18/09/2024
How to be a good dog walker in public places🐕
The dog industry has exploded in the past few years, social media is rife with negative ‘red flag’ content about others, new professionals tearing eachother down in an attempt to make themselves look better than their competition, it’s like the blind leading the blind. Hopefully this post is more positive and gives some helpful advice and food for thought to those starting out. I have been walking and training dogs full time professionally for 8 years. Most of the advice here is common sense and decency. You might be thinking ‘this is overkill’ while picturing a group of small fluffy friendly cockapoos, I’m picturing a group of rottweilers, shepherds and bullies that have the potential to seriously hurt or kill someone. I am aware this post may rub some people in the industry up the wrong way that don’t do things the same way I do, it is not my intention, I am just outlining the risks, duty of care and legality of the job as I am sick of hearing preventable horror stories every week. If you take more risks than I do and haven’t yet had any issues, I’m happy for you, and have no interest in arguing over it.
First up is have full control of your dogs at all times. Having control of dogs does not mean they are ‘friendly’. It means they are not a danger or annoyance to other members of the public. It means being able to recall them immediately every single time when required or asked, and that you can quickly and effectively stop the dog engaging in any potentially dangerous behaviours. It means if the dog is not reliably verbally trained then it is suitably physically restrained. Control, discipline and leadership have become dirty words in dog training lately, if it hurts your feelings to tell a dog no, and give it boundaries, then you are in the wrong job.
All the tools and equipment exist for a reason, so utilise them. Longlines are your best friend while you get to know a dog. Most owners will tell you their dog has perfect recall when in reality it barely knows its own name. Your client’s standards of training will be different to yours, and unfortunately some people will outright lie to get you to take their dog on. Safety of the client dog is always your main priority.
If you don’t know how to train and proof a solid recall, keep the dog on a held longline at all times. Go to YouTube and learn how to use a longline if you’re unsure, as they can be dangerous bits of kit. If you’re dropping the longline you need to be able to quickly grab it or stand on it when needed, otherwise it’s totally pointless and just likely to injure someone. Under no circumstances should your dog(s) be running up to other people or dogs unless you’ve asked permission first. I shouldn’t need to explain all the reasons why this is unacceptable, especially for a professional. Offlead is a privilege once earned, not a right. Do not give dogs the benefit of the doubt to be offlead; it will almost certainly go wrong. Unless they have proved they can recall to you in the face of many distractions, keep them on a lead. Consequences of not - losing the dog, dog attacking or being attacked by another, hit by a car, killing livestock etc, the list goes on. Don’t chance it, it’s not your dogs life to play with. The last thing you want to be doing is phoning a client to tell them their dog is lost, hurt or dead from your negligence. That may sound extreme but just this year alone in Barrow we have had dogs hit and killed by trains, body parts lost in fights, dogs lost almost daily from ‘secure fields’ then chased up and down busy 60mph roads, even out lost overnight for days on end all from local pet businesses that simply aren’t taking enough care. At one point earlier in the year, every single new 121 training session I did was the exact same story - the dog went to daycare, was badly attacked and is now reactive. It’s gotten beyond a joke.
Put dogs back on a longline if they fail to recall. They’ve just proven they aren’t ready to be offlead yet. Go back and retrain against whatever they blew recall for. If the dog is great 99% of the time but you know they will ignore you if a particular thing happens; then they need to always be on a line for that 1% of the time they need it, because you never know when that will be. Don’t rush to get dogs off longlines, there’s no prize for having a full group offlead. The lead is your failsafe for if/when the training fails. If you don’t have full verbal control of the dog at all times, then you need physical control in the form of a longline or other tool. I have dogs I’ve walked and trained everyday for many years yet they will always wear a longline for their own safety for that one time I know they’ll blow me off. It doesn’t make you a bad walker or trainer if the dog is not fully trusted offlead, it makes you smart and cautious, which will be appreciated by both your clients and the members of public you encounter.
