Would you pay this for a dog walker?

[albapunk]

I work full time condensed into 3 days per week. I'd like to fill my time walking dogs but without the commitments of set days/times each week. There seems to be a gap locally for people who only want one-off walks or as and when they need them. They have been turned away by othe businesses for not garunteeing set walks each week.

There is also a gap for 1-2-1 dog walks. From my research a 1hr walk (group) is often £15-18. I'd like to offer 1-2-1 dog walking but at £20 for a 1hr slot. This is what would be fair to cover outgoings and also reflect the fact that clients don't need to agree to set days/times.

Is this reasonable? A service you would use? I will be insured, and happy to do a qualification. I am a VERY experienced dog owner.

Yep, would happily pay that for the right person / service.

I would even pay more if for example the walk was an hour or more but in a nice location (we have to drive to most off lead places where Bella is happy).

Bella can be reactive so doesn't really suit group walks unless she knows the dogs very well (plus I think there is a risk of the dog walker taking too many dogs to properly supervise / manage dynamics).

We also would want someone who knows how to manage reactive dogs and would be 100% focused on her and the environment, plus is completely reliable and trustworthy.

I know a couple of dog walkers, one charges £15 per hour for group walks and she does 3 group walks per day. Lots of her time is spent in traffic, so she tries to ensure the dogs actually get an hour’s walk, she charges £25 for overnight stays. One does both group and individual walks and charges £20 per hour for individual walks.

@BellaAndSprout Thank you.

I've had to learn to advocate for my boy. His breed is not a banned one but one that can raise some eyebrows, yet he was well trained and socialised, loved to play with other dogs until 3 horrific attacks later where he was the on lead dog (one attack was from an off lead dog on a group walk). I myself am wary of others with my boy as I cannot risk him being off-lead or with someone who is not able to advocate for him.

I live in an area with a lot of beautiful walks within a short drive, so I could easily have a dog with me for 90 minutes for that £20 if the client wanted.

I charge £11 ph, and I have emergency canine first aid. I also wash them off with a Mud Daddy and use my own towels to dry them!

@MissingMoominMamma is this for individual walks? Will you raise your rate in April so as not to be earning less than NMW?

But £10 isn't even NMW - why would you expect a dog walker to earn less that NMW especially given they will have costs like transport, insurance etc to pay out of that. Although at that rate it's unlikely they are paying tax.

As a challenging dog owner I'd happily pay £20 for a solo walk. In my area one hour group dog walks are £15, 24h care is £40+.

Gosh I did not realise I was getting such a good deal I pay 10 pound for an hours walk.She only comes once a week but has done full weeks when needed.Most of the time it’s a 1to 1 but sometimes a friend joins.She wipes her down and brings Christmas and Birthday presents and sends a little video after each walk.

Yes I would pay that one to one. London prices.

I'm in the northwest and charge £15 solo or £12 group walk if suitable on a private field.

I'm surprised at people saying they wouldn't pay that for a one to one walk.

I understand group walks are cheaper but I can't imagine many walkers taking one dog out for an hour for less than £20.

I pay £10 for 30 mins one to one for my dog.

I would pay £20 for an emergency walk.

My current (and excellent) dog walker charges me £12 per hour but often has the dogs out for two hours or more. She will charge another £1-2 if the dogs need hosing down and drying off after a walk, as it slows her schedule down when this is required.
She never walks more than 2/3 at a time. They have to mix well/be reasonably walkable on a loose lead.
She is over qualified for what she does, her knowledge of canine behaviour is beyond any vet I have met, and this is why I chose her. She can read canine behaviour almost by instinct, isn't phased by reactive dogs approaching her charges, she blocks the energy instantly, (she understands both energy and leadership), and on the rare occasion I go away for a night or two, she stays with my dog in my home.
Another big thing for me is that she doesn't take her eyes off the dogs she has with her. She doesn't stop and chat while caring for them, and doesn't let them hare around with other dogs when the pack energy gets too high. She'll stop it.
She understands breed traits and makes sure she plays enrichment games with each dog when out and about. She will teach them manners constantly, and takes them on public transport to get them used to all sorts of different things in the local area.
Sometimes we go out and train my dog together, on a 1:1, because I love doing that. I have learned so much from her.
There are tons of dog walkers where I live (coastal area), and some are absolutely crap. Too many dogs and stop chatting to everyone.
I'm so grateful I found her!
The only thing I would say will be difficult, is that if you are doing this ad-hoc,you wont have a bond with the dog so may be stuck lead walking,as personally I wouldn't risk letting any dog off lead that I didn't know well, unless in a secure field.
Good luck with your endeavour and please update us if you decide to take the plunge!

so less than minimum wage without even considering on costs such as ni and holiday pay

you should be ashamed not boasting

£20 is fine and what it is here- Yorkshire

@Octopuslethargy how incredibly rude of you.

