What would you want from a dog walker?

[4dogs]

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some
advice. I would like to start walking dogs for others as a paid role. I walk my own and a friends' dog daily but would not take customers' dogs out with mine.

What would you want from your dog walker? Is it worth me paying £150 for a one day dog walking training course with my local college? And/or £80 for a half day doggy first aid course (I am inclined to do this anyway).
I'd be grateful for any tips about what you look for in a dog walker.
Thanks.

Reliability and flexibility.
Add on extras like holiday boarding or day care.
Not really bothered about first aid.

Insurance
References
I would want them to be walking my dog locally and not loading him into a van for half an hour while they pick up loads of dogs and go off to some far flung field or somewhere.
Agree with reliable. They need to be turning up when they say they will and not texting after I've already left for work to say they can't make it.
I would also like them to have a FB page with photos of the dogs on their walks and customer reviews. This is what a local dog walker has and they would be my preferred choice if I needed a dog walker. They very clearly love dogs and enjoy spoiling them.

Reliability.
Flexibility.
Occasional availability on weekends.
Pays attention to instruction - eg if owners say dog cannot be walked off-leash, walker NEVER tries to walk off-leash.
Most important: loves dogs and genuinely wants to make them happy!

I agree with reliability, flexibility and complying with instructions such as no off lead walking. I'd also expect them to have an above average understanding of dog behaviour/obedience etc and to understand how to mix dogs etc. Dog walkers charge more per hour than childcare so I would expect that person to have more experience/knowledge than someone who just fancies walking a dog if you see what I mean. I've heard nightmare stories about friends dogs being injured (and one killed 😳) with the dog walker when the wrong dogs were walked together.

Our current dog walker is a service with a van but it is actually excellent. She has several acres of garden that is completely dog proofed and she collects our dog twice a day and he gets to run around mad with numerous other dogs. Our guy is so completely obsessed with other dogs he doesn't get off the lead on a walk so this set up is his idea of heaven. She did a visit before he started and got to know him and was very careful with introductions. She has different areas if some don't get on and sends videos and pictures. The socialistion has been priceless and as she also does home boarding there's no stress when we go away. I know this isn't the type of service you're looking to offer but it is her level of experience and understanding of the dog, together with her flexibility that I value and trust the most.

I think combing this with walking your own dog could potentially work but just from the perspective of a customer this isnt always the case. Our previous dog walker used to bring her dog on all walks with our dog and it just didn't work. We had an excitable young dog and she had an older less patient dog and we got constant comments about how her dog didn't like ours etc and how ours was the problem. It was very irritating as I wasn't paying her to walk her dog, I was paying her to walk mine and to walk him in a way that suited him. She clearly put her dogs needs ahead of mine and when my very friendly pup started to show fear of dogs of the same breed as hers we quickly parted ways. Maybe something to bare in mind if you are planning on having your dog with you?

Anyway, that was longer than I planned! Can you tell I've had two very difffernt experiences with dog walkers? Good luck in your new venture 😊

Reliability
Insurance
First aid
Professional (I would expect forms to fill in for medical history, vets, etc)
Will adapt walks to what's best for the dog
Communication about any issues etc
Add on services like day care, boarding etc
Good range of services (group walks, single walks, option for walks at different times of the day)

Reliability
Flexibility - I've been able to call my dog walker first thing in the morning if I've got an emergency and he's been able to fit me in
Back up - either because they're employing other people or by working in collaboration with other walkers so that there's cover if they're ill or on holiday and they can call on help if for example a dog gets lost
First aid qualified
Trained in dog communication/behaviour - not setting themselves up as a behaviourist but knowing what to look out for
Not going to the same place every single day - dogs like variety as well as people
Different groups for different kinds of dogs - my dog is a retriever and tends to go out with other gundogs in the main
Insurance (obviously)
Membership of a professional body

Proof that they had walked my dog! I've heard so many stories about dog walkers simply turning up and letting dogs out for a wee etc. Also I've seen so many dog walkers literally doing a 15 min flick round a walk when I've known the owners were paying for an hour. I took some time off work recently and did a bit of dog walking and used whatsapp to photograph walks and either endomondo or map my walk to record the distance and mileage. I was never asked for 'proof' but I always had that back up just in case. Also, insurance is useful. You can get specific cover from Cliverton Insurance. From memory it was about £115.00 per annum.

Definately proof of walking. Mine posts occasional photos on facebook but I have just bought Tractive so I can check what is happening.

Proof of walking and also a full hour of walking if that's what I'm paying for, not 30mins collection and driving about.

