Folks have been reporting mixed success when requesting the list of licensed dog owners from their city/town. It seems to be a growing problem. I found this story recently regarding a dog walker who is requesting this list and encountering resistance. Check it out.
http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2010/02/01/news/doc4b6644afbcc77644292615.txt
In my book, The Dog Walker’s Startup Guide I discuss ways to increase marketing through business partnerships. This is a great way to improve your visibility and reach; while also increasing your business’ trust factor by associating with other local well known businesses. Trading clientele between others in the same industry is hardly new, it’s called referrals. One look at the home improvement sector and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Contractors refer work to plumbers, electricians, masons, structural engineers, etc.
A dog walking business is no different. Groomers, pet stores, veterinarians, shelters, and others regularly get inquiries about dog walking and dog sitting services. Your goal is to get on those lists and preferably at the top of them! How do you do this?
Many businesses, like pet stores will allow you to place your name on a bulletin board in their store, and many vets offer this service too, but this simply gets you a little visibility, it lacks the pizazz of being specifically recommended.
Getting the recommendation of your fellow business owners isn’t very hard if you offer them something in return, and show them what you’re worth. Some options include offering your services to your local vets for discounted walks for the sick and/or healing. You may also purchase your dog-related gifts from your local locally owned pet food store and reminding them who you are and that you’re in a related business—ask them to consider recommending your services. You might also offer to pass out specific coupons to your clientele from related businesses which could be useful to dog owners. When your clientele bring the coupons in and do some shopping the store owner will realize you’re helping him/her out and will do the same for you.
Working at a shelter is just a good thing morally speaking but it can have huge beneficial effects on your business as well. Why not consider doing what Cheryl Staab, of DogCentric Inc. did and volunteer your services free of charge for a few hours a day at your local shelter in return for being the exclusive dog walking / sitting service they recommend to their dog’s adopters? It seems to be working out very well for Cheryl! You can read more about this story in the Wall Street Journal by clicking here.
There are a lot more ideas than this but I hope you can see that there is a lot of potential for making friends and increasing your business at the same time. Word-of-mouth is alpha in the dog walking service industry!
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore. ”
- Andre Gide
As the unemployment rate reaches new heights, and probably is in reality somewhere near 20% if you include those who are out of work and off the unemployment rolls, we must come to a sobering realization. We aren’t living in the 90s anymore. Things have changed. The president’s State of The Union address provided no comfort to me, and he seemed to miss the point the American people were trying to send when they elected Scott Brown (or willfully ignored it). We don’t want to be dragged into deeper and deeper national debt, we want our free market to be allowed to correct itself without the interference of our government. It was bad government programs that got us into this mess, and it’s going to be more bad programs that will keep us here. This further reinforces my belief that our country will recover by the will of it’s people. Americans are a tenacious people, we will find a way.
Indeed they have. Many of the people I’ve spoken to are turning to small business entrepreneurship and are presently unemployed, outsourced, laid-off, down-sized, etc. Whatever you want to call it, it’s not good news, but not all that comes from difficult times is bad. There are always opportunities for progress. Obviously not everyone who loses his/her job is going to become a small business owner, but for many, it’s a great opportunity to explore something you might have been too afraid to consider up until now.
With the economic down-turn business prospects aren’t what they used to be. One needs much more savvy, more information and a bit more will to succeed. Let’s face it, we can’t afford to make too many mistakes anymore, either as country, or as individuals. The economy isn’t as forgiving as it once was. If you find yourself unemployed presently and think a small business might be your ticket, then you should spend the valuable time you have now doing as much research as you can. If you’re thinking about a dog walking business, then talk to other dog walkers, read about the industry, buy some books and get to work. Dog walking, like any other business, will have it’s challenges during this economic down-turn, but as a whole, dog walking businesses are here to stay and are still growing every year. It’s a great first business to try, it doesn’t take long to set up, nor does it take much capital.
The opportunity that exists for the unemployed is that you have been set adrift. You are no longer hanging onto the shore. If you were unhappy at your previous mooring, perhaps it’s time to consider what lays beyond the bar.
Alas, it’s winter. After seeing a December storm batter the mid-west with very cold temperatures, snow and ice, I feel compelled to remind everyone of taking your safety, and that of your employees, seriously. I mentioned this in my book, but it deserves it’s own blog post. Please do not walk on icy streets without some kind of traction control for your feet!
Perhaps the most dangerous part of the job besides crossing busy streets is walking on ice. If you live in an area of the country where freezing temperatures are common you will need to be prepared. Dogs are unpredictable and may lunge or pull suddenly, taking you off your feet, even on dry pavement! When on ice, it’s ten times more likely to happen.
