Dog Walking Services – Providing or Using

Has anyone any experience of either using the services of a dog walker or providing the service?

My partner works part time at a vets and is thinking of starting a dog walking service when she isn’t at work. She already provides boarding for Rabbits/Guinea pigs on a small scale.

Are we right in assuming that there is only a narrow timescale during each day when people will want to use the service i.e. only around lunchtime so their dog is walked in the middle of the working day? Guessing there isn’t much call for the service early morning/late afternoon?

Any other advice appreciated.

Ta.

Jason.

I use a dog walking service for my 6 year old Rottie cross.

They provide services Monday-Friday daytimes only, plus holiday pet boarding. My dog is usually picked up around 11am and returned somewhere between 12-1pm. That’s when they do their group walks, but around that, they also do individual walks, for dogs that can’t be walked in groups for any reason. Those might be earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon. My dog walker also walks a dog for a nurse on shifts, and she will walk her dog in the evening if she’s on nights.

The only time we use one is when we are on holiday and the dog has to go into the kennels. There is a separate company recommended by the kennels that go in throughout the day and walk the dogs individually, it’s €7/hr. I have no idea how good they are, the dog seems OK when we collect her so I assume she’s getting some exercise.

My wife actually did this for a while, not massively lucrative, but she loved doing it.

From my recollection there were certain things she had in place when offering the service, specific dog walkers insurance cover (PL insurance etc), key holders insurance (covering you for holding onto your clients house keys and if you lose them etc), various indemnity waivers, off the lead walk release form etc. (if interested I am sure she could dig out some copies for your reference).

Her attitude was she wanted to offer a service she would be happy to use with our dog, so she would have test walks with all new potential dogs and their owners, see how their dog mixed with others, only walked a maximum of three dogs at once, as she felt that was the limit for being in control if something happened. She would also offer morning and evening walks for those on early or lates, plus a letting out service for peoples who just wanted their let out into the garden at lunch.

She used to charge somewhere in the region of £15 an hour, so wasnt making a huge amount when you factor in insurance, petrol etc, but she did love it.

She stopped doing it about 3 years ago and still gets the odd call of ex customers asking if she could walk their dog.

We’ve got a walker at the moment. She does do the walk around lunchtime but it varies quite a bit.

Best we had was someone who’s now unfortunately emigrated to NZ. We could drop our dog off in the morning and pick him up after work. He’d get a good walk or two (when she went out to do her dog walking service she’d take the dogs she had for the day – she would also pick him up or drop him off after the walk if we couldn’t do it) and we know he’d have a bit of company all day with other dogs to play with. She also use to offer overnight boarding and weekends too. She’d have a walking rate, a day rate and an overnight rate. She was quite expensive (we often use to spend a few hundred quid a month) but well worth the money for the flexibility and convenience and we really miss her.

My sister does this as her day job, e-mail in profile if you want to contact her for advice. It’s a great job in summer but foul at this time of the year when every dog has to be cleaned off before being put back at home. You can never have enough wet weather clothing or boots.

We’ve use doggy day care which is great. Our dog gets picked up at 8.30am and dropped off at 4.30pm. The dog walker has an old stables with a couple of acres of land for the dogs to run around in.

He takes 20 dogs a day, is always full and its £20 a day.

That’s £400 a day, £1000 a week, £50,000 a year.

Think he pays a couple of young girls to come and play with the dogs, plus the overheads of the vans each year so i imagine he spends circa £20k of that so maybe makes about £30k a year?

We use a dog walker 2-3 times a week and only on weekdays. Times vary but usually 11am or 4pm depending on the shift my wife is working. The dog walker does have other dogs for most of the day and offers other services such as vets visits.

LHS where are you? Looking for something just like that.

We use a walker for days when both myself and the wife are at work. Hour long walk in the morning, usually at about half 9/10. Sometimes another in the afternoon if either of us isn’t back home in time.
Costs £10 per walk, that’s for him on his own rather than with other dogs as he can be a bit grumpy.
Judging from the fact that we can usually book a morning walk in with as little as 12 hours notice but a pm walk needs a good few days & isn’t always possible I’d say her customers generally get her to do afternoons.
Don’t think our walker does it for the money, her husband is a Royal so it’s more keeping herself busy. Reckon you would struggle to make much after insurance costs, fuel etc but it’s probably a nice job to gave if you like dogs and being out and about.

LHS – Member
We’ve use doggy day care which is great. Our dog gets picked up at 8.30am and dropped off at 4.30pm. The dog walker has an old stables with a couple of acres of land for the dogs to run around in.

He takes 20 dogs a day, is always full and its £20 a day.

That’s £400 a day, £10002000 a week, £50,000100,000 a year.

Think he pays a couple of young girls to come and play with the dogs, plus the overheads of the vans each year so i imagine he spends circa £20k of that so maybe makes about £30k a year?

POSTED 9 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

LHS you need to work on your maths 😉

Wow, thanks for all the responses.

Not really in it for the money, just loves animals, particularly dogs and could fit in around main job.

Although shame we haven’t got a stable that could accomodate 20 dogs 🙂

Lots of ideas and things to consider from all the comments – thanks again.

LHS you need to work on your maths

LOL, I thought it didn’t look right when i typed it but was in a rush earlier!!!

blobby – we are in SW13 – West London

Go for it dude. Just make sure you pick up their dumps or at least perfect that ‘distracted for the duration’ thing as a professional skill.

She already provides boarding for Rabbits/Guinea pigs on a small scale.

Brilliant! My dog loves Rabbits! 😈

So do mine, thats why we do it, cheap entertainment 🙂