I am looking at a possible change of career and am wanting to maybe set up a business in dog walking. I was just after some advise really and have a few questions if anybody would know the answers or be able to put me onto somebody who does that would be grand!! :)

I would be looking to leave my full time job in admin to do this as it really is a passion of mine working with animals. Do you need any specific qualifications? I have read that a few people have animal care qualifications etc but I am not sure if this would be mandatory.

Is it easy to make ends meat/survive and pay bills etc with what you would earn from doing this as a full time job or would it just not pay enough?

How easy is it to set up and get the cliental base set up and do you do this alone (1 man band) or would you recommend yourself and somebody else? Obviously I would set up a website and get as many flyers etc out there as I could to promote myself however not sure with the way the current economy is now would people want to pay to get their dogs walked and how much I would be able to do myself to pay the bills etc.

I hope you can help I would really appreciate it as I am a bit fed up now of my job and hate sitting down at a desk all day when I could be helping people and getting outside rain or shine with animals as it really is my passion to work with them.

Any other advise or guidance from anyone would be very much appriciated

I think that a lot depends on whereabout you are in the country - obviously more need for dog walkers in an area of dense population. Country folk tend to sort things out between themselves and it would add to your costs if you had to travel to get to your clients.
I think that a partnership with a friend would be better in some respects as there would be backup if you were ill.
Imagine what it would do to your business if you broke your leg and were out of action for 6 weeks - I'm not wishing this on you, just playing devil's advocate. I would imagine a lot of clients would have made alternative arrangements by the time you were back in work.
Holidays - you can't realistically expect all your customers to take holidays at the same time so that you could be free.

Work out your present daily wages and then work out how many dogs you would have to walk to meet that figure, not forgetting to deduct any expenses you would encounter, including Insurance. You can then see if it is a realistic idea or not. Good luck with it :)

i noticed going by your name that u like/own yorkies do you have any other experience of walking bigger not trained dogs, dogs that may pull like horses also might be an idea to do a dog first aid course just in case, how many dogs would you walk at once i wouldnt walk no more than 2 possibly 3 at once because of the control.

Thanks. I am from near Rochdale which is Greater Manchester. You do have a very good point about the broken leg thing or anything that could knock me from my feet as with times especially being so tough it is a huge risk to take therefore this would need to be taken into account.

Thank you for the advice, it is something I am really going to try and do as I have such a passion for animals of all kinds, my soft spot being for dogs however I know with the climate being the way it is at the moment it is a bit of a risk and I need to be absolutely careful that I fully understand and have as much information to go into it as possible

I also have a border collie who pulls like crazy and I always have her under control when out on a walk to handle her. I also used to live at home with several German Shepherds whom I have had experience of walking as well.

I would need to ensure that the dogs if I walked together got on well and were fine to walk together as otherwise this could cause problems

Good thinking on the First Aid course I do not think I could live with myself not knowing what to do in the event of a situation occuring

I agree with the 2 possibly 3 if I did that and obviously for dogs who required to be walked alone I would do those seperately.

You might also want to look at finding a part-time admin job at first, rather than quitting office work completely. Then you still have some money coming in while you build up your client base. I do this with grooming, 3 days in the office and 2 days grooming, and was just thinking about reducing my office hours when another girl left and I got landed with her work too!

This sounds like a good idea as I would probably need to do this anyway unless I unexpectadly won the lottery! How easy would life be then! :D

I wouldn't mind so much if it was part time as at least it wouldn't be 5 days in the office, its driving me barmy! Then if it doesn't work out, at least I have some income coming in to support me

I know what you mean, I started this current job at 5 days to cover for a long term holiday, then dropped to 3 days when the girl came back, and it suits pretty well. I can have quiet office work for 2 days, then grooming for 2 days when I'm sick of the office, and then 1 last day in the office when I'm sick of dirty matted dogs! :-)

i know someone who took voluntary redundancy earlier in the summer & set up a dog walking business. She's earning £20 a week & looking at returning to her original line of work!! She did a lot of research & established no one else in area offered the service. I think earning money from dog walking is rarely an easy, or guaranteed, option.