I wasn't boasting. I was stating facts.

You have no idea of the age of my dog walkers, so no idea what their rate of NMW is.

It is already less
If they are self employed they have to pay NI and they also get no holiday pay- so have to account for that for each hour

@MissingMoominMamma

eho did you do your canine first aid with & how do you rate them? I want to do another one, but I did mine overseas.

For a reactive dog that needs one on one attention, £20 for a solid hour of running plus transport to and from home would be absolutely reasonable here.
Daycare is between £35 and £50 per day here.
Not having regular booked sessions is a major issue if you're doing it as you main job. Less so if you have another main source of income.

You may still need a 48/24 hour cancellation clause though or risk being both inconvenienced and out of pocket.

Also I'd only want regular irregular clients if you see what I mean. Not randoms each week.

I'd be happy as a client to pay for eg 6 sessions a month, like a kind of carnet... maybe that would work if you had some flexibility on days and times?

Where I live dog walkers are charging £20 for a 1-2-1 hours walk (Surrey). Day care is around £50-£55. I'm shocked at others paying £25 for boarding! I have paid a few times for a 1-2-1 walk. But it was once a week for a few weeks. I couldn't afford to continue. Since then, I have contacted many dog walkers and a lot of them won't do 1-2-1. I think probably because they make so much more money walking 4 dogs in an hour and charging £15. When I wanted a dog walker I thought it would be easy. However, every walker I contacted was fully booked. There is a great demand for dog walking.
There are also people on the rover website for example that will charge a lot less to walk your dog.

A few years ago I was looking for a dog walker for my old dog and they are like hens teeth around here. The only one I could find wanted £20 an hour for an individual walk when I said that this was nearly what I earned in an hour (I have a highly regarded professional qualification) she said it was to cover her petrol cost my house which was a 26 miles round trip from her house. I’m afraid I said thanks but no thanks. I spoke to other local dog owners and they agreed it’s too much. I eventually used a combination of friends and someone who did it for £9 for 40 mins. I now have a young dog and I use doggy day care it’s £18 a day and I drop him off and pick him people think that’s a lot, two others fairly near by do it for between £12-15 but the one I use is on my way to work so the convenience is a big factor. The other great thing about doggy day care is they are unlikely to cancel at the last minute due to “personal reasons” unlike previous dog walkers I have had and mine a very flexible I can change the day at the last minute. Although I accept for it wouldn’t work for dogs who don’t like groups.
i don’t work the same days/hours every week and I would find your not being able to commit to being available set any day/time in a week annoying I want someone who is available 7 days a week at the time specified by me.

I charge £15 for solo walks and £10 for group walks. I only have two solo dogs on my books though and won't be adding anymore.

There’s a woman near me who charges £50 an hour. One dog at a time (or two if the same house). She has a huge waiting list. BUT she wears a body cam and shares the videos afterwards so people know their dog is actually being walked rather than shoved on a van for thirty minutes and walked for thirty. Each dog does 3-4 miles in an hour. So a good walk.

No. I live in a university city and there are literally hundreds of students who offer to walk/care for people's dogs for free. Borrow my doggy is very popular here.
I think you need to think about whether it's worth it financially. You'd need public liability as a minimum. You'd be financially responsible for vet fees if anything happened to the dog in your care or worse the dog caused an accident. You'd also need to register self employed and given it'd be your second job you'd be be paying tax on every penny you earned.

I pay that for two hours of cleaning. So no, I wouldn't pay that to walk a dog for an hour.

I used to pay £14 for a group walk but now pay £18 for an individual walk (technically an hour but they are usually out for about an hour and 15 mins). Our walker is excellent, she adores our dog and he loves her. It’s worth every single penny.

There is a lady where I live who charges a bit more than that for 1-2-1 walks BUT she is a qualified behaviourist.
I wouldn’t pay a standard dog Walker that.