Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: Guide To Finding A Good Dog Walker For Your Good Dog

It can be quite tricky finding a suitable dog
walker for your dog. There are many dog walkers
listed on the net and, in the most, they all look
quite good and considerate. However, there are a
few things that you must check and do before you
hand over your dog to a dog walker.

Check Online – do a few Google searches to find
walkers in your area, Google Places is very
helpful for this. Once you have identified a few
local dog walkers check deeper for reviews of
their services. Local forums can be very
insightful. Also, does they dog walker have a
website? Does the website have testimonials? Are
there photos of dogs with their owners looking
happy? Are there photos of the dog walker? Any
biography?

Ask At Your Local Vet – Vets soon find out about
good or bad dog walkers. Pop around to your local
vat and ask for a recommendation.

Call – once you have identified a short list of
walkers call them on the phone. How enthusiastic
do the sound? Do they have their own dogs? What
other services do they provide? Which parks or
locations do the like to walk in? How many dogs
do they walk at the same time? How long (distance
and time) are the walks? Are they registered with
any dog walking agencies or associations? How
much do they charge? Is there a discount for more
than one dog from the same home?

Meet Them – once you have identified a dog walker
go and meet them to see how they present
themselves. Do they sound knowledgeable? Are the
confident? Can they name the breed of your dog?
Take your own dog along to see how they get on
together. Ask for references? Ideally you want to
speak to 2 or 3 people who currently use that dog
walker.

Attitude – Ask the dog walker about the issues
that you are interested in? Are they happy to
give medication to your dog if required? Do they
use biodegradable pooh bags?

Police Check – Ask for proof of police checks.
There are different levels of police check
depending on the area you live in. Make sure the
police checks are up-to-date.

Insurance – Ask if they have insurance. If they
do, ask for a copy of the policy and check what
it covers. Accidents? Medical?

What Other Services Do They Provide? - If a
walker offers other services, such as a dog taxi
or dog training services, it shows that the dog
walker is serious about what they do and can help
out when unforeseen events present themselves. Do
they have kennels? Also conversely, remember that
if the dog walker is too busy providing other
services they may not be able to focus enough
attention on your dog.

Trial Run – Before you start with a dog walker
tell them you will begin with a trail period of a
few weeks. Only after that decide to make things
more permanent or not. During the trial period
try and meet the dog walker on a regular basis to
see how they are coping with your dog. You may
want to ask for a short report on their progress.

The vast majority of dog walkers are kind, safe
and love dogs but if you follow the above steps
you should be able to identify the best dog
walker for your dog.

Good luck.

----------------------------------------------------
Ian runs ScotDogs, providing dog walking and dog
taxi services in Broughton, Edinburgh, Scotland.
http://www.scotdogs.co.uk/

EasyPublish this article: http://submityourarticle.com/articles/easypublish.php?art_id=111609

>