PawshPaws

Your dog walking career might start slowly first, but don’t worry… as long as you are professional, punctual and trustworthy, your business will grow in no time.

Here are a few quick tips that every dog walker must know in order to run a productive dog walking business:

1. Have extra leashes, collars, dog toys, dog treats, etc.
2. Get a good backpack for storing extras as you walk, something that your dog clients can’t reach.
3. Take water for you and for the dogs you are walking and don’t forget to take a small bowl for the water.
4. Keep a raincoat handy at all times. It’ll bother you more than the dogs if it starts to pour.
5. Get police checks/clearance papers to show potential clients that you are trustworthy and that you are taking a professional approach. This is an important consideration since you are entering their homes during their work hours to take their dog for a walk and you will have access to their keys and their home.
6. Insurance is also a must. You never know what may happen. Dog Walking insurance is cheap.
7. Be sure to have a signed service agreement to be sure your business is covered against liability.

And here are a few warnings to consider:

1. Always be cautious around the dogs that you are not familiar with!
2. This is a job that will require good communication skills with both the dogs and the dog owners.
3. Be certain that you are in good physical shape because dog-walking can be a strenuous activity… especially with medium to large dogs.
4. DON’T let the dog off the leash unless you have a fenced area so the dog won’t run away, or until you have really gotten to know them and they listen well to you!
5. Remember this is NOT YOUR DOG, but take care of it like it is!

Here is a list of things you’ll need to run your dog walking business:

1. Leashes
2. Other equipment as required
3. Dog treats/cookies
4. Pooper Scooper or a plastic bag to pick up poop
5. Pet toys
6. Water & water bowl
7. Notebook with all clients emergency numbers
8. Current map of the area
9. Dogs to walk!

We’ve already discussed some tips on how to start your professional dog walking business, so now I want to cover some advanced tips to becoming a professional dog walker.

1. Get a Good Website. The internet is increasingly becoming people’s first port of call and aids them in their decision making. When choosing your domain name keep it simple and relevant.

For example, one site that clearly understood it’s target audience was www.thedogwalkerportland.com simply by choosing a domain with relevant keywords this website appears on the first page of google for the search term ‘dog walker portland’.

Consider the layout and design, first impressions count and if your website is a reflection upon your service it should depict your core values such as friendliness and professionalism.

2. Consider value-adding with other services. It might be worthwhile adding other dog-services to your skills-set. While these additional services will also add costs and some may even require business or home-office style space, if you are seriously considering make an entire career from dogs, this may be the key to a lucrative career. Consider extra services as:

• Dog-bathing and dog-grooming;
• Dog-sitting (either on client’s premises or at yours if you have space for boarding kennels);
• Dog-training (if you are properly qualified only);
• Dog-listening (if you are properly qualified only);
• Spending extra time after the walk at client’s home with a dog to simply be with it, play with it, feed it etc; and
• Dog medical attention – some owners can’t stay home from work to medicate their dogs; you could be the answer.

3. Love and understand your canine clients. You need to love dogs to have a successful career with dogs. It is as simple as that. Dogs sense non-dog people and it won’t be smooth riding if you aren’t truly comfortable around them.

There are some important considerations to think about:

• Do you know as much as possible about dogs? Know as much as you can, not just from your own experience with them but also from reading and speaking to the owners and to your local vet.
• How many dogs will you walk at any one time? Some dog-walkers can walk as many as ten dogs at once, all shapes and sizes. Consider whether you think this is a good thing or even achievable for you!
• Do you know which breeds of dogs might not be compatible or will be compatible with one another? Know this before teaming them up for a walk.
• Do you know what to do if a dog is in heat? It’ll attract more than its fair share of attention and you’ll need to be prepared.
• Do you know how to handle a dog that suddenly turns aggressive on you? Or on passers-by around you?
• Do you know how to poop-scoop? Do you know the local by-laws on walking dogs in certain areas etc? Read up! Your being well-informed will impress clients and will reassure them that you are not amateur and will help them to feel you are going to have their dog’s best interests at heart.