I also would like them to be interacted with and not just ambling along with 10 others bothering other people while the walker is on the phone as our local one seems to do.

Just in case anyone is reading this and worried about whether their dog is getting walked for long enough.. a good idea is to clip onto your dogs collar a small pedometer. Jawbone do one for about £12 and it's very small and inconspicuous. Put it on dogs collar for 3-4 days when you walk dog and get a daily average of steps taken. Then you can monitor steps taken on the days the dog walker is walking dog. I know this seems mistrustful to the dog walker but I've heard/seen so many that don't do what they say their doing.. awful, but sadly true.

Thanks everyone! I already have dog walking insurance, took it out when I started taking my friend's dog out with mine, it's about £13 a month so a small price to ensure I have cover in case something goes horribly wrong.
I will walk other dogs separately to my pack as I already take 5 or 6 and wouldn't want to add to that. I can manage them because 4 are mine and the pack has gradually increased in size. I had my dog, then started taking a friend's out with mine, then another friend's dog joined, then I got another dog, and another and then one more! I love dogs and like walking, we generally do between 2-5 miles a time, depends where we go. I like to do a mix of pavement and field walking, helps keep their nails down and I feel we bond a lot when they are walking to heel on lead and then they have off lead or long lead fun when we get to the fields. Two of mine don't get off lead because they just want to go hunting in the undergrowth for hours and can't be reliably recalled when they are in the 'zone'. I would never let a dog off lead if the owner said not to! They know their dog best and no way would I risk injury (or worse) to a dog I was caring for.

I don't want to charge a fortune (where I live it seems to be between £8-£18 a walk) or take loads of dogs at once (I see some walkers with more than ten, they all look happy and under control but I wouldn't try it myself!). I would just like to get a little group of between two and four dogs who got on and came out with me for lots of walking and fun.

I wouldn't call myself an expert on dog behaviour but I did train my first dog at class and we got our good citizen silver award and I have learned so so much from watching my dogs interact with each other (I can watch them for hours, their communication is fascinating). I have trained all of mine (and the two others I walk) to walk nicely on lead and wait properly when we are crossing roads etc.

The proof of walk is interesting, I don't often take photos cos my hands are full and I'm busy concentrating on what they are all doing when some are off lead so that's something I need to think about.

I would definitely want to meet dogs with their owners initially and take some history, including medical, any fears/obsessions, emergency contact numbers for owners and their vets details etc.

I adore dogs and would want them to be happy coming out with me, to have lots of fun when they are out and to go home nice and tired. As we all know, a tired dog is a good dog!

I could offer weekend walks sometimes but couldn't do pet sitting.

Reliability. Flexible if I need the odd extra walk. Not taking out too many dogs at a time.

Also some awareness of different breed traits. Our beagle was given the sack by his first dog walker because she couldn't get his recall right. Turns out a she was doing negative reinforcement (i.e. bollockings and silent treatment) if he didn't respond as quickly as the eager little terriers/toy dogs she was used to. So he developed an FU attitude and started really ignoring her.

Our current walker talked it through with me, got to know him, and can now let him off lead but under controlled conditions only, which is a fair compromise from my point of view.

Mostly covered above - I'd underline flexibility, I commute and my days change a lot! Also, unlike a previous poster, I prefer when mine is not walked locally. When she goes out with the group (4 max) she's the first collected and last dropped off, so not only does she get the hour I pay for, but she's out of the house for over 2 hours total. When she's walked alone it's in the park opposite, and only the hour. She loves car rides, so that's a fairly personal preference!

Also, I want someone with suitable experience. I have a slightly mad, very strong Lab. When a dog walker says how much they love their King Charles Spaniel, it inspires zero confidence! (Ours has huskies).

Good points re breeds. I am used to a mixture and my four dogs are not easy, happy go lucky types. Well, they mostly are now but they all had histories and different challenges, so I am used to dealing with various issues and not assuming all dogs are fluffy bundles of harmless sugar and spice! None of my dogs are huge but I do walk a friend's mastiff/boxer, he is very good natured but ocassionally a bit too keen to go and say hello to others and he is incredibly strong. I used to walk a giant dog for another friend but had to stop because I didn't feel confident I could handle his strength when he played up (he has behaviour issues and was just too much for me).

I'd also much prefer my dog not to be walked in the local park. He gets bored of the same place very quickly and isn't wildly keen on pavement walks (doesn't misbehave just drags his paws) so I deliberately chose my walker because he takes them out and about to different places