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Most people are so busy with their jobs, kids, and other tasks the day is over before they realize the dog needs to go for a walk. If you fall into this group forget about feeling bad as we have the solution for you: pay a qualified dog walker to exercise the pooch while you are busy with all the other stuff.
But, not just anyone is going to be a good fit for your dog, so we have a few tips below to help with selecting the best person for this important task.
Because each breed of dog has his or her own personality, the last thing you want to do is hire a skinny teenager to walk your 200 pound St. Bernard. And you also should not hire someone who obviously cannot walk or jog with the dog without having a coronary.
So where do we go to find the perfect dog walker who will understand your dog and the dog will enjoy being around? Keep in mind this process is a lot like the way we go about finding a baby sitter. We want someone who is qualified, trustworthy, understands dogs, particular your breed, and has the skills to handle the dog while out walking.
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Robert Brewer
Dec 31, 2013 at 3:23 am
Very timely article! Many of them who have pets don’t know how to treat them. It really doesn’t make a sense if you just have one. You should give them an opportunity to walk out there, socialize with other dogs in the park. It is not that you should pay attention at every time instead you can approach some pet care professionals to do it for you.
Michelle Cohn
Dec 24, 2013 at 6:58 am
I find it interesting that a pet-related web site is disseminating a decidedly unprofessional stance on dog walking. This article doesn’t emphasize the importance of finding a professional dog walking company, with properly trained staff, that maintain a business dedicated to proper care for pets while maintaining a professional business that includes bonding, insurance, background checking, training, on-call and back-up support.
The article basically takes the stance that anyone can be a dog walker and you can find them anywhere. We, in the industry, refer to these dog walkers as “hobby” sitters. While you may find a professional sitter on Craigslist, there are exceedingly more sitters, on that site, that do not even have insurance, let alone, run a proper business.
If you point out that the consumer should be concerned with making sure a dog walker stays the correct amount of time and that the dog seems happy, I would think you would see the importance of using a credible company with properly trained staff. Yet, your advice is to check local bulletin boards and Craigslist. While it’s possible you could find professional businesses advertising there, as I actually post on bulletin boards, there are several pet sitting professional organizations and referral web sites that a potential customer could utilize to find reputable companies. You mention none of these or the importance of a legally established, well-run company. These factors are better indications that a consumer will have a professional experience, as will their pooch.
This article compares professional pet sitting to the kid next door that does it for pocket change. For a petcentric web site, supposedly dedicated to great care and love of a pet, I find this article to be irresponsible.
AndiLee #citypupmom
Dec 31, 2013 at 7:17 pm
@Michelle Cohen,
Your input is quite insightful; however, I wasn’t hoping that you provide names of the resources that you describe. This information, as you replied would have been valuable.
Jacqui Sjonger
Dec 24, 2013 at 5:49 am
You might add that they know dog first aid and have a basic training level for recall purposes, confrontations how to protect the dog if another dog attacks, if they are off leash walkers. That the walker has a set number of charges per walk and they are not what we like to call the clown car walkers, 7 to 8 dog in a fiat. But other wise great article. I do proof of happiness photos and videos, so clients actually know their dog is getting the exercise and stimulus they need.