Start Your Own Dog Walking And Pet Sitting Business

Welcome to Unit 1 – Setting up a Dog Walking Business. In this course we will look at how you can set up a dog walking business. 

Dog Walking and Pet Sitting have become a profession, standards are high and clients have large expectations of the people they allow to take care of their beloved pets. 

You’ve seen the responsibilities of a dog walker/pet sitter, now its time to evaluate whether the job is for you. Did you feel that you could fulfil all the responsibilities listed? Were there any that made you nervous? A good way to help with this is to complete a SWOT analysis.

In this lesson we are going to examine researching your market, creating a business plan and how to set your prices. First you need to decide if you are going to set your business up where you live or in another area. There are pros and cons to each…

So this is the exciting bit where you need to make decisions like, which services will I offer, what will the business be called, where will I offer them, how much will I charge?

For some services like home boarding, house sitting and daycare a contract is a must, but you may find people employing a dog walker or pet sitter are less inclined to sign one. If you can’t agree on a contract then at minimum they must sign that they have read and agreed to your T&C’s.

What have you learnt so far? Lets find out!

It is part of the RSPCA/Dogs Trust Code of Practice and the LANTRA occupational standards that you keep records about your clients and their animals. These are vital to keep the animals safe and in some cases the client’s property, whilst keeping you within the law and your insurance company happy. 

As a small business owner you are responsible for keeping your own accounts or providing accurate information to a professional to keep them for you. This is largely so you can provide accurate figures to HMRC when you complete your annual tax return, but also so you can see how your business is growing and which income streams are the most profitable.

Every professional has insurance, you would be crazy to go into business and not be covered. Public liability alone could run into millions of pounds if a dog ran across a road and caused a pile up or knocked someone over and caused life changing injuries. If you are in charge of the dog then you are responsible and your house, bank balances and assets are all at risk.

Traditionally when people wanted to find a dog walker or pet sitter they asked friends, family, neighbours, vet receptionists, the bloke in the pub or anyone with a dog or cat! These days they might still do that but they will also ask for recommendations on social media or search the internet.

You will need some money to buy equipment for your business, some items are essential, some are nice to have.

This quiz will test what you have learnt about Business documents, insurance and equipment.

The laws relating to dogs can be very confusing and sometimes controversial, as a professional dog walker or pet carer you are liable under many pieces of legislation because you are deemed to be the temporary keeper of that animal.

Here we will touch on a few other pieces of legislation that you need to be aware of when running a business.

For this section we are drawing on our own experiences, we are not licensed tax advisers, so you should speak directly to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) or a tax adviser with any questions. You should have basic knowledge of what your responsibilities are as a small business with regards to paying tax and National Insurance.

How much legislation have you learnt? Let’s find out.

Now that you’ve got the Planning for your new dog business in place, you can prepare for the next unit where we turn our focus to actually running your dog walking and pet sitting business.

Welcome to Unit 2 – Running a Dog Walking / Pet Sitting business. 

New clients can contact you by phone, text, email or through your website and social media. It is very important that you make a good, professional impression.

This lesson will look at scheduling, first walks with a new dog, mixing dogs to form groups, letting off the lead and feeding back to the client.

Even if you are very experienced in walking your own dog or dogs it does not prepare you for walking a group that are from different households. There are lots of things to watch out for and manage but once you get it right you can form some bonds between dogs that can last for years. 

You have a responsibility to make sure that you keep the client’s keys, house and dogs safe whilst they are in your care. 

In this lesson we will look at how you need to protect yourself from injury and illness. As a self employed person you need to be able to work to earn money to pay your bills and keep your business running.

A test of your knowledge so far…

There are lots of pieces of equipment that you might need to keep animals safe whilst in your care….

You should be very aware that walking dogs in the British summer can be tricky and sometimes dangerous but are you also aware of the autumnal, spring and winter hazards?

Diseases are caused by pathogens like bacteria, viruses, giardia, fungus and parasites. Each pathogen has its own way of being transmitted from one animal to another, this could be in the air, on objects, in bodily fluids/faeces or close contact.

These are usually for cats, small mammals and fish whilst owners are away; or elderly dogs, puppies, sick or injured dogs that are unable to go on walks.

Housesitting can be a fantastic source of income when you first start your business and is fairly well sought after in the UK. If you are a dog walker and pet sitter you must be careful that you can still continue to do these jobs whilst you are housesitting, so stay local.

Let’s test your knowledge of the second part of this course..

We hope that you have enjoyed the course, have learnt many things and now feel confident to start your own business!

Yes. This is an online, self paced course.

We esitmate that this course will take, on average, about 20 hours to complete.

Yes. The tutor will be able to provide some advice and guidance.