Not to scare you, but I knew a woman who was so badly injured by being pulled down by her dog, that she spent over a year in rehabilitation. She was pulled forward by her large-breed dog on an icy sidewalk. The momentum created by her dog, and sliding forward uncontrollably, was enough to do serious damage. She tried to prevent her fall with her arm as she collided with a telephone pole, breaking her arm in several places and fracturing her leg and hip… not pretty. If you’re walking more than one dog you can multiply your chances of being taken down exponentially. This doesn’t have to be the case. Like any other kind of safety measure (wearing a life-vest, seat-belt, etc) when employed, it will help prevent you from becoming a statistic.
Invest in a traction control device such as Yaktrax®. You basically slip these on over your boots. They are made of wire wrapped rubber and help you gain traction by biting into the ice in the same way tire chains do. There are two basic styles: the Yaktrax Walker®
It’s time to have some fun! After your schedule has filled up, you’ll become keenly aware of the fact that you’ve never walked so much in your entire life. Dog walker’s who’ve been at it for more than six months know exactly what I’m talking about. Besides investing in a very good pair of walking shoes (for urban environments) or boots (for the trail) you might want to pick up something that’s just plain fun.
Sportline 360 Total Fitness Pedometer
I think you’ll be shocked when you see how many miles you log each week. The following Pedometers are fairly inexpensive and accurate: This model records distance, strides, and calories, Hj-113 Pocket Pedometer
An added benefit of taking a pedometer around with you is that you can calculate how many miles each of your client’s pets log per week. It’s just another bit of information their owners will appreciate knowing. At the end of the year send them a card with a note thanking them for their business and then tell them how many miles you logged with their pup for that year! You can bet they’ll be talking about it to their friends and family, and you know what happens when people are talking about your business. It GROWS!
They make great stocking suffers too. You don’t really have to wear it all the time. If you have a fairly consistent schedule then wear it for one week then multiply that mileage by 4 for a monthly estimate or by the weeks you will work in a year. I think you’ll be surprised how many calories you’re burning (or are going to burn) in your new profession!
Dog training is a natural evolution for dog walker’s. You are informally training the dogs you walk every day. They are learning the routine: the time you arrive, the greeting ritual, the leash hook-up ritual, and of course acceptable behavior on the walk. It’s the last item which is most likely to convert into a paid training opportunity.
Once my business had a good client base, I became a little more picky about the dogs I took on. Not because they weren’t great and loving animals, but because the owners had spent no time training them how to behave on a leash. I introduced “leash-manners” as an add-on to my dog walking service and generally it was mandatory for dogs who pulled like bulls.
I presented it to new clients as a huge value (it was). They could have their dog walked and trained for only a few dollars more than the per walk fee. It was good for them because their dog became much more enjoyable to walk, I didn’t have to endure the yank and pull anymore, and I was paid for my service.
It truly is a win-win, and when presented that way, your clients will happily pay the add-on fee for a few weeks of training. Once the dog is under control the owners will be VERY thankful and you likely will get hired to do more training for them, their friends, and neighbors.
Practice the training technique for leash-manners I demonstrate in The Dog Walker’s Companion DVD until it become second nature. Soon you’ll be confidently training your client’s dogs to be wonderful leash companions, earning more money, and well on your way to becoming a successful trainer.
Remember, be observant and learn from your dogs as well. Dogs look for reliable indicators or cues as to what is expected of them, or as an indicator of the arrival of good or bad things (picking up the leash for example indicates they will be going for a walk). Stay tuned in. Becoming a good trainer involves two-way communication. The better you understand your furry companions, the more effective you’ll be in communicating what you want from their end of the bargain. Observation is the key in determining what might be getting in the way of a given training technique. Sending mixed signals or cues is a common problem for novice trainers.
Many pet sitters will offer dog walking as part of their pet sitting services. However, unlike dog walking, a pet sitter’s focus is not solely on dog-care, but on the care of many different types of animals. This takes the focus away from unique and interesting dog-related activities and adventures that could be planned by someone whose focus is solely on running a dog walking business. Thus taking emphasis away from your single largest demographic, that being dog owners.
Having a pet sitting business requires a much greater time investment and overall responsibility than dog walking and unfortunately for the same or even less money! If you’re like most business owners you want to maximize your income while lowering your overhead. Whether that overhead is time, money, or both. Dog walking fits the bill!
This is a lifestyle choice. Working with animals is fun and rewarding. I was very into the idea of pet sitting when I started out. I thought the variety of animals, clients, and schedule would be great but it turned out to be very difficult, and I soon found that I was working 7 days a week and couldn’t take a vacation of my own! Pet sitting offers a huge variety of work which is both it’s blessing and it’s curse.
Most of the players in the dog training world these days started out in a related dog-care field, many of them having been dog walkers!
