At Sniffspot, our mission is to make the world a more dog friendly. As a host on Sniffspot, you participate in this mission and vision. We put together this video to help set YOU up for success with us. We’ve spent a lot of time listening, reading, researching, and conversing with hosts and guests to understand what success looks and feels like. If you’d like to follow along, download the slides we’ll be covering here.
Check out the following minute marks to hear about specific topics of interest:
We also recommend you check out our Help Center for detailed information about what it takes to be successful as a host:
Here is the transcript of the video:
00:00
alright let's get started so thank you
00:03
for joining our webinar first ever
00:07
webinar for host tips for success so
00:12
before we hop in and start talking I'd
00:16
like to just emphasize why we're all
00:20
here
00:21
hosts and sniffs but in general are
00:24
really about making the world a more dog
00:27
friendly place so the world and cities
00:30
are not created for dogs
00:34
so with sniff spot we're really about
00:38
how we can make the world a more dog
00:42
friendly place to enable dogs to have a
00:44
better life
00:45
despite the world not really being
00:47
designed for dogs so let's let's hop in
00:52
so starting out here how to be a this is
00:59
kind of our agenda for this this webinar
01:02
and I see someone just joined so feel
01:05
free I think you should be able to
01:08
unmute yourself if you'd like to and you
01:12
can feel free to ask questions as we go
01:15
through or whenever if you have any and
01:18
this will all be recorded so we can we
01:25
can also have this recorded for later as
01:26
well so what we're gonna cover today
01:28
first thing I'd like to emphasize is
01:31
that as a sniffs pot host you can really
01:35
make a difference in how successful you
01:37
are our most successful host ones that
01:40
are out doing stuff and doing activities
01:45
to increase their visitors are much more
01:48
successful than hosts that are not doing
01:51
things to increase their visitor so you
01:53
actually have a lot of control over how
01:56
successful you can be as a host what
01:58
we're gonna cover in this webinar is
02:01
just three things three areas that will
02:05
lead you to being more successful as a
02:07
sniffs pot host first is creating an
02:10
amazing listing for your sniffs pot
02:13
second is providing a great experience
02:16
for your guests and last is marketing
02:19
your spot to make sure the people around
02:21
you can know that your spot exists so
02:24
let's let's hop in and talk about the
02:27
best spot listings so this is what I
02:31
want to cover for creating the the best
02:35
listing for your spot first I want to
02:40
emphasize that all this information can
02:42
be found and are in our Help Center I
02:44
have a link in this webinar and I'll
02:46
publish the I'll publish this
02:50
presentation following the webinar so
02:52
you can access all this through the link
02:55
so for the best sniff spot listings how
03:00
to make your listing just the the
03:03
perfect listing first make a friendly
03:06
host profile with a clear personal photo
03:09
people that are visiting your spot your
03:12
guests they want to know who you are
03:14
they're coming to your property they're
03:17
bringing their dog there this is a this
03:21
is a personal thing they want to know
03:22
that you're a real person that you're
03:25
friendly so just providing a clean host
03:28
profile it doesn't have to be anything
03:29
extensive with a clear photo of your
03:33
face is enough to really build a lot of
03:36
trust with people that might be visiting
03:38
your spot second have complete listing
03:41
information this is also pretty
03:43
straightforward through your host
03:46
account you can go in to your listing
03:48
and just fill in all of the listing
03:50
information that you might have there
03:53
number three and this is a really
03:54
important one that is often a sticking
03:59
point for hosts add five to ten really
04:02
amazing photos of your spot this many
04:06
hosts don't do this and it makes a huge
04:08
difference number four make it really
04:11
easy to book your spot and this is
04:12
another one where a lot of hosts a lot
04:17
of hosts happen don't don't do this and
04:19
it can make a huge difference and number
04:22
five make sure that every guest that
04:25
visits your spot actually writes you
04:26
were you this can also make a huge
04:29
difference we've seen that reviews on
04:31
spots make a massive difference in how
04:35
many new visitors they haven't even in
04:37
the repeat visitors they have so let's
04:41
hop in for this for going in-depth for
04:45
this webinar we're just gonna cover the
04:48
last three adding better photos to your
04:50
spot making it easier to book your spot
04:52
and making sure that every guest that
04:55
visits your spot writes a review and
04:59
again the detail on all of this even
05:02
things you don't cover here can be found
05:03
in our Help Center so let's talk about
05:07
about photos we're just gonna walk
05:09
through a few tips for how to how to
05:13
make great photos for your spot the
05:15
first tip is and this is a really easy
05:18
one make your photos in landscape format
05:22
not in vertical format so as you can see
05:29
on the left this is a photo that's a
05:31
vertical format it's someone on their
05:33
phone or using their camera that is
05:36
holding it vertically to take that photo
05:39
versus holding it horizontally to fit
05:41
take a photo it actually makes huge
05:43
difference in and how it feels to
05:45
someone viewing it so it's a really easy
05:48
one to do to make all your photos and
05:50
landscape format and not vertical and it
05:53
makes a big difference a few other
05:56
things that are important for photos
05:59
variety so when people are looking at
06:02
your photos they want to get a feel for
06:04
your spot so showing them photos
