Shannon Carlin owns Shanons Pet Care , and has a booming business taking dogs on off-leash walks at Fort Funston in San Francisco. Her six year old company makes her one of the first professional dog walkers, and she shares with us some extremely valuable tips for how to evaluate and find the best walker for your own four legged family member. Here are her pointers:
- Make sure the dog walker is licensed and insured.
- Always check references.
- Ask if he or she is certified in Pet First Aid.
- Make sure you know exactly where your dog is being walked.
- Check out the spot with your dog prior to sending it out with the dog walker.
- Ask to join the dog walker on a walk before you start your dog in the pack.
- Ask what process the dog walker uses to incorporate your dog into the pack.
Don't be shy, follow a screening process. Here's an example:
- Step 1: the dog walker takes your dog only go to an enclosed area where the dog is checked for recall and gets use to being with the walker.
- Step 2: take the dog to the spot where it will be walked with maybe one or two other dogs from the group. This allows it to get use to the being there with someone new and gets to know a couple of the dogs from the pack.
- Step 3: If the dog seems comfortable with the walker and being out with you then it can go into the pack. The dog should remain up front with the dog walker until it meets the whole group then it can ride in the back.
It's important to know what type of vehicle your dog will be traveling in.
- Trucks with campers:
- There should be a cargo mat down in the bed of the truck
- Side windows on camper should be open fully or half depending on the weather. Even in the rain, they should be open because it gets very warm back there with the body heat and panting.
- There should be metal screens, not mesh, on the windows.
