J.D. Antell's Professional Dog Walking Blog

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® and Yaktrax Pro®. I used the walker version because when I bought mine, they didn’t have the pro version yet! The pro version is more durable and stays in place better than the walker version. If you haven’t already done so, pick up a pair today. Don’t put it off, include them with your Christmas shopping from Amazon. You can’t walk dogs if you’re stuck in a hospital bed or wearing a cast on your leg.

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!

“But I like the idea of working with many different animals, I think it would be fun.”

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.

“What would be better: a pet sitting business or dog walking if I eventually want to become a dog trainer?”

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!