06:07
from every angle of your spot will help
06:09
you will feel a lot more comfortable
06:10
people want to know what's the fencing
06:12
like what's the ground like what's the
06:14
surrounding area like so by providing a
06:18
variety of photos you can really help
06:19
with that resolution matters so I'm
06:23
having photos that are at least a
06:25
thousand by 700 pixels can it can make a
06:30
big difference in just having a clear
06:32
crisp photo that that helps you will
06:36
feel like it's higher quality
06:37
cleanliness matters so before you take
06:41
photos just clean up clean up your spot
06:43
remove clutter and make your space look
06:46
very spacious and inviting time of day
06:50
matters so the golden hour which is
06:53
right after sunrise and right before
06:55
sunset you've probably noticed times
06:57
like this where things the light just
06:59
makes things look great that's a perfect
07:02
time to take photos and it can make a
07:04
big difference in the quality and
07:06
clearness of your photos subjects matter
07:09
so for these photos especially the main
07:12
photos for your spot avoid photos that
07:15
focus on people and dogs make the photos
07:18
more about the space because then people
07:20
can see the space and they can imagine
07:22
their dogs in the space they're not
07:25
imagining other dogs and people in the
07:28
space features matter so with your spot
07:32
emphasize photos of amenities and unique
07:35
features that you think people would
07:36
like because when people see those
07:39
things it's gonna piqued your curiosity
07:41
it's gonna make them want to come visit
07:43
so by following these tips it can
07:45
actually help a lot let's walk through
07:47
some actual examples of what good photos
07:51
could look like for different scenarios
07:55
with spots so these are some examples of
07:59
what good photos for a smaller type spot
08:03
would look like you can see here they're
08:05
in horizontal they're taken with bright
08:09
clear light they have they have kind of
08:15
a good aspect and focus there their
08:19
subjects are
08:21
clearly framed in the photos you can
08:23
kind of get an idea if you're looking at
08:25
photos that you're adding do they look
08:27
like this here's another view for a
08:30
larger spot some of us that's more
08:32
showing land you can see that again
08:36
they're horizontal they're good lights
08:38
they're kind of framing the subject in a
08:40
way it's really attractive so when
08:43
you're looking at photos that you're
08:44
adding to your spot think about do they
08:48
kind of have the same look and feel as
08:50
as these type of photos and lastly
08:54
amenities so if you have really
08:58
interesting really interesting things
09:01
that are worth including about your spot
09:05
like agility equipment even including
09:07
chairs shelter seating areas anything
09:12
that that would kind of make your spots
09:15
stand out including that in the photos
09:16
can be a really can be a really helpful
09:19
thing so let's move on talk a little bit
09:24
about making it easy to book your spot
09:27
and I'm gonna go into more detail on
09:29
this as well so there are really three
09:33
things three key things that can make it
09:37
super easy for someone to book your spot
09:39
people are our guests are are looking
09:44
for a place to bring their dogs
09:45
frequently as such and in this day and
09:49
age people want to have a super easy
09:53
experience booking a spot so to make it
09:59
seamless do these three things first set
10:03
the right booking preference for what
10:05
you need and I'll go into more detail on
10:08
what booking preferences are and how you
10:10
should set them if you need advance
10:12
notice you can set that so people know
10:15
exactly when they can actually book so
10:18
you're ready for them to visit and
10:20
number three keep your calendar up to
10:22
date and I'll go through more detail on
10:24
on how exactly you can do that as well
10:27
if you do these three things it's gonna
10:29
make it so easy for people to book your
10:31
spot that it'll really increase the
10:34
respond to your guests let's talk about
10:38
booking preferences there are two
10:41
options for booking preferences one is
10:45
booking the other is request a book
10:47
so booking is a booking preference where
10:52
you can basically any guests can book
10:56
your spot without waiting for a
10:58
confirmation this is our preferred way
11:00
of booking it's really nice for a guest
11:03
to be able to see a spot see an
11:06
available time and know when they click
11:09
book and they pay for that spot they're
11:11
gonna be confirmed that that's a very
11:14
nice instant gratification for guests
11:16
this is our preferred way of booking
11:18
when a guest can just see available time
11:21
and then book that time and have it be
11:23
confirmed if for whatever reason you
11:26
can't if for whatever reason you aren't
11:30
comfortable or you want to try it by
11:33
waiting for a confirmation
11:34
you can select request a book in this
11:37
case when a guest goes through selects a
11:42
time and pays their requesting that time
11:45
you'll be sent to notification you need
11:47
to confirm that time and then the then
11:50
the guests will be confirmed will
11:52
they'll get where they get your access
11:54
information and your address so they can
11:56
actually come visit and they're not
11:58
confirmed until you until you accept
12:01
them to come visit so these are our two
12:03
booking options the easiest thing is to
12:06
the easiest things for the guests and
12:08
actually the easiest thing for the host
12:10
is to choose is to choose booking
12:16
so let's talk about advance notice so
12:20
you can set up to 24 hours of advance
12:23
notice for your spot what's that what
12:25
this means is let's say you know someone
12:29
wants to book and come visit your spot
12:30
how far in advance do you have to be
12:33
notified so that you're ready for them
