If you want to make your dog walking business stand out from the rest – and provide yourself with some additional ways to earn through your company – then you may want to consider adding more services to the list that you already offer. Naturally, you’ll want to start off with just the dog walking and get comfortable with that, first, but once you’re set and you have a foundation of clients, you will know what kind of time and resources you have, and you’ll be able to better assess what additional types of services you’ll be able to provide in a realistic way.
The first of these services, and the one that might fit most naturally into the dog walking schedule you already have, is training. This can be anything from very basic obedience training to more complex forms of training for obedience or agility trials. If you have the knowledge and the skill to offer these services, you’ll not only please your client who will be better able to communicate with his or her pet, but you’ll also improve your own relationship with the dog and you’ll make your walking experience much easier and more enjoyable as you’ll have increased your level of control over the animal.
Another option you may choose to offer is pet-sitting. This means that you either can bring the dog home with you to care for him or her while the owner is away on vacation, a business trip, or other reasons. Consider this option carefully before taking it on. Though there is a great deal of money to be made from it, it will mean that you are responsible for that dog every hour of every day that he or she is in your home. The dog may usually be friendly and bubbly, but when placed in a different house among strange people and while missing his or her owner, the dog’s personality could change to reflect fear, aggression, or depression. Furthermore, you need to be prepared to take the dog to the vet should he or she become sick or injured. You may also risk damage to your own property if the dog decides to chew, dig, have an accident, or otherwise destroy things. Alternately, you can also offer a house-sitting service that includes watching the dog, where you either stay in the home for the length of time that the owner is away, or you visit for a certain number of hours every day to perform various tasks such as caring for the dog.
If you know how to properly keep a dog clean, clip a dog’s fur and nails, brush and comb a dog, and otherwise return a dog to looking like a healthy member of his or her breed (or species!), you may consider offering a grooming service. This can include services such as shampooing, brushing and combing, removing mats and knots, clipping nails, trimming or shaving fur, and even creating hair styles such as top knots depending on the breed. Don’t assume that you simply know how to do any of these tasks. Dog grooming can be complex and requires space, the right tools, skill, knowledge, and patience. Make sure that you’re experienced in any of the tasks that you wish to offer your clients.
These are only a few of the additional services that you can offer as a dog walker. Being able to add more benefits to your company will only make you more valuable to your customers and will broaden the range of earning opportunities available to you.
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