Do you want to start your own dog-walking business? If so, you’ll need to take note of the tips listed below.
Qualifications and Experience
You don’t need a degree if you want to start a dog-walking business. It goes without saying though, that you do need to have experience with dogs. If you don’t have a dog then try and ask your friends and family to see if you can walk theirs so you can build your experience a bit. If you are going to start a business walking dogs then you need to enjoy being around them, and you also need to feel confident handling them. You can even volunteer your time at an animal shelter if you want. This will give you the chance to learn about different breeds, as well as helping you to gain an understanding of how to manage multiple animals. Taking a course in pet first-aid will also help, so be mindful of that. If you have a lot of experience, why not consider starting your own dog park? You can get dog park equipment online, with ease.
Complying with the Law
There are a lot of laws, regulations and rules that you need to comply with when walking dogs. First of all, you will need to register so you can pay your taxes. You will also need to complete your tax return annually, so you can make sure that you are always staying on top of how much you are bringing in. Of course, you also have rules that relate to controlling your dog.
You will need to consider the safety aspect of walking other people’s dogs, keeping the public and other dogs safe from the dogs you are walking, using dog safety measures to keep any dogs you care for at your home safe and, of course, your safety when meeting and interacting with dogs you don’t own to be able to walk them safely. If you are walking dogs as a business, the law requires you to ensure you have understood all aspects of safety in relation to this profession.
Dogs in public places have to wear a collar, and this needs to have both the name and address of the person engraved on it. You can usually find out all of the information you need online, so don’t be afraid to look into the options that are available to you.
How Many Dogs Can You Walk?
Think about it, how many dogs can you realistically walk at any one time? There isn’t a limit on the amount of dogs you take out. Usually, though, you need to be wary of walking more than four dogs at any given time. If you walk more dogs than you can handle, you may find that each dog is at risk of injury. On top of this, if one dog chases something then the other dogs may follow, which can make things difficult for you. Spend some time getting to know each dog you are walking and what temperament they have, so you can pair them up accordingly.
Consider Costs
Being a member of an association may help you to get your business off the ground faster. This ensures that you are up to date with everything and it also means that you can attract new customers. You may also want to have a criminal history check done so that people know that they can trust you. It doesn’t cost a lot to get this done so try and make sure that you keep this in mind if possible.
