What to Ask a Potential Dog Walker

Hiring a dog walker to help exercise your dog can be a great decision for both you and your dog. Your dog gets an extra chance to exercise and have a potty break during the day, and you get the peace of mind of knowing that your dog is well taken care of.

But this does depend on choosing a dog walker that you can trust. While there are many companies and individuals offering dog walking services, you will want to take the time to do your research and be sure that you select the right one for your pet.

Questions to Ask Your Dog Walker

Dog walking is an entirely unregulated industry so you will want to take the time to determine who has the specific qualifications to care for your dog. Some of the points you will want to discuss with any potential dog walker before hiring them include:

Experience - An experienced dog walker will already have handled all the tricky situations that can arise when caring for a dog and they will know how to respond. Even if your dog is extremely well behaved, give yourself the extra assurance of an experienced dog walker.
Insurance - Any dog walker you hire should be insured so that everyone involved is protected in case of accident.
First Aid and CPR Certified - Check to make sure that any dog walkers are certified in dog CPR and first aid in case of emergency.
How Many Dogs Go on Each Walk - personalized attention is the best way to avoid any issues when your dog is on a walk. Choose a dog walker that will walk your dog individually, or at most will only walk dogs in your home at the same time.
Familiarity with Equipment - A good dog walking experience will provide a similar experience to what your dog would have walking with you. If you use any special harnesses or collars, make sure that your dog walker is familiar with how to use them
References - Any dog walker should be able to provide references from previous satisfied clients.
Coverage - If your regular dog walker gets sick, check who will be covering for them to be sure that your dog still gets the necessary attention.

Once you feel comfortable with a potential dog walker who meets these requirements, you can also look for additional offerings like GPS trackers, specific services like overnight visits, and other options that are right for your family, making sure that you get the best possible care for your dog.

Calvin and Colleen Sheehan (Assoc. Producer - The Oprha Winfrey Show)

Marc Goldberg with Cesar Millan, "The Dog Whisperer"

Our Philosophy & Goals

Our philosophy is simple. Improve the life of both dog and family. All too often, unruly dogs do not fully enjoy life because their families constantly become upset and frustrated with them. This is difficult for both family and dog.

Our mission is simple. Make both dog and family happy.

What does is take to make your dog happy? He will thrive when you give him leadership and attention.

Making the family happy is a bit more complex.

Families typically want their dog to:

Come when called, every time, on or off leash
Walk nicely on a loose leash without pulling
Sit until released
Down until released

Families also want their dogs:

Not to jump on people
Not to charge through doors
Not to dig in the garden
Not to bark and chew inappropriately
Not to climb on furniture you prefer they avoid
Not to sniff and eat off the table and counters.
Not to be wild and uncontrollable
Not to ignore you when you want their attention