How to Find the Perfect Dog Walker Near Me
If you are someone who works long hours, has a busy schedule, or just can’t find the time to exercise with your pup, hiring a professional dog walker might be the perfect option for both you and your furry friend. Exercise is incredibly important to your dog’s physical and mental health, but how do you hire the perfect dog walker and where do you start? We’ll walk you step by step through the hiring process and what you need to prepare for. Let’s get started- Find a dog walker near me.
First things First: What you should know before hiring a dog walker.
The two most important components of hiring a dog walker is trust and safety. You are inviting this person into your home and leaving them in charge of your best friend’s safety and well-being. That’s why it’s important to choose the right person to walk your dog. While choosing a dog walker you should be clear on what your requirements are and the qualifications they need. A professional dog walker should have extensive experience working with animals of all breeds and sizes and be familiar with different types of dog behavior, which is how dog’s express love, fear, stress, or anger. You should also take into consideration your dog’s needs and their personality. Is your dog aggressive or calm, active or lazy, friendly or shy, leash trained? These are questions you need to ask yourself in order to pair your dog with someone who can best understand them. Lastly, you need to decide how often your dog needs to be walked and what kind of services you’re willing to pay for.
You know what kind of dog walker you are looking for, now what?
The best place to start is by talking to friends, family, and other dog owners. Ask them if they have any suggestions or recommendations. After you find potential dog walkers near you, the next step is to conduct interviews. It’s important to ask the right questions during these interviews so that you can determine who will be the best pick for your dog.
Important questions to ask:
What do you like most about what you do as a dog walker?
Where will you walk my dog?
Do you walk multiple dogs together or one at a time?
How long will you spend with my dog on each walk?
Are you licensed or insured?
How long have you been a dog walker?
Are you trained in pet first aid?
Time for Meet and Greets
After you interview the potential dog walkers, it’s time for your pup to meet them. This is a crucial moment during the hiring process. This moment will determine if the dog walker and your pup are a good match for each other. During your dog’s meet and greet, you should be observing their behavior towards the potential dog walker. Is your dog happy and excited or are they scared and hiding? A good idea is to run a text walk to see how your dog interacts.
Success, you hired your first dog walker!
The meet and greet went well and now you’ve found the perfect match for your pup. After hiring your dog walker, make sure you provide them with all of the important information they might need. This includes contact information, veterinary information, feeding instructions, any alarm codes or house keys, and where they can find leashes, food, cleaning supplies, and of course treats. Lastly, the most important factor after hiring a dog walker is communication. Congratulations on successfully hiring a dog walker and finding your dog a new friend!
Find out more at Do I need a Dog Walker?