Becoming a dog walker?

picklepick

Hi Beckyy
I dont work alone. I work for a lady who has a team of walkers, theres presently 5 walkers and 3 home boarders. So if im away or ill theres always someone who covers my walks.
Initially setting up is hard, the lady i work for also works in a pub of an evening so she had time in the day etc. She still does and its never going to replace a full time job earnings wise if thats what you're thinking of doing. I do stationery on the side aswell.

Get yourself a free website, research insurance options, go to vistaprint for flyers, business cards etc. Approach people you see whilst you're out walking your dog and give them your flyer. But by far our best advert is word od mouth and by talking to people i meet when im out with dogs etc.

Margaret_Skinner

When I was looking for a dogwalker I searched the internet first then asked around locally - I was prepared to pay up to £10 per hour. However I found it hard to get one-to-one walking which was really what I needed until my dog was better socialised and trained. I understand that it takes more time and isn't so cost-effective so that's fair enough. One dogwalker said he was prepared to do it while he walked his own dog and "he would chuck my dog and his rottweiler in the back of the van and see what happened"!

Em ....... no. :eek:

I was out in the field behind my house one day and a lady was playing with her dog -a lab like mine - the 2 of them got on like a house on fire and I said it was so lovely to see because at the moment I had to avoid things like this (letting him off the lead in public places & so on) until I worked on his socialisation etc. Turned out she was a dogwalker but had cut down on it a bit after she had her daughter. I explained my predicament and she said she would easily do it as she only walked a couple of dogs a day now - she lived in the next street and said she'd put her card through my door but sadly never did - she might have forgotten my number right enough. I've been looking for her ever since though!

gettingready

I have a dog walker for Zara - an excellent one too.

Prices of course depend on location and quality of care provided - when I advertised looking for a dog walker I was shocked on number of kids (no way) , mums with kids at school looking for part time cash (what when kid is unwell- how will they take the dog out?), older people with time to spare and wanting cash (I have a GS, she needs a fit person to walk her) and generally peple thinking that ANYONE can just be a dogwalker and being shocked at my questions about CRB, insurance etc - some telling me I was mad asking for those "for a dog".. Bless them...

If anyone is looking for a dogwalker in east London (Wanstead park/Flats area) - highly recommended.

www.dogsandthecity.co.uk

You can even see photos from group walks on their website

http://www.dogsandthecity.co.uk/gallery/

they also do dog boarding.

To the original poster - you seem to be on the right track, good luck with your idea, hope it goes well for you

I would advice setting up a good website, in this day and age it realy helps a lot.

fudge7000

I will be looking for a dog walker when i'm back in the UK. as I work long shifts and wouldn't want to leave them on their own.

I would be looking for CRB check and mainly for dog knowledge (will be a siberian husky, so will need walking on its own and never to go off lead)

The canine psychology thing sounds good as well

I would definitely pay more for someone that could do some dog training as well as just walking.

hope this helps!

chucknorris

Fang wrote: »

It's this one - http://www.daycare4dogs.co.uk/p7-services-and-prices.html

That looks quite good, I am returning to work for 4 days a week, but one day working at home so effectively 3 days a week I need to find day care for our dog (Mills) in Dorking. I have just put a poster up in our local bowls club hoping to find someone who loves dogs but hasn't got the energy or funds to own their own. That way our Mills would receive (and offer) good companionship, on the 3 days in question I will walk him before and after so the minder doesn't have to take him out, although it would be nice if they could.

For emergencies if we are let down at the last minute I am going to get a dog flap set up in the conservatory so during the winter he has the choice of the heated conservatory or the garden, on these emergency days I would also have a walker take him for a walk in the middle of the day. Not ideal I know but ok I reckon once in a while when we have hobson's choice.