“I became a dog walker,” [Cesar Millan] says. “I’d take out 30 dogs, all walking behind me, and people would stop and stare as I’d go through Beverly Hills with rottweilers and pit bulls. I’d take them for four-hour walks and charge $10, and their owners were amazed when I’d bring back calm, contented dogs.” –Telegraph, UK (Mar 2008)
If you eventually want to become a professional dog trainer what better way to learn about dog behavior and gain professional dog handling experience than walking dogs? Dog walking beats pet sitting in this area hands down! The experience you’ll gain handling dogs in public will give you the hands-on knowledge, observation skills, and confidence you’ll need to become a great trainer!
Along the theme of winter related gear and equipment, something you may not have considered is tire chains
If you don’t own an all wheel drive or 4-wheel drive, chains will be your best friend. For the first 5 years of my business I owned a Honda Civic. Great car, decent in the snow, but if I had to climb a snowy hill, forget it. I got stuck numerous times and wound up having to shovel a client’s driveway just to get out. Do yourself a favor and buy a set of chains for the winter, trust me, you’ll be glad you did.
With all that is going on in the world right now, I think it’s an appropriate time to discuss mental “fitness” and dealing with emotional states that can be triggered by the headlines we read on a daily basis. Starting a business is no easy thing, and it can be herculean in an economy like the one we’re in right now. I stumbled across an article on Fox News about military jobs, and found it interesting that they are employing the use of “positive psychology” for their enlisted, reserve, and civilian members.
I’ve always been very proud of our military and the sacrifices they make on our behalf, regardless of the political party in control of the White House. Being a volunteer member of the USCG-AUX I have a great appreciation for what it takes to serve and risk your life for your fellow countrymen (and women).
I’ve found the training programs I’ve been through to be superior in many ways to the civilian and college educational programs I’ve attended over the years. I currently hold a BS degree from Rochester Institute of Technology, NY. That said, finding that the US Army is employing the use of “positive psychology” developed by Dr. Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania got my attention.
The military is VERY picky about the content of their education and training. So the mere fact that they are using this psychological technology is enough for me to want to investigate. So often such technology is filled with useless, irrelevant, or regurgitated information, with little or no actionable, useful information. Books in the “self-help” genre are more often than not, drivel.
I can speak from experience when I say that beating on a pillow with a tennis racket while imagining the face of someone who allegedly did you harm at some time in your life is not only useless, but probably harmful to your psych. Rather than negatively rehashing the past (all the bad things that have been done to you), advocating “escapism or displacement” (leave your spouse, tell your father off, quit your job), the University of Pennsylvania program focuses on building your sense of well-being through positive and enriching concepts.
Fostering such things as: “strengths and virtues … the capacity for love and work, courage, compassion, resilience, creativity, curiosity, integrity, self-knowledge, moderation, self-control, and wisdom.” People rarely talk about moderation, self-control, and integrity with much enthusiasm these days, and yet they had been a mainstay of our highly successful culture for hundreds of years. Maybe it’s time to reread the Scouts motto…
“Positive Psychology has three central concerns: positive emotions, positive individual traits, and positive institutions. Understanding positive emotions entails the study of contentment with the past, happiness in the present, and hope for the future.”
You can bet I am going to be looking into this more closely. Nobody is a superhero. We all feel down, sad, or hopeless some times. Being your own boss requires discipline, moderation, self-control, and wisdom. Not just the functional kind, but the mental kind as well. We must be able to endure set-backs and move forward with our dreams. We must be able to take a positive attitude about difficulties and for many of us, we just don’t have a good template for accomplishing this. We either never learned how, or we have achieved mixed results from our efforts and have given up.
I cannot endorse this technology because I haven’t used it yet, but I will say that if it’s good enough for our soldiers, it’s probably darn good, and worth a look. Nobody is under more stress than they are. Keep them in your prayers.
Resources used in writing this post:
The Positive Psychology Center
Merrel Snowmotion 8
I have to rave about these boots, I’ve had them for a year and I love them. They are simply the warmest, driest, and most comfortable boot I’ve used for dog walking.
This boot has some beefy traction for mud and snow and features back-stays which will help secure Yaktrax Traction Cleats
Did I mention they are warm and dry? These boots feature Waterproof leather as well as thermoplastic urethane uppers. Without listing all the technical terms they are loaded with the latest insulating technology. They are also very comfortable and secure on your feet, helping to give you the support you need in wintry conditions.
They are listed as a -40F boot, I’ve never tested them in temperatures that low… I really don’t think you’ll be walking dogs in temperatures that cold unless you live in Alaska or Canada and your mushing Huskies.
Top it off with a zip up lace which is great for popping them off and on quickly when entering a client’s home!
At $140.00 they are pricey, but a better boot you will not find.
Merrel has a similar boot for women called the Women’s Merrell Winterlude 6 Waterproof
Happy mushing!
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