From a client point of view, if you were proposing walking one of my dogs with other dogs I'd not met then I wouldn't hire you. I would also be looking for a dog walker with considerable experience of dogs... I want someone who truly understands body language & can recognise trouble before it gets to my dog. I want someone who knows dog first aid & is insured, and I don't want my dogs transported in other peoples vehicles (infection risk)!

Not what you were asking about I know, but I'm sure I'm not the only person with such high demands of someone who is looking for someone to care for their most precious friend.

I think it would be very difficult to make any kind of living. 
The travel overheads must be quite a consideration now with the severe hikes to insurance and rising fuel costs. 
It also seems to me there is little prospect of getting many hours in even if you have the clients as surely most will be looking for someone towards the middle of the day. 
Who would want their dog walked at 9 or even 10 am if they are working full office hours as many of your potential clients do or similarly who would want their dog left until 3 or 4 pm?  These hours would then restrict your flexibility for any other work I should think.
But this is just guess work on my part :)

I was made redundant back in November last year, I had my redundancy to live on for about 4/5 months whilst I got set up then I took an evening admin job for a couple of months to keep me going when that ran out.  I now do a cleaning job a couple of hours a morning just to make up my money.  I generally dog walk between 10.30 - 3.30 every day although some days are quieter than others (Mondays and Fridays are usually quite quiet).  The problem with working part time is that you will have to turn down new customers if you are working, that is why I took evening or early morning work.

I am nearly earning enough now to match what I was earning whilst working in an office ( I was an underwriter, although only worked 3 days a week).  Im lucky in that I am very much a "doggy" person and I have a good network of other "doggy" people including several other dog walkers who are happy to pass my details on when they are full.  My network of dog walker friends also cover for me when I go on holiday which is handy but its surprising the amount of people who make their own arrangements for their dogs if you give them enough notice.  I dont work alongside anyone, one of my reasons for doing dog walking was to work for myself and not have to answer to anyone (other than the dogs owners .... and the tax man ;)  )

I also offer a "bath and brush up" service and running (cani-cross) and biking for high energy dogs.  I basically do what the owners want, some want their dogs walked alone, others would prefer their dogs to walk with others.  Ive not had anyone say they dont want their dog transported in my car but that wouldnt be an issue it would just limit where I could walk the dog. I also offer puppy visits and socialisation walks.

>It also seems to me there is little prospect of getting many hours in even if you have the clients as surely most will be looking for someone towards the middle of the day. 

You would be surprised, I have one client who works in The city so is up and out early doors and home late, I walk that dog at 10.30 and 15.30.  I have another dog whos owner is a vet so he has different walking times depending on her shift.  Another client I have again works shifts so the walk could be 11am or 2pm, some have a morning walk and an afternoon walk.  Another girl is a riding instructor so I have her dog 17:00 - 18:30.

The dogs that I run can be done anytime as their owners are home anyway, they just like their dogs to have a good run as they cant go off lead. Doing grooming too means I can slot that in when im not busy. 

Ah but you have a USP :)

>and running (cani-cross) and biking for high energy dogs.

I have to round here, we have soooo many dog walkers

Thank you :)

Am I being really dumb, what is a usp?

I sometimes take out my bike with my 2 dogs, even Sparky my yorkie keeps up although he is much fitter and faster than most dogs his size... it is very good fun and I love doing that, I would never of thought of doing that either as part of the service, very good idea.

Bath and brush up... what does that consist of? No cutting? Just a normal bath and a nice groom? I could do that... I do cut my own yorkie however have no real experience in cutting hair and dont think I would trust myself with other dogs incase I made them bald or something!! :)

I am thinking maybe if I made the business into something more than just dog walking... i.e. dog walking, grooming and bathing, taxis service (but this would require me to get the relevant cages in the back of the car as this is something I do not currently have-thus does this make it financially viable, I dont know.

