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Becoming a dog walker

(29 Posts)
Redblueandgreen Mon 14-Apr-25 23:03:47

I love walking a couple of friends dogs and have been thinking about advertising as a dog walker at weekends. I would only ever walk one dog at a time. I just really want to do it as a reason for getting out and spending time with a dog which I really enjoy. Does anyone else do this who can offer tips and advice? I understand I’ll need some sort of liability insurance for starters. Has anyone had any bad experiences with dogs getting in to fights with other dogs etc? I guess it’s one thing to walk a dog you know and trust but has anyone had a dog walking job with a dog they don’t know well and run in to any kind of difficulties ?

valdavi Wed 16-Apr-25 19:25:43

A slip lead sounds much safer than grabbing a strange dog by its back legs, which generally speaking even mild-mannered dogs dislike. It may stop the attack but the dog could turn on you,and your face would be down there to be bitten unless you have orang-utang arms!

We are so lucky in this area, we seem to have lots of friendly dogs & responsible owners, & lots of lovely walks to share. Hope it stays that way.

Debbi58 Wed 16-Apr-25 19:27:00

Most local dog rescue, rehoming Centre are desperate for volunteer dog walkers .

Tenko Wed 16-Apr-25 20:29:33

I don’t where you’re based but near me is a dog rescuer and rehoming centre and they often need volunteer dog walkers , especially during the week .
Where I live, we have loads of dog walkers. This year our council has limited them to 4 dogs and they need to be licensed.
I’ve had dogs for over 30 years and occasionally look after friends dogs , but I only have one plus my own . I’m comfortable walking two on my own . But with the amount of untrained dogs and ignorant owners , I wouldn’t take on more.