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Dog walking/sitting?

622 views 6 replies 2 participants last post by  Caitlin <3's Tater 
#1 ·
I plan on starting my own dog walking business when school starts back up later this month I did this when I was in around 8th grade and charged $20 for a dog(any size) for a one hour walk every day for 5 days and I don't really know what to ask I'm 18 could be available when ever and plan on going to college later this year(online) I would love to make a flyer to hand people but I don't really know what to charge for walking or sitting?
Any tips or advise you could give me would be great(about putting a flyer together) I'm not trying to make an extra buck I'm just trying to get more experience with animals :) I wanted to ask the owners a few questions such as
Is your dog neutered/spayed
Is your dog updated on shots
Does your dog have any heath issues that I may need to know about
Is your dog animal aggressive(Just so I know if I have to walk the dog by itself)
But I don't know how to go about asking those questions?

I want to have different packages like for 5 days it costs 25 dollars for a one hour walk I don't know if thats too much or not enough??

Thanks for you time :)
 
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#2 ·
I'm not sure if insurance is something you'd have to look into for this, but probably. Dog behavior or training credentials might be nice. In my mind dog walking is not as 'big a deal' as dog daycare, to put it very loosely. Especially if you're only handling one animal at once.
I've also seen it where the first consultation (going to other people's homes, assessing their dog and routines) is free.
I'm not so picky about who I get as a dog walker but MAN are good ones impossible to find these days!
Personally, what I would look for is someone who:
-Isn't a crazy-over-the-top dog lover who legs my dog jump on them, feed too many treats, then lets my dog free roam on the leash on walks
-Is physically and mentally capable of handling dogs in any situation
-Is honest, on time and trustworthy.
Is that too much to ask? :D

About your flyer... Rates and contact info, plus any credentials you have would be nice. But how bout setting up a website for yourself? It might be a bit much to put ALL the information on one page. If I saw decent rates on a flyer and then saw "Weekly packages available" I would be inclined to know more.

But that's just me. Hope this helps in any way!
 
#3 ·
I understand, back in 8th grade when I used to walk dogs I had people pay me OVER the amount I was looking for lol :) I trained most the dogs I walked to heel and sit(if they didn't already know that) I walked dog aggressive and people aggressive dogs(there was a dachshund who just LOVED to bite my ankles for about a month before it started liking me lol) I would do dog sitting as well(lets say someone went on vacation I go over there and feed and water walk and play with the dog) What do you think I should put in the "weekly packages"? All I really have for dog training is training my own dogs and my families.
 
#4 ·
I only used "weekly packages" as a quick example... But I guess if a person was interested in having you reagularly walk her dog, having a weekly rate that's cheaper than paying day-by-day would be nice.
I'd really like to see what other people have to say, esp. those with more experience as professional dog walkers.

The one thing I would mention is people *might* be put off by your age and associate it with lack of experience. Knowing you and your posts on this board, I would definitely pay and trust you to walk my dog, but upon first impression a person who doesn't know you at all might not think that way. I think it'll be important for you to put forward an air of professionalism/responsibility, and get lots of testimonials (website. great for that) from customers who know and trust you. Word of mouth does more than credentials can, at times :)
 
#5 ·
Thanks for all your help! You did a lot and gave me good in site on the costumers point of view :) I may just go back and walk the peoples dog that I walked back when lol :) I understand about the whole my age thing :) It just seems like fun :) Me and my dog get to go on walks we both get some exercise and he gets to meet other doggies :) The money thing would be an added bonus that would probably be put right back into my animals lol :)
 
#6 ·
Totally understandable! If you're good at what you do, you should just do it!
From the standpoint of someone around your age, I don't see anything wrong with handing out flyers and seeing who's interested. If they want credentials you can refer them to the people who already know you. They can vouch for your capability and responsibility. You might get more clients. You might not, and you'd still have your old ones to fall back on.

Again, if people with more experience could chime in on the whole business/advertising/legal aspect of it, that would be good to know... I don't know if "Hey, want me to walk your dog for $20" is as simple a transaction as "Hey, want me to mow your lawn for $5"
 
#7 ·
Yeah it's not usually that easy lol :) With people that I already knew back then I was just like "Hey, want me to walk your dog" but for the people I didn't know I would just carry fliers and if I saw someone walking there dog I handed it to them lol :) I really do love animals and it would be a good starter to walk dogs gives me references lol :) Thank you for all your in site it's really helped me a lot!!!
 
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