I am very good at reading body language I watch a lot of programmes on things like that such as the dog whisperer and its me or the dog, I find them really educational and although on paper that does not seem like much, I personally do think I am really good at it as I read my dogs body language, I can tell what my dogs are going to do before they do it. Same with my friends dogs etc and I know how to handle it should it turn bad. I have had several encounters out with my 2 dogs with other dogs being off the lead and charging up to my dogs and I have had to deal with it in the best way in order to keep my dogs and myself safe whilst should I say telling the woman exactly what I thought of her irrisponsibility! But thats another story!

Thank you for all your responses they are really useful and do help with me coming to a decision :)

If you train at the right place and become a good dog groomer rather than a sheep shearer, trimming to the breed standards, you'll have so much work that you'll have no time for any other business and have a good income too! :)

Having trained as a Veterinary Nurse when I left school and having had many other jobs both animal related and not in my working life and having now got my bus pass, I can say that dog grooming was by far the best and most enjoyable way to earn a living. :)

>Bath and brush up... what does that consist of? No cutting? Just a normal bath and a nice groom? I could do that... I do cut my own yorkie however have no real experience in cutting hair and dont think I would trust myself with other dogs incase I made them bald or something!!

Thats about it, although I do trim breeds that im experienced in, Setters / flatcoats but mostly its just a bathing service for owners who cant do it or dont have time.

>If you train at the right place and become a good dog groomer rather than a sheep shearer, trimming to the breed standards, you'll have so much work that you'll have no time for any other business and have a good income too!

I did very basic stuff as part of my college course but didn't take it any further, to be honest im not overly keen on grooming and couldnt see myself doing it all day every day.

>I am very good at reading body language I watch a lot of programmes on things like that such as the dog whisperer

As long as you realise that 'The Dog Whisperer' is totally hopeless at reading canine body language and gets it completely wrong ...

> what is a usp?

Unique selling point. 

I dog walk down the road fromyou in Manchester and after a day like today,you can sometimes ask why do you do it?? One dog did a runner from someone else's dog for reasons known only to himself, another's halti literally just came to bits and the dog launched at another dog. Aggressive dog was known to be aggressive but equipmemnt failure just couldn't be predicted and frightened the living heck out of me! Luckily enough the dog he launched for was being walked by another dog walker who was understanding and she had seen me standing well back waiting for her to walk on, but ping ping and loose dog. Absolutely terrifying for all and I was lucky the walker was so understanding it could easily have been worse.

You need insurance!! A good car/van, more insurance, treats galore, big boots and an ipod!! And can you pick up it's quite a competitive market? How many dogs can you cope with at once? I walk 4 dogs max and usually 2 will be from the same house. You will have the responsibility of house keys and the chance they might go missing, a fellow walkers' van was broken into and the keys of clients houses stolen. Luckily no addresses involved. The weather is awful and my hair is shocking!! I am covered in mud and whenever I bend over the airedale nicks my hat and does a lap of honour round the field with it!! You need a big sense of humour which luckily I have!! As I watch my hat zipping round the field. AGAIN!!

And something I have found is that what you think is a good standard of training is not what everyone else believes it to be. A recall will vary from dog to dog and sometimes a few sessions end up as training rather than walking to make your future life easier. Buy your own equipment and use it, something I routinely do until today when I used the clients and look how that ended!! Check out the internet for sample contracts for clients, something I use, to protect yourself when clients go away or stop using your services.

I have the ability to slip dogs in daily for clients so you need to decide can you suddenly fit a dog in or will you be fully booked up daily. Will you do hourly or half hourly walks or both? I stick to hourly easier for me but could make more money doing half hourly as well. Will you deal with aggressive dogs? I have a few on the books but try to avoid them for dog walking, training is another matter and another charge. On the other hand you can always refuse to walk a dog again if you have big troubles,never had to do this so far myself.

Good luck hopeit goes well for you!!

what sort of rates do people charge for dog walking, home boarding and 'bath and brush up'?

> Aggressive dog was known to be aggressive but equipmemnt failure just couldn't be predicted and frightened the living heck out of me!

