5 Things to Avoid to Keep Your Dog Walker Happy

While most of us would love to spend all day, every day with our dogs, the reality for many dog owners in the UK is that work and other commitments mean you must rely on someone else to walk and care for your dog. If you have found a professional dog walker you like, it’s important to maintain a respectful and cooperative relationship to keep them happy and preserve the great care they provide.

Professional dog walkers are in high demand in many areas, often with waiting lists. This means that if you cause avoidable problems or make their job harder, you may soon find yourself needing to look for a new dog walker. Here are five crucial things to avoid doing if you want to keep your dog walker happy and your dog well cared for.

1. Making it Difficult or Impossible to Access Your Home

Your dog walker will need reliable access to your property to take your dog out and back safely. It’s essential to provide a working key or access method and to ensure the burglar alarm code (if any) is shared clearly and tested.

Arrange a dry run with your dog walker to confirm that the key works, the alarm can be disarmed and reset properly, and your dog is comfortable letting the walker in without anxiety or aggression. Never rely on hiding keys in unsecured places as this poses security risks and potential access failures.

2. Not Leaving Everything Your Dog Needs

Prepare all items your dog walker will require ready and easy to find. This includes collars, leads, towels for wet weather, coats or booties, food (if feeding is included), and any medication or special equipment.

Communicate clearly where these items will be left and do not change these arrangements without telling your walker. This consistency makes their job smoother and shows your respect for the service they provide.

3. Treating Your Dog Walker as an Errand Service

While it’s reasonable to ask them to bring in items like parcels from your doorstep, avoid expecting them to run errands like shopping, grooming appointments, or other tasks unless they explicitly offer these services and agree to them with you beforehand, usually for an additional fee.

This helps keep boundaries clear and allows your dog walker to focus fully on your dog’s well-being during walks.

4. Expecting Your Dog Walker to Clean Up Mess Inside Your Home

If your dog soils your home or causes damage before the walker arrives, it’s not their responsibility to clean up. While some dog walkers may occasionally help by cleaning toileting accidents or removing dangerous chewed items, this is above and beyond their service and should not be expected regularly.

Consistent lateness by the walker that leads to such problems is a different issue and may warrant reconsidering the arrangement.

5. Messing Your Dog Walker Around with Last-Minute Changes and Cancellations

Dog walkers pride themselves on reliability and often limit how many dogs they walk at once. They typically have set schedules and waiting lists, so cancelling at short notice or changing times unpredictably can disrupt their day and income.

Check your dog walker’s cancellation policy and communicate well ahead whenever possible. Repeated last-minute cancellations may lead to loss of your booking slot in favour of a more dependable client.

Supporting Your Dog Walker for a Strong Relationship

Additional ways to keep a good relationship include meeting your dog walker and your dog beforehand to ensure everyone is comfortable, providing honest and detailed information about your dog’s behaviour and needs, and supporting the walker’s lead control during walks by reinforcing good training at home.

Punctuality, clear communication, and respect for any relevant local dog laws or rules also help a dog walker operate effectively and safely.

Ultimately, treating your dog walker as a valued professional partner will help your dog enjoy walks and care with consistency and happiness. This partnership benefits dog, walker, and owner alike.

For those looking to find a reputable dog walker or puppy, start by checking puppies for sale and reputable breeders to ensure you have a well-socialised dog that benefits from good daily care.