Every owner knows things about their dog that no stranger could guess: the bark that means a delivery, not danger, the corner he retreats to in thunder, the food guarding that only appears around other dogs. A sitter who learns those quirks by surprise has a harder stay, and so does your dog. Writing them down well is a skill, and the trick is to record behaviour as a pattern with a response, not as a list of adjectives.
Use the pattern: trigger, behaviour, response
For each quirk, write three things in order. What sets it off, what your dog actually does, and what the sitter should do in reply. A note saying he is nervous tells a sitter almost nothing; a note saying thunder makes him pace and then hide behind the sofa, and that he should be left there with a blanket and the radio on, tells them exactly how to help. Work through doorbells, visitors arriving, the post, other dogs on walks, cats, bicycles, fireworks, being left alone, and bedtime, using that same three-part shape for anything that applies.
Be honest about the difficult entries
The quirks owners most often soften are the ones sitters most need: pulling hard at a particular corner, reacting to certain dogs, guarding a chew, resource anxiety around the bowl, escape attempts at the gate, or toileting accidents when a routine changes. Presenting an easier dog than the real one does not protect him; it sets up the exact incident you were hoping to avoid, handled by someone unprepared. A good sitter would far rather read a frank page at booking than meet the behaviour unannounced.
Add the reassuring routines too
Quirks are not only problems. Record what settles him, what game resets a wound-up evening, how he asks to go out, where he likes to sleep, and the words or cues he already knows, spelled as you say them. Note his normal appetite, energy and toilet habits in a line or two, because a sitter who knows normal can spot not-normal early and call you or the vet with something useful to report.
Keep the notes alive between sits
Update the page after each sit, including anything the sitter reports back, while it is fresh for both of you. Dogs change as they age, after illness, or when a household routine shifts, and notes written for a confident young dog can mislead a sitter caring for the older, slower version. Date your latest version so an old printout in a drawer is never mistaken for the current one.
A sitter who understands the dog in front of them can relax and do the job well, and KinsLe helps by sharing those quirks and routines through a Care Pass before they even arrive.