Just as an aside.  I have never used a halter but I was out walking with my sister and her hound using one and I am sure she said it is always connected to a neck collar for just this reason.  Might be something to explore to save something like that happening again.

> Just as an aside.  I have never used a halter but I was out walking with my sister and her hound using one and I am sure she said it is always connected to a neck collar for just this reason.  Might be something to explore to save something like that happening again.

Just adding onto Stooges advice.
I use a halti on Buster (it's only on in case I ever need to stop him pulling/restrain him, like an emergency brake!), I have it on a completely seperate lead, he has his 'proper', sturdy lead attatched to his collar. As the halti is only attahced via a thin, light-weight lead it's easy enough to hold both leads in the one hand.

As I walk five (previously 6) together I find it easiest to attach a halti  link to head collar and to the top of the trigger hook where it joins the lead, and the trigger hook to their half check collars. 

This way should the head collar fail or less likely the clip on the half checks then they re still attached to the other. 

Using just one lead is easier if walking several dogs together in one hand.

I am very good at reading body language I watch a lot of programmes on things like that such as the dog whisperer and its me or the dog, I find them really educational

Switch off the Dog Whisperer and forget you ever saw that awful man -he knows nothing about dogs and treats them really badly and I have never seen anyone worse at reading dogs' body language. Victoria Stillwell is great NOW but her UK episodes were not good. If you watch the US version you will see she changed tactics entirely, she learnt from her mistakes and now knows you don't have to do all the rubbish she spouted initially, such as eating before your dog, scaring it with hooters and similar. I really admire her for admitting she was wrong and being able to turn round and do things differently! So look out for "It's me or the dog USA" but switch off the old UK episodes too!

> Switch off the Dog Whisperer and forget you ever saw that awful man -he knows nothing about dogs and treats them really badly and I have never seen anyone worse at reading dogs' body language.

To the OP - if you want to properly learn about dog body language, please look for books by Turid Rugaas (she also has a website), and invest in the definitive books by Roger Abrantes and Brenda Aloff.

To those of us who have learned better, the Dog Whisperer is about as attuned to dog language as you would be if you landed in the Kalahari Desert without a translator and got punished by them for misunderstanding what they think is proper English.

If you are going to take other peoples' dogs into your care even for a few minutes you owe it to the dogs and their owners to be as prepared as possible, especially when you go out with more than one and/or meet dogs in parks. Sad to say, the DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME warnings on the Dog Whisperer refer to everything you see on there, so you might as well just switch it off, for all the real use it's ever going to be - I am sure in time you will see some very damaged dogs belonging to people who ignored the disclaimer.

Thanks fortipsguys but halti was attached to collar etc literally fell to pieces, loops came through materail and dog was then off,stillnot quite figured out what happened. It will hopefully never happen again as I'm back tousing my own which get checked, washed weekly. Would be the dodgy dog as well, called sod's law!!

I thought of other things today as well after last week,you need to figure emergency van repairs and make sure you have a back up car when van gets repaired. I spent over 150 quid this summer on a good electric vent for air circulation as well as aircon takes too long to get going and fan can be left on whilst walking.

And try not to view competition asa bad thing, they could helpyou out with holiday cover and you can refer people between you, much nicer to be polite and have a chat,there will be days when you need a gossip.You might even need to know what clients to avoid, some can be real trouble with payment etc so better to be fully booked up when they call! And some clients will call and lie about how much they pay someone else,had it happen to me and I knew the other walker wouldn't do it for the price quoted.   

> Thanks fortipsguys but halti was attached to collar etc literally fell to pieces

Do you mean the collar fell apart as well?  The idea is the lead is connected to the collar as well as the halti ie put the clip through both connections.

> and I don't want my dogs transported in other peoples vehicles (infection risk)!
>

Eeek, how many layers of cotton wool is your dog wrapped in?

> Eeek, how many layers of cotton wool is your dog wrapped in

LOL :) :)

> and I don't want my dogs transported in other peoples vehicles (infection risk)!

