Hi

I know that this has been covered before but I cannot find anything when I try searches.

I have been out of work for some time and am now looking at setting up a small dog walking, pet sitting service.

Are there any services you would look for.

At the moment I am thinking of the following

Walk On/Off Lead and either single or in group
House visits
Basic Grooming service
Trick/Obedience/Dancing/Clicker training
Pet Taxi to groomers or vets
Microchipping (need to look at getting training for this)
Food Collection and Delivery

thanks

h

I would not look for services without checking the credentials of the person saying they can provide them so I would like to see the dog training courses the person took.  Also whether the person knows dog first aid.  And since the person would likely come into my house, insurance.  Insurance for my house and for my dog.

Shall I give you a bit of a scare?  I used to meet a gal dog walking with usually 3 or 4 dogs all off leash.  My friend used her and raved about her.  Then one day I met her in a place I never had before and she was missing a 5 month old puppy.  She still had the other 4.  I was put on alert and never found it.  As it turned out while she was describing the pup to me it had managed to bypass me and was waiting at her car.  And I have not seen her since and that was a year ago.

Good luck,  it is a big responsibility.

Thanks for your input, much appreciated.

I agree that it is a huge responsibility and it is not one that I will be undertaking lightly.

Its hard to get the balance between offering the service the client wants and what you feel is appropriate.

My first concern will always be any animals in my charge.

Dog first aid is a good one, should look into that ASAP.

h

I echo Jetstone Jewel's comments.

You should also check with your local council to see if they have any rules/restrictions about the numbers of dogs which can be walked together.  Also, if you are planning to have dogs staying at your house, if there are rules about numbers.

Most peoples' dogs are very precious to them, and the last thing they want is anything bad to happen to them.  You might also take a look at the laws (local and national) currently in force and planned. 

I see you are thinking of offering group dog walks:  have you much experience of walking multiple dogs?  from the same household?  from multiple households?  How would you deal with conflicts between dogs, either between those you are walking or with other peoples' dogs you encounter?

You are thinking of offering a wide range of services:  have you decided how you would divide your working day between the various options?

How would you transport the dogs between their homes and the walking places?

Sorry, just a few questions and you may already have considered them, but if I were going to use your services they are just some of the questions I would be asking you.

Very best wishes.

For insurance purposes the limit is 6 dogs but to be honest I would be looking at probably 3 or 4 depending on suitability.

I am not planning on having dogs in my own house at least not initially

For the past 20 years I have been walking 4 dogs + on a daily basis so have loads of experience that way

I am an experienced dog trainer and so dogs would be assessed before being  mixed and obviously only with the owners full authority.

I was thinking of dog walking being mostly the middle of the day to break up the working day for them. 

The pet sitting would be earlier and/or later in the day

Dog grooming and training would slot in to fit.

Transport would initially be a caged car but eventually would get a van to allow more flexibility.

I agree that pets are precious, I am the world's worst, I wont use kennels and have a limited number of people that I trust with my dogs. 

I think if anything I will always end up erring on the side of caution.

Please don't apologise I am really looking for other people's perspective here and all feedback is most welcome.

I have never used a dog walker but if I did I wouldn't want my dogs walked with any one elses and im not sure id want them off lead until they had really got to know the walker as they have a fab recall for me but that may not be the case for someone they have no relationship with.

Totally agree with you mcmanigan and obviously the clients wishes would be respected in that regard.

Can't comment re actual setting up but can comment as a dog owner and whether I'd give you my custom :-)

Walk On/Off Lead and either single or in group
I would not want you to walk any of my precious dogs off lead, nor would I want you to walk any of my dogs in a group of unknown. In truth with 5 dogs all I would want you to do is let them into my own garden and give them a bit of company.

Trick/Obedience/Dancing/Clicker training
Wouldn't want anyone to start training my dogs, but then my dogs are very well trained to my own methods and to my own liking. No doubt you would find plenty who would be quite pleased you will train!

Microchipping (need to look at getting training for this)
I'm a qualified microchip chipper and I would say that the training is expensive, the cost of purchasing equipment isn't cheap and if you are going to chip other people's animals then you must have insurance. You need to look around at who else in your area offers this service, besides vets. There are many people now chipping for around the £10 mark, that's only a few quid more than a chip costs. Plus many rescues now chip for free. You might find the initial outlay just isn't worth the hassle.

I would want a dog walker to have a ton of doggy experience, preferrably proven in some field, insurance, CRB checks, affiliation to some organisation (not just any, though not sure what organisations there are for professional dog walkers), I would want someone with first aid qualifications and a clear idea of what the procedure would be in case of an emergency.

obviously the clients wishes would be respected in that regard

Judging by a friend of mine who set up as a dog walker last year, the client is not necessarily the best person qualified to say whether their dog should be walked off lead or not. My friend allowed a dog off lead, having taken it out on several occasions, assured by the owner it would be fine off lead ... ended up being spooked by something unusual and it took 24 hours to find the dog! Not sure I would want that responsibility ...