Be realistic with your expectations, some dogs you might put all the effort in the world into training but sadly will never be truly reliable off lead. This could be because of their breed, drives, or past learning history with their owner or other walker. If you only see them for one hour a week, and their owner often allows them to blow recall with no consequences then unfortunately they will do the same with you and no amount of training on your behalf will make a difference. At the end of the day your job is to safely exercise and toilet dog, being offlead trained is an added bonus, not a requirement.
Always give right of way to the public. Even if you have 8 big dogs and they have 1 tiny one. Even if yours are all on a lead and theirs aren’t. Even if it means you doing a 180 and backtracking to a safe area for them to pass. Always assume their dogs are reactive and need space unless you know otherwise. You should be an example of how to handle dogs.
If you see someone on your walk, call your dogs back and don’t let them approach and annoy them. Their offlead dog is never a green light for yours to approach. Give people the space they need. Not everyone wants a conversation or for the dogs to ‘say hello’. Put your dogs on the lead to pass if they can’t be trusted to ignore the person/other dog. I teach an offlead heel so my dogs will stay close with me but I don’t have to faff around with loads of leads every time I pass someone. It also helps teach my dogs to ignore other people and their dogs.
Thank people for putting their dogs on a lead to pass you. Like dogs, humans need regular positive reinforcement for the their good choices. In turn this makes them much more likely to leash their dog again next time you see them. If someone asks you to leash your dog, you don’t ask why or tell them it’s fine it’s friendly, you immediately leash the dog.
Have safe transport for client dogs. In my eyes this means individual steel or crash tested crates. They can be an expensive investment for your business at the start, but safety of your client dogs should be paramount. Squeezing multiple unknown dogs loose into a car boot together is simply asking for a fight or one to get hurt. In the event of a crash or someone rear ending you, loose dogs will likely be crushed or become projectiles. Crates offer some protection and may save the dog’s life.
Use your own equipment as and when necessary. Most pet owners use collars and leads designed for fashion only. You know what state of repair your own leads are in, what they are weight tested to, and if/when they need replacing. It also doesn’t affect your client if you lose or damage anything. If you live by the sea you will probably need to replace your things more regularly as the sand and salt weakens and destroys the metal rivets and clips.
Use correct/safe equipment for the individual dog. Dogs require different tools and methods. Always discuss your plans with the client and receive permission beforehand if changing their equipment. I am upfront with people on first contact about what tools I would use on their dog if they were to join my walks. I am only 5’2 yet I can easily walk 8 large working breed dogs to heel once trained. However, the dogs are still walked from A to B on slip leads/flat collars for my own safety. I’ve had many new clients hand me a julius k9 harness and an extendi lead for a large untrained reactive dog and expect me to safely group walk it using that. Use common sense when it comes to your own safety. If a dog outweighs you and/or has issues, a harness is almost definitely the worst piece of kit you can use for control. Dogs can very easily back out of ill-fitting harnesses and flat collars so tighten them up if necessary. I personally will only use a harness nowadays if there is a medical reason for it. My back and shoulders are wrecked from impacts from pulling dogs over the years, nevermind all the other injuries I’ve sustained from dogs simply with no lead manners. It’s much easier and safer to train the dogs to walk to heel, mainly to limit injury to yourself. Self employed people don’t get paid if they cant go to work.
Learn how to handle approaching unfriendly offlead dogs and how to separate dog fights safely. Unfortunately it’s at least a weekly if not daily occurrence nowadays. This is especially important if you’re walking reactive dogs or smaller dogs that are more likely to get hurt/trampled. You can easily lose fingers by sticking your hands in a dog fight so be careful. The best way to stop a genuine fight is by choking the dog out. If it can’t breathe it can’t bite. Removing the oxygen supply will cause the dog to lose consciousness and let go of whatever’s in its mouth. You can carry an extra slip lead or simply thread a lead through the handle loop to quickly make a slip lead. Keep hold of the dog once it has let go and do not let it re-engage. Kicking/punching/putting fingers up bums does not work, and will likely only fuel the dog even more.