>

Eeek, how many layers of cotton wool is your dog wrapped in? 

This reply is to ChristineW and to Daisy seeing as she was so amused.

I beg your pardon? How dare you make a stupid and insensitive comment like that without first of all ascertaining for what reason I would have for not allowing my dogs to be transported in someone elses vehicle, carrying god knows who elses dogs, which may or may not be harbouring an illness.

I have very good reason not to want to do this, a reason which involved a lot of heartbreak and huge expense. I do not, nor do I wish to, wrap my dogs in cotton wool but nor do I want to expose them to something that is out of my control. Infections such as kennel cough, etc may seem insignigicant to people without education/knowledge but to those of us that are aware it can sometimes prove to be catastrophic.

I would suggest you think before making flippant comments to someone you don't know.

> This reply is to ChristineW and to Daisy seeing as she was so amused.

>I beg your pardon? How dare you make a stupid and insensitive comment like that without first of all ascertaining for what reason I would have for not allowing

> my dogs to be transported in someone elses vehicle, carrying god knows who elses dogs, which may or may not be harbouring an illness

On the basis that IF you employed a dog walker, your dogs would be walked where many other dogs would also be walked, therefore putting them at the same level of risk as transporting them in a dog walker's car, it was a reasonable comment IMO - sorry

The difference being open spaces & very confined areas. That can make a HUGE difference.

To be fair, it's probably far safer than taking them to a vet's waiting room or having them transported in the ambulance.

> The difference being open spaces & very confined areas. That can make a HUGE difference

Whilst I appreciate what you are saying, if you continued that into other areas you wouldn't send your children to school, work in an office, sit in a pub etc etc etc. Unless you have a dog with a compromised immune system, any normal dog should be able to cope with the close proximity of other dogs surely.

Yes collar fell to bits!! Not a good day.

I obviously transport dogs daily in my van and can sort of understand the transport comments.There have been several dogs I simply would not put in my van. Bald bottoms looking like flea allergy do not get near my van!!

Dogs who roll in ugly stuff get put in crates so I don't have to clean the entire van out. Have had dogs who had accidents that needed immediate cleaning as poop literally wiped around entire back of van.But my set up is pretty unique, crates are individual and have covered wipeable dog beds wedged between them as germ/mud barriers on the sides. Crates have hard board on top which is covered by removal car seat cover that is washed weekly together with all vet beds in crates and the big area used for my dogs behind bulk head. or more often if wet as gets smelly.

Entire back of van is covered in lino flooring stapled to walls and ceiling which is wiped down weekly. Can't do daily as takes too much time  but van is cleaned out crates removed etc weekly to prevent cross infection or transfer of creepy crawlies!! Yuck!! Reckon that'sabout as good as I can get it in reality. have totake care as I don't want my lot getting poorly.

As another thought my dog walkers set up now is that she rents a large enclosed area of field and wood from a nearby farm. This means the dogs can be walked in safety with no risk from other people or their dogs and can all be off lead. There are three of them working this family business full time.
My dogs are collected and returned they are out for about 3 hours. In the field they have some  cover running water for washing down and drinking.
They are very good with managing dog behaviour and take on all sorts of dogs after careful introductions. I have walked with them on many occasions and watched them play and train the dogs I am confident that the dogs needs are being met in lotsof ways and that the dogs are not just running loose as apack they are really looked after . They are competant in first aid for the dogs and are insured for most events I can think of. They also provide boarding at their home
For trialist they would be quite happy for you to drop off and collect your dogs if you were not happy with them being in the cars with others
This is an alternative to walking your dog in public areas and think myself very lucky to have this service.
Maybe an idea to look at too

The problem with CD is it sometimes feels like when you make a posting, you inadvertently unleash the terriers.

I'm not justifying my response, I should have thought 'heartbreak' and 'huge expense' might have been sufficient to make people think that I obviously had a pretty reason for making it. Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves.

Happyhoundgirl - sounds as though you understand the implications of transporting other people's dogs and have a very good set up :)

furriefriends - your friends set up sounds an ideal set up and must make it whole load easier when taking multiple dogs.

