Anyone ever start their own dog walking business?

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

Just curious?

I live in a rural area surrounded by small towns. It is really hard to find doggie daycare in this area. I figure if I have this problem so do a lot of others.

This idea has occurred to me more than once, but especially since I thought about getting a new puppy and my options for dog care are limited.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Interesting thought, but no, never gave it a thought. If you are in a rural area, it sounds like you'd have a lot of traveling involved. Then there would have to be some kind of insurance I'd think. What if you lost a dog? Or one got hurt?

Guess you'd have to crunch the numbers to see if it's worth your time to start a business. (although travel expenses would be deductible). Good luck.  It would sure be a nice way to spend the day, walking dogs, getting exercise, outdoors, helping people. I like it.

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

Yeah. I would definitely have to look into the details. I imagine you would have to have some sort of extra insurance as well.

Just a thought. I'm thinking it would be more like go the house and walk the dog around an area familiar to them - not like a dog walk might be in the city where you could grab a handful of dogs at a time.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I think there is far more to this business than meets the eye. Lots of variables and possibilities of things that can go terribly wrong. I watch my own dog walker in admiration. Her qualities lie in her ability to be top dog to all the dogs in her care. Her knowledge of dog behavior and training is top notch. Her attention to safety is second to none. I would research this very caefully before entering what seems at the outset an easy business but which is in fact nothing of the sort.

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

I agree. Never thought for a moment that it would be easy.
By nature I'm a researcher, so I'm not just going to jump right in. This is why I'm asking here as well as doing my own research into the subject.
Thanks for the input.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

My trainer actually did this for a couple of years while he was studying and building a clientele.  He is very physical and loves to hike, so it was a great fit for him.  For him it was a great experience, but he had been training dogs for a few years before he started so he was able to handle difficult dogs that he might encounter on the walks.  Eventually he was able to schedule Saturday morning "pack walks" where people came and walked with him and his dogs for an hour.  He charged $20 for that hour and was able to provide some helpful training feedback to those who participated.  I would just be sure your dog behavior management and training skills are solid and then give it a try.  Just check with your Homeowners insurance carrier to be sure you would have coverage in the event of a liability situation.

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

I've considered dog training as well the two would definitely go hand-in-hand.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

A couple ideas that you might think about.  Jeannine with the DRC is involved with a dog walking business.  It is called Sully and Friends.  She has a page on FaceBook I believe.  The other thing would be to check out Rover.com if you haven't already.  You sign up with them to provide services in your area and they assist with the hard part.  Might be a way to get a foot into the business and see if you like it without really spending too much money.  I personally would love to have someone that I trusted that would be willing to stay at my home with my girls if I had to go out of town or had some sort of emergency.  Good luck, keep us posted.

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

Thanks, I will look around to see if I can find Sully and Friends.

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Yes! I have thought about it and I have also thought about starting an indoor dog park- in Michigan the weather is so in predictable so usually dog park days are ruled by the weather man. I haven't actually given any serious thought to it but they would be fun jobs for sure!

I live in a busy downtown area and dog walkers around here charge, $20 dollars for a 30min walk (Same price for up to 4 dogs per household), $30 for a 45min walk and $40 for an hour walk. They also charge $15 per dog for an initial 30min meet and greet. So I would imagine that they do pretty well. They usually carry some type of insurance so I'm not sure what the cost of that is, I imagine it's minimal insurance because you sign a hold harmless agreement. In a busy downtown area it works out well for them because most of them drop off the dogs in one apartment then walk a block down the road or not even for their next walk so their travel expenses can't be that much.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

We had an indoor dogpark here in Cincinnati for awhile.  We loved it in the winter.  It was basically just on the week-ends.  During the week it was daycare and the lay also did boarding.  She just opened it on the week-ends for open play time.  Was in a big ole warehouse type facility.  Unfortunately she didnt make it last.

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

That's a really neat idea! Shame it didn't last. Usually dog park days a few and far between due to weather because if there's been any bad weather they get so dirty and bathing them would require more time that spent at the dog park!

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

We are in Indiana - so very similar weather. I've never heard of an indoor dog park. Interesting.