Rover.com Share These 7 Skills You Should Look for in a Dog Walker

According to research, dogs utilize walks to not only improve their mental health but explore their world as well. There’s no denying the fact that walking your dog has tremendous benefits on the wellbeing of your canine.

If you just don’t have the time to walk your fur-kid daily on a regular basis, hiring a reliable canine professional is your best bet. Problem is, finding the right one can be a daunting task. We spoke to the leading dog care company, Rover.com, and came up with seven critical skills you should always look for in a dog trainer.

Calmness

Pets are highly unpredictable. They can go from being sweet and friendly to being extremely active and all over the place. When things don’t go according to plan, can the dog walker keep calm? Can they work out a solution without losing their mind? The ability to remain patient when the dog doesn’t behave as expected helps the animal to actually become less anxious and reactive.

Passion for Animals

Let’s face it: not many a dog walker actually loves what they do. Most do it to put food on the table. Daily Mail did a study in 2015 and found out that professional dog walkers can comfortably earn a cool $72,000. This isn’t bad a job. The good news is that you can tell if your prospect is passionate about animals only a few minutes into the interview. Just throw in a few interesting questions and watch how they respond to them.

Here is an example: “Have you experienced any embarrassing moment with a pet before? If yes, what was it?” A dog walker who genuinely loves being around pets, in general, will have plenty of responses for this. They will ramble forever about crazy pet stories of their own.

Love at First Sight

An immediate connection between the dog walker and your three-legged friend will speak very loudly. Rover.com recommends having a meet-and-greet session shortly after an oral interview. Obviously, your dog may not particularly jump all over them immediately so don’t be quick in making a judgment here.

However, watch how the individual handles your pet in those few minutes. If the connection is pretty obvious, he or she may be the right person for the job.

Stamina

Walking a dog is an extremely engaging activity. Devoted to Dog claims that a healthy dog requires a minimum of 30-60 minutes of walking on a daily basis. This is only the minimum. In fact, most dogs go for 1-3-mile walks and if they like to cover more ground; up to 10 miles or more.

Without stamina, a dog walker may not really keep up with the energy of your pet hence letting it down in the long run. Pose the right questions during the interview and examine if the person will be able to walk the extra mile to ensure your pet gets sufficient exercise.

Flexibility

The last thing you want when you ran into an emergency is a dog walker who cannot show up because they have a fixed schedule of their own. Consider hiring one whom you can count on when you hit a dead end. This is something you’ll need to go over with your potential dog owner from the onset.

Experience

Experience is a skill in itself. No matter how fulfilling the thought of hiring your teenage niece to walk your dog is, Rover.com recommends going for the pros instead. You simply can’t trust the safety of your beloved pet to anyone, just because it is convenient for you. If money is the issue, grab a 20% off Rover Coupon and hire experienced dog walkers who know a lot about dog temperaments, best routes, and generally how to handle all types of puppies.

Honesty

Dishonesty is just a recipe for disaster in dog walkers. Most of them are outright liars who will look you in the eye and tell you they walked your dog for an hour yet they only did a 15-minute jog. Unfortunately, this is not one of those things you can depend on their word of mouth only. You’ll need to have a few trial and error sessions to establish whether your potential dog walker fits the profile or not.

Whether you want a regular dog walker or a temporary one, you should never ignore the importance of choosing the very best. Your furry best friend totally relies on you to make this choice for them. Choose wisely!