Thank you Trialist.

Know what you mean about letting them out in the garden, to be honest I would prefer that for my dogs as well.

Thanks for the comments re micro chipping, looks like I will remove that from my list.

Sorry re the training meant train the handler with the dog as in 1 to 1 sessions.  I have years of experience training dogs and people in different disciplines.

Are there any additional services that people think would be attractive?

I have seen many BAD dog walkers in my area, walking over the 6 mark, not noting if they are insured on their websites and not even doing CRB checks which I feel need to be done annually.
Also with transport, many dogs have turned on each other in dog walkers vehicles which have been caged together, this i feel needs to be seriously looked at.

One dog walker approached me in a park and said, this dog caught in the barb wire, what do you think i should do with it? Clearly there was a wound, me i said take it to the vets, get it checked out, covers the dog and you for insurance purposes.. She was like oh, the vets really... OMG!!!! i was flaberghasted at this response and to think she breeds and tries to show too :-(

I've seen some seriously bad walkers round my way, many having 10 plus on a walk with just one walker. Walking about smoking, on the phone and ignoring the dogs who are up to who knows what, pooing on pathways(not cleared up).
Also transport i;d want a seperate cage for each dog, i would NOT want any of my dogs caged in with a stranger, many accidents have happened around here, which has lead to death.
CRB checks need to be done annually, if not i'd avoid, likewise with anyone with not up to date insurance.

I hate marked vans, shows people you are carrying pets and thus for me is a lack of security..

Off lead will happen with consent once the walker is happy that they have good recall.

I'd not want anyone walking my dogs in a heavily populated area of dog walkers, accidents waiting to happen also.

One such dog walker who will remain nameless, they don't pick up their poop, aren't crb checked, let dogs off at the first walk of meetin ghtme, have lost dogs, have had serious accidents and not dealt with them. I was approached by said walker who asked me what to do with a dog who'd was wounded from barb wire, my response was The Vets, seriously can't believe that didn't enter their heads... jeez!!!!

>  I would want you to do is let them into my own garden and give them a bit of company.

I agree. The dogs shouldn't need a walk anyway if the owner gives them a good walk before and after work - if they don't and need a dog walker to do it for them, perhaps they shouldn't own a dog :)

Thank you for your input.

I agree, CRB checks, insurance and seperate cages are all necessities in my book.

I have spent a lot of time on here reading posts and think that I know the things that we dont want, I was more looking for ideas for additional USP's that would set my buisiness apart.

Hi Helen,

I'm dogless at the moment, and haven't used a dog walker in the past, but certainly in my local area I could see a need for a pet taxi for trips to the vets etc, I know quite a few people who rely on public transport/private taxis for their dogs, netiher of which are properly equipped to take dogs (especially ill ones), and then there's the inconvenience on the bus stop being approx 1/2 a mile from the local vet surgery.

From a 'box ticking' point of view, I'm sure you've probably already thought of this, but you'll need vehicle insurance 'for hire or reward' if you're planning to offer a pet taxi service.

One to one training in specific areas as you've mentioned might prove popular too, we have a trainer local to us who does basic HWTM, obedience, clickertraining  & 'fun tricks' for pet owners using positive methods and is very much in demand, as are her regular training classes.

Just a thought, but it's not possible to carry out a CRB check on yourself for some reason (believe me, I've tried, I used to run children's craft parties) - which could explain why a lot of dog walkers don't appear to be checked, it's becasse they can't check themselves as a self employed person - ridiculous rule, but that's the way it is...

There are a couple of ways around this, one is to get a 'subject access request' from your local police force which costs around £10, this will show if you have any record or not (but won't list what for if you do have one), it's not a CRB check, but I'm sure most people can exercise common sense if you sohw them an official police document stating you have no record. The slightly longer winded way is to set up a Ltd company for your business, and then employ yourself through that company so your company, as your employer can do a CRB check on you.

I think CRB checks are now called something else, but can't remember what they've changed to.

Hope that helps, and best of luck with your new venture.

Claire

You may find this of some interest: First Aid For Animals

Hi Claire

Thanks for your comments, agree change of use for my vehicle insurance would be necessary. 

Thank you for confirming that the tricks, HTM, etc is likely to be of interest.

I remember the trouble I have had in the past trying to get to vets, training classes etc when my car was off the road, plus nice to have a friendly face to help you if your pet is not the most mobile.

I do voluntary work with young people and for that I hold a current PVG certificiate which is the replacement for Disclosure (Scotland).

Once again thanks for input.

h

Thanks for the link.

Unfortunately I am in Scotland and this only covers England.

There was someone who came up here to run a first aid course recently but of course being out of work made paying for it impossible for me.

Hopefully they will be up again and I can enroll and claim it as a buisiness expense.

h