Dogs who roll in ugly stuff get put in crates
Do you mean that dogs who haven't rolled travel uncrated, together, in the back of your van?

Can't do daily as takes too much time  but van is cleaned out crates removed etc weekly to prevent cross infection or transfer of creepy crawlies!!
In an efficient grooming parlour, all work surfaces and crates are disinfected and bedding changed for each dog to avoid cross infection or the sharing of fleas, skin diseases etc.  Sure it takes time, but that's what's needed to protect the dogs in your care.........

> I'm not justifying my response, I should have thought 'heartbreak' and 'huge expense' might have been sufficient to make people think that I obviously had a
> pretty reason for making it

I am very sorry if my post offended you - it wasn't intended too, but you had not indicated in your orignal post that you had any particular reason (a dog with a compromised immune system etc) for not wanting your dog transported in a dog walker's van apart from a risk of infection. I am assumng that if you have a dog with these problems, you wouldn't employ a dog walker anyway.

I still stand by my view that any healthy dog wouldn't be at any more risk being transported in such a van than many other places that dogs visit. This is, I assume, what Christine was referring to in her post.

> The problem with CD is it sometimes feels like when you make a posting, you inadvertently unleash the terriers

I just disagree with your 'risk assessment', I don't think it necessitates being called a 'terrier', but that your prerogative, I suppose

Im awaiting a major op at the moment so currently at home. Because I cant walk my three (or do much at all tbh) Ive had to get a dogwalker to take mine out.  She is a walker that is employed by a company called Petpals, so they are registered and insured with all the right people and have back up walkers if 'your' walker cant come for whatever reason.  She comes to my house, collects my lab, takes her for a run at a local field, plays ball with her and lets her have a good sniff and mooch about, then comes back and gives my pup a 15min pavement toddle (hes 4 months old so a controlled pavement walk is better for him at the moment than a hooly about which I cant be there for). My Cavalier Alfie gets walked by my children after school as he is a real plodder and only goes out for a walk because we make him lol (he'd much rather be asleep on my feet as hes getting on a bit now)

She only walks my dogs when she comes to me. I prefer that she only has my dogs to look after when she comes to me as its just I know my dogs inside out, whereas she doesnt really, so Id rather she just had mine to concentrate on.  I would also have problems with my dogs going off with lots of others in a big van due to not every owner takes the same care I do with my dogs.  Especially in a confined space with things like fleas or  KC which is infectious before they start coughing, mine are vaccinated but its not 100%.  Both my dogs would also be completely floored if they were shut in a van with a few other dogs that were barking and jumping about excitedly even if they were in individual crates.

One thing that did worry me, was a local dogwalker had good credentials, but when quizzed said that she had a big field that she took the dogs to, fair enough, however she said that she let them play on the field whilst she mucked out the horses..ie there was no supervision whatsoever.  Needless to say, shes not got my dogs!

For three walks per week costs me £30, ie £10 each day.

I prefer that she only has my dogs to look after when she comes to me as its just I know my dogs inside out, whereas she doesnt really, so Id rather she just had mine to concentrate on.
I agree with you completely Alfieshmalfie.
There have been BIG problems around here with dog walkers walking 4-6 dogs from different homes.  All of the dogs are trained to different levels, in different ways and with different words.  The walkers are using the wrong words for the wrong dogs and getting no response.  As one dog legs it in the wrong direction, they try to round up the other 4 and fail miserably.
The other day the Dog Warden happened to be there when one 'walked' dogs started to fight with an old lady's Pug on its lead.  The walker didn't stand a chance of sorting it out AND controlling the other 4 in her care! :(
With help from other members of the public a nasty incident was avoided but she was 'walked' back to her van by the Dog Warden.

> I would suggest you think before making flippant comments to someone you don't know.