12:35
like for instance maybe you need to
12:39
unlock the gate or you need to do
12:41
something else to get the spot ready for
12:44
a person to visit you can say hey I need
12:47
two hours of advance notice in order to
12:49
in order to get my spot ready and you
12:52
like I said you can set up to 24 hours
12:54
depending on what you need this is
12:57
another important one many of our guests
13:01
are looking for spots that they can book
13:03
last-minute like they get home from work
13:05
and their dog needs exercise and they
13:09
want to book something for that evening
13:11
so the less advance notice you can give
13:15
the better if you have available times
13:18
on your spot making it such that your
13:21
spot is is completely available and
13:26
ready for anyone to visit during those
13:28
times is ideal so many of our most
13:31
popular hosts actually don't send
13:33
advance notice and most of our host
13:35
don'ts that advance notice so this is
13:37
something that you can use just if you
13:39
need that time to provide a good
13:41
experience for your guests so keeping
13:45
the calendar up to date this is
13:48
something where most hosts get the idea
13:51
of having a calendar with available
13:53
times we get a lot of questions from
13:56
hosts about about how do they actually
14:01
update the calendar how does it actually
14:03
work so I want to actually take you
14:06
through a test listing to show you how
14:09
the calendar can be updated and how you
14:11
can keep your calendar up to date so
14:13
your your spot only shows is available
14:17
during times when you can actually have
14:20
someone come visit so let me let me take
14:24
you over to that
14:28
all right so you should be able to see
14:31
this test listing that I have created in
14:35
my own personal account now so if you
14:39
log into your account this is what
14:41
you'll see for for your listing if you
14:46
want to edit and update your calendar
14:48
availability you can go to the calendar
14:52
tab your calendar will load you can see
14:56
here that it just like any other
14:59
calendar it shows available times so let
15:04
me show you how you can edit times that
15:06
you already have blocked out so to start
15:09
with let's say right now my calendar is
15:13
blocked from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. my spot
15:15
is not closed is not available and that
15:17
is every day of the week my spot is
15:21
blocked during those times so in this
15:24
case it's going to be winter I want to
15:28
block out my time until 7 a.m. when it
15:31
starts getting light outside so I can
15:34
just change the time here and I can
15:37
click Save and then you can see here
15:39
that the block is updated and it's
15:42
updated every day of the week
15:45
indefinitely so it goes forward every
15:48
day of the week let's say that I have a
15:50
doctor's appointment where I want to
15:52
block out a specific time of a doctor's
15:54
appointment on Wednesday the 9th at 9
15:59
a.m. so I'm gonna block out time from 9
16:02
a.m. to 12 p.m. you can simply select
16:06
those times on your calendar and you it
16:09
sets up a time where you can you can
16:11
block it and then you can save your time
16:13
and your calendar is saved if there's
16:16
any time where you make a mistake let's
16:17
say actually this this this availability
16:22
was on the tenth then you can go and you
16:24
can edit your calendar to change that
16:28
date if there's any block you have which
16:31
is no longer necessary you can simply
16:34
open the calendar editor and delete that
16:36
block and the block is removed from your
16:38
calendar
16:40
so that's how calendar editor editing
16:42
works like I said this is super
16:46
important for keeping your calendar up
16:47
to date because it can cause issues
16:50
especially if you're set to booking when
16:53
a guest sees an available time and wants
16:55
to come visit but your spot is not
16:57
actually available so making sure you
16:59
keep your spot up-to-date can really
17:01
help with making this really easy for
17:04
really easy for your guests so let's
17:09
move on to let's move on to the next
17:13
piece of of provide of having a great
17:18
listing for your spot what we've covered
17:23
what we just finished covering was
17:25
making easy of people to book your spot
17:28
and now we'll talk about the final piece
17:30
of having a great listing which is
17:32
getting reviews so this is really easy
17:35
and a really important part of having a
17:39
great listing is getting reviews when
17:42
you're first starting out you don't have
17:43
any reviews or you don't have many
17:45
reviews getting every guest to write
17:50
your review can make a huge difference
17:51
just getting your first review can make
17:55
a huge difference for for your guests so
17:59
what you can do after a guest visits
18:02
just follow up with them follow up with
18:05
them through through our messaging
18:07
system and ask them for feedback and ask
18:11
them to write you a review this can be
18:13
an easy way to get reviews on your spot
18:16
and that can just make a huge difference
18:18
if you have no reviews getting one
18:20
review makes a massive difference and if
18:22
you have one or two or three reviews
18:25
getting up to ten reviews or more makes
18:28
a massive difference on how comfortable
18:30
people are with visiting your spot so
18:32
getting more reviews can make a major
18:34
difference
18:39
so that concludes our section on
18:44
providing a great listing to represent
18:49
your spot now let's talk about arguably
18:52
the most important part of being a great
18:55
host
18:55
in fact definitely the most important
18:58
part of being a great host which is
18:59
providing a great experience for your
19:01
guests are most popular hosts get 2/3 of
19:06
their business from repeat guests so
19:09
providing a great experience for your
19:10
guests is a super important way to build
19:14