Solid obedience such as a heel and a down-stay will massively help you out of many situations. If you can’t simply walk your dogs out of there, instead you can pop them in a down while you sort the offending dog out and hand it back to its owner while your own dog(s) wait patiently and safely out of harms way. I carry a break stick and k9 bite back spray on all my walks, and have found it is one of the least confrontational ways to deal with issues when they arise. Your main priority should be keeping your client dogs safe. I also recommend a body cam if you are walking in busy areas where there’s likely to be issues, only to prove your innocence if ever needed. I don’t recommend using the footage to shame local people online unless you’re out to make enemies, or it’s genuinely in the interest of public safety if the police aren’t interested. I am happy to teach defensive handling skills to anyone interested.
Groups - start with solos and train each individual dog before adding to a group. You’ll be extremely lucky to take on dogs from the get go that are already adequately trained nowadays. You’ll need to teach each of them how to behave in a group and to respond to other dog’s body language if they’re undersocialised. I generally sort my groups by temperament, some people match on size or breed. Do what works best for you, everyone has different dogs, there is no definitive right or wrong way to do things. Take care when introducing new dogs to a group. Again, there’s no right or wrong way to do it, it depends on the specific dogs. Some dogs can be thrown out straight into a big established group with no bother, some need a few strategic quiet on-lead introductions before being comfortable in a group. Some dogs are simply not suitable for group walks, if they lack social skills and/or are too aroused most of the time. It only takes one unsuitable dog to ruin your entire group. Some dogs just don’t like each other, if that’s the case I recommend dropping one or splitting them up on separate walks. Only if you’re very confident and experienced should you attempt to handle both at once.
If you can’t walk the whole group safely all on-lead past distractions (other people/dogs/livestock etc) then you have too many. If you’re hanging onto the leads for dear life as they waterski you around, you have too many. You need to be able to be able to safely walk all your dogs back to the van in the event of one dog becoming ill/injured and needing the majority of your attention and hands. If a dog collapses and you have to give first aid and carry it back, you also need to be able to cope with all the other dogs at the same time. If a dog is epileptic and has a seizure while on the walk, you need to be able to separate the dogs easily and understand the effect this could have on the other dogs. It doesn’t really matter that the dogs are well behaved when the goings good, it only matters that you still have that level of control when things go t**s up and you truly need it. You should be prepared for the worst, if you’ve not thought about these freak scenarios and how you’d handle it I recommend you do and come up with a plan of action.
If you have any reactive dogs in the group you need to be aware of the knock on effect this may have on the other dogs. Recently a professional walker in the UK was brutally mauled to death in public on a walk by her own group of 8 dogs, it is speculated that a reactive dog on the lead in her care was the catalyst as she passed another dog walker. Reactive behaviour from one dog can trigger unexpected behaviour from another, possibly defensive, predatory, reactive etc.
Mixing dog breeds - be careful which dogs you pair with which. Genetic dispositions of some breeds mean they may make some pairings difficult or just not a good idea. For example, prey driven dogs and small fluffy squeaky dogs aren’t a good mix. It only takes a second for a dog to be triggered into predatory drift and kill another. Try not to judge dogs on their breed, because there are many dogs that don’t fit their mould, but it will give you a rough idea of how they will behave and interact with other dogs.
Play - if you’re going to allow the dogs to engage in play, make sure you can instantly verbally stop it and recall them when needed. Be cautious of play between entire males, mismatched breeds and dogs that are likely to get overaroused and take things too far. I train ‘enough’ and I expect them to disengage instantly when asked. Play can easily tip into scuffles, fights or predatory drift. Breeds have different play styles, sometimes they don’t match and one dog doesn’t enjoy it. Usually with dogs that like to body slam another or are excessively mouthy or starey. Practise recall from play.
