Are you considering starting your own dog walking business?
Dog walking is a rewarding role. Not only are you responsible for keeping pets healthy, well-exercised and stimulated while their pet parents can't be around, but it's also a great activity for your own physical and mental health!
Below you'll find 10 things you should consider when asking yourself the question of how to start a dog walking business.
1. Ensure You Have the Correct Qualifications & Experience
Unlike pet sitting, you don't need official qualifications for dog walking, however, you should highly consider taking courses in canine behaviour, handling and first aid.
This is to ensure you are fully prepared for any potential situation. Ensure they are accredited courses.
In the US, you could get a certification from the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters, which could boost your overall earnings.
2. Transportation
You'll need to have the correct transportation for collecting dogs from their homes.
You can consider renting a dog walking van or look to purchase one yourself. You must ensure the van is fitted with safe crates with proper ventilation and security.
The vehicle must be weather-suitable (AC or warmer for colder areas). Ensure you have the correct insurance for your vehicle, that it undergoes an annual safety inspection and you hold an up-to-date driving licence.
3. Safety
Ensure you are animal first aid trained and that you have the correct equipment, such as leads, harnesses, and safety lights, especially if walking dogs in the early hours of the morning or late at night.
Some dog handling courses also cover how to handle multiple dogs, how to carry dogs of different sizes and how to vacate dogs from your vehicle.
4. Market Research
We’d always recommend having a proper business plan in place which includes your goals.
You should also look at your local area. What’s the competition like? What sets you apart?
Why not join the Book Your Pet Membership where you'll find business plan templates and support from pet industry professionals?
5. Calculate Start-up Costs & Pricing
Within a business plan, you should also calculate your start-up costs.
The bonus of a dog-walking business is there is minimal overhead. This is because you don’t have a brick-and-mortar building with costs such as electricity and water.
Be sure to register your business, then list the costs of your equipment, van, fuel, insurance, marketing etc. You can then decide on your pricing.
Come up with a pricing structure based on your costs. You need to ensure you have enough to cover your outgoings as well as enough to take a salary.
With this in mind, you can determine how many clients you need, plus how much to charge.
6. Branding
Your dog-walking business is going to need a snappy name!
Make sure you search online to check if your name idea is unique.
You can also use programmes like Canva to design a logo. Choose a colour palette to suit your idea and set up your social media pages. Facebook, Instagram & TikTok are great platforms to start building an online presence.
Be sure to share your knowledge and expertise with your audience to build trust.
7. Insurance
The minimum cover a dog walker will need is third-party liability insurance.
This will ensure you are covered if one of the dogs causes injury to a member of the public.
You also need to ensure that your insurance covers the amount of dogs you intend to walk at one time.
8. DBS or Criminal Background Checks
As you will likely be entering the homes of pet parents, it is highly recommended you get a DBS check.
This is a quick check of your background for any potential criminal activity and you will receive a certificate that shows you’ve been checked.
It is recommended these are rechecked every 3 years.
9. Terms, Conditions and Contracts
Legalities are crucial for protecting your clients and your business. You need to ensure you set out terms clearly and concisely to the pet parent.
You will need to collect details from your client including vets, microchip number, name, address etc.
Ensure you have a waiver that details what happens if there is an accident or the pet is lost and a form that details the behaviour of the pet and details of care.
With Book Your Pet, you can send terms, conditions and policies straight on the platform to the pet parent! Easy peasy!
10. Consider a Booking System or Software
Thinking about how to manage your clients or worried about a website? We’ve got you!
At Book Your Pet, we offer tech solutions for busy pet people.
Whether you’re looking to maximise your diary, communicate with your client or just grow your dog-walking business, our all-in-one system helps you do just that - with no website required!