Exercise entries with real detail
For a Border Collie, the exercise section is the heart of the care log, and vague entries like "walked" are useless. The sitter should record each outing's type, route, and duration: a lead walk around the lanes, an off-lead run in the enclosed field, a fetch session, or a training walk. Note how much off-lead time he had and whether he was worked in short bursts with rests, because a Collie will chase a ball until he drops and the log is how you spot a dog who was over-run. Record the mental work too — training games, scent searches, puzzle feeders, and for how long — since a Collie's brain tires on problems, not just miles, and the balance of the two shapes how the evening goes.
Feeding, water, and toilet entries
Meals go in the log with times, amounts, and whether he ate eagerly or left food, which is unusual enough in a working-minded Collie to be worth flagging. Note water refills and any day when drinking seemed heavier than usual. Toilet entries should record number and rough timing of breaks, whether stools looked normal, and any accidents in the house, which in a clean, routine-driven breed usually signal stress or a stomach upset rather than naughtiness. If the sitter gives any chews or treats beyond the agreed list, those go in too — you cannot read a pattern in appetite or digestion later if half the intake was never written down.
Behaviour the sitter must write down, not just mention
A Border Collie's care log needs a behaviour section with specific things to watch for. Record any herding behaviour: circling children, nipping at heels, chasing bikes, joggers, or cars along fences, and what the sitter did in response. Note fixating behaviours — staring at lights, shadows, or a single toy for long stretches — plus pacing, whining at windows, or difficulty settling in the evening, because these tell you the day's workload missed the mark. On the positive side, the log should capture good sessions too: training progress, calm behaviour with visitors, and what settled him. When you come home, this section reads like a weather report for his mind, and it changes how you brief the next sitter.
Sleep and rest are entries, not blanks
Border Collies are poor self-regulators, so the log should record rest deliberately. The sitter notes nap times, whether he settled in his usual spot, and total overnight behaviour — up pacing, barking at noises, or sleeping through. A young Collie who logs huge activity and almost no daytime sleep is not thriving; he is wired, and the entry pattern makes that visible. Note also any limping after exercise, stiffness on rising, or reluctance to jump into the car, with the time it was noticed. These physical notes, dated and timed, are what a vet will ask for first if a strain needs checking when you return.
Closing the log each day
The log works when it is finished daily, not reconstructed at the end of the stay: a short end-of-day summary covering total exercise, meals eaten, mood, and anything unusual, written while the details are fresh. If something cannot wait — an injury, a lost appetite, an escape attempt over the fence — the sitter flags it to you immediately rather than leaving it in the book. Running the whole schedule through KinsLe's Care Teams lets you assign each walk, feed, and training session to the sitter as a duty, with every completed entry marked by a timestamp you can check from wherever you are.