We’ve done the hard work so you don’t have to and collected the best professional dog walker resources from around the entire internet.
These websites are hand picked by me, a professional dog walker, trainer and canine behaviourist, and they include all the things I wish I knew existed when I first started up in business.
From where to buy a van, how to set up as a sole trader, learn how to deal with reactive dogs and more.
It’s the perfect list for if you’ve just started up in the dog walking business or planning on doing so soon.
If you think I missed a great website let me know! Find me on Instagram @dogwalkingcoach
Table of Contents
1. Learn all about Muzzles
The muzzle up project is the ‘go to’ resource for muzzle education for all dog professionals.
Even if you never intend on walking a muzzled dog, it’s still good to have an idea about why dogs wear them, what goes into training a dog to wear a muzzle and what to do if you encounter a muzzled dog on one of your walks.
2. The only GPS tracker without a subscription
Even the most experienced, competent walkers can lose a dog (read my story here about how I lost a client’s dog twice)
GPS devices are becoming far more affordable and reliable and market leader, PitPat, now has a GPS device that has a one off payment, no subscription fees and works with an unlimited range. Perfect for new dogs, nervous dogs and puppies new to your walks.
If you’ve ever ‘misplaced’ a dog, you’ll already know these are worth every penny.
3. The best and only logo creating, video editing and photo editing app you’ll ever need.
Canva is the OG when it comes to making your online business look professional and slick.
Canva is a graphic design platform that allows you to create a wide range of visual content including social media graphics, presentations, posters, flyers, business cards, logos, and more.
You can choose from thousands of customisable templates, add text, images, and other design elements, and export those creations in various formats. Canva also provides a range of design tools such as photo editing, background removal, color palette generators, and font libraries to make designing easier for users of all levels.
4. How to set up as self-employed (UK)
https://www.gov.uk/set-up-self-employed
This official UK government website should be your go-to resource when it comes to questions about registering as a sole trader, queries about taxes and the HMRC, and what you can claim as expenses.
Well meaning forum members might be able to offer advice but the facts come from this website. Start with their step-by-step guide to registering as a sole trader and take it from there.
5. Buy a dog walking vehicle
This Poole based van seller in Dorset has been around almost as long as I have and comes up time and time again when searching for dog vans. If you’re sure you’ll need a van, then you can’t go wrong with one ready to start work immediately.
Ex police vans come fully equipped with crates, escape hatches and aircon, and the vehicles themselves are regularly serviced, if, on occasion, driven quite fast…
If they don’t have the right van for you, try a search for military, security or police dog vans in all the usual places.
6. Get a basic CRB / DBS check (Criminal Records Check)
https://www.gov.uk/request-copy-criminal-record
You’ll find lots of websites offering to get a DBS / CRB check for you but there’s only one official one and those other websites will charge you more ££s than you need to spend.
Go through the official website to be sure, and not through a Google search link.
Check out the full article covering how to apply for a criminal record check wherever you are in the UK.
7. Get Insured
Although not a legal requirement in the UK, you’d be mad not to cover yourself with at least the minimum insurance level which should cost you less than £100 a year (we checked a few companies in our other insurance article here)
Protectivity goes beyond that allowing you to choose add ons and the financial amounts covered in each section, helping you to really create the best possible policy for your business.
8. The Best First Aid for Dogs providers in the UK
We wrote a whole article on canine first aid providers but we still recommend finding one run by dog first aid training as we’ve been on 3 courses now (refreshers) and we’ve never been disappointed.
The courses are professionally run, incredibly informative, keeping up to date which makes the three yearly refresher course still engaging and useful.
9. Reactivity information
Just like the Muzzle up project, this website is the go to resource that explains exactly how to care for, walk and act when you own or walk a reactive dog.
It clearly and simply sets out the steps that trainers know as desensitisation and counter-conditioning into clear explanations.
If you’re ever asked to walk a dog who is reactive then this website is a great place to start and help you understand the difficulties these dogs have and how you can make their lives easier.
10. Accounting software for sole traders (UK)
https://quickbooks.intuit.com/
Having to do your own taxes can be a daunting prospect for someone setting up a new business.
Thankfully these days there are a bunch of apps to make that a little easier and QuickBooks is top of the list when you ask anyone for a recommendation.
You can connect it to your bank, send invoices, record expenses and it’ll give you all the figures you need when it comes to filing your tax return.
You can get a months free trial here for Quickbooks or they offer a discounted first 3 months which I feel is a better deal.
BONUS No.11; Your personal business coach
Yes, this site! I know, it’s a bit cheeky to slip our own website in this list and you clearly already know it exists but have you found a site that includes so many topics specific to the day to day lives and running of a successful dog walking business in the UK?
Starting your own business can be lonely and there’s a tonne of advice, information and options about how to run that business all over the web. I wanted to share my experiences alongside providing some solid, factual information to help you build your business faster without all the trial and error I had to go through when I built mine.
I hope you found this list useful, why not bookmark it for a later date or share it with someone who might appreciate it.
Until next time,
Coach
AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER
The dog walking coach website is supported by our visitors. Some of the product links on this website are through affiliate schemes such as Amazon. This means that I earn a small commission if you choose to purchase something at no extra cost to yourself.