up a large number of visitors by getting
19:16
those repeat visitors to come back so
19:19
let's talk about providing a great guest
19:22
experience here are the things that that
19:26
really make a difference for providing a
19:29
great guest experience number one make
19:32
sure that your listing sets accurate
19:35
expectations so this goes back to
19:37
providing a complete listing fill in all
19:39
the information for your spot make sure
19:42
that everything in your listing is
19:43
accurate so when people show up they're
19:46
gonna see what they expect to see and
19:49
they're gonna have the experience they
19:50
expect to have based on your listing you
19:53
don't want people to be have any
19:54
negative surprises when they show up
19:56
make visiting your spot pleasant for
20:00
guests and their dogs and we'll talk a
20:02
little bit more about this because there
20:05
are some things that are a little bit
20:06
counterintuitive to some people about
20:09
making about what it means to provide a
20:12
pleasant visit for guests and their dogs
20:15
make it easy to find your spot you'd be
20:18
amazed how often guests have trouble
20:21
locating their spot or even aren't sure
20:24
if they've arrived at the correct spot
20:26
when they get there number four keep
20:30
your spot clean this is really about
20:32
picking up all the dog waste that may be
20:35
in your spot if you have dogs yourself
20:38
and and making sure that there's no you
20:43
know limiting the extraneous objects
20:45
that are in your spot as well so keeping
20:48
a clean spot is something the guests
20:51
really appreciate
20:53
number five this is a fun one providing
20:55
amazing amenities and we'll go into more
20:58
detail on this because this is a place
21:00
where you can really make your spots
21:02
stand out and number six providing great
21:07
value by setting B by setting the right
21:11
price so we won't go into more detail on
21:16
this but it's it's basically about
21:18
aligning the value you're providing with
21:21
the price that you're setting and the
21:23
way you can do this is by experimenting
21:26
with price don't be afraid to experiment
21:28
with price we recommend especially when
21:31
you're first starting out to set a lower
21:32
price and then over time as you become
21:35
established you can increase your price
21:37
to reflect the fact that you've kind of
21:41
got a built reputation in our community
21:43
and number seven learn from guess
21:46
another house this is the big one
21:47
because every spot is different every
21:51
spot attracts a different kind of
21:52
customer so you can't really apply just
21:56
a cookie cutter best way to make a spot
22:02
you know great experience for guests you
22:05
got to learn from your guests and learn
22:07
from other hosts with similar spots and
22:09
try new things and again similar to the
22:13
best the best making the best listing
22:17
for your spot you can find all of this
22:19
information in our Help Center these are
22:24
the areas that we're going to go into
22:25
detail for in in this in this webinar
22:31
making your spot Pleasant for guests and
22:34
dogs to visit making it easy to find
22:37
your spot providing amazing amenities
22:41
and learning from guests and other hosts
22:46
are there any questions or I want to
22:50
make sure that if any of the
22:51
participants want to ask questions then
22:54
they can they can ask them so
22:57
participants you should be able if you
22:59
do have questions you should be able to
23:01
unmute and ask them if you don't have
23:03
questions obviously it's fine to just
23:06
listen all right so let's let's keep
23:11
moving forward so making your spot
23:15
pleasant for guests and their dogs to
23:17
visit its its fur guests it's pretty
23:22
simple so most this is something that
23:25
many hosts don't necessarily realize
23:27
most guests actually prefer enjoying
23:30
spots and privacy so we recommend either
23:34
one giving a short introduction to guess
23:37
and then letting them enjoy your spot or
23:39
setting up your spot to not require
23:41
introductions at all so guests can
23:42
self-serve can arrive there and visit
23:45
and enjoy your spot without needing to
23:48
without needing to check-in or do
23:52
anything like that
23:53
so this is nice for guests guests often
23:58
they let their they're going to spots to
24:01
play with their dog or train or exercise
24:04
and they like just being able to go and
24:06
enjoy their spots sometimes hosts feel
24:09
like oh I have to entertain these guests
24:11
or I have to hang out with these guests
24:13
while they're there that's actually not
24:15
the case most guests enjoy just enjoying
24:18
their spots and privacy and as a host
24:21
you don't have to be entertaining these
24:24
guests the whole time that they're there
24:26
for guests dogs this is a really
24:29
important part of providing a pleasant
24:31
experience for guests and their dogs
24:34
many of our visiting dogs are reactive
24:38
and what this means is that they might
24:41
not get along well with people dogs or
24:45
other animals so it's really important
24:49
to be sensitive to these guests dogs
24:53
when they're visiting and don't just
24:56
assume that don't
25:00
make assumptions about guest dogs that
25:02
are coming so here are some tips for
25:05
making sure that you're being sensitive
25:08
to every guest dog that's coming to
25:11
visit first always confirm in advance
25:15
with a guest before approaching the
25:17
guest dogs to welcome them when they
25:20
arise you can do this through messaging
25:22
either assume that you stay back and out
25:26
of the way so that guests can have kind
25:29
of safe and pleasant entrance to your
25:31
spot or confirm in advance before you
25:34
approach them always plan to keep dogs
25:38
people and other animals separate from
25:41
spots during visits this is actually a
25:42
sniff spot requirement that all spots
25:46
need to be free of dogs people and other
25:48
