Dog Walkers are not eligible for Standard or Enhanced DBS Checks. However, obtaining a Basic DBS Check can give your clients confidence that you can be trusted to walk their best friend.
What qualifications do dog walkers need? While there are no specific qualifications required to become a dog walker/pet sitter, having qualifications in animal care will enhance your professional standing.
- Hourly rates typically cost $30 to $60 depending on your location.
- Dog walkers charge an average of $20 per 30-minute walk with prices ranging between $10 and $35.
- You’ll pay $0.50 to $1 per minute to have your dog(s) walked.
How do you vet a dog walker? Finding a dog sitter is done best by personal recommendations, preparing a list of questions for your potential dog sitter in an interview, and other methods to vet them properly before hiring them.
There’s high demand for dog walking services, due to people going back to work after getting a new puppy in lockdown. Dog walking duties typically involve picking up the dogs from their home, walking them on a planned route, cleaning up after them, and returning them back home.
To run a successful dog walking business, you’ll need qualifications like animal first aid and behaviour training, insurance, a DBS check, and to properly market your services. Joining associations like the DWSA also helps customers know you are properly qualified.
You don’t necessarily need any training or qualifications to become a dog walker, but having them may help your credibility and professional standing when building a client base. Some of the training and qualifications you might choose include animal first aid, animal behavior, and animal care.
Can you make a living as a dog walker? We talked to dog walkers to find out. Wag cofounder and CEO Joshua Viner told BuzzFeed News that "on average, a walker makes around $17.50 per walk." Driver’s license – You may need to drive the dogs to the vet during emergencies, or picking up dogs far from your home.
IF you’re able to take several dogs at once, that means you can earn significant amounts per day. However, to start off with, you need to be careful not to take on too many dogs for one walking slot. You need to have complete control, as they may be walking several dogs at a time, and need to have full authority so that one does not get away from the group. In some cases, a walker may have to deal with breaking up dogs in a fight, or with runaways. It may also be beneficial to discuss the types of enrichment toys your dog prefers.