Nothing annoys me, after slogging away for 14 years to build a reputable business and a great training plan for my dog walkers, than hearing someone make the blanket statement “Dog Walkers are terrible!”
Possibly because they had a bad experience with a dog walker in the past, they tar all dog walkers with the same brush. Did they do their research? At TLC Dog Walking we believe that our dogs should be treated like family members, we are almost in childcare. Did your dog walker have any training? Did they have a DBS? How long had they been in business? What is their history with dogs? Yes mistakes can happen, dogs can get in fights or slip away, but with good training and a solid team, you can keep this to a minimum.
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A Professional Dog Walker For Your Puppy
Having training, insurance, a GPS login system and team backup does not come cheap. Lately, with all the hike in fuel prices and other necessities for a dog walker, the competition from people wanting an easy life, getting extra money while on benefits without declaring their income and the constant traffic holdup that we seem to be stuck with, life as a Professional Dog Walker is getting harder, so many dog walkers are trying to save some time or some pennies without the customer noticing.
Also, providing Day Care is not easy for a dog walker. To obtain a council licence in all the areas we work, we can only leave the dogs for 3 hours maximum, which means they have to either be out walking with us all day, or limit the amount of dog walks we do to 1 walk per day, as 2 walks will go over the amount they are allowed to be left, so seriously restricting the amount of dogs we can walk.
After 14 years of working as a professional dog walker, working as a trainer prior to this and 40 odd years as an owner I have seen may things while out walking the dogs. Below are some issues you may come across with a dog walker and in day care/ Kennels.
Paying for an hour walk, but do you get an hour? Many dog walkers started doing 45/50 minute walks instead of upping their prices so they can fit another walk in
Standing in a field and chatting instead of walking. Then wondering why the dogs have run off!
Sitting on the phone and chatting ignoring the dogs. I once had a dog playing with mine for 30 minutes before their dog walker came to see where it was!
Playing games on the phone and ignoring the dogs. Again risk of losing dogs or dogs being stolen!
Leaving dog waste for others to stand in. We always dispose of waste appropriately for the area we are in. Some places ask for all to be bagged, some require stick and flick, and some areas prefer that it is left as the area is vast, footfall is minimum and the risk of poo bags in the environment out weights the risk of a poo being left.
Filling the van with 12 dogs, walking 6 for 30 minutes then 6 for 30 minutes, all the time leaving the rest in the van. We do not leave any dogs in the vehicle without the most exceptional circumstances! (I once had a girl that I noticed was in heat on the walk, as I had a young entire male with me, walking them together was impossible, so I took her back to the car and threw the ball for the other three with the car in view. Then I let her out to relieve herself and we all returned home).
Filling the van with 12 dogs, then walking all 12 dogs with one dog walker. No matter how well trained these dogs are, how do they know there is not going to be a random dog run in to the middle of the group and start a fight, then it will be all pile on. And imagine how long it takes to pick up and drop off 12 dogs, you can easily add 4 hours to the walk, so they should be gone for a minimum of 5 hours for an hour long walk, but is this the best way for dogs to spend their time, stuck in a van dropping off other dogs?
Many dog walkers will not walk entire dogs over 6 months. I strongly believe that this is very bad for large and giant breeds joints, so make the TLC teams life very difficult by saying that unless there are major issues due to them being entire, we will walk them in groups until they are 18 months old when ever possible.
Walking more than 6 dogs…that is against the law in most areas and not insurable. I know a dog walking company that takes over 6 dogs out on every walk they have, and claim to be in unregulated land. I can guarantee you that is not true, as they have walked over regulated land to get there even if the land they end up on is unregulated, plus, no insurance I know of would touch them with more than 6 dogs anyway.
Taking the dogs to another job, not a dog walk, and keeping them there while they finish, yes I really do know of a dog walker who did this! At TLC, all our dogs are walked for their full walk and returned to their home.
Having a lunch break with dogs sat in the vehicle. Yes, I have seen a few dog walkers in the local pub with the dogs waiting to be returned in their vehicle!
“I walk dogs for up to an hour”…really? How often do they get an hour, or is it generally a 15 minute walk? At TLC, an hour’s walk is guaranteed, not the ambition.
How many dogs are the most that are carried in a van? The most I ever counted folding out of a small van was 16! We guarantee no more than 6, and it is generally 4.
Shouting at the dogs because they won’t come back…yep that makes them want to come back to you! We believe in positive reinforcement to encourage them to come back.
Some dog walkers can be seen without a lead for every dog, and no poo bags. This is illegal.
I promise a lunchtime walk- easy for a new dog walker with four dogs on their books to say, but what happens when they get 14 on their books, all wanting lunchtime walks, all on the same day? An hour walk takes an absolute minimum of 2 hours to get around 6 dogs together, on a walk and back, so how will that work once they are busy?
Loosing dogs on a daily basis due to walking too many or being careless with the dogs they have.
Walking with headphones in, they can not hear what is going on around them, and that is very important. An ear piece can be crucial for answering the phone, but it is not for playing music.
Day care dogs are often not taken on a walk at all, and if they are, it is a very short one. And believe me, when the dogs are in day care they often have a quick play and then nap. We guarantee two walks over the day care period, often getting more.
I am aware of kennels that boast “set in x acres of land” ”. However, I know from kennel hands that the dogs are generally limited to a small paddock to play in
Many kennels boast “the dogs get out on a walk every day”. I am familiar with a luxury kennels that can walk 70 individual dogs in 3 hours, and this includes the time to pick the poo up in the kennel or on the walk! You do the maths!
I am aware of a luxury kennel that boasts there are TVs in every room; however, they do not make the owners aware that the TVs are only on for 30 minutes a day. The dogs would be better with a radio feed all day long!
Basically, what I am saying here is do your research well. Do not just take what they say as gospel. Do not believe what their friends that you do not know tell you on a facebook recommendation. Just because they are the most expensive does not mean they are the best. However, generally if they are cheap, you need to ask why?
Some Questions to ask a new dog walker, kennels or day care:-
How long have you been in business?
What training do you have?
Do you adhere to a code of ethics or code of conduct?
Are you fully insured?
What are your training philosophies? (check out positive reinforcement vs alpha method)
Will my dog always get the full time of walk you say?
Where will you walk my dog?
Are you fully insured?
What is the most dogs that will be walked at one time with one dog walker?
How do you choose the dogs that are in a group?
Will my dog ever be left alone in a vehicle? (Exception being collection and drop off if in a group walk)
What will you do if you lose my dog?
What will you do if you are unable to walk my dog?
Will you have cover when you are on holiday?
How many clients do you have on your books?
Are you getting more clients or are you near to capacity?
If you are getting more dogs, will you still be able to walk my dog in the time slot you promised when you get more, or will I suddenly find they are picked up at 8.30am or 4pm?
On busy days, will my dog still be walked in the time slot promised?
How much notice do you need if I stop your services?
Dog walking is an unregulated industry, however, with time, effort and reliable references, you can find a dog walker that will be great. Look out while at the park walking your dog. If you see a dog walker that impresses you, ask for their details and check them out. Ask other dog owners at the park if they have any recommendations. Do not get recommendations from a social media site without checking them out yourself. Good luck in the minefield.