animals during during visits make sure
25:52
that people that live or work on the
25:55
property are aware of visits sometimes
25:57
people have roommates or their workmen
26:00
that are around on the property so
26:02
making sure they're aware visits so
26:04
there aren't surprises can actually can
26:09
actually make a big difference in it and
26:10
it prevents surprises in the spot like a
26:12
work man might just go into the spot
26:16
thinking they're gonna repair something
26:18
and they'll they'll come across a guest
26:20
in their dog and if the spot isn't
26:23
closed during spot visits don't open
26:26
gates or doors to the spot because it
26:31
could be that the dog will run through
26:34
the open gate or door and an exit the
26:37
spot and that obviously can cause can
26:40
cause issues and disrupt the visit so if
26:43
you followed these if you follow these
26:45
tips it's actually it can create a
26:49
really it can make a really big
26:50
difference with guests and their dogs
26:52
for having it good having a good visit
26:58
all right so make it easy to visit your
27:00
spot so similar to in this is this is
27:08
again similar to this theme we've had
27:10
about providing a really
27:13
easy experienced people just want ease
27:16
so when someone's coming
27:19
when someone's already booked your spot
27:20
when they're coming out to visit making
27:23
it easy to get to your spot this is
27:25
really important especially because most
27:28
of these spots are gonna be unfamiliar
27:30
to first-time guests so it might really
27:33
not be obvious how to get there or how
27:35
to access the spot once they get there
27:37
you can help with this by providing
27:39
clear access instructions so in your
27:44
host account when you're setting up your
27:45
listing there's a field for access
27:48
instructions make sure when you're
27:50
completing that field to include parking
27:54
information the the location of the
27:57
sniffs spot entrance when you get there
27:59
if there's an access code include that
28:02
code include where the garbage is for
28:06
the pet waste bags and if there are any
28:10
special considerations make sure to
28:11
include them think through in your head
28:13
as a guest what's it gonna be like going
28:17
to visit your spot and what kind of
28:19
questions what a guest have and try to
28:20
answer those especially if you live in a
28:25
space that's maybe not the easiest to
28:26
find another great thing to do is add
28:30
signs to help guests find your spot once
28:33
they get there many of our spots have
28:35
signs at the at the roadside at the
28:40
parking spot and at the sniff spot
28:41
entrance that helps make it really clear
28:44
as a guest I to know I'm in the right
28:46
spot this is how I go in and it's very
28:49
simple and in our Help Center we
28:51
actually provide templates for those
28:54
signs to make it really easy for you to
28:56
get set up with those signs providing
29:01
amazing amenities so once someone comes
29:04
to your spot they get access to your
29:06
spot there's so much fun stuff you can
29:09
do to help people have a great time in
29:11
your spot
29:12
so amenities could be anything from
29:15
agility equipment to signs to you custom
29:20
welcome signs to treats to kiddie pools
29:26
two boxes with toys for the dogs really
29:30
the sky's the limit and we've seen hoes
29:32
be really creative with the kind of
29:35
amenities that they that they provide um
29:38
so you can try anything ask your guests
29:41
what kind of things they would enjoy
29:42
think about what you would enjoy playing
29:45
with a dog and you can really bring a
29:47
lot of joy to your guests experience
29:49
through the amenities that you provide
29:52
here's a here's a little more detail on
29:55
the kinds of things that we've seen that
29:57
are that that are really cool for guests
30:00
to have when they're going to visit
30:02
first there are some things that we
30:04
would call basics these are things that
30:07
guess that that we were considered to be
30:12
a baseline experience for guests
30:15
visiting sniff spots so providing a
30:17
trash can for dog waste bags providing
30:20
chairs I'm having water for the dogs
30:24
having some toys for the dogs having
30:28
signs so people can actually see where
30:31
to enter the spot and having sanitizer
30:34
so that guests can sanitize any toys or
30:39
water before and after they're visiting
30:42
their spot and we go into more detail on
30:44
the Help Center on what kind of
30:45
sanitizer we recommend providing and
30:47
then there's above and beyond things you
30:50
can provide as amenities and really the
30:52
list goes on and on but it could be
30:53
agility equipment kiddy pools treats
30:57
lighting if you have a restroom this the
31:01
default with sniff spots is that guests
31:03
expect to not have any restroom
31:06
available if you have a restroom that's
31:08
accessible directly to the out to the
31:10
outside then providing a restroom option
31:14
for guests can make a big difference for
31:16
them visual providing visual barrier so
31:19
if you have neighbors having some kind
31:23
of visual barrier maybe it's a if you
31:27
have a fence that's that's not not
31:31
transparent then that's obviously not an
31:33
issue but many of chicken wire fences or
31:36
other kinds of fences so you can add
31:38
visual
31:39
barriers to block neighbors properties
31:43
from your property and same thing from
31:45
your house to provide additional privacy
31:47
the guests that are visiting your spot
31:49
but the list goes on and on there's so
31:51
many fun things you can do with amenity
31:53
so I highly recommend and just get
31:56
creative and think about fun things that
31:58
can really make a difference for your
31:59
guests and the last thing we're gonna
32:03
cover today for providing a great
32:06
experience for your guests is to learn
32:08
from guests and other hosts so this is
32:12
this is one of the most important things
