Dog Walking

[Drpepper]

I'm not going to ask for advice, I like making my own mistakes! Just interested if anyone has done dog walking as a business. Reason being Mrs Pepper has been walking dogs for free, and it's now got to the point where we might as well make it a small business and provide a few extra £££'s.

We have the suppliers already so will also be selling and delivering pet supplies as well, using the shop to accept credit cards etc.

So basically have you done it, and how did/do you find it? Is it a growing or shrinking market?

Thanks for any comments.

Oh yea, we obviously have a website ready to go (almost, it's what I'm supposed to be doing while here!), insurance in place and an advertising budget etc

 

[captaincloser]

So you just need to know how much money you are going to make ?

 

[Drpepper]

So you just need to know how much money you are going to make ?

Not at all, just curious to how anyone who has done it has found it, any money it makes is purely extra and a bonus. At £12.00 an hour (£6.50 half hour) I 'aint going to be retiring any time soon from the proceeds

 

[captaincloser]

Apologies if I misread your post !

I think charges will vary,like other services, around the country. In Central London,for example, you can pay £60+ a night for your dog to be looked after privately...you can also pay £10 a night so there is a wide range. Same wide range in daily dog walking and can also depend on if you require your dog walked on his or her own or with a couple of others etc.

Demand is high in London.

Best to phone round I guess ?

 

[thetime22]

Congrats on the little dog walking business. All the best.

 

[DancingWithPoodles]

big problem. what happens if you get aggresive dogs that go after the other dogs that you walking around

 

[papverpoppies]

Not at all, just curious to how anyone who has done it has found it, any money it makes is purely extra and a bonus. At £12.00 an hour (£6.50 half hour) I 'aint going to be retiring any time soon from the proceeds

Between £20 and £25 an hour in the Greenwich area London is the place to be! The park is full of 'dog walkers' usually exercising 3/4 dogs at once. The Council set a limit on how many one person can be in control of, but it is never enforced.

What is the cost of insurance with this type of work.

I would think it only viable if not driving far to pick up the dogs, also time consumming and very restrictive on your day, if walking dogs individually. but outside of that a good little business if you can build it up.

Did know someone who had his dog walked for free, then when the walker said she was going to start to charge - he dropped her like a hot potato.

Poppy xx

 

[gordano]

For dog walking businesses .. you could look at www.allpetservices.co.uk it is a free pet services website I set up a few years ago ... not done much with it although its gets lots of visitors. It has 1000s of pet service providers including over 1000 dog walkers. You might even find some in your area, just give the advertisers a call to find out their rates. Mrs Drepper can also place a free ad there

 

[emmylou74]

I used to be a dog walker years ago - now in my area there are lots of dog walkers. Insurance is definately a must also police check helps put peoples mind at ease.

I definately think there is demand for it in most areas - she might lose some of the people who have been getting it for free but she will soon build up a client base.

I actually stopped after being attacked by two of the dogs I walked - I just lost my confidence a bit.

 

[emmylou74]

oops forgot to include this link -http://www.dogsit.com/ I used to be registered and insured with them they were great!

 

[infogreed]

Why are you concerned whether it's a growing or shrinking market - this is not a long-term job anyway, it's a way to get by till you find something real, or your plans are different?

 

[Consistency]

big problem. what happens if you get aggresive dogs that go after the other dogs that you walking around

Give them some lovely chocolate that will make your doggy want more, and that is better than that Cadbury ******** - your site does not say how much for delivery though?

 

[Gord]

10p worth.
I frequently meet and learn from a couple of dog walkers whilst walking mine
I think you either have to be a serious dog lover, and by that I mean someone who has the interest to understand dog behaviour and pack dynamics, or you have to be very selective about the dogs you will take on.

I'm sure there is a market where you can earn a bit extra, but you need to be realistic about your understanding of dogs and the control you can exert.

It's a serious advantage for the control to not be manipulated by the dogs throughout the day ( like when you live with them) , but if they don't regard you as a 'threat' or 'pack leader' it may end in tears if they are not on leads.

 

[captaincloser]

Give them some lovely chocolate that will make your doggy want more, and that is better than that Cadbury ******** - your site does not say how much for delivery though?

]

Theobromine contained in chocolate can and will kill dogs if ingested in sufficient quantities. Use other treats...never chocolate

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2225631,00.html

 

[deniser]

I know someone that earns enough money from this to pay for her two children to go to private school so there must be some money to be made. She also does do boarding though in her house when people are on holiday and day boarding for people who are at work.

She is very selective about which dogs she accepts and they have to come for a trial first.

She has a licence and insurance.

All her customers are within a mile radius and have come from word of mouth so I would say demand must be extremely high.

 

[Drpepper]

Thanks everyone, your comments and advice are very much appreciated, and I seem to come out it pretty much unscathed

 

[Morgan]

I ran a dog walking business for a few years then sold it on when I had my little girl. I really enjoyed doing it and did pet sitting too so beware it can turn into a big committment, hard to get a day off unless you have cover/staff which I never really found financially viable!

A friend wrote this book which is very good http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/reader/1845282892#reader-link or if you have any specific questions then fire away.

 

[Consistency]

]

Theobromine contained in chocolate can and will kill dogs if ingested in sufficient quantities. Use other treats...never chocolate

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2225631,00.html

Could not agree more, my post was irony as Dancing with Poodles runs a chocolate website with only one chocolate bar, £6 or $6 each depending on what page you are looking at.

You are absolutely right, chocolate is a killer for dogs and should not be fed. There are special dog chocs but there are many that are far more preferable and do not change their tastes to desire things that are no good for them.

I have not read the article above but with Easter coming and a bit of chocolate being left over and being a temptation, please consider your pets health and life.

For us a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips, as they say! For a dog it could be a moment on the lips, a lifetime no more.

Not meaning to preach to anyone, but many owners unaware are still losing their pets and are very traumatised, simply through not knowing.

 

[S-Marketing]

They do need to eat a significant amount of chocolate. Its grapes that are the real killer (seriously).

Could not agree more, my post was irony as Dancing with Poodles runs a chocolate website with only one chocolate bar, £6 or $6 each depending on what page you are looking at.

You are absolutely right, chocolate is a killer for dogs and should not be fed. There are special dog chocs but there are many that are far more preferable and do not change their tastes to desire things that are no good for them.

I have not read the article above but with Easter coming and a bit of chocolate being left over and being a temptation, please consider your pets health and life.

For us a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips, as they say! For a dog it could be a moment on the lips, a lifetime no more.

Not meaning to preach to anyone, but many owners unaware are still losing their pets and are very traumatised, simply through not knowing.

 

[the locksmith]

Being a dog lover ... here's my tuppence worth.

Dog walking in Edinburgh seems to be big business. Our neighbour has done it for years and seems to have made a reasonable living out of it. Mind you he doesn't have much in the way of overheads, no mortgage and a bit of battered old estate car to pick up and cart the dogs around in. However he freely admits that business has dipped recently but that's because there are so many other people doing the same thing now, and some of them are doing it very professionally too ... http://www.citidogs.co.uk/ for example. (One of the owners is a client of my business). I went past their place the other day .... mobbed ! They seems to be doing rather well. Higher overheads but then again they are charging more in the first place.

 

[waller540]

We've just set up a website providing dog walkers and sitters with a place to promote their services for free. We're having a great response and I know that the industry in the uk is expanding right now. If your interested, take a look at our site and sign up for free:

dogwalkerscity.com

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

Dog walking is a fun business until you get a customer who's dog has no legs........then it can be quite a drag...............

BOOM BOOM.............