Dog walking is an easy enough job that some young people age 16 or less are bound to think of it as a potential part time job. And it is a great choice for a part time job for teens and even for some children as young as ten years old. But there are some things you need to do to ensure everything works out for both the dog and the young dog walker.

1) Bring an adult or a parent for the first client interview

This is the most important thing to do. Even if the adult says nothing during the interview, and lets the young dog walker do all the negotiating and get all the information they will need to do the job, having an extra paid of ears there will be helpful.


If the dog owner ever has a complaint, the adult will know what was said at the first interview, and what the understanding was between the dog owner and the young dog walker. If something is misunderstood, it is quite possible that it was the dog owner who misunderstood, not the child.

2) Have backup

An adult or parent needs to know when the dog is supposed to be walked. Just in case something goes wrong, the young dog walker needs to have everything set up so either their parent, guardian or another very responsible young friend can step in an take care of the dog

3) Do not expect to get paid as much as professional dog trainer

It may be “age-ism”, but it does happen. Kids don’t earn as much as adults. Even though the going rate for a 30 minute dog walk in your area may be $40, a young dog walker will probably be lucky if they can get $10. Chalk it up to experience.

4) Have a defined path for the dog walk

To ensure the safety of the child and the dog, it may be a good idea to have a specific route for the dog walk. Good choices are low-traffic, well lit areas, especially if the young person has friends or reliable adults they know in the neighborhood. Being able to get to a friendly house in the middle of a rainstorm might be a welcome relief.

5) Not all dogs will be suitable

Very large dogs or aggressive or fearful dogs may be too much for a young dog walker. Stick to well-trained, mellow dogs. Ideally, the young person should be walking a dog that takes almost as much care of the young person as the young person is taking care of the dog.

Because adding extra services can make your dog walking business so much more competitive and profitable, it seemed to only make sense to write about a dogs day out. Some dog walking companies call these “dog hikes” or “dog adventures” or “dog safaris”. It does not much matter what you call them so long as the name gets your clients’ attention and makes them want to sign up their dogs.

So what is a dogs’ day out? It is a day long walk, basically. You take a group of dogs out all together and go out for a much longer walk than usual. If hiking does not tickle your fancy, a day long mini-course in flyball, or agility training would also work.



The idea is for the dogs to get out of their houses for a full day, have a blast together, and come home dog tired. Taking the dogs to a new place to do new things is just as important as the exercise, and its even more important to “puppies” less than 18 months old. In fact, you could definitely do a “puppy adventure” and take a small group of puppies to different interesting locations, like to a school, a barn, an office building, a retirement home, a gold course and anywhere else they’d be welcome.

Let’s assume you want to go on a hike with your pack. To offer a safe trip, you will need to know the trail you’ll be taking. Will there be other dogs on it? Can your dogs be off-lead, or will they all need to be on a leash. Can some be on a leash and some not? How crowded is the trail ? Will there be challenging sections that might be too much for some older dogs? Its a very good idea to take some time off to actually walk the hike so you can be familiar with it before you head out with six geared-up dogs bounding down the trail.

The next issue to deal with is the dogs themselves. Not all dogs get along together, as you well know, so you’ll have to pre-select which dogs will be invited to the day out in the first place.

Because going to new places puts you at a wee disadvantage, it would be a very smart thing to bring along a human friend. Or even better, your trained backup dog walker. Having two of you will help your substitute get to know the dogs, give you more opportunity to train your backup, make it safer for the dogs and take a lot of the pressure off you. Having three of you would be even better.

The last thing is the clients. Think about how much you want to charge. Check that your dog walkers insurance covers these kinds of little excursions. Seriously consider having your clients fill out a special authorization form, kind of like the one that school children have to get signed by their parents before they can go out on a field trip.

After all those loose ends are tied up… just go have some fun yourself, okay?

If you have been thinking about starting a dog walking business seriously enough to start checking out who else is walking dogs, or if you’ve been a dog walker for awhile, you have surely noticed that you aren’t the only one who has realized what a great business it can be.