Balls and toys - depends on the group whether you can safely play with toys. If you have a few high drive possessive dogs, it’s probably not a good idea unless you have very good control over all the dogs and the appropriate tools on as back it up if needed. Any high arousal head to head competition over resources is risking a fight. Some dogs have never been taught to share or are defensive around you with a toy and will run off and guard an item if they pick it up. Again, a longline will prevent this from happening in the first place and going too far. I personally don’t use a lot of toys on walks nowadays, I prefer the dogs to engage with their environment and sniff around like normal dogs, I know way too many dogs with arthritis and obsessive compulsive behaviours that stem from constantly chasing balls on walks and being constantly pumped with adrenaline. Not to mention the impact it has on their body and joints etc. 5/10 mins of high arousal toy play in an hours walk is more than enough. If you can use the toy as a reward for good behaviours rather than just randomly constantly throwing it, even better.
Be aware of resource guarders. The client may not even be aware their own dog guards things from yourself or other dogs, as they may never have had their dog in a situation to provoke it. Be cautious doing group snuffles for food, or when playing with toys. Anything where the dogs are in head to head competition over resources. Don’t just assume you can just take a toy or something else they’ve picked up from a dog’s mouth.
Lost dogs - notify the client immediately. Any dog that I consider a flight risk wears a collar with my phone number on, attached to their longline, so if someone finds them they can instantly contact me. Depends on the dog and situation how you proceed. Some dogs will stay in the vicinity of where they lost you if they’re just strayed too far and lost sight of you, some will make their way back to the van, if the dog was spooked it’s much more likely to have bolted away from the scene. Some dogs will even try to make their own way home. Flight risk dogs must be kept on a lead at all times for their own safety.
Only take on dogs that you can safely handle. This includes large dogs, working breed dogs, reactive dogs, nervous dogs, dogs with particular medial issues. If you’re not sure how to train or manage reactivity, please refer on to someone else. It’s much more professional than trying to struggle on with stressful dog and making it worse. People with good intentions but no knowledge or skill of this type of training usually do more harm than good for the dog. Backyard bred working breeds in unsuitable pet homes and behaviour issues have sky rocketed in recent years, don’t let emotion overtake logic when dealing with these dogs. If you care about someone else’s dog’s welfare more than they do, you will certainly be taken advantage of and burn out real quick. I say this from experience.. You can’t save them all.
Bite risk dogs - muzzle them. For everyone’s safety. If the dog is likely to redirect when frustrated (turn round and bite you instead) - muzzle them. Even if you’re not bothered about yourself being hurt, if you allow the dog to learn that biting works, you’ve effectively trained that dog that aggression to their handler is the solution to their frustration, and also given the dog a bite history which now needs to be reported to any future people or businesses it goes to. Use the right muzzle for the job. A basket muzzle is best for walks, it allows the dog to pant and drink water. Do not use a mesh muzzle for walks or one that clamps the mouth shut, the dog needs to be able to pant to regulate body temperature. A halti/headcollar is not a muzzle. If a dog is uncomfortable and will potentially bite when being handled, towelled or at any other point then you should muzzle them for that short period for your own safety. Bites can have you off work for months with no pay, be disfiguring, life changing, career ending or even fatal. If your face is the nearest thing to the dog then that’s what’s probably going to get bit.
If the dog is human reactive and will possibly bite given the opportunity, then it needs to be muzzled while out in public. No matter how vigilant you are, people will at some point take you by surprise, kids appear round corners out of nowhere, and unfortunately most people nowadays don’t have enough common sense to give you space or listen when you say not to approach the dog. Get comfortable saying no to people, and body blocking them, you have to protect people from their own stupidity sometimes.
Puppies - If you’re not actively training the right behaviours you’re probably inadvertently teaching the wrong ones. Young puppies will naturally follow you, don’t make the mistake of thinking they’re perfectly behaved and trained, once they hit adolescence they should be put back on the lead to train around distractions as they will be much more independent, wanting to explore and will easily get themselves into trouble. If you’re introducing a puppy to a group, be aware not all ‘friendly’ dogs like or tolerate puppies, especially if they are the sort that gets in other dog’s faces.