32:14
because like I said every spot is
32:18
different and it's gonna attract
32:20
different kinds of people so innovating
32:22
and finding your own niche is a really
32:25
important thing to do and a great way to
32:27
do it is by asking guess what they
32:30
thought learning from guests so you can
32:35
message guests after they visit and ask
32:38
them what they love to ask them what
32:40
they didn't love and ask them how you
32:41
can improve and guess they're often
32:43
really happy to provide feedback to make
32:48
things better
32:48
you can also learn from other hosts so
32:51
make sure to join our sniffs Pot
32:53
community group on Facebook we have many
32:57
guests and hosts that are frequently
32:59
communicating in the group and people
33:01
love sharing ideas and getting feedback
33:03
so this is a really easy way to learn a
33:06
lot and learn how you can make your
33:08
sniffs pot better and better all right
33:13
so moving along to the last thing we're
33:16
gonna cover today just to just to review
33:20
we've covered how to make a great sniffs
33:24
pot listing and we've covered how to
33:26
provide a great experience to your
33:28
guests now let's talk about marketing
33:30
your year spot this is getting the word
33:32
out so you can attract new customers to
33:35
your spots so here here's a list of
33:39
things you can do to spread the word
33:43
about your spot one get a custom promo
33:46
code email supported sniffs spot if you
33:49
want one and we can give you a code that
33:52
will give any fur
33:53
sniffs but user $5 off their first visit
33:56
to your spot this is a custom code that
33:58
only works at your spot you can use this
34:01
to market to new guests and offer offer
34:05
promotional rate to new guests number 2
34:08
get active on social media this is big
34:10
and it's easy and we're gonna go into
34:13
more detail on what you can do there
34:15
number 3 post post flyers around town
34:18
this is also a great way to spread the
34:20
word it's a very easy way to spread the
34:22
word number 4 add a yard sign in front
34:26
of your house we have templates for for
34:28
yard signs available in our Help Center
34:30
and it's a really easy way to get to
34:34
make potential customers aware people
34:37
that are walking their dogs and
34:38
neighborhood are driving around the
34:39
neighborhood many of them have dogs many
34:41
of them are looking for a better
34:43
solution for how to how to get their dog
34:45
safe and private areas to play so a yard
34:49
sign can really make a big difference
34:51
number 5 send emails to friends your
34:55
contact list you can send an email
34:57
updates
34:58
to let people know this new thing you're
35:00
doing and make sure they're aware of
35:01
your spot number 6 posting ads on
35:05
Craigslist believe it or not Craigslist
35:07
is a great way to spread the word for
35:09
customers and we have more information
35:11
on how to how to post those ads on
35:13
Craigslist in our Help Center so we have
35:17
very detailed information that can help
35:18
with that number 7 partner with local
35:22
pet service providers so make sure that
35:25
your vet your local vets your pet stores
35:28
and other things know in other places
35:32
know that your spot is available in
35:34
nearby
35:35
and lastly print and handout actual
35:38
business cards so always having a few
35:41
cards with you when you meet someone an
35:42
irrelevant conversation you can hand
35:45
them a card that has information where
35:47
they can find your spot and before we
35:49
move on as you all already know all of
35:53
this information can also be found in
35:54
our Help Center so make sure to check
35:56
that out these are the areas we're gonna
35:59
focus on two things in more depth for
36:03
marketing your spot today
36:06
first is getting active on social media
36:08
and and number two is posting flyers
36:11
around posting flyers around your town
36:15
so I'm getting active on social media so
36:18
this is super easy and it's super super
36:23
effective you can build a really big
36:26
following by just doing these things and
36:31
it's not exactly the most intuitive
36:33
thing it's not just going and posting on
36:37
Facebook about your about your spot
36:41
although that's great the the most the
36:44
the most effective thing you can do to
36:47
spread the word about your spot is to
36:50
join local Facebook groups these are
36:53
groups on Facebook that are related to
36:56
the area in which you live so it could
36:59
be if you live in Maple Valley you can
37:02
search on Facebook for Maple Valley and
37:05
find local Facebook groups and join
37:07
those groups their communities around
37:09
your local community people that care
37:12
about what's happening happening locally
37:14
and live locally and through joining
37:17
these groups you can participate in
37:19
conversation you can post about your
37:23
your spot you can participate in people
37:25
having conversations about leash laws or
37:28
dog parks or whatever else and it's a
37:31
great way to get the word out about your
37:33
spot again recommending joining our
37:37
sniffs buck community Facebook group and
37:39
just being part of the community it
37:41
really helps to raise awareness about
37:43
your spot and get the word out and
37:46
lastly there are so many social media
37:49
platforms out there that are free and
37:51
easy to post on and spread the word next
37:54
door is a great one if you're not
37:57
familiar it's a it's a locals only
38:00
social network so you can you can really
38:03
effectively spread the word through
38:06
next-door Instagram also we've seen a
38:08
lot of we've seen a lot of activity from
38:12
people posting on Instagram and Twitter
38:14
is a great one as well so getting active
38:16
on social media and regularly posting
38:18
about your spot it
38:20
superfast it takes less than a minute to
38:24
post it's very easy to do and we
38:27
recommend doing it doing it regularly
38:30
