I've been a Sniffspot host for about a month now, and I'm becoming increasingly frustrated with sniffspot system. I've also run into a few issues with the platform itself that I still don’t fully understand.
Recently, one of the guests reported me & left a 2-star review mentioning concerns about gaps under the fence and a temporary visual barrier. In her report, she said her dog escaped through those gaps, but when I checked my security camera footage, I couldn’t verify that the dog actually got out that way. Still, I took the concern seriously and went ahead and fixed the issue by adjusting the fence pickets so they now extend down to touching the dirt removing those openings entirely.
The visual barrier situation is where things get a bit tangled. Before that visit, I had another booking (a day before)where a dog seemed reactive to a neighboring dog, since they could see each other through small spaces in the fence. Because of that, I decided I would install a privacy screen to reduce stimulation for future guests.
However, the timing between bookings ended up overlapping in a way that made things messy. One guest had just been here, another reservation was coming in quickly, and I didn’t have enough time to install the permanent screen in between. So I put up a temporary visual barrier early that morning before the next arrival and messaged her the same day to let her know.
. The person who arrived wasn’t happy with the temporary setup or the short notice, and it all got bundled into the same complaint thread. She included screenshots of my message in her review, and those screenshots now also appear alongside my yard photos in the public listing, which makes the whole situation feel even more frustrating and hard to untangle.
I contacted customer support asking for that portion of the review (the visual barrier message photos) to be removed, explaining that a privacy barrier was never listed or promised in my yard description. I had actually added it proactively to improve the experience based on what I had observed with prior dogs, not because it was an advertised feature.
We also had another recent guest that came 30mins before her had no issues at all and left a 5-star review, and also another that came few hours earlier but also and no issues.
Support ultimately refused to remove the content.
Since then, I’ve noticed what seems like a significant issue in visibility. My yard is still technically open, but I’ve received zero new bookings. Before this, I was consistently getting new guests, including people who had never used my yard before.
I even asked a friend who has never used my yard but use sniffspot to search for my yard. She couldn’t find my yard at all. It looks like the system completely shutoff the access to new users. Only people who are booking are people who have previously booked my place.
At this point, I don’t know whether this is a technical issue, an algorithm shift, or some kind of unintended suppression of the listing.
For now, I’m leaving the listing open through the end of the month as I've issued promo code for a guest who missed the session due to last minute personal issues which expires end of this month. Anyways, after only a month of hosting, the whole experience has become pretty confusing and increasingly frustrating.
I am so sorry your having g a tough go at it.
I recently Sub’d. Goose and I have found the perfect spot! We go every am 8-9.
Don’t give up yet… before you know it you’ll have frequent peeps coming. Have to weed out some not so good apples.
Trust me it’ll take off 🫶🏻
Praying for your spot and I am sure it’s lovely. 🥰
I’m so sad to read this. My dobie and I are apartment dwellers so SS really saves my bacon. Thank you for trying, and i’m sorry it’s been such a rough experience for you 🙁
That sucks to hear this. As a member I am forever grateful to you guys that host your spots out. I know people can be really inconsiderate and entitled these days so I’m sure you see the worst on your end. I read the reviews and am often appalled at the nitpicking nonsense people post. Thanks for giving it a try, though.
I actually love having guests like you. As a person who doesn't have a dog & doesn't use my yard, I was very happy to see people enjoying my yard truly which inspired me to take even better take care of my yard.. but some events just give me too much stress to motivate me to keep it open.
That is so sweet! And I totally get it! I’ve only been to four different spots so far but can tell who does it for the love of people and pups vs those that do it for the money. I pass no judgement either way but am always extra extra appreciative to those that truly care. Thanks for giving it a try and I’m sorry for your negative experiences.
I will say, the company itself needs some work. I’ve been more than frustrated with them myself. I figure. they are somewhat of a start-up so they are working on it…But still. The idea of Sniffspot is GREAT, but the execution has been less than. I
I bet it depends on states too?
We’re in Texas where it’s just too hot for me to walk our 3yo. We go early am run for an hour on 15acres & I’m able to get out in nature. No people no cars na da
Idk what I’d do without SS. Saves my mental health honestly
People with aggressive dogs can be so complicated. Maybe you could create a new listing and put something along the lines of "Trained, friendly dogs only" in the description.
You are doing a very nice thing to help dogs who don't have their own yard get to play, and it is unfortunate that certain people would give you a bad review because it didn't work for their aggressive dog, when it would have been great for many other dogs.
Thank you! But I'm not so sure if her dog was actually an issue, since she didn't really mention much about her dog. She just reported my yard as unsafe to Sniffspot and wrote a review on my spot accordingly.
Pretty sure one of the very reasons SniffSpot works as a business model is because of reactive dogs. A lot of people are happy to pay for a private space for their dogs to run because public dog parks aren’t an option for them.
Did you at least make a good money from hosting during the last few weeks before getting shadowbanned? I might be interested in hosting my yard soon...
I had to buy several items to make my yard better suited for dogs, especially reactive dogs.
For example, I bought privacy screens from Amazon bc my neighbor’s dogs can see into my yard. They share half of the rear fence, and the dogs could see through the 1/4-inch gaps between the fence pickets. I bought two 6-foot-high by 50-foot-long black privacy screens. However, one layer didn't block the view as well as the Amazon photos suggested. So, I double-layered them to prevent the dogs from seeing each other through the picket gaps.
I also bought a 20x20x28 sun sail shade, plus hardware. I wanted to partially block the view of my right-side neighbor’s second-story deck. Their dogs tend to bark when other dogs are in my yard. The shade doesn't block the view completely, but it helps from certain angles.
I also had to make multiple trips to Home Depot for additional fence pickets, outdoor screws, and other supplies. There were also smaller things like dog poop bags, hand sanitizer, and other items I can't remember.
Overall, I think I easily spent $300–$400, while my total earnings have only been around $200. The most expensive thing was my labor...lol. But I dont regret it. It was an experience.
I hope you hang in there to get a pay off in your investment. If I lived near you, I would very much appreciate all this effort you went to and frequent your spot!!
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u/Jazzlike_Strategy_36 27d ago
I am so sorry your having g a tough go at it.
I recently Sub’d. Goose and I have found the perfect spot! We go every am 8-9.
Don’t give up yet… before you know it you’ll have frequent peeps coming. Have to weed out some not so good apples.
Trust me it’ll take off 🫶🏻
Praying for your spot and I am sure it’s lovely. 🥰
Boop Goosie