Yes. The charge is $100, and it includes my presence at your house from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., evening and morning feeding, clean-up, play time, and, if it's a dog, a walk in the evening and in the morning. If I have a special needs client that requires service between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., I may need to leave your home to attend to them. This will not reduce the charge to you, unfortunately. Overnight pet-sitting is first-come, first-served.

Do you do all-day stays for pet-sitting?
Yes. The charge is $100, and it includes my presence at your house from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., morning/afternoon/evening feedings as needed, play time, and for dogs, a morning, afternoon, and evening walk. If I have other clients, however, I may need to leave your home to during the day to attend to them. This will not reduce the charge to you, unfortunately. All-day pet-sitting is first-come, first-served.

What hours do you visit each day for pet-sitting?
I can visit between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. any day of the week. These hours are negotiable, however, so if you need an earlier or later visit, just let me know and I'm sure we can work something out. you can set the time of day that I visit your pet, or you can leave it up to me.

What hours are you available for training?
I can visit between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. any day of the week.

What hours are you available for dog-walking?
I can visit between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. any day of the week.

If you say you are going to be at my house between certain hours for pet-sitting, is that a guarantee? Under what circumstances might you not be at my house during those hours?
You may select the time of day you would like me to visit, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., provided I am not already booked for that time slot. You are not required to select a time; I can do so for you. The time requested or stated for a visit is not a guarantee. A multitude of factors may come into play to delay or push the time slot up, such as additional pet bookings, traffic, a pet emergency with another client, etc., but rest assured I will do my best to keep your animals to the schedule they are most familiar with.

Can I ask you to pet-sit every other day, or just check in every few days?
Yes, provided the pet will have enough food, water and enrichment for the intervening days. The exception is dogs and primates. Dogs and primates must be visited daily. The USDA requires that dogs and primates receive enrichment every day, and I wholeheartedly agree.

Do you take credit cards?
Yes! See our Fees/Payment page. We still take cash, checks, or money orders, of course.

Will you take animals other than dogs on walks?
Certainly! If they have a proper harness and leash, are safe to walk in public, and have experience on a leash, I will walk them. If they are not safe to walk in public, I will be happy to walk them in your secured yard. If they don't have experience on a leash, I would happy to train them for a fee.

How long does it usually to take to pet-sit for a cat?
The feeding, watering, and clean-up duties are finished in about 5 minutes, 10 minutes at the most. So even at the minimum price, your cat will always get at least 5 minutes of attention.

Where are you located?
We're located in San Jose, CA, USA. We don't have a physical store you can come into because we don't perform any of our services in our home. It all happens at our clients' homes.

How can I contact you?
I can be reached at (510) 872-8684, jennifer@artemisanimaltraining.com, or here.

What cities do you serve?
I serve San Jose, Santa Clara, Fremont, and pretty much anywhere within an hour or two of drive time. If you're not sure, please Contact Me.

Can you train my bird to talk?
It depends on the type of bird and the individual bird. Some types of birds can't mimic human words. Of those who can, some birds just decide not to. I can certainly train you how to train your bird to talk, but again, whether or not they will depends largely on the bird's personality.

Can I split pet-sitting services between you and someone else?
No. If something were to happen to your pet or your property, my insurance would not cover it if you were splitting the pet-sitting between me and someone else. It would be hard to prove that the problem occurred on my watch instead of the other person's watch, and I can't take that risk.