cathyc Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 hey everyone hope you can help me out was interested in starting my own dog walking business in my local area to earn extra cash ;) but before that i heard you need to get insurance?? if so can anyone recommend a good company that covers dog walkers? is it true you need to have alot of experience? if yes, and your a company or someone who needs to hire somebody or need volunteers please hire me!! would love to learn from you. i want to get all the experience i can get so that i wont be in for a shock lol. how much experience do you need before you start your own business also, if your a professional dog walker any tips would be of great help!! like how did you start your career and how many dogs do you walk in one session?? thanks in advanced cathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 (edited) cathy- a few things to think on.... what experience with dogs do you have? pet dogs? show dogs? what training did you do with your dogs? are you physically fit? do you have any business experience ? do you have your own transport?What sort ? What parks etc are in the area you wish to service? Have you done a bit of casual research as to what dogs/owners are in the area? Do you think dog owners need/will pay for your services? Hope it all works out Edited January 8, 2012 by persephone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I walk at most 2 dogs at a time and only if they are from the same family. This isn't an easy way to make money so really think about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 (edited) Also to ponder: Do you plan on walking more than one family's dogs together? How do you plan to deal with other (strange) dogs on your walks (other people out walking)? On leash or off leash? Length of walk + Cost of petrol/time to get from one house to the other and the amount you are going to charge? How will you deal with aggressive dogs? In NSW the limit a single person can walk is 4 dogs Edited January 8, 2012 by Kavik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 4 dogs for 1 person, wow! I'm sure it's only 2 or 3 max here in qld, I wouldn't feel safe with anymore then 2 on my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 4 dogs for 1 person, wow! I'm sure it's only 2 or 3 max here in qld, I wouldn't feel safe with anymore then 2 on my own. There is a guy who walks around local park/lake here with four dingoes and a Maltese (SWF) type. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 When I worked at a dog daycare, we walked 3 to 4 little dogs together or 1 to 2 big dogs (depending on the dogs in at the time). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathyc Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 (edited) @persephone: thanks for the tips. @teebs & kavik: im the same ill walk one family at a time. 2 dogs max. dont think i can handle 4 dogs. ill walk the dogs with leash until they get to a dog friendly park. i noticed on alot of the professional dog walkers websites they clearly state they only take non-aggressive dogs so ill do the same. @donatella: i would only feel safe with two dogs as well @LizT: thats amazing the guy who walks 5 dogs hope i dont sound rude with the replys. and again great tips everyone ill take them on board :) Edited January 8, 2012 by cathyc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 ill walk the dogs with leash until they get to a dog friendly park. Whats happens if the dogs you let off leash don't come back?? How do you plan to watch & control 2 strange dogs off leash ?? How will you now which dogs are aggressive?? How will you assess what dogs you will take on as clients What will you do if one of your dogs in your care is attacked at the park?? If driving dogs to the park how will you secure them in your car ?? What will you do on extreme heat days or very wet days ??(this obviously applies if being your sole income ) What qualifications or skills will make you stand out as a good dog walker & that will make people employ you ?? How would you deal with any basic first aid needs ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lavendergirl Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Is this something you want to do in holiday time to earn extra cash or are you interested in working with animals as a career? If you really want to work with dogs maybe a good start would be to volunteer at a shelter or rescue organisation to learn some dog handling skills as a first step? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vehs Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 (edited) I walk dogs as part of a pet minding through a business (they handle all the insurance stuff ) dontfretpet.com.au - Kathleen (Syd based) might be interested in your services I just walk one family at a time, and I've only ever had to walk more than 2 dogs at once. I never let them off lead and would never take them to a dog park and make sure I keep them away from other dogs by crossing the road etc - it's just not worth the risk I do it for play money - you'd be walking most of the day to to make a living out of it! But you'd be hard pressed to find a job where the clients were SO happy to see you :D Edited January 9, 2012 by Vehs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 If you really want to work with dogs maybe a good start would be to volunteer at a shelter or rescue organisation to learn some dog handling skills as a first step? This seems good advice , esp. if you are not very experienced with dogs other than your own You would be exposed to all types/breeds, and would be able to study behaviour/body language shown. This is a very valuable skill.. understanding dog body language , and is vital when continually walking/encountering different dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathyc Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 that sounds good vehs. thanks for all the tips guys looks like i got a lot of learning to do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathyc Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 which area do you walk the dogs?? ill go have a look on the site now thanks I walk dogs as part of a pet minding through a business (they handle all the insurance stuff ) dontfretpet.com.au - Kathleen (Syd based) might be interested in your services I just walk one family at a time, and I've only ever had to walk more than 2 dogs at once. I never let them off lead and would never take them to a dog park and make sure I keep them away from other dogs by crossing the road etc - it's just not worth the risk I do it for play money - you'd be walking most of the day to to make a living out of it! But you'd be hard pressed to find a job where the clients were SO happy to see you :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vehs Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Which area? I mind dogs on the southside of Canberra. and as for walking them where, sometimes owners give me maps of regular routes or I just take off and see what's around the area (and if it doesn't look like it's getting closer to their house after 20min I turn around ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathyc Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 lol Which area? I mind dogs on the southside of Canberra. and as for walking them where, sometimes owners give me maps of regular routes or I just take off and see what's around the area (and if it doesn't look like it's getting closer to their house after 20min I turn around ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podengo Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I second the recommendation for getting some dog experience under your belt before going after a dog walking job. A good place to start is volunteering at a shelter, or getting some part-time work at a boarding kennels. I worked in a kennels for 6 years, and we were always glad to have extra staff on the weekend to help exercise dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathyc Posted January 11, 2012 Author Share Posted January 11, 2012 which kennel did you work at?? I second the recommendation for getting some dog experience under your belt before going after a dog walking job. A good place to start is volunteering at a shelter, or getting some part-time work at a boarding kennels. I worked in a kennels for 6 years, and we were always glad to have extra staff on the weekend to help exercise dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now