How To Become A Dog Walker If you love dogs, then why not become a dog walker? There are many benefits to walking your dog yourself, but today, most people just do not have the time to get out there for a stroll with their pet. This is quite necessary though. A dog needs to be walked for exercise and for good mental function. Today, there are many people that need this service for their pets. Why not become a dog walker and do this for him? How do you get started? If you want to become a dog walker, there are several things that you need to do carefully. Here are some pointers to getting started. Determine your clientele. You are looking for people that need your service. For example, those that have elderly dogs or puppies that need to go out more often. Or, you can target those that work long hours and do not have anyone to let their pets out. These are the people that you want to target your business to. Get insured. You need to get insured for a number of reasons. If a dog in your care does damage to someone, or something, you need to be able to know that you will not lose your business and livelihood to it. You should also do so to provide protection your own well being. Insurance is not necessarily expensive, but should be had. Determine your business plan. The next thing that you need to do is set up your own business plan. You need to know what you will be telling people when they call to ask about your service. To do this, call around to others in your area those are offering their service. Request quotes for pricing, determine what types of hours they work and then plan your services to be competitive to theirs. This gives you the ability to step right in with others out there. Put together a portfolio with some contracts, guidelines of what you will do, what you will not do, time schedules and other aspects that would be appealing to a pet owner that is looking for this type of service. You will find that they will think of you much more professionally if you present them with a brochure of your services. Market your needs. You will want to put together a marketing plan. Market in newspaper ads. You will also want to have professional business cards to give to your clients. There are many people and ways to market to them, but word of mouth is the very best way to get the word out. If you would like to be a dog walker, you will need to be detail oriented. You'll need to keep a schedule and like being outdoors, even when the weather is less than perfect. You'll need to be a sales person to sell your own services. And, you will need to be dedicated to getting the customers that are out there. Are you ready to become a dog walker?