Hiring a dog walker is a lot like finding a baby-sitter. When you’re away, working long hours or at a social occasion, you want to be sure that your dog is in good hands. Luckily for dog owners, dog-walking has become highly popular and you don’t have to feel like you’ve run out of choice if you don’t find someone you like, right away.
There are 7 questions you must ask when hiring a dog walker however, that will ensure that you needn’t worry about your dog when away and come back home to a happy dog that’s been taken good care of.

1.  Are you an independent dog-walker or part of a company?   This is probably the first of the 7 questions you must ask when hiring a dog walker. There are pro and cons on both sides as you will see – big companies always have someone to walk your dog, so you don’t have to worry about not finding help whereas, individual walkers may fall ill or go away on vacations, leaving you in the lurch.  But remember that going for a large company may mean different people showing up every day to walk your dog and this might cause confusion and anxiety in your pet unless every one of the dog walkers is extremely good at what he does. Think about it and make an informed choice!

2.What happens during a pet visit?   Will your dog walker simply walk your dog and leave him back?

3.  Will he give him his food, give him some play time and reinforce any training commands that you’ve already taught him? Find out.

4.  How many dogs do you walk at a time?  Many dog walkers walk multiple dogs at a time and there are some that do a one-on-one. This is an important question you must ask while hiring a dog walker as you have to decide which method suits your dog better.  If he’s a friendly, playful dog, he might actually enjoy the company. But if he’s a ferocious, watchdog that likes to be left alone, you might want to opt for the one-on-one walkers.

5.  Do you ever take the dogs off leash?  Some dog walkers tend to take the dogs off leash when in parks. This is one of the questions you need to ask when hiring a dog walker, so you can let him know if this is alright with you or not.  If your dog hasn’t been trained to behave when he’s off leash or tends to get easily distracted, this may not be a good idea and you’ll have to let the dog walker know that in advance.

6.  How long have you had experience working with dogs as a professional?  This is a necessary question to ask when hiring a dog walker, as there are plenty of people who think that simply liking dogs makes them qualified to take on the task. Such people often have no clue how to handle emergency situations as well as dogs with behaviour problems. So make sure you ask and hire someone with professional hands-on experience in dog-walking or training.

7.  Can you provide references?   Last but one of the most important questions you must ask when hiring a walker is if they can give you references of existing clients that you can speak with. Speak to them and find out if they are happy with their experience and finally go with your gut. If your dog walker cannot give you references, move on.

Remember that there are no right or wrong answers when it comes to asking questions when hiring a dog walker. The important thing is to see what suits you and find out if you and your walker are on the same page with regards to your pet.  Go with your instincts.