If you’re thinking about starting your own dog walking or pet sitting business, then this guide will help. From tips to starting your dog walking business to things that you would need to make your business successful, here you’ll find some helpful pointers. It’s important to get everything right when turning your love for dogs into a career.
Are You Serious About Turning Your Passion Into a Business?
If you have a love for pets or dogs, that doesn’t mean that a dog walking business will be right for you. First, you need to make sure whether you’re ready to be responsible for someone else’s dog. You may also have to work at irregular hours, i.e. at weekends, and in all weather conditions. You will also need to deal with customers and possibly complaints in your career. If you’re ready to take up these challenges and want to uplift your skills, then you can take a pet sitting or dog walking course offered by NarpsUK.
What Are the Responsibilities of a Dog Walker?
A dog walker care for dogs when their owners either working for long hours or they’re away on vacation. They provide dogs with food and water, take them for walks, take them for exercise and also dispose of their waste. Some other services that can also be offered to clients include pet boarding, dog grooming, pet vet visits, pet taxis, etc.
Do Proper Research
Before you decide to become a professional dog walker, you should undertake some research. NarpsUK recommend that you have experience with dogs, as a minimum you should have owned a dog yourself at some point. You can learn about different breeds, dog behaviour, their psychology, first aid and animal law. Also researching your competitors, how much investment you need, which services you’re going to provide, how much to charge, etc.
Dog Walking Training and Certifications
Becoming a dog walking business doesn’t require any specific qualifications, but having certifications in dog walking courses will be a huge advantage against your competitors. Being certified in subjects such as First Aid and Animal Care, will help your customers feel comfortable leaving their dog with you, whist courses in advertising or forms and contracts will help you to grow and professionalise your business.
Dog Walking Service Contract
Running a dog walking & pet sitting business without a service contract can leave you at huge risk. Having the right forms and contracts is critical for any business and especially for a dog walking business. Professional dog walking forms and contracts help you build trust between you and your clients by showing them that you are both protected if an issue should arise and they give you credibility.
Dog Walking Insurance
Getting dog walking insurance is important so that if there was an incident, you and your business are protected. Dogs can be unpredictable at times; they can have accidents, as any person can, so it is a requirement to have insurance in place to protect yourself, your client and any members of the public. Narps UK provides professional pet sitting insurance to cover any unplanned circumstances.
Knowing Rules and Regulations
There are some laws in the dog walking industry that you should know if you’re looking to start this type of business. Learning about these laws is recommended before you start your business so that you do not break any laws whilst working. Some rules for a dog walking business include where to keep dogs on a lead, license requirements in some places, the Dangerous Dogs Act, cleaning up the dog’s faeces from public places, transporting dogs in a vehicle, etc.
We hope this guide helps if you’re a beginner and want to turn your passion for pets into a successful business.
Narps UK is the largest Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Association in the UK, helping pet businesses in multiple ways. They provide professional pet sitting and dog walking courses, pet sitter insurance, pet sitting or dog walking forms and contracts and much more! If you need any help with pet sitting or dog walking business, kindly reach us at NarpsUK Ltd.