Top tips when choosing a Dog walker

Most dog owners will agree that your dog is absolutely a member of your family. We love and cherish them in the same way we do a family member.  Now, can you imagine if you had to leave your baby/child with a nanny/babysitter for a w few days while you went away. We all know you would be checking for references, insurances, experience, qualifications, recommendations the list goes on & on, well it should be no different when choosing a dog walker to walk your dogs.

If you google search 'Dog walker' in your area, you will probably find a vast amount of local people offering dog walking & pet boarding, with no qualifications and certainly no insurances.

Be very careful. A lot of people out there don't even have experience with dogs, they like dogs but can't have one of their own & so have cottoned on to looking after other peoples and earning a bit of cash from it. But where do you stand if your dog suddenly becomes ill or is attacked by another dog & they aren't even insured?

Here are some things for you to consider when looking for a dog walker -

* Always choose a dog walker who holds the necessary insurance for the job. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK TO SEE THE PAPERS

*Is the dog walker CRB checked. Now called DBS (This is a criminal record check carried out by the criminal record bureau) DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK TO SEE THE CERTIFICATE

*Ensure the dog walker carries out a FREE and thorough consultation. Forms must be filled out about your dog, its history, its likes/dislikes, medical history etc Terms and conditions must be signed & any disclaimers must be signed. If your potential dog walker does not fill out any paperwork I WOULD BE CONCERNED

*Ask the dog walker if they offer a test walk with the owners.This will help you get a sense of whether or not they are the right choice for your dog. If the dog walker is apprehensive I WOULD BE CONCERNED

* Do they hold any canine qualifications. It is not necessary to hold qualifications to be a dog walker,don't confuse a dog walker with a dog trainer, however, most have got many years of experience and so will be able to compliment any dog training you are carrying out on your dog.  I would recommend that it would be advisable that anybody potentially walking your dog should hold a recent canine first aid certificate incase anything happens whilst on the walk .DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK TO SEE THE CERTIFICATE

I hope this helps, if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask us here at Mapperley Pet Services!

Alicia xxx

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