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Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Dog Walker

May 3, 2021 by Mary Telesz

Dogs on Walk with dog walkerResponsible dog owners know how important it is that their dogs get a nice long walk every day. Dogs need that walk for their physical and mental wellbeing. Too often, however, the many demands on our time interfere with our ability to walk our dogs on a regular basis. One way to fix that is to hire a professional dog walking service. With a professional dog walker, your dog can get the exercise it needs while you tend to other obligations.

Know What You Need To Ask Your Prospective Dog Walker

Hiring a dog walker can take a lot of stress off of you and your dog if you hire the right service. Preferably, you will hire a professional who you can trust to handle your dog correctly, who knows how to manage dogs and who can recognize the signs that your dog may have a health issue and what to do about it. To find such a person, here are the questions to ask before you hire them:

1. Are you bonded and insured?

A professional dog walker should have a business license. To get a business license, they need to be bonded and carry liability insurance. That shows that the dog walking service is financially responsible and is likely to provide its services in a professional manner. Ask to see proof of their insurance.

2. Do you run background checks on all of your dog walkers?

If you are hiring a service that may use multiple dog walkers, make sure they do background checks on all of them to help ensure that your dog and your property will be safe under their handling.

3. How much experience does the dog walker have, and is this a full-time job for them?

Depending on the level of experience your dog may need, make sure your dog walker will be able to manage a variety of situations. If the person does this on a full-time basis, the person likely has a lot of experience with dogs or at least has had some professional training in dog handling.

Anyone who will be walking your dog should have training in basic care and dog behavior. The experience should be beneficial for your dog and be a way for your dog to get regular training or to keep up with the training it already has.

4. Do they have a professional contract or service agreement?

A professional dog walking service should have you sign a contract. The contract should spell out the payment terms and specifics of what services will be provided.Small Dog on a Walk with dog walker

It should clearly outline such terms as the dog walker’s inclement weather policy, set forth the minimum number of days notice required for schedule requests or charges for an additional amount for short-notice requests, and a cancellation policy.

5. Provide references.

Your prospective dog walking service should be pleased to provide you with several references. Be sure to contact them and ask them about their satisfaction levels and experience with the service.

6. What is their policy pertaining to safeguarding keys and access codes?

Make sure your dog walking service has a system for organizing owners’ keys and that they are securely stored. If you will be using access codes instead of keys, find out how that information
is kept.

7. What are the protocols if your dog needs emergency medical care?

This is important to know, especially if your dog has health issues of any kind. Being comfortable with how your dog walker will handle an injury or a dog that becomes lost is among the most important considerations in hiring a dog walking service. Ideally, the dog walker will want your vet’s contact information and your emergency contact information.

8. What is your procedure for handling an unruly or misbehaving dog?

If the prospective dog walker uses negative reinforcement (i.e., punishment) to manage your dog, you may want to pass on that individual. If your dog has unusual behavior issues, you may need to work through those issues with a professional trainer instead of a dog walker.

Most dogs will act upon occasion, and in those moments, you want to know your dog is safe with your dog walker. You should find a person who knows that the best way to correct misbehavior is by redirection, or refocusing the dog’s attention, and then positive reinforcement with praise or treats.

9. Are you a member of any professional dog walking or pet sitters’ organizations?

Little Dog on Walk with a dog walker

Memberships in these professional organizations mean that your dog walker knows the importance of keeping up with training, networking, and meeting professional standards for those services.

Memberships are an excellent sign that your prospective dog walking service is serious about the services it provides.

Contact The Professionals At Paw Pals For More Information Hiring A Dog Walker

At Paw Pals, the dog walkers are trained in dog behavior, positive reinforcement training techniques, and rendering emergency first aid if a pet is injured while in their care.

They are licensed, bonded, and insured and adhere to the highest professional standards for taking care of your dog. Contact them today for more information about their services and to schedule an interview.