Well I'm of the opinion that it takes a lot of dirt to kill you.    
Any dog walker who walks a dog carrying an infection amongst other dogs is asking for trouble and I wouldn't employ them either but there are dog walkers out there who do care.  However, I wouldn't employ a dog walker that stuck my dog in the back of a van that was pitch black when the doors were shut, how awful, not matter if it were the cleanest germ free van in the world.

Christine the van has windows in the back!!!!! Dogs can see out!!

As for other comments about cleaning it out daily quite frankly totally unrealistic!! Dogs are crated when they need to be and uncrated when not needed to be. Use some common sense people, like I'm gonna throw a load of dogs in the back of a van that could then rip into each other!! Yeah great way to run a business!! Excuse me whilst I return your dog to you full of holes and fleas!! Wouldn't last long now would it?

As forcomments aboutkennels and vets cleaning out well a surgery I know had MRSA breakout brought in from staff members! Should I hose myself off daily? Another well cared for kennel business frequently has K.cough break outs part of the business really, dogs can be vacced against it but doesn't mean they don't bring it in. You take SENSIBLE precautions, not become hysterical cause my van has something in there you find in a field!!

I have a walker come twice a day to walk my dogs on a private walk (no other dogs, just mine)  and that costs me £26 per day.  Each walk is a guaranteed 40mins as per our contract although it is often more like an hour.  I happened to be home early last Friday and was in when she came, the dogs went nuts when they heard her key and they were all over her, they clearly think she's great.  On our first meeting she showed me all her insurance and CRB certificates as well as a few references with owners contact numbers so I could ring and check they were authentic.  I have since been asked if I would be willing to provide a similar reference.  After each walk she leaves a little two line summary as to what the girls have been up to, who they barked at, how many mouse nests they dug up, that one enjoyed her roll in fox poo, that kind of thing and that's lovely to read each evening.  She will also offer a taxi service to the local vets if necessary and she does a collection/delivery service for non-prescription things as she is in the vets regularly anyway, which is great to have if I need more wormer etc.

She has policies such as non-vaccinated dogs are walked locally (so they don't go in her van) and privately, that's perhaps something you should consider as more and more people are questioning the need for annual vaccinations.  She had several sheets we went through, one for vets details and any health problems, one for my requirements; how often, when, where to walk, where they stay in the house, that I want her to give them a preprepared kong after the morning walk etc, and a final one for the girls; likes, dislikes, commands, quirks, suitable treats etc.  She also got out some key tags on tiny trigger hooks that she uses on the dogs collars and we agreed the info that would go on there, both our mobile numbers as well as her surname and home number and my address and work number, apparently some owners prefer just her details on there but I liked having the option of adding my phone numbers - heaven forbid if the girls get lost (shouldn't as they are on long lines for their walks but as happyhoundgirl has shown accidents happen) then I want people to be able to have as much contact info as possible.

A final point worth considering; are you a naturally doggy person - do dogs gravitate towards you and respond well to you?  There are people out there that although they love dogs they do not get that kind of response from dogs, I've had one guy like this come round as I was thinking of using his dog walking, the problem being is that one of my dogs can spot a doggy person at a hundred paces, if you're not then she won't come near you and she was having nothing to do with this fella!  It would make it a little hard to get her lead on her when you collect her from the house!

Sounds like you've found someone who knows how it should be done luddingtonhall.
I was always taught that if you are going to take money from the public to look after their dogs in whatever capacity, then you should have more dog knowledge than the average owner to give them value.  I was taught to recognise simple, basic diseases/problems/injuries so that I knew when to advise the owner to take them to the Vet, and to make sure that they went home in better condition than when they arrived rather than the opposite, not to take home fleas, mange, cheylatia etc that they didn't arrive with. :)

Very good information to start to work with yorkies4eva. :)

hi
i do dog walking i live in macclesfield and i charge
for 30 min-£6
45 min £8 and i hour £10 then for
1 visit a day £4
2 visits a day £11
i also do weekend sitting for that is £50

hi
i do dog walking i live in macclesfield and i charge
for 30 min-£6
45 min £8 and i hour £10 then for
1 visit a day £4
2 visits a day £11
i also do weekend sitting for that is £50