A sitter who has never met your dog does not need his life story. That person needs a short, honest brief covering the movements an ordinary weekend involves, written in the order those movements happen, so nothing depends on knowledge only you carry in your head. One page or two is enough, provided every line on it is something the sitter will genuinely use between Friday evening and Sunday night.
How He Gets Up and Moves Around the House
Begin with how he rises. Describe what a normal start looks like: whether he needs a moment to gather himself, whether his back legs slip on the first steps, and whether a rug or mat beside his bed gives him the grip he needs. Say plainly where he may not be lifted, because a helpful stranger will naturally try to hoist an older dog over obstacles, and some dogs must never be picked up under the chest or around sore joints. If you support him in a particular way, such as standing beside him while he steadies himself, describe that instead.
Stairs and steps need their own lines. State whether stairs are handled at all, whether a single doorstep is fine, and what the sitter should do if he hesitates halfway, which is usually to wait rather than pull him forward on the lead. Mark the slippery-floor spots by room: a polished hallway, a kitchen tile or a bathroom floor can each be a falling risk, and naming the rooms beats a general warning about hard floors. Note where his bed, water and food sit so the sitter keeps that geography unchanged.
Walks at His Length and His Pace
Give the walk as numbers a stranger can follow: the walk length he manages comfortably, the pace he sets, and the route or surface that suits him. Flat, even ground at his pace is a different outing from a brisk circuit with kerbs and slopes, so describe the walk he actually takes, including where he likes to stop and sniff and where he usually toilets. Say how he shows tiredness, whether that is lagging, sitting down or turning for home, and make clear that his signal ends the walk without negotiation.
Add the small handling rules that protect him outdoors. He must not be hurried across roads, pulled up kerbs or encouraged to jump into a car he normally enters by a ramp or a step. If cold or wet weather shortens what he can manage, say by how much the weekend walk shrinks on a bad day, so the sitter plans around the weather rather than discovering his limit mid-route.
Show the Sitter, Then Leave the Brief Behind
Written notes work best after one live run-through. Have the sitter arrive early enough to watch him rise, walk him once with you alongside, and handle the evening routine while you are still there to correct details. Questions appear during that rehearsal which no written brief predicts, and the sitter leaves knowing his normal rather than imagining it.
Keep the brief with his vet's details, your contact number and a backup contact, and update it whenever his mobility changes, because last year's distances can quietly become this year's overreach. His Pet Passport, kept current through KinsLe, holds that combined record in a single portable packet, so the next handover starts from his present abilities rather than an old description of them.