Hey Woofa’s,

I’m wondering if you’ve ever had an experience with a Dog Walker and whether it was a good or bad experience.

I ask because I was speaking with a customer the other day and was quite concerned with the story they told me.

Customer – ‘Janine can I ask you a question’?

Me – ‘Of course you can, what is it’?

Customer – ‘Would you walk two male Staffy’s together who had never met before?’

Me – ‘Oh hell no, definitely not.  I wouldn’t walk any dogs together who had never met before!!!!  Why do you ask?’

 

THE STORY!

My customer proceeded to tell me how his father had recently passed away and he didn’t have time to walk his 2 year old male staffy.  He also has a Rottweiler pup of 3 months, and his sister has two Maltese dogs, who all get on.

He wanted his male staffy walked so contacted a local Dog Walker who was recommended by a neighbour.

The Dog Walker came around for a meet and greet with him and the dog, and all went well.  The Dog Walker kept mentioning how well behaved his male staffy was.

The dog was picked up on the day organised for the walk and all seemed fine.

Fifteen minutes the Dog Walker was back!

My customer was told that his dog had bitten the Dog Walker!

When he expressed his concern, the Dog Walker proceeded to tell him that they had picked up another male staffy (who was also friendly at his meet and greet) and was walking them to the local dog park.

The two dogs who had never met before had a scuffle!   The Dog Walker got bitten while breaking them up!!

I proceeded to ask my customer a crap load of questions as to why the Dog Walker thought walking two dogs who had never met before was okay?   AND to take them to the dog park amongst other dogs???

My customer admitted he wasn’t thinking clearly and should’ve asked the questions I was asking of him!

However, his father had just passed away and he put his trust in the Dog Walker.

This got me thinking about a check-list of questions that need to be asked BEFORE handing your dog’s lead over to someone else!

 

8 QUESTIONS TO ASK A DOG WALKER BEFORE HANDING YOUR DOG’S LEAD OVER!

1 – What experience do you have regarding dogs and dog walking?

This question is by no means to belittle the Dog Walker, however you need to know exactly what kind of experience they have.

Did they just walk their own dogs and thought it’d be a good business to start and here they are?

Or have they got genuine training/experience?  Do they have experience with dogs?  Not just their own dogs but with OTHER people’s dogs?

People might think just anyone can be a Dog Walker, and clearly some people do, but you’ve got other people’s dogs in your hands, you need to know what you’re doing.

 

2 – How long have you been dog walking for?

Again, have they just decided to start dog walking because it seems simple and anyone can do it?

Do they just do this as a side gig or is it a genuine business?  Do they have a registered business?

Do they have procedures in place for all kinds of situations?

It may seem a little over the top to some, but to me I’d be treating it like a job interview.

Your handing your precious fur baby over to someone else, you need to know their capabilities.

 

3 – Are you running a dog walking business or is this something you do on the side?

There is a big difference between someone running a business and someone just doing it for the fun of it, or they think it’s easy money etc.

Someone running a professional Dog Walking Business will have experience with dogs, they’ll know how to read their body language, and most importantly they should have common sense when it comes to dogs.

They’ll also have policy’s and procedures they can run through with you, as well as insurances that cover your dog, at least, should anything happen while out on the walk.

They won’t be making assumptions that just because both dogs were fine at their meet and greet, that they’ll be fine to walk together!!!!

 

4 – Do you have insurance?

As stated above, it’s important that all parties are covered should something go wrong on the walk.

In my customer’s story, I was horrified to find out the said Dog Walker bullied my customer into paying for the full 1 hour walk, because they had to miss out on work due to going to the Dr!!

This happened on the Dog Walker’s watch so my customer should not have had to pay ANYTHING.

In this case, it was the Dog Walker’s incompetence that saw, one dog with a nipped ear, the other dog with a scratch above his eye and the Dog Walker with a bite!!!!

 

5 – Where will you be walking my dog?

This is super important, if your dog doesn’t like other dogs, you don’t want the Dog Walker taking them to the dog park, or near any other dogs etc.

If your dog has issues with certain situations or areas, you want to make it loud and clear to the Dog Walker.

