What do you look for in a dog walker?

[TheWayTheLightFalls]

Just that really. I love dogs and have experience with larger breeds, but am not in a position to have my own just now. I'm likely to have 1-2 days a week free and want to become a dog walker. I've registered for a pet first aid course, borrowed a few dogs to get references, and shadowed a dog walker. I'm now thinking about what else to do (both practically and how to market myself when the time comes).

If you use / would use a dog walker, what matters to you?

I haven't used one for a while but here we go:

Individual walks.

I live in an area awash with professional dog walkers. They rock up to the park with a load of dogs and then walk them en masse. I don't think they're always well controlled and I'm not sure how much benefit the dogs get.

I also think there can be different 'needs' on a walk - slow and sniffy, running for a ball etc.

I've had very poor experiences tbh and it's put me right off using one again.

First aid course is great ; insurance - both for damage to my pet and public liability ; dog must love her/ him; someone who will take time to assess and match dogs on a walk for energy / age/ stamina and socialisation.
My dog Walker, who is all of that, will say no to dogs who she feels will not get along with others. She never walks more than 3 dogs & she respects requests / such as lead only if needed.

She is good at reporting back any concerns or issues - be that runny poo, lethargy of lameness, basically any change she sees.
She makes some effort to clean or dry them after the walk.
My dogs adore her, and have a lot of fun with their companions too.

Insurance.
Consistently good reviews and references.
Confident with dogs and knowledgeable about reactivity and how to handle it.
Able to take just my reactive dog and not force her to be with other dogs.
Trustworthy.

Thank you, all three of you. If I can add another question - what would make you choose a group walk over solo or vice versa? How much is cost a factor, v actively wanting your dogs to socialise?

I'm not hugely money motivated - I have a job the rest of the week! I want to charge enough to do things professionally if that makes sense.

@TheWayTheLightFalls can I ask where you are based? There is a huge shortage in my area!

Insurance. Clear policy about what dogs you’ll walk together and the maximum. Where you’ll walk. First aid training. Clear policy about what you expect from owners. Will you walk neutered dogs with unneutered dogs?

I have a dog sitter to stay at home with my critter who can't be alone for five minutes without shouting. Just for an hour, so I can bob to the shops.

She is primarily a dog walker, though. That's her main job and takes several dogs out at once, so she's no doubt losing money whilst she watches TV looking after my madam! 😊 I don't mean that to sound as horrible as it sounds - I stock up on snacks so she can have a relaxing hour. My dog just goes up to bed!

I don't ask her to take my dog out, because my dog is fairly new to me (8yr old rescue, awful history, had her 4m) and I'm working with a trainer. I wouldn't want a dog walker to interfere with the training and commands atm.

South London. There seems to be a lot of demand here.

That's a shame - I'm up North!!

I think @Dearg hit on the same things I would look for.

I think matching dogs with similar personalities is a good call. And only walk in small numbers. I think individual walks is nice too.

Also - potentially puppy walks? They seem very rare near me!

My friend is a great dog walker. She's reliable and organised. She genuinely cares about dogs and gets a buzz out of spending time with them. She gets new clients to fill out a questionnaire which asks things like what is your dogs favourite treat then she'll bring that particular treat for the walk - so thoughtful. She sends picture updates during the walk. She only does individual walks.

Re group walk over solo. I have Labradors : possibly the most extrovert breed on the planet. They love canine company and are very well behaved in the pack. So group walks give them the opportunity to mix with other dogs In my case they don’t both go on every walk, so sometimes it’s one of mine with two pals. They seem to get something out of it.

Reliable timekeeping. Turning up when you say you will. Providing an update of when the dog has been collected and when she has been returned home.

I love our dog walker. She is brilliant. She adores our schnauzer, makes sure dogs personalities are matched on walks. She sends loads of photos which is nice, but what I really wish she would do is put my mind at rest that my dog is not at home alone for more than four hours at a time on the days that I have to go out to work.

The instructions.

For me the main thing was chosing someone I trust with my dog - so seeing how they interacted with him, knowing they'd turn up when they said, and trusting they would be responsible for his safety and happiness when walking him (eg not going out if it is too hot, making sure he was on lead until they were very comfortable with his recall, picking up poo, letting me know if there were any issues etc). I didn't do this through references because I live in a small rural place and could see my dog walker was part of the local dog community of people that I trust. If I was somewhere bigger I would probably ask people I knew for recommendations rather than go for written ones.

I went for individual walks because my dog is older and likes having humans all to himself. I'd be wary of anyone taking out multiple dogs at a time because I would have to be confident that the dog walker could handle it (and any issues) and had the dogs welfare at heart (rather than trying to make as much money as possible).

Thanks all. I’m trustworthy, punctual etc to the point of neuroticism. I suppose it’s how to communicate that to people, but hopefully with one or two clients word will get round.

I wonder about just offering solo walks to begin with.

Was thinking of this thread earlier. One thing that’s missing from my local areas is a dog walker who offers ‘dawdles’ for older dogs, or dogs going through rehab. My old boy is slowing down, abut lives a good sniff, preferably in an area with other dogs to say hello to.
I can give him that, but if I was in full-time work, having a dog walker who could offer this enrichment would be good.

With reference to getting started Op, I would say find a couple of clients, word of mouth, a FB page and then , with clients permission, post on FB with photos of happy dogs walking with you. My dog walker and I met at a friends hen party .

That’s a lovely idea. I replied to someone today who wanted a walker for her older boy, just a short walk, and it doesn’t look like anyone is interested (presumably because he couldn’t really be part of a group). Fingers crossed!