The Steps to Starting a Dog Walking Business
Many people regard walking dogs to be a pleasurable hobby, so the prospect of being compensated for doing so appears to be too good to be true. You may be thrilled to be starting a business that will be so much fun, but bear in mind that, like any other business, a dog walking service will require some effort on your part to be successful. Acquire the essential skills and experience, deal with the business side of things, and then get the word out about your dog walking service to successfully launch your venture.
1 The First of Three Parts: Acquiring Knowledge and Experience
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Learn everything you can about dogs. Learn about different dog breeds by reading books and articles online about them. This will help you understand and properly handle the behavioral tendencies of each breed. In order to achieve the greatest amount of success, it is also vital and advantageous to be knowledgeable about dog socialization techniques as well as how to read canine body posture. Greyhounds, for example, are regarded for having a soft and pleasant disposition, whilst Siberian Huskies, due to their high degree of intelligence, may be highly difficult and independent. Learn about the differences in activity requirements for different breeds of dogs in this article. Puppies, as well as herding and working breeds, will require longer and more regular periods of physical activity than adult dogs. Dogs who are older or extremely young will require more frequent bathroom breaks since they are unable to control their bladders as well.
2 Recognize your limitations and establish boundaries. Examine a variety of breeds to see whether or not there are any that you are uncomfortable around. Consider trying out related services such as dog sitting, grooming, and feeding as well as pet sitting. You can use your newfound knowledge to determine which breeds and services to add or remove from your business based on your experiences.
3 Offer your time to a local kennel or animal rescue facility. To be a professional dog walker, you must possess outstanding interpersonal communication skills, be physically active and in good health, and be quite comfortable walking a wide variety of dogs. Volunteer to walk dogs when they are being temporarily housed at a kennel, boarding facility, or rescue shelter so that, over time, practice will make perfect for the dogs.
4 Learn about the ideal times and places to go for a walk. If you’re walking a friend’s dog or your own dog, switch up the location. Learn more about your surroundings so that you can choose the most appropriate locations and times to operate your business. Look for new and fascinating places to take the dogs on the Internet, such as a puppy pool, an open agility course, or a nature walk in the woods, to keep them entertained. These locations will pique the curiosity and stimulate the dogs, which you may use to promote your company. Those who live in urban areas may want to try driving their dogs a few miles out from downtown, where there is more nature and less traffic. If you reside in a hot climate, such as Arizona, you may need to change your hours during the summer months to ensure the safety of the dogs on your property.
5 Take care to keep yourself safe. While walking your own dog or a friend’s dog, make every effort to anticipate and avoid potentially dangerous circumstances. When another dog walker passes by with a dog, move yourself between the two dogs to prevent them from getting too near to each other. Carry a can of citronella spray with you while you’re walking your dog so that you can dissuade any aggressive dogs or even wild animals from approaching the dog you’re walking. It is best not to take your dog to a dog park if the dog you are walking exhibits aggressive tendencies against other dogs.
2nd of 3 parts: Taking Care of the Business Aspects
1 Choose a name for your company that you are proud of. You may either go with a plain, uncomplicated name like “Sally’s Dog Walking” or with something cute and memorable like “Sir Barks-A-Lot Dog Walking,” or you can combine the two. If you believe you may wish to expand your business in the future to include other pet care services, avoid ending your business name with “dog walking.” When using an open-ended model, you can describe your company as “Pet Care,” “Pet Sitting and Services,” or as a “Pet Companion,” among other things.
2 Make a decision on the services and charges. Make final judgments about the services you’d like to offer as part of your company’s offerings, as well as pricing for each service, so that you can provide prospective clients with plain and consistent information. Dog walkers typically charge between $15 and $30 per hour, depending on their experience. Starting with modest costs and gradually increasing them as you gain consumers is a fantastic strategy for getting your business off the ground. Do some research on other dog walkers in your region to come up with reasonable, competitive charges.
