Start Your Own Dog Walking Business

Start Your Own Dog Walking Business

There are over fifty million dogs in the United States. One in four homes has a dog. Most of these critters sit home all day while their doggie parents work. A lot of them live in Condominiums and apartments which means they don’t get to be outside during the day. Dog walking has become a necessity. If you love dogs this is your chance to cash in on a fantastic career and start your own dog walking service.

Where else can you go to work and exercise at the same time? The work can be physically demanding, but it’s so much fun you hardly notice. Your days will fly by and you’ll fall into bed each night exhausted and happy. You’ll be glad that you don’t have to fight the traffic and do the nine to five grind. Can you make enough though? Yes I made over $3000.00 a month walking dogs. Think about it!!!! You play with people’s dogs and get paid for it!!!!

First things first though, you need to make yourself a kit. This is easy all it takes is a plastic box for your car and a fanny pack. You can put the entire kit together for less than $100.00. Not a bad investment for starting your own business.

In your kit should be a fanny pack, which you will wear and use everyday. In the fanny pack you will need waste bags, water for yourself and the dog. You will also carry your customer’s keys, your car keys, sun block, business cards and treats, and maybe even an extra lead. The fanny pack is essential because you want to keep your hands free.

It’s nice if you have a shirt of some kind with your name on it. This lets people you come in contact with know what you do. I’ve gotten business this way. Also if you are in a park walking a client in a park people know you are working and they tend to leave you alone. You can buy a shirt later if you are starting with bare bones financing.

A good strong key ring is a must. You will want to have all your clients keys with you at all times. I can’t tell you how many times I have had a client call at the last minute with a request to take their dog out. Put your name and phone number on the key ring so if it is lost you can be contacted to have it returned. Also, never label the keys with your client’s address. I always used the name of the dog. If they do get lost most people won’t know what the names mean.

You will need an endless supply of dog waste bags and you can’t be afraid to use them. Hey if this is the worst part of the job you have a good job.

Get business cards and even door hangers, if you have the money to buy them. I’ve put door hangers on doors where I see or hear a dog in a back yard. I’ve gotten work this way. One time I saw this poor girl with a business suit and high heels walking her giant Great Dane. I pulled over gave her a business card and I had that dog for over five years before he passed away of old age. Business cards are a great marketing tool and this business sells itself. Most of the time all you have to do is hand them a card.

In this day of our litigious society release forms are a must. This basically lets your customer know that unless it was negligence on your part they will be responsible for vet bills should the dog get hurt on your watch. One time I had to rush a dog to the vet because she was allergic to bees. I didn’t find that out until she actually got stung by one. Her head blew up like a balloon. I got her to the vet just on time. Another time I was driving a bunch of dogs back from the dog park when one of them had a seizure. The customer had no idea his dog was epileptic. Unforeseen things happen make sure you are covered. Charges like these can really eat into your profits. You can find basic release forms on line.

Note pad and pen are important because some clients want a daily activity report on their dog. Mine had my name and phone number on them, another great marketing tool. I now text a lot of my customers with updates.

An appointment book... very important. You will want to write down all of your appointments everyday even if they are regulars. I use to use my appointment book to do my billing at the end of the month. It will be a lifesaver when you start getting busy and it’s a good resource at tax time. Be sure to write in pencil and keep it updated.

The tax manual gives you a chance to record all your expenses for the year by month. It’ll come in handy at tax time. It’s much better than a shoebox. Be sure to keep receipts for any business expense. I always file mine monthly in an accordion file.

A mileage book will help you record mileage when you’re working. Unless you have a separate car for your business you can’t write off the cost of your car, although you can write off a portion of the gas and maintenance.

A phone book is important. I kept mine in my car incase I had to call a client. I’ve had to call clients on the spot if their dog is sick or if something happened at home. Keep your customers numbers with you at all times.

A First Aid Kit: you hope nothing happens while you’re out, but if does you’ll be ready with your doggie first aid kit. You can buy dog first aid kits on line, but if you want to make your own see my article on pet first aid kits.

Keep extra dog treats, toys, balls, towels, shoes, water and a shirt in your kit. A people first aid kit is a good idea too. Now that you have your kit together keep it in a place in your car where the dogs can't get into it.

Now you need to figure out what your fees are going to be. Check around to see what other dog walkers and pet sitters are getting.

This is easy all you have to do is look through your yellow pages and call a few pet sitters. You want to be competitive, however different areas will command different fees. Find out what the going rate is in your area. My business grew fast and I was actually able to raise my rates with in a six- month period. I had fifteen dogs with in six months of starting my business. Again this business sells itself.

You will want to charge differently if you are walking more than one dog in a family. I would always give breaks to my clients with two dogs, or I’ll set a monthly rate if I walk the dog more than once a day. Set up a pay structure with which both you and the customer are comfortable.

To get first time customers you may want to offer an introductory price, say a months worth of dog walks at half price, or you can offer a goody bag to first time clients.

I never charged for little things like feeding the dog when I brought them home, or giving them pills if they need it. Some dog walkers charge for everything extra that they do. If you do go back to the house later to do these things then by all means charge them.

The next thing you will want to do is set up your books. You will need a billing system.  I used quick books, but excel and work just as well. I billed at the end of every month. I sent them a bill with all the dates I walked their dog. This is where the appointment book comes in handy. I go through the book for each client and make up a bill. You will be billing after the fact. Clients will need to cancel during the month so billing after just makes more sense.

You will need another set of books (tax book) for your income and expenses. This is where you will mark down your mileage from your booklet, any treats you bought, money spent on gas, sun block, waste bags, of course your start up kit and anything else you buy that helps you run your business. Get a good taxman because you can also write off up to ten percent of your household expenses if you are running your business from your home.