4. Understand your human clients. Realize that your human clients will have all sorts of expectations, based on their own beliefs in dog-care and often with a dose of guilt that they can’t spare the time to do what you are doing for them. Be generous in your compassion for their concerns (after all, they know their own pooch best) and be tolerant of the more difficult requests. Gentle persuasion and negotiation will often win the human client over!

5. Learn some basic dog first-aid. Ask at a local veterinary for some training in basic dog first-aid (expect to pay the vet for this advice). It will help you to fix some of the little problems that you may encounter. And while you’re at this, do you know thefirst-aid for a dog bite?

Walking dogs for a living is more than just clicking on a leash and getting some exercise together. You need to be a dog-lover who is in tune with the ways of dogs and ready to run a business. Yet, it can be a rewarding job for a dedicated person who is well-organized, professional and human and dog client-oriented.

Here are some suggestions on how to start your professional dog walking career:

1. Consider how big you want your dog walking career to be. Be realistic – you’ll probably need to start small, and allow yourself to grow.  Do you want it to be a part-time or a full-time career? How much time can you devote to dog-walking? If you are young and want to make money by dog walking, make flyers and offer around your neighborhood.

For example, consider these scenarios:

• If you are a student who needs income during studies, you will have crunch times around exams and essay due dates but you will likely be fairly flexible during the rest of the time. Be honest with a potential client and explain your availability, including the possibility that there may be certain times when you will be very busy and may need to reschedule temporarily at such times.  Always let them know you’ll make up for it during vacation etc.
• If you want to start a permanent business, consider whether it is something you want to work 9 – 5 (or extended hours) 5 – 7 days a week, or is it something that only interests you part-time, say 2 – 3 days a week of a few hours here and there? These are important considerations that will either expand or limit your options and availability. More hours means more clients and a likelihood of referrals. Less hours will mean more devotion to a small corps of clients and a need to make it clear to them that your availability is limited to them.

2. Be prepared for running a business. If you want a large business, are you prepared to manage employees and cover a larger part of the city than you could do alone? If you make your business large, you will need employees. You will need to:

• Get insurance and become bonded.
• Interview pet sitters, check them for reliability, train them and pay them.
• Be able to trust them to do their dog-walking according to your instructions.
• Keep good financial records, manage a payroll system, pay taxes on business income, and manage other worker’s requirements.
• Keep a tight leash (no pun intended) on the client arrangements. As owner of the business, you should make all arrangements for dog-walking directly with clients and then provide the instructions, keys etc. to your employees. That way, if things don’t work out with your dog-walker employee, you keep the client and substitute with a new employee.

3. Set the amount you want to charge. How you price your services will depend on the quality of your service and the length of time you have been dog-walking professionally. It will be difficult to charge higher amounts until word-of-mouth begins to boost your business and you have solid references.

• Research the field first. What are other dog-walkers charging in your area? Ask them if they are willing to divulge information to a potential competitor. Compete fairly with them – you could undercut slightly at first to get a toehold in the business. Don’t undercut viciously; after all, you want to stay in this industry, not be cold-shouldered by your fellow dog-walkers. If there is no one competing, then use the internet to get some idea of the costs for your region.
• Don’t under-charge or over-charge. Undercharging will lead some to think you are an amateur, perhaps even the local school kids looking for odd jobs. Charge a fair amount in return for good, reliable and professional services.

4. Print some stylish business cards. Make sure that they present a professional image and provide your contact details. Include a few short, pithy lines or words about what you offer as part of the dog-walking service.

For instance:

• Say where the dogs will be walked – for example, to the parks, on green grass, in quieter areas of the city – whatever you think dog-owners would appreciate and trust.
• Explain what you will do with the dogs to keep them entertained and well-exercised – for example, that you are prepared to run with the dogs for exercise, that you will play ball/tug rope/fetch with the dogs etc.
• The ways in which you will pay attention to nutritional and medical requirements of your canine charges.

5. Advertise. Pass around flyers or business cards to let people know about your business. Stop residents walking their dogs as you walk around, introduce yourself and offer your business card to them. Begin to network with family and friends regarding your business. Start small and let your good business spread by word-of-mouth. There is no harm in asking your first set of clients to refer you to their friends, colleagues etc. If they are happy with your work, many will be happy to do this.