3 Select a legal business structure. There are numerous approaches that you can take to running your dog business. If running your business as a single proprietor appeals to you, you should also consider forming a limited liability company (LLC) or a corporation to protect yourself and your investors from liability. These may be a little more expensive, but they will provide you with significantly greater protection. If you incorporate or form a limited liability company, your personal and business assets will be kept separate, which will protect you financially if any dogs cause damage or harm, or if any harm is done to them, as a result of your business.
4 Obtain a license, if one is required. Dog walkers are rarely required to obtain a license particularly for dog walking; nevertheless, they are typically required to obtain a general business license in order to operate their own business. Investigate online to see what your state demands in order to determine which licenses you will need to obtain (if any).
5 Become familiar with the rules and regulations that apply in your area. In the United States, there are a plethora of various rules that may interfere with your dog walking plans or routines. You’ll want to become familiar with them as soon as possible to avoid being penalised. To find out what laws are in effect in your area, you can contact the local authorities by phone or email, or you can look them up online.
- Many municipalities have rigorous dog sanitation requirements, which compel you to pick up dog feces as soon as it is discovered. Many cities and towns have leash rules in place, which allow dogs to be off leash in certain areas while requiring them to be leashed in other places.
6 Obtain insurance coverage. Despite the fact that dog walking appears to be a harmless recreational activity, there are risks associated with physical exercise and the handling of live animals. Your insurance needs will vary depending on the size of your company, but no matter how large or little your company is, you can obtain insurance that is specifically designed for the care of animals.
- Even if you use extreme caution, there is always the possibility that a dog you are walking will injure someone, cause damage to personal property, become separated from its leash, be attacked by another dog, or cause other harm.
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Make a legal agreement. Create a contract and be sure to have every customer sign it before you begin walking their dog to ensure that both you and the customer are on the same page about what is expected of you. If possible, have a look at the contract of an existing company and design your own contract in the same manner. In order to ensure that you are properly protected and that you do not overlook any key topics, seek assistance from someone with business or legal experience. Include in your contract the following items: * Where you walk dogs * How long you walk dogs for * How you handle billing and payment * Whether you handle specific breeds of dogs or not * How many dogs you walk at once * Statements regarding liability should your dog become aggressive or out of control
3rd and last installment: Getting the Word Out
- Develop a professional-looking website. Developing an informative, visually appealing, and professionally designed website is perhaps the most effective approach to sell your company. Whenever someone is in need of anything, the first thing they are likely to do is look for it on the internet. Create a website using a website builder such as Squarespace, Weebly, or Wix to help spread the word about your cause.
- Share the URL of your company’s website on social media to help it reach even more people. 2 Create a social media presence for your company in order to attract more clients. Using social media to discuss what you’re doing and encourage others to talk about and utilize your services is a terrific way to get your message out there. Encourage your customers to browse and follow your company’s social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by creating profiles for them.
- Post lots of images of the areas you visit, and be sure to obtain permission from property owners to include their adorable pets in your photos. You can include a condition in your contract that requests permission to post photographs of the customer’s dog on your website.
3 Hand out business cards to everyone. Customize and order business cards online with a provider such as Vistaprint, which makes the process of ordering and personalizing business cards simple and affordable. Refrain from handing out your business card to anybody and everyone. Avoid veterinary clinics, pet supply stores, and other places where people are less likely to spread the information. Your business card should be visually appealing and contain at the very least your company name, website address, and contact information (phone number and email address).
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Make an extra effort to please your customers. One of the most effective strategies to sell your company is to go above and above for the clients that you already have on board. Customers who are pleased with your services are more likely to refer you to their dog-owning friends, resulting in a rise in the number of customers.
- Consider offering a referral discount to existing customers who refer new customers. If you tell people that you’ll offer them two free 30-minute walks if they refer you a new client, for example, you’ll give them an added reason to spread the word about you.
Warnings * Make sure you are always aware of what the dogs are doing in order to prevent them from being injured.
- If you plan to walk many dogs at the same time, make sure you are familiar with the process of compatibility testing.
