If you love dogs and you are able to interact well with them, one of the best ways to combine a career with your love for dogs would be to start your own dog walking business. But before you take the plunge and start spreading the news to all your friends and neighbors, here are a few essential things you need to keep in mind.

What You Need To Know About Running A Dog Walking Business?

While you will be spending most of your time walking dogs while you work, your dog walking company is similar to any other type of business. Similar to other business owners of small businesses, you will take on a number of different roles. For example, you will need to deal with banking, invoices, marketing, advertising, along with various other tasks to ensure your business runs smoothly.

From small tasks such as returning calls, answering your phone, and responding to emails, to the bigger tasks such as making sure your taxes are in order, implementing and creating advertising campaigns, and maintaining your company website, these are all responsibilities you need to think about. Regardless of whether you decide to do everything on your own, or you have a budget to hire someone else in order to complete these tasks, these are all things that will need to be done in order to run a successful business.

Even though there are many added responsibilities involved in running and owning your own company, there are a few advantages that often make it a worthwhile decision to start up your own dog walking company.

One of the top benefits is that you will be doing something that you enjoy.

The General Manager, Bobbie Smith of Fetch! Pet Care of Silverlake-West Pasadena advises that you need to be certain that this is definitely something you are passionate about. Smith, goes on to say that from experience the more she cares about giving back, volunteering and caring for her community, the more her business has prospered. She also says that when people are able to see that you care, they are more inclined to become involved in what you are doing, and they then invite their friends and family members to also get involved. Many of her top customers do not have children, but they have dogs that they are like children to them.

These clients have to know you are able to treat their “kids” (dogs) like they are your own, and this is where her company does their very best to prove this.

Research

So if you already feel confident with the non-walking aspects that involve starting your dog walking company, and you feel comfortable knowing that you are able to offer your customers the pet care type that they need and want. What is your next step? Before you start going over the practical steps on how to start up your dog walking company, research needs to be your first priority. For a dog walking business, there are a few factors that you need to initially determine to find out whether your idea for your business stands a chance.

The most important deciding factor is to first find out if there is actually demand or need for a dog walker around your area. You also need to find out about the competition. If the competition is stiff in your area, or there is no demand, it would not be very sensible to open this type of company in your local area.

To find out whether there may be a demand for your services in the area that you live in visit the local pet grooming and pet stores in your area. Another great information source is to refer to your local and online classified ads, some people will post ads that offer dog walking services or jobs. If you discover that there is a demand in your area, start finding out about your competition. Conduct an online search for dog walking companies in your area. Make sure you visit online classified websites and Craigslist, to find out how many businesses are in your area that offers these types of services.

Training

You might have a passion for dogs, and you already know you have a connection with them, but when you start walking dogs you need the necessary experience and skills to maintain control over the dogs that you will be walking. Whether you participate in a formal course on dog training or you decide to volunteer at your local shelter, gaining this type of experience along with interacting with different breeds of dogs will provide you with the skills you need for the most vital part of this type of business. It will also provide you with the confidence that you need when it comes to offering your services to walk dogs.

The Legal Considerations

There are also legal considerations you need to take into account before you start your dog walking business. You may make the mistake of skipping out on these vital steps “until my company grows”, but if you do, you leave yourself open to significant penalties and fines. For example, when the local authorities find out you do not have the correct business license which is a requirement.

1. Choose A Business Entity

While it is possible that you operate your business in the form of a Sole Proprietor, and this is usually the choice that most of the dog walkers usually make initially, it may be worth your while to choose another legal form for your business. Due to the fact that you are held responsible for dogs that you walk, which will include any damages that they do or damages that occur to the dogs, a corporation or limited liability business will provide you with added protection in the way of splitting personal assets from business assets.

These types of business entities do usually require a bit more when it comes to maintenance and costs. For example, you will need to find out whether the state that you reside in requires that you conduct annual filings, while the tax forms associated with corporate entities are more complex when compared to the ones for individuals. This means you will need to take into account the added costs in potential fees to establish whether this is a good choice for you.

2. Licensing Problems

Many of the jurisdictions will not require that dog walkers will need a license that pertains to walking dogs, yet most of the states will require that business owners have general business licenses. The licensing requirements for your business or for the license that is specific when it comes to dog walking varies from one jurisdiction to the next. It is important to find out about these requirements and which ones are applicable to your area.

Your best bet is Talisman Insurance. The company offers a variety of pet professional programs for pet walkers and sitters as well as trainers.

3. Local Regulations And Rules

Professional dog walkers will know about local regulations that may affect their businesses. For instance, most of the jurisdictions have regulations in place when it comes to dog sanitation, which means you are required to clean-up after the dogs that you are walking. There might also be laws on leashes in place, that will state where the dogs are required to be on a leash and where they are allowed to walk or run off-leash. Find out from your local authorities about the regulations and rules that may affect your company.

If you have decided to combine dog walking and sitting services for dogs, it is also important to check on the zoning regulations in your local area to ensure that these services are permitted.

4. Dog Walking Contracts

It is very important that you have written contracts in place between each client and your business. The contract should contain, along with other things, the responsibilities that are yours when it comes to walking a client’s dog, the relationship nature that you have with the client, and your compensation terms. Your contract should also cover other aspects that relate to walking dogs, like providing you with authorization to obtain the necessary medical care for the dog if needed, along with the responsibility of the owner for any damages caused by their dog.

Your written contract that is provided to each customer does not mean you need to consult with your lawyer each time you sign up a new client. Most of the dog walking companies use a template like this dog walking sample agreement, that you are able to customize for each of your clients.

Insurance

When you are walking dogs, it is important to keep in mind that you are responsible for each dog while they are under your care. This will include the damages that the dogs can do and any damages that are done to these dogs. You never know when an accident can happen, and it is always better to have the protection you need by investing in the right insurance coverage from a company like Talisman Casualty.

There are different insurance policies made available for businesses and individuals that work with pets.. If you have plans to hire other people such as dog walkers, it is also important to think about bonding for the business. This will offer you protection if one of your employees steals from one of your clients.

Franchise Opportunities

Another important consideration before starting up your company is to look into the option of buying your own franchise instead. With this option, you receive the benefit of a franchise that already has business systems and plans in place, in addition to any advertising and marketing that this franchise does. Even though the start-up costs to buy a franchise is often expensive, you might find that the advantages outweigh these costs.

When Bobbie Smith made the decision to choose to Fetch! Pet Care franchise, at that stage she had an office job. Four months after she bought her own franchise, she was in the position to leave her office job. She does point out, that at the time she did not need a big income to achieve this. She goes onto say that her husband was covering the majority of their expenses at the time.

What are a few of the benefits of choosing a franchise for a dog walking business? Smith says that she experienced an almost instant revenue stream. The name of the franchise was already well-known in Los Angeles, and she profited from this. She also says that there are many other franchises that are making a lot more than hers does, but she found that hers was bringing in enough profit for her to leave her job within the first four months. She is not sure that this would have happened if she had started her own business from scratch.

Running a dog walking company, whether you buy a franchise or you start your own business, can become an extremely rewarding career. However, before you dive in, make sure you have done your homework and you are adhering to the legal requirements. Most importantly you need to protect the business and yourself with the right insurance (visit https://talismancasualty.com). You will want the business to do well, so making sure your foundation is solid before you get started will assist you in making a success out of something that you love.

Talisman Casualty Insurance Company
7881 W Charleston Blvd Suite 210, Las Vegas, NV 89117, United States
800-318-5317