and in our Help Center you can actually
38:33
find templates for what the post to help
38:35
you get some ideas for getting started
38:39
posting fliers around town so this one
38:43
is a great one because a lot of people
38:46
that are that are kind of your target
38:49
audience for your spot are just around
38:54
town they're going to local retail
38:56
establishments coffee shops and by
38:59
posting flyers you can really easily
39:02
make people aware of your spot so we
39:06
provide templates for these fliers you
39:08
can see the template here on this this
39:12
slide of the presentation very
39:15
eye-catching and simple to make people
39:18
aware of spots in the area we these are
39:22
areas we've done our own fair share of
39:25
flyer posting in our local area and
39:27
these are areas that we've found really
39:30
effective for posting flyers
39:31
many coffee shops have a bulletin board
39:35
for posting flyers soda laundromats and
39:38
community centers public dog parks have
39:42
often a bulletin boards and pet services
39:46
retail locations so vets groomers pet
39:48
stores any kind of pet establishment by
39:52
visiting these these places you can very
39:55
easily and effectively spread the word
39:57
and get a lot of coverage from foot
40:00
traffic for people that are interested
40:01
in what you're providing so this is a
40:05
really great way to spread the word
40:06
about your spot
40:10
so coming back coming back to the Hyatt
40:14
back to the highest-level
40:16
we've covered creating a great spot
40:20
listing providing a great guest
40:22
experience and we just covered marketing
40:25
your spot
40:27
the the the thing I want to emphasize
40:30
here is that you can actually really
40:33
make a difference in how many visitors
40:35
you're getting at your spot by doing
40:38
these three things so making sure your
40:39
listing is really great making sure
40:42
you're providing a great experience for
40:43
your guests and then going above and
40:46
beyond with marketing are our most
40:48
successful hosts we see doing these
40:52
three things really excellently and
40:55
really being excited about really being
41:00
excited about innovating and figuring
41:02
out new things they can do in those
41:03
spots so by following some of these tips
41:07
we think you can really we think you can
41:11
really improve any success you've had
41:14
with your spots so far
Discover the Jack Russell Terrier, a breed celebrated for its intelligent and affectionate nature. Recognized as a small dog, Jack Russell Terriers have their origins in England, where they were initially bred for fox hunting and vermin control starting in the 19th century.
Discover the Dalmatian, a breed celebrated for its affectionate, trainable, and loyal nature. Recognized as a medium-sized dog, Dalmatians have their origins in Croatia, where they were initially bred for coaching (running along carriages), guarding, and hunting starting in the 16th century.
Discover the Bernese Mountain Dog, a breed celebrated for its affectionate, loyal, and playful nature. Recognized as a large dog, Bernese Mountain Dogs have their origins in Switzerland, where they were initially bred for guarding livestock and droving work starting in the 1st century.
Looking for the perfect place to play with your dog in Albuquerque? We’ve got you covered! Take a look at the best local dog parks and plan for your next adventure in Duke City.
44.5 percent of all American households share life with a canine companion. Pet professionals like dog trainers, veterinarians, and veterinary behaviorists are more important than ever as our modern society becomes increasingly difficult for four-legged friends to navigate—dog reactivity, anxiety, and general stress from lack of proper enrichment are on the rise in domestic dogs.
In our modern, human-centric world, it can be hard to find spaces for your pup to safely play off leash—especially if they’re a flight risk. Dogs who might run off after interesting smells, prey, or simply because they feel the whim can be a hazard in unfenced areas. That’s why we’ve put together a list of some of the best securely fenced dog parks throughout the United States!
Does your dog ever growl when you walk by their food dish? Maybe they get possessive of treats, carrying them far away and giving you side-eye when you start to approach — or snarling at your other pets or children if they get too close.
As almost every dog owner is aware, the nose of a dog is an amazing thing. Just as they can pick up sounds we can’t hear, their sense of smell and ability to pick up scents is well beyond ours. In fact, dogs have 40 times the number of olfactory receptors as humans.
More than 80 million Americans rely on their service dogs to help them navigate the world. Task-trained assistance animals perform a huge range of life-changing—in many cases, life-saving—services: These dogs act as eyes for visually impaired handlers, provide mobility support, alert to seizures and blood sugar crashes, interrupt anxiety attacks, remind their people to take medications, and so much more.
You thought your dog was house trained. Your home was clean from puddles of pee, those dreaded middle-of-the-night bathroom breaks were behind you, and you loved every minute of dog ownership… until your four-legged best friend started using the bathroom inside again. What’s going on?
Ah, poop. We humans think it’s disgusting… but many of our dogs seem to love the stuff. If you’re wondering why your canine companion tries to eat feces (either their own or that of other animals) you’re not alone!
Do you have a water-loving dog looking to burn some energy? There are countless dog parks to visit throughout our country — but some of them become far too hot in the midday sun to be safe for your pets to play. That’s why we’ve put together a list of some of the best dog water parks throughout the United States! At these locations, your pup can frolic, splash, and swim to their heart’s content.
