Finding a dog walker

hayley11

I have two cavalier king charles spaniels, one of them has medical problems so takes medication that makes her need the toilet more than normal, so I don't like to leave her on her own for more than 4/5 hours. I currently work from home but I'm hoping to find a full time job at some point so I would need somebody to come and walk them during the day.

My question is, how do you find one that you can trust? I'm so overprotective of them, the thought of letting a stranger walk them really scares me

Mojisola

We got the names of a couple of dog walkers from our vets and met with them before deciding. Our dog walker also boards dogs which is a bonus.

rising_from_the_ashes

Word of mouth is usually a good way to start so if you know anyone who has a dog walker ask them about the person they use

I found Maisie's from our Council website - they run a scheme where dog walkers can be accredited and have to tick several (basic tbh but I guess some others don't have these things) boxes - things like a limit on the number of dogs they'll walk at once, that they have insurance etc etc

I looked at several of their websites and there was one guy who I really liked the sound of what he said on his site, why he wanted to be a dog walker so I arranged for him to come & meet Maisie

He is obviously a 'dog person' and she took to him straight away - he brought all his insurance docs etc with him so I could see them and insists all dogs are fully vaccinated etc so I know she won't catch anything from them

I then asked if I could contact a couple of his regulars for references - and he was happy with that & they gave glowing reports!

He does 2 options - a full walk (min of 60 mins - often longer) and he goes all over or a 'play visit (30 min visit - which is really great if you can't afford full walks every day & need them let out for a wee break)

One of my neighbours now has him every day for a full walk for their dog so I know that if I need him at short notice, even if he can't fit in a full walk he can always manage to pop in & let her out for a wee etc

I'm on his books as an 'occasional' user as I don't need him to come everyday (as I can get home at lunchtime) and really just use him if there's odd days I can't get back - although I use him a lot more in the winter when it's harder to get a decent walk with her HTH

Person_one

If you take your dogs to popular dog walking areas between about 11 and 3 you can often see and bump into the dog walkers out and about. Observing how they are with the dogs might be a good way to get an idea of their suitability. I know which dog walkers in my area I'd never consider and which would be my first choice based on this.

krlyr

I have a very good trainer locally, who has a dog walker/sitter working for her. I would absolutely trust this trainer's judgement, having met her and discussed all things doggy (and had a few people praise her methods/skills). So don't just look for walkers, look at local trainers, behaviourists, vets, etc. who will have contacts to recommend.

Cyclamen

I would make a list of things to ask them about..

Are they insured?
Where do they walk dogs?
What do they do if it's raining? Still go, cuddle time
Are they CRB checked?
Do they have references?
Experience ?
How many dogs do they walk at once?
If driving dog to walk location how long will walk be?
Invite them round for a good long visit and watch them with your dog, ?
Find out about there training methods, i'd not want someone yelling at my girl but positive rewards etc?
Will they do anything extra.. feed dog? check water bowl full etc. pick up post and so on.
emergency procedure.. will they go to your vets.. their own vets etc.. can they do any basic first aid on dogs.. eg patching up a cut paw without going to vet.

Have a look at notices in your vets, check out websites etc.. unless uniformed i think it would be hard to identify a dog walker outside as i'd hope they'd treat the dog as there's.

My friend was a dog walker and was always telling me stories about various dog's she looked after..I am a dog lover so it's not so weird.. but that X had been to groomers, Y was now brave enough to go outside the garden, Z was barking at a carrier bag caught in a tree etc.. she knew all there personalities, so i'd be interested in that sort of thing.. could i speak to a current customer.

Good luck