Advice from a proffessional dog walker please

hi im thinking of going self employed as a dog walker / dog taxi and wondered if some one could tell me what it involves please...........

from reading up on the net iv noticed

crb is good to get (i have one thro work)
obs liability insurance (any one esp good ?)

my policies and proceedures,

signed agreements about each dog how they want to be walked ie group, solo, lead off lead etc

i have a car but its a saloon atm but it will do for the time being

do i need to have any training as such ?? i have 2 dogs of my own springer 4 yrs and a puppy terrior, so i have expierience of different size and aged dogs

obs change my car ins to include work purposes and register within 3 months of being self employed with tax peeps

if any one has a company i could work for that would be great

i live in uffculme in devon and i know far tooo many dog owners who NEVER walk their dogs....... even in my street theres about 10 dogs who dont get walked grrrrrrr !!!!! .... thought i could help if they could be bothered to pay me even once a week for a good run is better then never surely ??????


we shall see ...... any help from anyone in the know would be much appriciated

many thanks debs x x x

i work part time in a breakfast club in the local pre school building (for children) lol so im free almost all day xx

Cliverton, Kennel Club for insurance, you will need professional indemnity as well as 3rd party liability etc.

I would ensure that you have a Canine First Aid Certificate.

There are also courses which are designed for dog walkers which go somewhere to meeting the legal definition of competency ie do you have the required skills, knowledge, ability, training and experience to carry out your task.

If you have a saloon do you have seat belts and harnesse for dogs? Protective covers for seats?

That will do for starters.......

I work part-time as a dog walker (it is not my company).

My bosses have insurance and first aid qualifications themselves (I also have first aid). None of our dogs go off the lead (for insurance purposes). Also, we only walk one dog at a time (unless they are family dogs) not as much as an earner as these people who walk five dogs together but a more individual and personal service.

We all have CRB checks - unless you are walking a dog for someone who is less able, chances are the owner will be out at work - you are a keyholder so it will give your clients more confidence. We leave a comments sheet out (1) so the client knows we have been in and (2) just to keep in touch with them about how the dog is doing.

Because most of our clients are typical working day people, most of the walks take place between 10:30 and 2:30. We don't transport any dogs (unless emergency vet treatment is needed) so can't offer any advice on that.

I also have a part time job in an office so my dog walking only accounts for part of my income but it is a very enjoyable job and seems to be coming more popular. I have some lovely four legged clients!

hi there thanks for your reply !!!

i have seen cliverton insurance so that is a good start

1st aid i will look into i have human 1st aid but not canine x

i have covers on seat and one harness atm and and doggy belts (used for my dogs )

what does professional indemnity mean ( sorry to be thick)

i will look into courses too

thank you very much !!

hi there thank you for your reply its been a great help !!!

does your company cover devon area at all

i love the comments idea communication is always key !! 10.30-2.30 would be perfect hours for me i have 9.30 til 3 at most so i can do the school runs

my hubby is job seeking and im only part time but i love the flexability of working term time i love dogs but money is tight atm so if i need to go on a few courses then i might go down the route of volenteering for blue cross then hope for a job from them ?? but making some money tho i would walk dogs for free would help our current pennyless situation or perhaps i could get a job with a company already ??

i will keep researching and see there never seems to be many paid jobs working with dogs its all volentry .... i would love to have dog socialiser, walker carer type job when there trapped in kennels all day xx

thank you again xx

Where in Devon are you as I'm looking to get a dog walker....I could be your first customer

Sadly we don't cover Devon so I can't help you there

I wish you all the best with it - I love my job, I really do.

The company that I work for has been running for two years, word spread very quickly - most was word of mouth and they had a recruitment drive earlier this year (I started in April) and now there are 10 walkers in total (I think) so that we can cover a larger area. That isn't full time work for all of us, some of us have other jobs, some are students and some are stay at home parents working around school hours. You are right, very few paid positions with dogs seem to get advertised. I nearly fell off my sofa the day I opened the paper and saw an advert 'dog walkers needed'!

Volunteering is a great way to go, it will get you experience of so many different breeds. It would also be a positive factor when telling potential clients about your experience with dogs as it demonstrates a genuine love of dogs that you are giving up your time for free. I am a volunteer walker at Dogs Trust - it did take two months from me sending the application off to getting started though as they only have induction days every two months (in my branch anyway). They might even let you put some business cards in reception so all the dogs going to their new homes will know where to come if they need a walker

Anyway, I have two dogs that need walking so I'm off now. Anything more you want to ask, I will do my best to help

oooooo hello there,

this idea is just a possibility in the pipe line

i live in uffculme near cullompton

thank you for your interest im thinking possibly send out some leaflets around the village and see if there is any actual real interest i would hope that there was but you never know :/

i will get back to you if were close by xx

thanks again x

where i got my puppy from 2 months ago i have asked if i can do volentry there if she could help towards fuel costs im free too help but being a charity run place that could be very unlikely with the fuel help ??

as she is an hours drive away in no traffic ...... my local blue cross has a dog walking job there atm so i might just apply for that its volentry but at least like you say its expierience with different breeds and temprements etc

thank you for all of your help and well we shall see x x x