* All Sniffspot articles are reviewed by certified trainers for quality, please see bottom of article for details *
Does your dog destroy every toy you give them? Is your house littered with remnants of fabric and stuffing of all different sizes? Are you tired of investing in “indestructible” toys only for your pup to still dismantle—or worse, get bored of—them in just a few days?
You’ve been told your dog needs regular exercise. There’s a reason “walking the dog” is a classic daily activity: Frequent excursions give your pup a chance to experience the world, maintain a healthy weight, and — most importantly — spend time with you! Consistent physical activity can also improve their strength, muscle tone, coordination, and mental ability over time.
* All Sniffspot articles are reviewed by certified trainers for quality, please see bottom of article for details *
Many dogs have gotten a bad reputation over the years for being "dangerous breeds." Rottweilers are among them. Like pit bulls and other large, blocky-headed types of dogs, these powerful and beautiful animals are often assumed to be aggressive.
Your dog is reactive. They’ll see another dog, person, or other stimulus in the environment (like a car or bike) while out on a walk and suddenly go crazy at the end of their leash. The barking, lunging, and growling feels embarrassing for you — and it’s clear that your pup isn’t having a great time either.
Does your dog display reactivity to other pets or people? Maybe they’re a new rescue pup and are still settling into your home. Or they were sick growing up, so you missed their critical socialization period. Possibly they’ve had a bad experience after being raised as a normal puppy.
Do you have a reactive dog or suspect you may have one? You’re not alone!
* All Sniffspot articles are reviewed by certified trainers for quality, please see bottom of article for details *
From 2009 to 2020, there was a 40 percent increase in the development of public dog parks. Designated spots for canine exercise have become commonplace in every major city in North America — many pet owners won’t even consider renting an apartment that doesn’t have its own fenced-in pet area for their canine companions.
Thousand Oaks, California has been a safe haven for Sniffspot host, Jen, since childhood. Having grown up in busy Santa Barbara, Jen, an introvert from an early age, would seek out solitude and serenity away from tourists attractions and droves of people visiting from elsewhere. “My grandparents own 60 acres about a 30 minute drive from here, and I grew up spending every summer and every holiday visiting them on the ranch,” Jen explained. “In Santa Barbara, we wouldn't go to the beach on the weekend because that's where everybody was, so you'd find places off the beaten path where the tourists weren't. For me, the ranch was just my happy place.”
Ellen is the host of Country Pasture Getaway, one of Sniffspot's most popular sniff spots. She has taken the time to write up the lessons she has learned about how to be a great sniff spot host.
Just 20 minutes outside of the busy city of Portland, Oregon, and settled right on the banks of the Columbia River, you’ll find what countless visitors have flocked to the area in search of – mountain views, crisp, clean air, and running water for miles. What you might not expect to find, however, is a hidden oasis designed just for dogs and their people, owned and operated by a farming couple and enjoyed by visitors on two legs, and four.
Fran is the host of Ranch Setting, one of Sniffspot's most popular spots. She has taken the time to write up the lessons she has learned about how to be a great Sniffspot host.
Looking for a space to play with your dog no matter what the weather’s like outside? Look no further than our list of the best indoor dog parks in the United States! These climate-controlled spaces are growing in popularity as pet ownership increases throughout the country. As a bonus, many of them also offer dog training, boarding, grooming, or daycare services on the premises.
Looking for the perfect place to play with your dog? We’ve got you covered! It’s hard to narrow down, but we’ve put together some of the best off-leash dog parks throughout the country so you can plan your next adventure — along with a checklist of what to bring, what to know beforehand, and some frequently asked questions.
Looking for the perfect place to play with your dog in Las Vegas? We’ve got you covered! Take a look at the best local dog parks to plan for your next adventure in Sin City.
Looking for the perfect place to play with your dog? We’ve got you covered!
Looking for the perfect place to play with your dog in Portland? We’ve got you covered! Take a look at the best local dog parks and plan for your next adventure in the City of Roses.
Discover the German Shepherd Dog, a breed celebrated for its intelligence, loyalty, and versatility. Known for its impressive size and smooth, graceful movements, German Shepherds excel in various roles, including as guide, therapy, bomb detection, and police dogs, while being a devoted family companion.
Discover the Labrador Retriever, a breed celebrated for its playful nature, affectionate temperament, and trainability. Labradors are known for their friendly demeanor and adaptability, making them perfect family companions and versatile working dogs.
Discover the Golden Retriever, a breed celebrated for its affectionate, playful, and trainable nature. Considered a large dog, Golden Retrievers were originally bred in Scotland for hunting and retrieving game beginning in the 1860s.
Discover the American Staffordshire Terrier, a breed celebrated for its playful, friendly, and loyal nature. Considered a medium-sized dog, American Staffordshire Terriers were originally bred in the United Kingdom for baiting bulls, fighting, and hunting beginning in the 1800s — though they're known as gentle, playful lovers today.
Discover the Australian Shepherd, a breed celebrated for its trainable, playful, and affectionate nature. Considered a medium dog, Australian Shepherds were originally bred in the United States for herding beginning in the 1950s.