Times are tough, so can you really start a dog walking business without any cash or experience whatsoever? Yes, you absolutely can. Although it’s easier to start with a little cash than none, it’s still possible (and legal) to do so.
We’ll take a look at the steps you can take, along with the slightly better alternative if you have got some cash you can start up with.
Table of Contents
Equipment
You don’t need any. Sure, you may have to adjust the types of walks you do in the meantime but to start out with, you really don’t need any equipment.
Leads
Owners have leads, ask them where they leave them and use theirs. You can always upgrade to leads that suit you and are better quality once you’ve earned some cash.
Crates/Harnesses
Remember to ask the owner where the dog travels in their car. Sometimes they’ll already have a harness available for you to use.
A lot of dogs travel in the bootspace in hatchback cars. If yours is a similar car and the dog is used to travelling there then the owner should be happy with that and the dog is relatively safe (but buy dog guards as soon as you’re able to).
If you can’t afford crates or dog guards then you’ll either have to walk one at a time in your vehicle, or walk them directly from the house instead. It won’t be for long and it’ll give you a chance to get to know the dogs individually before grouping them together.
Treats
Ask the owner if they’re allowed treats, and if you haven’t got any ask them to leave a couple out for you, just to use for recall etc. Or you can always grab a few of your own dog’s kibble to use as treats and rewards.
A really good and cheap treat alternative is cat biscuits (kibble). It’s small and smells great, dogs will be excited for it as they wouldn’t normally have it and because they’re small it’ll be low on calories too. A £1 box of supermarket cat kibble will last for ages.
Poo bags
Again, just ask the owner to leave a few out for you. If it starts to feel weird asking for treats and poo bags to be left out then let them know there’s a £1 a walk discount if they provide a handful of treats and their own poo bags. It’ll seem like they’re getting a great deal as well as helping you out. Remember, this is only for your first few clients so that you can start earning and buying these things for yourself.
Clothing
You don’t really need any specialised clothing. You’re definitely going to wear down your trainers/boots faster but you don’t need anything new immediately. In time you can buy some sturdier, longer lasting trekking trainers or boots but for now you can make do with what you have.
As for waterproofs, they’re nice to have but any jacket will do for now and as they say in the Army, skin is waterproof 🙂
Synthetic fibres tend to dry faster (think sports tops and less cotton t shorts) so choose something from your wardrobe accordingly on wet days.
Insurance
You absolutely should get insurance before starting if you possibly can. Starting dog walking without adequate insurance in place is a risk (read here as to why).
However… If you really need to work and earn money then it’s not illegal to start up without in place and owners very rarely ask about it.
Just make sure that insurance is the first thing you buy once you’ve got one or two clients. It can be paid monthly and basic cover can be less than £100 a year so your first ever dog walk will pay for your first month’s instalment.
Contracts
No printer? No paper? No ink? No worries.
Lots of dog walkers use JotForm for their contracts and it keeps everything online for you, you just send the client a link.
You can find our free contract written with Jotform on our contracts page here.
Marketing
The best kind of marketing is free. Forget business cards and fancy websites. Lots of people ask for recommendations in local Facebook groups and there’s no problem in signing up for a new Facebook account just to use for your business.
Set up a business page too so people can leave you reviews and make sure you include your location on your page so people can find you.
Once you have a few clients, ask them to leave a review on your page if they use Facebook and they might even start recommending you themselves in local groups.
Vehicle
Nope, you don’t need one. Yes it’ll mean a lot more walking, cycling or public transport between clients, and no, you probably won’t be able to walk more than one dog at a time but it’s perfectly possible to be a dog walker without a car. You can even make it your own unique selling point.
Over time, a lot of pro dog walkers find that most of their clients end up being within a 5 mile radius anyway.
What you don’t need (Straight away)
Sign writing on your vehicle – it’s nice to have eventually for marketing purposes but a lot of walkers do without.
Business cards – fewer people use business cards these days and there are far more effective ways to market yourself.
Logos on your work shirts – They’re nice to have and anyone you meet on a walk will be able to tell without asking that you’re a dog walker but if they’re close enough to read your shirt logo then they’re close enough to talk to which is a far better way to promote yourself.
Local paid advertising – you’re likely to get contacted on social media as soon as you set them up by people who produce the little, local directories that you get through the door occasionally.
Paid advertising does work but stick to the free methods first. Many dog walkers have never paid for advertising so see what works for you before splashing the cash on a half-page ad in one of these directories.
A paid website – Most walkers do have a website but it’s not an immediate necessity. Social media and listing your new business on Google with Google My Business (GMB) will be enough to start with. With GMB people will be able to find you with a Google search even without the need to have an actual website.
Facebook adverts – As soon as you make a Facebook page for your business you’re likely to receive emails with advertising credits. Although tempting to do you can end up spending money unless you know what you’re doing. Just like the paid for website and paid advertising, these things are better left until later to see if you really need them to build your business or not.
Shopping List
Once you start earning a living you’ll want to start getting your own bits together. In my opinion, your list should look something like this (most important first);
Insurance – definitely first on the list, less than £10 a month and you can adjust your coverage as your business grows.
Poo bags – so you can stop asking your clients for them 🙂
Crates/Harness for your car – if you have a vehicle, keeping the dogs safe and separated during travel is a must so spending some money on making sure this happens makes you a conscientious and safe dog walker.
Waterproof jacket – it’s the UK, you’re going to need one to be comfortable. Pair with quick dry shorts, leggings or trousers (not jeans) and you’re sorted.
Comfortable Dog Lead – sometimes other people’s leads suck, they’re uncomfortable, too short, too long, retractable etc. and you don’t want to risk losing it on a walk.
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