Getting dogs out of the van - have them on leads. Don’t just open the back door and let them all pour out going mental while you scream like a banshee and they ignore you and run riot. It looks and sounds awful to anyone watching and the tone you set at the start of the walk will determine the rest of the walk. I get my dogs out the van one at a time with a verbal release, ask them all for a sit, and when ready we set off together calmly at heel. I let them off the lead one at a time so I can pick poos up, and avoid them unnecessarily razzing eachother up.
Teach dogs to be quiet in the van when travelling. At some point you’re probably going to get a client on night shift, if you rock up with multiple dogs all going berserk in the back, they’re going to disturb your client (and everyone else on the street). It also looks and sounds totally unprofessional and chaotic. Most dogs will bark or whine the first few times they go in the van, after that they should be comfortable enough and encouraged to be quiet.
Blind corners - don’t allow dogs to belt round corners ahead of you when you can’t see what’s there. You have no idea if there’s a horse, wheelchair user, reactive dog, someone who’s scared of dogs etc round the corner. Put your dog on a lead, in an offlead heel or a down while you check it’s safe to proceed. Imagine having multiple dogs fly round a corner and slam into you when you’re not expecting it, you wouldn’t like it happening to you so don’t do it to other people. The amount of times I’ve come round a blind corner to a dog that attacked one of mine only the day before and has no recall yet is still off the lead and I’ve had to catch it before it happens again is well beyond a joke. You never know what’s there, it’s up to you to protect your dogs from the many morons that roam freely among us.
If a dog does blow recall and run up to someone and you can’t call it back, you need to quickly go and retrieve the dog, put it on a lead, apologise and walk it away. Don’t just stand there like a lemon continuously shouting a dog which is obviously ignoring you. If you have other dogs with you and one dog has run up to a someone, perhaps they have a reactive dog on lead and yours is harassing them and causing an issue, you need to either tie the group to a fence or have enough obedience to put them all in a downstay while you go retrieve the offending dog. Do not bring the rest of the group over, it will only make the situation worse. This is why reliable recall and good behaviour is important for all dogs in a group, they are a liability otherwise.
Livestock - if you aren’t 100% sure of how trained the dog is around any sort of livestock or wildlife, keep it on a lead. I will only let dogs off lead near livestock if they are trained to and wearing an ecollar as a backup. Dogs can smell livestock miles before you see it. You are fully liable if the dog does chase or attack livestock.
Always be honest with your client. Accidents happen, dogs will be dogs and injuries will occur at some point. It’s much better to hear it from you than from someone else. Learn to forgive yourself if there is an incident, there’s a reason the saying goes ‘don’t work with kids or animals’. We all get shown up at some point. As long as you understand where you went wrong, and rectify your future actions so it doesn’t happen again, it’s ok, s**t happens.
Learn how to read between the lines when potential clients first contact you. Most people won’t honestly outright say ‘my dog has these issues’, they’ll dance around it. ‘Needs his ball for the full walk’ could mean the dog is a resource guarder, adrenaline ju**ie and/or unable to engage with its environment. ‘Has great recall until’ means it doesn’t have good recall. ‘Protective’ means reactive. If you’re unsure of a dog before the m&g, ask the owner to have the dog behind a safety gate, in a crate or on a lead for your arrival, for your own safety. If you’re still not comfortable taking the job after meeting the dog or owner, refer on, you’re entitled to refuse bookings for whatever reason.
Be first aid trained in person from a proper professional. Sometimes a dogs life will be in your hands, you should be confident in how to deal with most common issues without panicking, should they arise. If you don’t know how to stop a dog from choking, what to do if poisoned, bleeding etc, take this as your sign to book onto a hands on practical canine first aid course. Do a refresher every year, as medical advice changes and you will forget some things. I would recommend Rachel Bean for these in person workshops. Have all the local vets numbers already saved in your phone, and the poison line too, so you don’t waste precious time googling the number if you ever do need it.