List all of your income and all or your expenses, using the receipts you saved. When you are done for the month file all receipts in an envelope and mark it with the month and year.

You will definitely want insurance. There are a few companies that can help you, but broker can hook you up very easily. Business insurance can be expensive, but it is much better than losing everything you have worked for if something tragic happens. Don’t get scared in all my years of walking I never had to use my insurance.

There are a lot of ways to advertise but word of mouth is your best resource. A good way to get started is to visit area condominium and apartment complexes that take pets. Talk to the complex manager. Wearing your work shirt helps. Tell them what your business is and ask them if you can advertise in the complex. They will welcome you because they don’t want dogs messing in their units. Ask them if you can leave business cards to put in the new resident packets. Also see if you put some business cards in their community room, laundry room or near the mailboxes.

Another good place to get clients is corporate housing complexes. Corporate housing is where companies put up new employees until they can get relocated. These complexes often take pets because people are coming to our area to settle. You can be the person that welcomes them to the area and at the same time take a load off their mind by walking their dogs while they are moving. Getting to know you will be a relief for them as you can be a wealth of information for them. Extended Stay Hotels are a perfect example of corporate housing.

Other good resource is local veterinarians. Ask them if you can put business cards on their front counter and always provide your own business card holder. Tell them that when you get new clients you will refer them. Scratching each other’s backs can get you a long way.

Your local pet store is another good avenue for advertising. Laundromats and anyplace else that has a bulletin board are good advertising resources.

Always carry your business cards with you. When I’m at the pet store I often strike up conversations with people. I let them know what I do and they usually ask for a card. You always want to be prepared.

If you have your own dog take your dog to the park in the evenings or on the weekends and talk to every dog owner there. Tell them about the service you provide. Give them a business card and let them know how much their dogs fitness means to you. Before you know it they will tell their friends about you and the snowball begins.

If you live in a tourist area you can go to the local hotels that allow pets. A lot of people bring their pets on vacation and would definitely pay to have their pet walked if they are going to be out all day. Visit the hotel’s manager and give them some of your business cards and door hangers. If asked the hotel clerk can just hand their hotel patron a door hanger when they check in. Again the hotel owner does not want dogs messing in their rooms.

Always do a client visit before you take on the responsibility of walking a dog. You want to meet the dog so they know who you are when you show up at the house for their first walk. Let the customer fill out and sign the release form while you get to know the dog. Get down on the floor and interact with your new client.

You want to test drive every dog. Find out about all their quirks, are they social with other dogs, with people what are they afraid of, does it ride in the car okay, is it possessive of certain things like a toys or balls? You’ll want to have all these questions answered before you take the dog out on its first walk. There are a host of peculiarities you’ll come across when you meet your clients for the first time. I had a dog that was terrified of garbage trucks. To avoid that situation I always took the dog to the park. Be sensitive to their phobias. They are like children in your care and you want their experience to be a pleasant one.

Don’t be afraid to ask your client what they expect of you. Always, always change the water bowl whether they ask you to or not. Some may ask you to leave a light on as the owner gets home after dark. Still others may want you to turn the television on so the dog has company. You may have to change potty pads if they are dirty. You will get all kinds of requests.

Some homeowners use alarms. There’s nothing worse than setting off the alarm on your first day. The alarm is blaring the dog is howling and the neighbors coming running over to see what is wrong. Then the local police ride up and you have to explain why you are there. I speak from experience. Ask about alarms and get the code before you start.

Gated Communities are another issue. You’ll need a way to get in. Some places have a gate code others you’ll need a gate opener. Get all of these issues out of the way ahead of time so there are no surprises on your first day.

Your job is to get your clients dog out for some exercise and a potty break during the day. Each walk should last at least a half hour. There are a few ways to accomplish exercise time. You can walk each dog individually or you can take a carload of dogs to the dog park for an hour and let them run off leash. If you do take them to a dog park remember you are responsible for them. They must be watched at all times.

If your client isn’t very social I still try to make walk time, playtime. For example I will run an energetic dog up and down a hill for added exercise, or bring a ball and let them play fetch. A geriatric dog may just need to be let out to be relieved. I still give them a half hour, but it may be spent sitting under a tree. You will learn to welcome these breaks.

You’ll be walking dogs in all kinds of weather. You have to be careful with hot weather as much as inclement weather. Dogs can get overheated very quickly. This is a dangerous situation for any animal. On hot sunny days keep exercise to a minimum. You may not want to play ball. A simple walk and then home again. If you can walk in a shady area all the better. Make sure your client has plenty of water while out on the walk and then again when they get home.

Yes, you still have to walk your clients even if it is raining, however most customers only want their dogs going out for a potty break so they don’t track mud into the house. Ask your customers what they prefer. Never walk a dog in an electrical storm. It’s a good idea to keep old towels in your kit for these situations.

Most dogs love snow, but again you have to be able to cater to a whole host of dogs. Be aware that smaller dogs and dogs with short hair get cold faster than most other dogs. You may want to cut their walk in half and warm them in towels when you take them inside. Don’t ever leave a dog shivering.

Icy roads or sidewalks cause yet another concern. Ice and salt dry out a dog’s pads causing them to crack and bleed.  And it gets stuck between their toes.  Clean ice and salt from your clients paws when you get your client back home.

Your job is very important to your customers. You break up their pal’s day. When they come home from a long day at the office their dog won’t be bouncing off the walls with energy. You give your customer a sense of security and they feel less guilty leaving their beloved pet home all day. What other job can you play and get paid for it?