Beckyy

picklepick wrote: »

Hi Beckyy
I dont work alone. I work for a lady who has a team of walkers, theres presently 5 walkers and 3 home boarders. So if im away or ill theres always someone who covers my walks.
Initially setting up is hard, the lady i work for also works in a pub of an evening so she had time in the day etc. She still does and its never going to replace a full time job earnings wise if thats what you're thinking of doing. I do stationery on the side aswell.

Get yourself a free website, research insurance options, go to vistaprint for flyers, business cards etc. Approach people you see whilst you're out walking your dog and give them your flyer. But by far our best advert is word od mouth and by talking to people i meet when im out with dogs etc.

Ahh!
Well I'm fulltime housewife at the moment as it suits us really well not having us both out for 8 hours a day, but all I need is a couple of hours a day to get all the housey things done anyway. So any extra money, even if were to be £100 a month would be nice.

Thanks for the advice. I'll look into insurance prices and local advertising outlets etc, and get myself booked onto a canine first aid course and hopefully the canine psychology one too.


Again, thanks for the replies everyone, it's really interesting to learn what everyone would expect and want from a dog walker. :j

WolfSong2000

chucknorris wrote: »

That looks quite good, I am returning to work for 4 days a week, but one day working at home so effectively 3 days a week I need to find day care for our dog (Mills) in Dorking. I have just put a poster up in our local bowls club hoping to find someone who loves dogs but hasn't got the energy or funds to own their own. That way our Mills would receive (and offer) good companionship, on the 3 days in question I will walk him before and after so the minder doesn't have to take him out, although it would be nice if they could.

For emergencies if we are let down at the last minute I am going to get a dog flap set up in the conservatory so during the winter he has the choice of the heated conservatory or the garden, on these emergency days I would also have a walker take him for a walk in the middle of the day. Not ideal I know but ok I reckon once in a while when we have hobson's choice.

There used to be a few dog-sitters in and around Dorking - I know as my mother used to work as one, and was very popular until she gave it all up a few years ago. I'd maybe find out if there's any local dog training classes, and pop along there and ask...you never know!

SarahLou

I'm a dog walker too (part time) with my own business - as another poster has said, its not as easy as it sounds but certainly worth trying. It might be difficult getting customers at first depending on how busy the existing businesses are but advertising goes a long way. Even just getting out and about with a t-shirt on thats printed with your business name on - especially when they see you walking your own dog - that can attract customers, especially of other large or giant breeds.

I'm also a qualified animal behaviourist and trainer and also do grooming too, microchipping, nail clipping, etc, etc. So all in all, I offer a bit of "one stop shop" service but I know people who only do dog walking and make a success of it.

I don't have as many clients now as I used to due to having a young toddler (so its a personal choice).

Biggest tips are:

Get insurance
Get advertising early on
Get yourself a t-shirt printed and wear it whenever you walk your dog
Don't be afraid to hand out flyers to other dog walkers

NoAngel

Pixiechic wrote: »

Oh I see, interesting. The main reason that we don't have a dog is due to that reason. I would love the walks just not fair to leave a dog at home all day alone!

That depends on the dog. Occasionaly we've had to leave our dog alone all day and he's fine. Just sleeps. Then goes out for a huge long walk! He's a very very lazy dog though and it does depend on the individual dog. And no, i'm not being cruel, I don't go out of my way to leave him alone.

AdeleS

Hi,
I work for a great petcare company (you can find us on google or yell.com - Platinum Petcare) based in the southwest. There is a team of us petcarers, so we are able to cover each others walks during holidays. I have worked for a few different companies previously, but definately think that my current one offers the best service to customers. It prides itself on offering services taylored to your pets needs (ie, specific food or medical requirements). We mainly offer solo walks (to give one-to-one attention) but can do group walks at the clients request. We are all Poilce CRB checked, Fully Insured and are members of NARDS. We are also licenced with our local council for home dog boarding (where a dog stays with a petcarer in their own home as an additional menber of the family) - which is a great alternative to kennels. We are all experienced petcarers and are genuine animal lovers! Many of us also do voluntary work for local organisations and have various pet care qualifications.