The Dog walker should discuss this with you and you both should come up with a place that’s safe for everyone to go walking.

Certain areas may be secluded during specific times of day and other times they maybe busy and cause your dog anxiety etc.

Is the area they will be walking your dog an off leash area or dog friendly area, is it dense bush land, dog park, dog beach etc?

You need to be crystal clear where exactly they will be walking your dog and whether or not it’s safe for your dog.

 

6 – Will you be walking my dog with any other dogs?

I’m not against dogs walking together don’t get me wrong!

HOWEVER, common sense tells me that the dogs who will be walked together should go through an introduction process over a few weeks, or however long it takes.

You need to make it loud and clear if your dog shouldn’t be walked with other dogs, or whether or not they go to the local dog park etc.

If you just want your dog walked one on one with dog and Dog Walker, then make it known.

 

7 – Do you have experience walking my breed of dog?

Some dogs are bigger than others, some dogs are stronger than others, this is a no brainer.

Certain dogs pull on the lead, while others are trained and walk comfortably on the lead.

No two dogs are the same.

In my customer’s story, I was concerned that no only was this Dog Walker walking two male staffy’s together, the dogs had never met, and the breed are very strong dogs!!!!

Say these two dogs were fine together, had they seen another dog or another animal and got excited they could’ve pulled the Dog Walker over!!

 

8 – Are you taking my dog to an off leash area?

Yes this needs to be asked!  You need to let the Dog Walker know whether or not your dog is good in an off leash situation.

They might be fine with you and come back when YOU call however, they don’t know the Dog Walker and may not come back when they call.

Your dog might not be good off leash, or your dog might be fine but around other dogs they may not be!

 

These are just a few questions to get you started on a conversation with a potential Dog Walker.  Any good Dog Walker should gladly answer any questions you have.

 

INFORMATION TO SHARE WITH A DOG WALKER BEFORE HANDING OVER YOUR DOG’S LEAD!

Not only is it great to ask questions of a Dog Walker but you need to take ownership and share information with them.

Any special needs or behaviours your dog may have needs to be shared.

Here are just a few to keep the conversation going:-

 

Meet And Greet – Yes a meet and greet with you, your dog and the Dog Walker is necessary.  You need to see how the Dog Walker is with your dog and how your dog responds to them.

I’d even go so far as to have practice walks with you, your dog and the Dog Walker quite a few times BEFORE the Dog Walker takes your dog on their own.

Again, to me this would be to see how my dog responds to the Dog Walker, do they have a connection, can, & how does, the Dog Walker handle it if my dog pulls on the lead etc.

 

Your Dog’s Issues – It’s your job to let the Dog Walker know EVERYTHING about your dog and how they go for a walk.

For Example – Billy hates skate board/scooter type wheels, so I would be telling any potential Dog Walker not to walk him anywhere near areas where these things could be present.

You need to let the Dog Walker know as much as possible about your dog’s likes and dislikes because neither of you want to set your dog up for failure when out on a walk.

 

Your Dog’s Behaviour – The Dog Walker needs to know if your dog pulls on the lead, has any anxiety while out walking, areas they are good with and areas they don’t like.

Any past experiences your dog may have had that could cause them to behave the way they do.

 

Your Dog’s Health – It’s important to let the Dog Walker know your dog’s limitations.  Especially if they are older, or have breathing issues, how far they can walk, how fast or slow they need to go.

Has your dog had any surgeries or injuries that the Dog Walker needs to know about.

 

Most importantly DO NOT arrange to have your dog walked in extreme heat, cold, wet or windy days.

If you don’t feel comfortable with the person who will be walking your dog, then you have every right not to go through with it.

The main objective is to have a fun, happy and safe walk for everyone.

 

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

Before hiring a Dog Walker, go through the 8 Questions To Ask A Dog Walker BEFORE Handing Over Your Dog’s Lead.

You need to trust your Dog Walker because this person will be handling your dog while out on a walk.

The most important thing to remember is that everyone on the walk needs to have fun, be happy and safe.

 

IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – WHETHER YOU HAVE A DOG WALKER OR NOT AND WHY YOU TRUST THEM?