24/10/2024
Every day at the minute I am seeing another dog walker or pet sitter pop up on my news feed.
Now we are fully booked and have waiting lists so the competition element isn't a worry.
However there is something that does worry us...
Everyone seems to be choosing this as an easy option career. I saw one person post as a fitness instructor, the next week running a cleaning business and not long after they had become a dog walker.
Firstly this is not an easy career. Nearly all the businesses we see start up very soon close down.
They see an hourly rate that others charge and think it's great money. But they don't factor in the costs of fuel, phone bills, insurance, website, database, equipment, maintenance, treats, the list goes on.
It is not a big money career unless you walk large groups and then you have much less control.
Our income would not be enough to survive if we were just dog walkers.
Now many of our behaviour clients look for a dog walker or a pet sitter. Clients we walk for need a pet sitter as we are full or vice versa so the point of this post is how do you choose. How do you know you are getting someone that is going to not just walk your dog but care about them like you do and know what to do in various situations.
Firstly...
🐾 Insurance - ask to see this, anyone can say they are insured
🐾 Experience - Have they ever even owned a dog? Do they understand your dog's breed?
🐾 Qualifications - Have they studied dog behaviour, do they use science based modern training methods that are force free? Have they done dog first aid?
🐾 Setup - Do they transport the dogs in a proper crated van or are all the dogs in harnessed seat belts and are all the dogs separated from one another and not mixing dogs from different households in the same sections?
🐾 References - can you speak to others who are already clients of theirs that does not include friends and family.
🐾 Paperwork - Do they ask for all your dogs information including emergency contacts, vet history etc? How do they store your data, is it secure?
🐾 Initial visit - Do they offer a meet and greet service beforehand so that both parties can be sure they are the right fit?
🐾 Routine- Do they walk dogs on or off lead? Do they use secure fields? Big or small groups or even 1 to 1? Is this suitable for your dog? If they are pet sitting do they need to leave your dog at home, how long would this be for?
🐾 Policies - What are their terms and conditions for cancellations, holidays, if your dog is unwell and other situations that may arise? It may seem great if they are flexible and accommodating but this may also be a sign they are "flaky" and unreliable in the long term.
There are lots of other things to consider and many things specific to each individual dog however these cover most of the important topics you can ask about in advance.
Be careful and choose wisely.