If you’re feeding the dogs treats, use good ones. Anything from a branded packet is usually full of cereal and crap. Dogs are carnivores that eat meat. Make your own livercake or dehydrate your own meat to use. Packet treats are usually refused by most dogs, and will most likely give them the runs. Not what your client wants to be dealing with after you’ve walked them. There are some better quality ones out there but it will require some label reading on your behalf, it is much cheaper, easier and healthier to make your own. You should be aware of which dogs are allergic to what and of any health issues such as pancreatis. If you’re feeding a lot of the dogs daily calorie allowance on walks you should notify the owner so they can adjust their food intake at home to prevent the dog becoming overweight.
For the love of god please pick all poos up. I shouldn’t have to elaborate on this point.
Have all required and appropriate insurance, license etc. YOU are responsible both financially and legally for all issues whilst in charge of the dog. Make sure you fully understand what responsibilities you’re taking on. For example, if the worst happens and the dog bites someone, it’s you who would be at fault and prosecuted, not the owner, because you are the legal keeper of the dog at the time. Understand your personal dogs count towards group numbers but are not covered by your business insurance, and probably won’t be covered on their personal insurance either if they are out at work with you.
Be aware of the dangerous dogs act. Your dog doesn’t have to do the worst and maul someone to be labelled out of control and have legal action taken against them. Bad/lazy handling is enough to be reported if someone fears your dog.
Hot or adverse weather - use common sense and do what you’re comfortable with. I still do group walks in the heat of summer, some other walkers won’t. There’s lots of armchair experts on social media nowadays, spreading fear and misinformation, you can still safely walk a dog in summer if you’re not stupid about it. I take precautions, less walking, no toys, more training (downstays, scent work etc), location changes so its shaded and has drinking and paddling water available, with healthy fit dogs only, I will cancel or solo walk any brachy, elderly, overweight or dogs that will struggle for whatever reason. It’s cooling the dogs down after their walk in summer that is the issue, so don’t drop them off home totally goosed, allow time for them to cool down before you take them home. A five/ten minute downstay in the shade after their walk is beneficial for lots of reasons. Bad weather - some dogs don’t like the rain, keep them on a lead if they’re likely to try run back to the van.
Educate yourself, learn your craft and hone your skills. Good dog training is the basics done really well, which means reps reps reps. You only get good at handling lots of dogs by handling lots of dogs. I’m well aware dog training is a total minefield nowadays, especially on social media. Big followings doesn’t necessary translate to good training. Try not to pick a camp/cult (force free, balanced etc) and get caught up in it, because at the end of the day we all do the same stuff, we just call it different things. I’ve been to a few force free seminars/workshops with big name trainers, and every single one of them corrected their dog and used negative reinforcement at some point, but called it something more palatable to their audience. It is what it is. We all use the same ‘science’. We just draw the line at different points. You will most likely change your philosophy and ethics through time and experience with different dogs. What works for one won’t for another, and if you think you know everything I guarantee a dog will soon come along to humble you. I recommend both online and in person workshops, and shadowing good trainers if you have the opportunity. There are plenty of good trainers offering these services at the moment. Theory and practical training go hand in hand. Being booksmart and knowing theory doesn’t mean you’re any good at actually training dogs in real life, dogs don’t always behave like the textbooks say they should, sometimes they give you the middle finger, make you think outside the box and have to try something new. On the flip side, if you don’t know the theory behind what you’re doing, you’re going to run into problems.
Observe your dogs, they will be your best teacher. You will learn the most from them, how they interact and communicate with eachother and their surroundings. Learning body language and group dynamics is especially important if you’re planning on doing groups. It only takes one dog to ruin the whole group. Catching small things early will stop them progressing or regressing. I take a lot of ‘problem’ dogs that have been kicked out from daycares or other walkers, usually labelled as ‘aggressive’, but more often than not they have just eventually appropriately corrected another dog that’s been allowed to continuously annoy them, and been misunderstood by the humans. If a dog is pushing another dog to the point of correction, it’s time you step in and intervene. Walks should be enjoyable for all the dogs, don’t let one bully another.
