Dog Walking Services - How to Pick a Dog Walker
If you have a dog, a full time job and no backyard that the dog can go out to on its own, you are probably going to need some daytime intervention so your dog can get some relief.
While you can hire a professional dog walker, sometimes you can also recruit a neighbor, even a very young neighbor, to stop by sometime in the early afternoon to take your dog for a walk.
There are two essential skills or traits to look for: Responsibility and an affection for dogs.
Responsibility is actually more important.
Whoever you hire is going to have your dog's life in their hands during the walk.
If you live in a peaceful suburban neighborhood and have a calm or older dog, your dog walker's job is much less demanding than if you live in a city with cars whizzing by and have a large, high-energy pet that can easily overpower anyone less than 150 pounds.
The other critical factor with responsibility is that whoever you hire is going to have access to your house.
Again, if you live in a small, safe community, this may not be a problem at all.
If you live in a semi-dangerous section of a major city, it may be a concern.
While it is an added expense, seriously consider getting a keyless entry system installed on your front door.
A good one will cost about $85, and you'll have to spend another $85 to get it installed, but you will then be able to just give your walker, and anyone else you need to let in a special code (their own code for the more advanced systems) and they will be able to get themselves in, no keys involved.
If you ever have to fire them, just change the code.
That way there are no keys to reclaim, and you won't have to change the locks.
The best way to ascertain responsibility is through references.
Never, ever hire a walker without checking at least two of their references.
Good, experienced dog walkers will have at least three references they can give you on the spot.
If they hand you a sheet of twelve different references during your interview with them, all the better.
When you call the references, ask how long the dog walker has been walking the person's dog.
Ask if they have ever had any problems.
Ask for a description of the person's dog (young, old, active, over 80 pounds, etc).
If you want your dog walker to do any training, or to feed the dog during their visits, or to be able to take the dog to the vet (which they have to be ready to do if you want good emergency preparedness), then ask the dog owner if the dog walker has done any of these services for them.
If you can spare the time, it is a really good idea to screen and interview three different dog walkers.
That way you are more likely to pick a truly excellent dog walker, not just someone who was "good enough".
If possible, your dog walker should also be a dog trainer.
The time spent out on the leash is an excellent opportunity to refine dog obedience skills, and usually you will only pay a few extra dollars more.
Finally, your dog walker should be insured.
During your interview, they should probably hand you a sheet that explains the details of their insurance.
If they do not, that does not mean they are not a good dog walker (the best ones are more focused on your dog than on business details), but do request that they give you the information in writing before you hire them.
While you can hire a professional dog walker, sometimes you can also recruit a neighbor, even a very young neighbor, to stop by sometime in the early afternoon to take your dog for a walk.
There are two essential skills or traits to look for: Responsibility and an affection for dogs.
Responsibility is actually more important.
Whoever you hire is going to have your dog's life in their hands during the walk.
If you live in a peaceful suburban neighborhood and have a calm or older dog, your dog walker's job is much less demanding than if you live in a city with cars whizzing by and have a large, high-energy pet that can easily overpower anyone less than 150 pounds.
The other critical factor with responsibility is that whoever you hire is going to have access to your house.
Again, if you live in a small, safe community, this may not be a problem at all.
If you live in a semi-dangerous section of a major city, it may be a concern.
While it is an added expense, seriously consider getting a keyless entry system installed on your front door.
A good one will cost about $85, and you'll have to spend another $85 to get it installed, but you will then be able to just give your walker, and anyone else you need to let in a special code (their own code for the more advanced systems) and they will be able to get themselves in, no keys involved.
If you ever have to fire them, just change the code.
That way there are no keys to reclaim, and you won't have to change the locks.
The best way to ascertain responsibility is through references.
Never, ever hire a walker without checking at least two of their references.
Good, experienced dog walkers will have at least three references they can give you on the spot.
If they hand you a sheet of twelve different references during your interview with them, all the better.
When you call the references, ask how long the dog walker has been walking the person's dog.
Ask if they have ever had any problems.
Ask for a description of the person's dog (young, old, active, over 80 pounds, etc).
If you want your dog walker to do any training, or to feed the dog during their visits, or to be able to take the dog to the vet (which they have to be ready to do if you want good emergency preparedness), then ask the dog owner if the dog walker has done any of these services for them.
If you can spare the time, it is a really good idea to screen and interview three different dog walkers.
That way you are more likely to pick a truly excellent dog walker, not just someone who was "good enough".
If possible, your dog walker should also be a dog trainer.
The time spent out on the leash is an excellent opportunity to refine dog obedience skills, and usually you will only pay a few extra dollars more.
Finally, your dog walker should be insured.
During your interview, they should probably hand you a sheet that explains the details of their insurance.
If they do not, that does not mean they are not a good dog walker (the best ones are more focused on your dog than on business details), but do request that they give you the information in writing before you hire them.
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