Filed Under: Dog Walking

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

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Office Location

Paw Pals Pet Sitting, LLC
14001-C Saint Germain Drive #213
Centreville, VA 20121
(703) 345-1695

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Office Hours

Monday
9am - 5pm
Tuesday
9am - 5pm
Wednesday
9am - 5pm
Thursday
9am - 5pm
Friday
9am - 5pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

Areas Served

Centreville – 20120, 20121
Chantilly – 20151
Clifton – 20124
Fairfax – 22030, 22033
Fairfax Station – 22039
Manassas – 20109, 20110, 20111
Reston – 20191, 20190

Google Rating
4.9
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
4.9
Taylor Smith
Taylor Smith
21:22 03 Oct 21
I never worry when Mary and team take care of my dog!
Michæl Silva
Michæl Silva
21:38 01 Jul 22
Mary at Paw Pals Pet Sitting is the greatest! She has helped me train my pooch Chico how play nice with other dogs and for that I am extremely grateful! A+A+A+A+A+A
Kwi Kim
Kwi Kim
22:37 17 Jun 22
I hired Paw Pals based on my sister’s referral. Meet & greet was very thorough and detailed. I was surprised that my finicky cat came to check the sitter out. Subsequently, a sitter watched my cat over several separate visits, and it was clear through the visit reports that my cat loved the sitter. All the visits were completed having followed my directions & with professionalism.I would highly recommend Paw Pals to anyone who’s looking for a dependable, personable, & professional sitter.
Joseph Walter
Joseph Walter
19:55 13 Jun 22
Paw Pals provided a large number of photos of our pets along with a personalized message on how our pets were doing with every single visit. I would highly recommend using Paw Pals, we'll be continuing to use them whenever we go on vacation.
Ashley Manning
Ashley Manning
09:50 11 Jun 22
Highly recommend as pet sitters!Initially, a sitter from the company will visit the house to meet the pets and learn where everything is. Tatiana took careful notes and we got her some spare keys.While we are away, Paw Pals sends sitters to come and look after our boys. They feed them, scoop litter, bring in mail and packages, and they will even manage trash, recycling, blinds and lights so that everything is comfortable for our kitties. Each time they check in, we receive an email message with updates and pictures, which is so comforting when we are on the road.Also, if you don’t let Paw Pals know when you are home, they assume something has happened and will continue to care for your babies. If something were to happen, I know they would be okay.Five stars for Paw Pals!
Brian Wood
Brian Wood
04:08 22 May 22
We have used Paw Pals for a number of years now and would highly recommend to anyone looking for help with their pets. Great communication from owner Mary and flexibility to make adjustments in schedule as life changes over time. Have had a consistent set of walkers who have gotten to know our pup and the various walking routes around our neighborhood quite well.
Lesley Bush
Lesley Bush
13:58 18 Mar 22
We can't rave enough about Paw Pals. They took care of our 18 year old Cat and 20 year old Chinchilla while we were away and when our flight got cancelled, they were so accommodating and available last minute for an extra day. We worked with Jen to coordinate visits from Miko and Danny. I loved the pictures and updates on how our Lil geriatric guys were doing. Thanks a million, Paw Pals!! Our special pets were so well cared for.
Sebastian Barnes
Sebastian Barnes
01:06 17 Jan 22
I have used Paw Pals for several trips over the last few months, and they have been phenomenal every time! Mary is extremely kind and responsive, and she makes sure that my cat and dog have the care that they need every time I am out of town. All of the pet sitters that I've had have been incredibly sweet to my pets, and they treat them like their own! Will gladly continue using Paw Pals every time I need a sitter.
Julie Shildt
Julie Shildt
17:45 14 Nov 21
It has been a pleasure doing business with paw pals. We have used this company for several trips we have taken over the past 6 months. They have been wonderful caretakers for our 2 cats. Anytime there is ever a question they don't hesitate to give us a call and they leave the best notes and pictures in the emailed report of each visit. We are so glad have found such a great company.
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Katie McCune
Katie McCune
19:19 15 Jul 21
I honestly cannot recommend Mary and her whole crew enough! We started using Mary originally about 7 years ago to stop by occasionally when our Aussie Lana was younger. Over the next couple years Lana stayed with Mary and her family for a couple weekends when we went on vacation. When we moved to our new house in Manassas, Lana stayed with Sam, who lives in Manassas, overnight for moving day, and did great. Right before the pandemic, we adopted our second Aussie, Goose, and Mary recommended a fantastic trainer for him.We now have weekly walks for the dogs, and they love all of their walkers! Trevor, Paul, Hazel, Sofie, and probably a couple others have helped Goose get used to more people, and have helped my husband and me when our schedules are crazy.Paw Pals is our go-to for any help with our dogs, so I highly recommend them!
Alexandra Hill
Alexandra Hill
22:43 23 May 21
I was a nervous mommy to leave my cats with a sitter service for the first time. Paw Pals went above and beyond to care for my cats and ease a nervous mommy. I already made a reservation to use them again!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
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