Start with what you can verify. Ask to see public liability insurance and a DBS check, and ring two current clients. Then meet at your home with your dog there. Ask about group size and lead policy. Check how dogs travel and how your key is kept. Book one trial walk before committing to a regular slot.
What does a dog walker actually do for your dog?
A dog walker does more than get your dog out of the house. For most of the working week they are the person who breaks up the day. Your dog gets something to sniff and think about and comes back pleasantly tired. They are often the first to notice a limp that was not there on Monday.
That is a lot of trust to hand over, usually to someone who will also hold a key to your home. It is worth being slow and a little bit nosy about the decision. The good walkers expect it. The ones who bristle at questions are telling you something useful.
If your dog spends part of the day alone, a walk in the middle of it changes the shape of everything else. Our guide to leaving your dog home alone is worth reading alongside this one, because a walking arrangement often fixes what otherwise looks like a behaviour problem.
Insurance and DBS checks are the floor, not the selling point
Start with what you can verify. A walker should carry public liability insurance and show you the certificate without being chased. Check the renewal date while you are looking, because an expired certificate is just a piece of paper with a nice logo on it.
A DBS check matters for the simple reason that this person will let themselves into your home while you are out. Plenty of self employed walkers hold one. Ask to see it, and ask for two references you can actually ring. A walker with happy clients hands over numbers gladly.
Then ask the question that separates the careful from the casual. What happens if my dog is hurt on a walk? You want a specific answer. They ring you first. They take your dog to your own practice if they can get there. They hold written consent to authorise care if they cannot reach you. If you have not settled on a practice yet, our guide to finding the right vet will help. Anything clinical is your vet's call rather than your walker's, and a good walker will say so before you do.
Why a meet and greet tells you more than a brochure
Every walker has a website with a photograph of a golden retriever on a beach. None of that tells you how they handle a dog who lunges at bikes. Meet them at your home, with your dog there.
Watch how they come in. The ones who know what they are doing tend to ignore the dog at first and let your dog make the approach. Hands stay away from the head. Then watch your dog. Dogs vote with their bodies. A loose wag and a willingness to go back for a second look tell you more than anything written down.
Notice whether they ask you anything. A walker who takes the booking without asking about your dog's recall or their history is not paying attention. Expect them to want your vet's details, your emergency contact and written permission to seek treatment. Paperwork at this stage is a good sign, not a nuisance.
How many dogs at once, and how are they matched?
Group walks are not a bad thing. A well matched group is genuinely good for a sociable dog. What matters is the number and the matching.
Ask how many dogs go out at once, then hold them to it. A walker managing a large group cannot watch every dog properly, and reliable recall across a big group in open country is a lot to ask of anyone. Ask how they pair dogs up too. Energy and play style should come into it as much as size. A bouncy adolescent should not be dropped in with a stiff old dog who wants a quiet sniff. Say it plainly if yours is a dachshund or corgi, because a long back does better without rough play and big landings.
Some dogs simply do better on their own. Puppies still learning the world and older dogs on a slower schedule are often served better by a solo walk. Say so up front, and do not just hope a group settles down around them.
It helps to describe your dog accurately. Energy and play style vary enormously between types of dog, and our breed guides are a quick way to put words to what yours needs from an hour outdoors.
Where do the walks happen, and how does your dog travel?
Ask for the actual places. A walker who says woods and fields should be able to name them. Then ask about lead policy, because this is where assumptions cause real trouble. Off lead should never be the default. You decide whether your dog goes off lead and where, and the walker works to that.
Travel deserves the same attention. If your dog is collected in a van, ask how they are secured, how the vehicle is ventilated in warm weather, and how long any dog waits inside while others are collected. No dog should be left in a parked vehicle. Warm months ask more of everyone, and keeping your dog cool sets out what a careful walker should already be doing. Our guide to travelling with your dog by car covers what safe transport looks like.
Equipment is part of the conversation. A good walker will use the kit you provide, not whatever is in the back of the van. If you are unsure what your dog should be walked in, harness, collar or both works through it. An ID tag with your number on it is not optional, and plenty of owners add a tracker or a light up collar from our dog wearables round up for dark afternoons.
Who holds your key, and how is your home kept secure?
Most walking arrangements involve handing over a key. Ask how it is stored and how it is labelled. The answer you want is a code rather than your address, kept somewhere secure, never loose on a ring with a house number on the fob. A key safe at your end is a tidy alternative and keeps control with you.
Ask what happens when the arrangement ends. Keys should come back the same week. Ask who else in the business has access, and how a stand in walker is briefed.
One more thing, which feels awkward until you have thought it through. A walker's social media can quietly broadcast where your dog is and when. Ask them not to post identifiable locations or your dog's name alongside a fixed routine. Our guide to keeping your dog safe from theft explains why the routine is the detail worth protecting.
What should you hear back after each walk?
You should get something after every walk, and it should be about your dog. A short message with a photograph and a line on how the walk went is plenty. What you are really looking for is whether they noticed anything, from a skipped toilet stop to a slightly flat mood.
Get the arrangement in writing. It does not need to be a legal document. It needs to cover cancellations on both sides and who steps in when your regular walker is unwell. Spell out what they are permitted to do in an emergency. Everything gets easier once that exists.
Book a trial walk, then let your dog decide
Book a single walk before you commit to a regular slot. It tells you more than any amount of reading. Be there when they collect, and be there when they bring your dog back.
Afterwards, watch. A dog who has had a good walk drinks, then settles, then sleeps properly. A dog who comes home wired, or who hides from the door the next time the walker arrives, is telling you the match is wrong. That is not a disaster. It usually means a solo walk, or a gentler pace. A decent walker will suggest the change before you have to.
Think of your walker as one of a small handful of people you trust with your dog, alongside your vet and whoever looks after them when you go away. If that last one is still an open question, our guide to kennels, home boarding or a house sitter is the one to read next.
Frequently asked questions
How many dogs should a dog walker take out at once?
Few enough that they can watch every dog properly. There is no single national number in the UK, although some councils set their own limit through licensing. Ask your walker what theirs is and hold them to it. The matching matters just as much as the count. A group of similar size and energy stays calmer than a large mixed one, and a good walker will explain exactly where your dog fits.
Is a solo walk better than a group walk?
Not automatically. A confident, sociable dog usually gets more out of a well matched group than a quiet lap of the block alone. Solo walks suit dogs who find other dogs stressful, and often suit older dogs who need a gentler pace. Puppies frequently start solo and join a group later. Be honest about which one your dog is today, and change the arrangement if the first choice does not suit.
Does a dog walker need a DBS check?
It is not a legal requirement for a self employed walker, but treat it as one. This is somebody letting themselves into your home while you are out. Anyone who takes the job seriously will already hold a basic DBS certificate and will show it without fuss. Pair it with public liability insurance and references you genuinely ring, and you have covered the checks that actually protect you.
How long should each walk be?
Long enough to suit your dog, not to fill a slot on a timetable. An hour covers most healthy adult dogs, but what happens in that hour counts for more than the clock. Time to sniff and a route that changes will settle a dog far better than a brisk march. Puppies and older dogs usually do better with shorter, gentler outings. Ask your vet if your dog has a condition that limits exercise.
