Excited but also stressed at the same time for resuming work from office after spending so much time at home with your canine friend? Whether your doggo is an inactive couch potato, or you’ve been noticing separation anxiety and other behavioral issues, mental stimulation and some extra exercise might be beneficial for them.
If your erratic schedule has rendered you physically unable to help your dog stay active, as a responsible dog parent, you should look into hiring a dog walker to do it on your behalf.
However, choosing a suitable dog walker requires trusting someone with the responsibility of looking after your pupper’s safety and well-being while you’re away. This is why finding the right dog walker is important; it can make an incredibly wonderful difference in your dog’s life, and in yours too.
Here are some questions to ask your potential dog walker, and some tips to help ensure you’re hiring only the very best dog walker for your pup.
#1 Analyze What Your Doggo Needs
Some puppers are super active and can’t resist running off whenever they see a squirrel, whereas others like to pee and sniff on nearly every blade of grass they can find. Some may be polite on the leash, while others might get aggressive. Before choosing a suitable dog walker, you should understand your dog’s behavior.
#2 Check if the Potential Dog Walker Can Handle Your Dog
Loving animals doesn’t necessarily qualify someone as a good dog walker. They should have substantial experience working with different animal breeds, types, personalities, sizes, and more. They should ideally be well-acquainted with dog behaviors and suitable ways to handle situations.
Ask them questions, such as where they would walk your doggo, do they have appropriate pet-care and first-aid training, their cancellation policy, client referrals, experience, and more.
#3 Sort out the Nitty-Gritties
Set a budget for how much you might be willing to spend on a dog walker or the price range that is acceptable in your area. You should also determine how often you’ll be needing a dog walker’s services — only when you have to work late, every day, or maybe twice a day? Your potential dog walker will need to know how often the services would be required.
Finding a Reliable Dog Walker
Tap into your network, and ask for recommendations from experienced friends and family. You can also set up meet and greets with potential dog walkers to see how the two interact. A test walk sometimes helps get a sense of whether the human and doggo are well-matched.
If you want your dog to feel safe and happy in someone else’s care, check out the dog walking services at Happy Critters Pet Walking. We house experienced dog walkers and pet sitters that are trained to provide dog pick up, dog drop off, dog house-sitting, dog walking, overnight pet stay, and many more pet sitting and pet care services for pet parents in Lakeland.
Reach out to find out more or book our dog walking services.