How to trust a dog walker ?

[CarolVordermansBum]

hello everyone. I'm considering getting a dog walker once a week whilst I visit my elderly parents ( they are my support bubble before anyone asks) but I'm really struggling with the fact I'd have to give them a key to my house? How do you trust a complete stranger to come into your house when you aren't there? I will only be gone for an hour max but I think my dog would love the chance to go and play with other dogs etc. Does anyone else feel this way? Or if you did how did you get over it?

I have one who I trust, she interviewed me and my dog and came highly recommended.

I also receive a little school type report after the walk.

Meet the person, get references and actually follow up on them.
Spend time with the walker and your dog in your house/garden and see how your dog and you, react.
Oh, and think long and hard about whether you let the dog walker walk your dog off lead. Unless your dog has fabulous recall and you are confident the walker is experienced with dogs then keep them to a long lead. I have used dog walkers for 13 years, access to my house has been the least of my worries. Some may be DBS checked, so you could ask for this.
Check how their key system works. Do they keep large bunches of keys with addresses attached? That would not be good.

I’d be less worried about someone having a key to the house than I would about letting anybody else take my dog out .

Get a dog cam and tell them about it
Get recommendations
Trust your gut

Hi OP - I'm a dog walker so I hope you don't mind me giving my perspective.

Make sure whoever you pick is insured and ask to see their certificates. It's not a requirement for walkers in the UK to have insurance so not everyone will have it. But there's no excuse - you can get it from £5 a month and it covers everything from injuries to lost keys to the walkers lost income should they be out of work.

Ask about how they operate - do they do group or solo walks? Leashed or not? Do they have social media presence and reviews you can read? They should have a contact for you to sign and they should take your dogs' information in case they need to go to the vet, for example. You should have to sign and give your permission for the walker to let your dog off, and to allow them out with groups. I do a mix of solo and groups - some dogs come on one or two groups a week, some are always with a group, and some are always solo.

Ideally they will also be first aid trained and potentially DBS checked too. Again, there are no legal requirements for dog walkers so many will have nothing. You could also ask existing clients their experiences too. A good walker will answer all your questions. Also see if you can accompany them on a walk or two so you can see how they are with other dogs and how they deal with various situations.

I have keys to my clients' homes although some have keypads which is much easier! I don't have any addresses or identifying information on my keychain though, so there's no way they can be traced back to the owners.

Hope that answers a few of your questions!

Mine was recommended by several friends, she is brilliant with dogs, Ddog is so excited and happy to go out with her which speaks volumes. She has access to a secure field/barn area too. She tells me about whether they’ve played ball any issues with other dogs etc. Once Ddog got filthy and she showered her down and dried her off before bringing her home.

She only ever has between 2-4 dogs at any one time. I only commit to term time only walks as I’m off a lot in the hols and kids are old enough to walk dog anyway.

In short I just get a good vibe, she’s obviously very experienced.

I wouldn’t feel comfortable with anyone entering my house when I’m not there.
I have CCTV which makes me a feel bit better but I’d be really uncomfortable

I think if you are only gone for an hour I wouldn’t bother.

I think it comes down initially to instinct and then trust.

Initial instinct about whether you are on the same page. For example I see lots of posts on here about qualifications and training etc but they are a tick box for me as it's more about whether my instincts are good or not. How do you both feel about off lead waking, group walking, cancellations etc.

Then it comes down to trust. Animals aren't robots. Mine plays up for my dog carer just as much as he does for me. He has accidents with both and her but if you have a good relationship then you can discuss those things without any blame or defensiveness.

Trust your dog. Mine adores my dog walker and if I was easily offended I would think he loved her more than me because he really doesn't hold back his excitement and affection.

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

@CarolVordermansBum Do you have a doggy daycare near you thats an option. Your dog could go there for a half day perhaps and play with other dogs. Dog daycare are insured and checked by councils.

I asked for recommendations on local Facebook dog group and checked out others advertised locally. I only contacted those stating insurance, DBS & first aid certificate as frankly think all in that job should have those as minimum.

They usually offer introductory meeting free so they can also check your dogs behavior out. They showed me the paperwork & asked me various questions vets/routines/behavior etc then we went for a walk to see how handled dogs & have a chat to try gauge what their views were on certain things.

I didn't want group walks or my dogs offlead so in a way I didn't need to trust their judgement on interpretating dog behavior quite as much early on. Think 2-4 seems sensible to handle for 1 person.

I do have a indoor security cam, mainly so I can check on the dogs rather than walker.
I've never worried about them having a key to my house, they are labelled with the dogs names in case its lost. I like that someone local has a spare in an emergency if i'm miles away or in case I lose them

Our local dog walkers seem to have a bit of a community, socialise & help cover for each other in times of need so probably also aware of any dodgy sorts.

I've had a couple walkers now and the dogs are always really happy to see them & they've gone out of their way to help me in times of need. Its a relief knowing that have cover available now.