In fact, many life-long dog walkers and dog trainers are starting to think that the whole dog business boom has created a glut of dog walkers. Either way, you’ve got competition, and in a tight economy that is enough to make a small business person nervous. So here are the things you need to be doing, or improving on, to make sure you stay at the top of the list of dog walkers for your town.



1) Return phone calls promptly.

It does not have to be within the hour, but if you can set a rule to return them within two hours, that gives you an edge. All too frequently, he who gets to the client first gets the job.

Returning phone calls will keep you among the good dog walkers, but to be among the best (as a business person, not necessarily as a dog walker) make sure you sound professional on the phone. Do not interrupt people. Make sure your cell phone has excellent coverage. Keep background noise out or to a minimum when you are on a call. Make sure your voice mail message is appropriate, and even first class. Ask good friends to give you a short review on these points.

2) Show up on time, every time.

Your reliability will get you and keep you more clients than how well you handle their dogs. It is the best way to build trust, and trust is the single most important thing to cultivate between you and your clients.

3) Have a trained backup person available in case the impossible happens.

Maybe you’ve never missed a walk. Ever. That’s great. Find and train and introduce a backup walker to at least some of your clients. You need to do this because good business people know that every once and awhile something blows up and people can’t do what they normally do. Your trained backup walker is your insurance against that. Think of it as trust insurance.

4) Become a certified dog trainer, or at least keep up with current dog training best practices.

If the dog walking market dries up, the ones to survive will be the professional dog trainers.

5) Offer pet sitting

The benefit of this can be huge. You’ll get potentially twice as many dollars from the same amount of clients. That means less marketing, less time meeting new clients, less time dealing with bad clients, and more time working with the dogs and the people you genuinely like.

This can increase your profits by a third or more. Offer some freebies to get your pet-sitting skills in order and your references ready.

6) Offer dog grooming

This is good for all the same reasons that pet sitting is good.

7) Manage your image

Not to get personal… but do you need a haircut? Some new clothes? You are not in the corporate world (thank god), but maintaining a professional, neat, and healthy image will help you with a lot of people. You are, in a sense, their dog’s trainer, so if it works for you, look to how the top-notch trainers dress and look.

When you find yourself walking a dog that is aggressive, there are some things that you can do to try to make the best of things, discourage the menacing behaviors, and keep yourself and your dog safe. This will require a great deal of knowledge, understanding, patience, care, and skill in displaying dominant behaviors.

Though there are many reasons that a dog can behave in an aggressive way (from possessiveness to fear, pain, or even frustration), most frequently when these behaviors are displayed by a dog on your walk, it is a dominance issue. They are trying to show that they are higher than you in the pack hierarchy and it is up to you to prove the dog wrong. Even the sweetest dog with a dominance problem can become an aggressive monster, so when you can work beyond that issue, you’ll gain a great deal more control over the dog and the aggressive tendencies should abate.

When walking an aggressive dog, you need to show your leadership.  You may not physically be a very strong person, but as long as you display a strong personality and don’t back down, you will have made your point and the dog will not behave as threateningly anymore.  He or she will listen much more closely to what you want and will follow your firm rules.  Remember that you will need to be very consistent about your decisions.  You can’t allow something one week and not allow it the next (or the other way around).  If you allow something that you had previously not permitted, then the dog will only learn that if they keep at you long enough, you’ll give in – making things even more difficult than they were to start.

Walk an aggressive dog in an area with as few distractions, other people, and other dogs as possible.  You need to reeducate the dog in terms of its behavior, so minimizing influences that will take away from concentration on this education is very important.  A chain slip collar is generally best for keeping control over these dogs and is most effective for ensuring that the dog will not slide out of the collar and escape. The key is to make sure that it is on properly.  If the dog will be walked on your left, the collar should be in the shape of the letter “P” before going over the dog’s head.  When worn in one direction, the chain will slip tighter when the dog pulls on the collar, but will ease again when the dog stops pulling.  When worn in the wrong direction, it will tighten but will not let go.  The higher on the dog’s neck you can keep the chain slip collar, the more effective it will be.  This is because you want it to tighten when the dog tries to pull away, but let go again when the dog behaves.  You’re not trying to choke the dog with the collar, nor strangle him as a correction.  A chain slip collar allows the dog to decide how comfortable or uncomfortable he or she will be.