Learn about tools and how they can be used before knocking them or labelling them one thing or another. When I first started in this industry I never thought I would use ecollars or any ‘aversive’ tools, I don’t consider myself a horrible person and why would you use that when you can positively reinforce the dog instead? It’s really not as simple as that. Sometimes these tools are a lifeline for a dog that would otherwise be stuck on a short lead, not walked at all for the rest of its life or even put down because the owner can no longer cope with its behaviour. I know which I believe is the crueller option. If you think tools are just slapped on the dog and used in the most heavy handed and barbaric way possible to shut a dog down and stop behaviour then you’re missing a lot of really clever training. I personally don’t have a lot of time or respect for new holier-than-thou professionals that loudly emotionally condemn tools, I only view them as living in fairytale land and as only working with a certain type of dog. Take advice from educated professionals who actually use and work with tools on a daily basis, not armchair experts on Facebook who have big feelings of how things ‘should be’ but no genuine real world experience.
Run ins with the public - it’s probably going to happen at some point. Try to remain calm and not argue with people. Don’t post disputes or grievances on your social media page. The best way to deal with most situations is to simply get your dogs out of there as quickly and safely as possible. It’s just not worth arguing with some people, and it only takes one negative interaction to have a lasting effect on your dog, especially if they are nervous. If you wear branded clothes or have a sign-written van, expect some backlash online. Non clients may even leave bad reviews. Deal with it professionally.
Stay in your lane. If you’re a dog walker, don’t be giving training, behaviour or medical advice out. Always refer on if you’re unsure. It’s much better to say ‘I don’t know but I’ll find out’ than offer wrong and damaging advice. Be careful not to diagnose a dog, only a vet can legally do this under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. For example, even if you can clearly see an obvious medical issue on a dog with your own eyes, it is illegal for you to say ‘the dog has x medical condition’. You can say ‘the dog may have x, the dog could have x’, but you cannot diagnose it. Be aware anything you say with regards to a clients dog could potentially come back to bite you. Always tell the client to seek medical advice from their vet.
Single event learning - can be a bitch. This is where an event occurs only once but the dog now expects it to happen every time. They can be good events or bad events. You may have read the story of the dog who found a pie in a bush one day and religiously checked the magical pie bush everyday after, expecting to find another. That is single event learning. Most of my clients have heard about the ‘magical pheasant bush’ at Roanhead, about 5 years ago a single pheasant flew out of a bush on a group walk. For literal years afterwards, everytime we went anywhere near it, the dogs would leg it to that specific bush fully expecting another pheasant to fly out. Another example is when my (human) client unexpectedly turned up on a walk for a jog when I had their dog, now their dog now expects to see their human at that particular point of the walk and will look for them. Something only has to happen once for the dog to remember it forever.
If you’re just not a good fit for a certain dog or client, for any reason, tell them and refer on. Some dogs you just don’t gel with. I am very picky about who I’ll work with nowadays, because you emotionally burn out so easily in this job. The type of clients you have make or break your business, so set clear boundaries and expectations with them from the get go.
I’ve probably missed some stuff, I will add it as I think of it. You may think I am overly cautious about walking other people’s dogs. I am, and there are many reasons for it. Having done this job day in day out for 8 years, I’ve seen some sights, had my fair share of events, met some fantastic professional walkers and trainers and some equally terrible ones. I could tell you some stories that would make your skin crawl of local businesses over the years. It’s very easy to be a s**t walker, to let your dogs run wild and have no consideration for anyone else. It’s much more skilful and respectful to be a good one. If you want a good reputation then you need to earn it.
Tory Calldine
Paws Outdoors
Est 2016
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