Dog Walking, is it worth doing?

[AlexxPaigee]

Hi, i am currently in sixth form and i am finding it very difficult to find a job at the moment.

I was thinking about offering a dog walking service but i just simply do not know if it is worth doing.

Would people pay me to take their dog(s) for walks in the mornings and evenings?

If so how much would they be willing to pay for say 30 minutes - an hours walk??

[Karis]

If you can find clients, it's a great idea.

 

Good luck with this

[MikeDaMouse]

Alexxpaigee i would give it a go, What is the worst that can happen (you dont like it)

 

I mean you arnt laying thousand's of pounds out to get set up.... And the best thing about your idear is you will ALLWAYS get paid.

 

Give it ago is my advice, you havnt got anything to loose.

Good luck & hope you do well

[ZAccountancy]

Hi Alex

 

It is definitely worth while doing, some people run businesses from doing just that!

 

I am not sure if I am allowed to post links but there are some professional dog walkers posting on the UKBusiness Forums site (Boredom Busters is one of them) who may be able to give you advice.

 

Also if you can find a local firm maybe they could take you on to do the walking for them in your area?

 

Good Luck

 

Zara Accountancy

[medusa]

If you have a read of our pets group you'll find some users who are professional dog walkers and I'm sure that they would share some of their experiences with you to help with your decision and set up.

 

The one thing that I'd suggest is that you investigate the cost of getting a CRB check done for yourself and the cost of public liability insurance, along with animal first aid courses and the like.

 

If you drive you have to bear in mind that doing a job such as this will also affect your insurance. You will need to have insurance that covers you for doing business in your vehicle, rather than just social, domestic and pleasure.

[Chez2]

You might not have to take the dogs out on a walk. When I got my first dog I sometimes had to be out at work all day. I used to pay someone to come and play with the dog in our garden and make sure his water dish was full.

[Strix]

You might not have to take the dogs out on a walk. When I got my first dog I sometimes had to be out at work all day. I used to pay someone to come and play with the dog in our garden and make sure his water dish was full.

... and even this requires CRB check and liability insurance, and if you're driving to a client's house, your car insurance will need to be 'for business' too

[Chez2]

The car insurance can vary depending who you insure with. I used to use my car for my employer when I worked as a sales rep. I didn't carry goods or passenegers so it didn't put my insurance up but it did state the usual social, domestic and pleasure plus something like and in connection with business on my policy document. As long as you declare it correctly to your insurance company and make sure its written on your policy it might not make a difference to the premium.

[go4it]

Hi, i am currently in sixth form and i am finding it very difficult to find a job at the moment.

I was thinking about offering a dog walking service but i just simply do not know if it is worth doing.

Would people pay me to take their dog(s) for walks in the mornings and evenings?

If so how much would they be willing to pay for say 30 minutes - an hours walk??

 

No offence, but I would not pay a sixth former to look after a dog.

 

What happens if you lost the dog whilst texting on your Blackberry?

 

I would only pay someone well trained in caring for dogs.

 

Sorry to sound harsh.

[Strix]

No offence, but I would not pay a sixth former to look after a dog.

I would, if they held a KC junior handling certificate

I've let somebody younger walk my own dog, and look after rescue dogs we've had, but I KNEW her, and how good she is with her own dogs (one of whom is 'challenging')