The aggressive dog should always be kept walking directly beside you.  His or her shoulder should align with your leg.  By allowing an aggressive dog to walk ahead of you, you are giving him or her the dominance – you are being led.  That will only encourage aggressive tendencies.  You need to eliminate any signals that he or she is the leader.  Similarly, you should always enter and exit doors ahead of the dog and when you start walking, begin with the dog in a sitting position take the first step, then allowing the dog to start walking.

As soon as you show your dominance, you will have demonstrated to the dog that you are the leader and he or she will become much less aggressive toward you, and will allow you to lead him or her.

Walking with a brand new puppy on a leash can be a rather interesting experience for both you and the pup. It is a time of learning, experiencing, and discovery for the puppy, and a time of training and patience for you. This being said, it doesn’t mean that you need to be consistently choking the puppy with the collar or scolding him or her for walking poorly on the leash. It can be a fun bonding experience for you both where you can learn to walk together before adding more dogs to your walking group if you wish.

Not all puppies like wearing a collar and may fuss at first. Simply be patient with him or her and continue walking as much as you can. Eventually, the puppy will become distracted and will be much more interested in walking and all of the other things that he or she sees in the nearby environment than the nylon or collar strip around the neck.



Of course, you do need to make sure that the collar has been properly placed.  It should be positioned up and under the chin, just underneath the ears.  It is not a necklace, so it should not be worn too low on the dog’s neck.  This will only decrease your control over the dog and increase his or her discomfort.  If you’ve attached the collar properly, you shouldn’t have to do much pulling at all to convince the dog to go where you want.  You should only use short gentle tugs when correcting a puppy’s behavior.  Being too rough risks injury to the puppy’s neck.

Use a six foot leather leash on the puppy as you would with any of the adult dogs that you walk.  Although you can allow the puppy to play and explore a little, you should be encouraging proper walking behaviors right from the very start.  This means that the puppy should be discouraged from picking things up off the sidewalk or grass, lunging at people and animals, tugging forward on the leash, dragging behind, barking, eliminating, and other bad dog walking etiquette.

Remember, too, that puppies may be raring to go at the beginning of the walk, but their little legs do get tired after a while. It’s also very overwhelming to see so many new things all at once, and this can be an exhausting experience.  If you find that the puppy is dropping back and not walking as quickly, it may reach the point that he or she will need to be carried the rest of the way, or for a little while before he or she rests and gets ready to give it another try.

As you train the puppy for good walking behavior, be sure to always remember to praise the puppy when he or she does something right and only when something was done successfully.  This may seem obvious, but when puppies try something but fail, it is tempting to try to console the dog – a behavior that puppies easily misconstrue as another form of praise.  This will only cause them to develop strange walking behaviors and lead them to ignore you later when you try to correct them for behaviors you’d previously consoled them for.

Puppies should be walked alone because it is safer and more pleasant for both you and the puppy.  Try to keep things positive and upbeat and don’t forget to enjoy yourselves amongst all the training.

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.

Though franchises aren’t for everyone, they can offer some significant opportunities to your dog walking business. They allow you to start and run your own business with the support and name of an already existing and developed company. There are several pros and cons to using franchises and you’ll want to consider them all before you put down your money.

Many individuals who would like to start a dog walking company but don’t have a great deal of business startup knowledge will enjoy the convenience and support of a franchise to get them started and keep them going. After all, most franchises offer new dog walking business owners a package that contains virtually everything they need to get started legally and effectively.



Some of the things that you can expect to be included in a typical dog walking franchise owner’s welcome package includes:

• A handbook – this is an overall manual for operations and training.  It should tell you everything from how to set up the business to how to advertise and procedures for entering and leaving a client’s home, as well as rules for walking the dogs themselves.
• A webpage and email address – to establish your web presence quickly and easily. The hosting and domain fees are generally covered as well.
• Stationary – which can included elements such as business cards, letterheads, and other similar printed pieces.
• Flyers – these will often be personalized to your own name and contact information.
• Uniform – the best uniforms include shirts for both warm and cool weather (such as a tee shirt and sweat shirt) and should ideally have a waterproof jacket option as well.
• Business documents – this should include everything from the welcome package for the client to the actual contract agreement.
• Liability insurance – provided on an annual basis.
• Logos and trademarks – permission to use these identification symbols is important to show your association with the franchise company.  It gives you increased credibility through your connection with the larger organization.

