5 Critical Safety Checks To Make Before Hiring A Professional Dog Walker

Dog walking is big business. With our busy lifestyles, there often isn’t time to meet this essential need which is so important for the health and wellbeing of our canine friends. Exercise is as important for them as food and air – to maintain their joints, muscles and weight, to reinforce training, to improve their socialization skills, and most importantly to have fun! When engaging a dog walker however, you need to ensure that your prize possession is in good hands.

Experience

It’s important to check how much experience a dog walker has and whether they have undergone any education or training. Some companies have strict screening processes and provide specialist training courses which include instruction in First Aid and CPR, which could be vital if anything goes wrong while your pet is in their care.

Safety

Your pet’s safety and comfort should be the walker’s primary focus and the should not have more than 3 to 5 dogs with them per walk. You should tell them whether your dogs prefers to be with larger or smaller dogs, how much exercise and rest is appropriate for them, and inform them of an medical needs. Any equipment used to transport your pet should also be safe and size appropriate.

Insurance

Hopefully you dog will have a happy and trouble free experience, but reputable dog walkers should have full bonding and insurance in case anything goes wrong. This should include cover for the death or injury of your pet while in their care, which is often excluded.