Career change - Dog walking

[CLAWS]

Hi folks,

After working the best part of 13 years in IT in various support roles, I am looking to change career and become a dog walker and eventually have my own dog walking business. I have no idea about business or anything like that but I absolutely love dogs (and cats).

Has anyone here made a similar career change or choice even? I've seen a number of courses that I can enrol for which propose to give you everything you need to set yourself up as a dog walker and then eventually have your business and I wanted to know if anyone has done such a course?

Any help is very very much appreciated

 

[CLAWS]

lol, I guess it now includes "bored IT husbands"

On a serious note I have been bored with IT for quite some time now but figured I don't know anything else so may as well continue with it. The wife gave me the idea of dog walking and a dog walking business.

 

[CLAWS]

Yeah be prepared for the tards here to berate you for some reason, IT Elite and all that.

You can make decent money from it but it will take a while plus a lot of time...As naturally most people only want their dogs walking at lunch.

You'll need to get insurance for a start, potentially a website if going at it alone. There are a load of companies who employ you and you get a cut if it's their client or you get more if it's yours, so that may be somewhere to look at first. Also you'll need car insurance to cover the work, vans with crates are naturally better but not always affordable.

Its ok, I half expected it

I suspect I will be doing the dog walking on evenings and weekends since I wont be able to give up my current job until things pick up. Need the income from my current job to continue paying for my mortgage. Ill look into the companies as that seems like the best place to start to get some experience of the business.

Been looking at some courses online but I'm a little bit dubious about enrolling with online courses, unless anyone can point me in the right direction as to which institute to learn with?

 

[CLAWS]

Do you actually have dogs at all?
Are you happy around dogs?
Are dogs happy around you?
Do dogs take you seriously and do what you tell them?

My family has a large staffie loves me like crazy and I love him back equally. Likewise most dogs I come into contact with are quite amenable towards me and likewise in return. Do they take me seriously? This is a difficult one to answer, some dogs I've been in contact with a very very obedient and willing to please and this includes some of the larger breeds even. But then I've come across some dogs that just wont listen and I've seen their owners struggle with them. To answer your question in a round-the-houses kind of way - yes and no.

Could you walk 20+ dogs a day, several at a time, remember all their names and remember all the different commands each different owner prefers to use?

I'll be starting very small to build up some experience i.e. 1-2 dogs per weekend. Once I've built up a portfolio so to speak and some confidence only then will I look to increase my numbers. It may be a few years before I start talking double digits.

Are you big and strong enough to hold a MASSIVE dog off from charging after a rabbit/car/child, while keeping several others in check?

Yes, power lifter here

No. No way. Get your training face-to-face, in person, with actual dogs.
I'd not trust anything online - Dogs don't surf!

This seems to be the general vibe about the online courses. Just before I responded to you I was speaking to a dog walking service nearby me and they advised that face to face is what people tend to look for more often but that if I wanted to I could go away and learn more about different breeds of dogs to increase my understanding of their needs and personalities.