By working through a franchise company, you’ll be able to get your company off the ground right from the very start without having to concern yourself with actually designing the business.  All of the basic elements of the business – from the website to your documents – will already exist, so you just need to begin trying to find some clients.

You’ll also find that people are more ready to trust you through your association with a franchise company than they would if you were simply an individual offering dog walking.  Customers may recognize the logo or they may simply feel that because you are a part of something larger, then more reliability and security can be expected.

Many franchises will guarantee their territory.  That is, they will only have one representative of their company working within a certain location.  This means that you will not be competing against other dog walkers within your own immediate area.  That being said, there will still be other dog walkers out there who are not associated with your franchise.

There are, however, some disadvantages to working through a franchise company.  For example, though compared to other franchise businesses, the fee is not as significant, you do need to buy your way into a franchise to benefit from the support, supplies and name.  With a dog walking franchise, you can generally expect to pay in around eight to ten thousand dollars to get started.  You are also more limited when using a franchise in the sense that you will need to follow their rules and use their designated supplies, as opposed to running a business for yourself where you make all of your own decisions.  Furthermore, a portion of everything that you earn will go to the franchise company.

Whether or not to go with a dog walking franchise is a serious decision and you will need to choose for yourself if it makes financial and practical sense for you.

Once you’ve decided that a dog walking business is for you, and you have the basics and legal elements all set up, you still need one very important thing to make it work: clients. These, of course, are the source of the dogs you’ll be walking as well as your income. To find clients, you will need to advertise in various ways. Naturally you won’t be doing anything as dramatic or expensive as a television commercial when you’re just trying to get things off the ground, but there are lots of other ways to reach out to your community and connect with the people who are looking for your services.



Among the most effective techniques for dog walking advertising are:

• Flyers – These are an effective yet inexpensive way of spreading the word about your dog walking business and services.  Remember that it isn’t legal to put them into people’s mailboxes and distributing them door-to-door typically proves to be quite ineffective as people become frustrated when advertisers walk onto their property and solicit them.  Instead, post in legal places such as public notice boards.  You may also wish to ask if you can post your flyer with local pet stores, groomers, veterinarians, gyms, post offices, community centers, and coffee shops.   Keep a number of them with you (perhaps in your car) at all times so that if you find a place where you could potentially post a flyer, you’ll have them ready.

• Websites – If you want to run a dog walking business, a website is not an option, it is a necessity.  A tremendous number of people search for dog walkers in their area every day, and if you want to be able to reach those people, you need to have an online presence so they can find you.  It doesn’t need to be a fancy site with all of the bells and whistles.  Instead it should be neat, professional, easy to use, and informative.  You don’t even need to hire someone to make it. You can create your own quick site using free templates and hosting services online. The only thing you’ll want to purchase is a domain name, which you can do for less than $10 per year.

• Internet Advertising – With a website up and running, you can place ads on many sites online, many of which are absolutely free.  You can use classified ads or even submit articles to sites and then link them back to your own website.

• Advertising on You – Tee shirts, car magnets, business cards, and other similar pieces of ad material can all be purchased for a low fee if you do some comparative shopping online.  Just by going about your daily business, you can advertise your dog walking services.

• Word of Mouth – This will be the most important form of advertising you have.  Start telling your friends and family about the services you offer.  This way, if they hear about someone who might need a dog walker, they can pass on your contact information. Similarly, if you always conduct yourself professionally with your clients and prospective clients, they are more likely to tell others about you.  Don’t forget that you can offer a free dog walk to people for every paid referral – incentives can be very effective for encouraging people to spread the word.

These are among the most helpful forms of advertising for dog walkers, but they don’t stop here.  Be creative within your budget and you’ll find lots of ways to let people know about your business.