Online Class: Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Business 101

Course Motivation

Many people begin a pet sitting or dog walking service because they love animals. Others go into the business because they see there is a need for the service and they think that they can make a lot of money providing a needed service. Neither of these is a good enough reason in itself and could end in disaster if you are not properly prepared before you start taking on clients. Evaluating your motivation and talents thoroughly before moving forward on a pet sitting or dog walking business can save you lots of headaches and great deal of time and money invested in what might not be the right business for you.

Do You Love Animals?

It sounds like a simple question. Most people love puppies and think that playing with dogs and cats would the ideal job situation, but it takes far more than simple enjoyment of the warm and fuzzy aspects of an animal to make you successful in a pet oriented business. Most people love animals to some extent, but many people do not "live and breathe" their love of animals. You have to be the kind of person who does not mind muddy paws on your clothing and can be just as loving and affectionate with a cat who is old, arthritic, and cranky as you are with an adorable kitten.

Patience and compassion need to be available in equal proportions. Part of pet sitting will deal with unpleasant surprises. For instance, accidents in the house, vomit, cleaning up messes, or confronting damage done by an animal while you were gone. No matter what a pet has done, you must never lose your temper and take it out on someone's beloved pet. Do you have the tolerance to face this kind of frustration?

It is not All a Walk in the Park

You must also be able to adjust to change and quickly adapt to the unexpected. Animals are unpredictable. You have to be able to "go with the flow" when the circumstances demand it. If you have a regular schedule that you need to stick to, that is fine, but you may need to adjust it occasionally to compensate for pet personality differences, health concerns, or simply stubbornness on the part of a particular animal. 

There is also the chance that you will be faced with a pet emergency, and you will have to be able to think fast, act quickly, and be the voice of calm that saves the life of a beloved pet. Can you handle this kind of situation rationally and take control of the situation? Will you be able to overcome your emotions and not let fear take over? When clients trust their pets' lives to you, you must be able to handle stressful, dangerous situations with authority and intelligence.

Dependability is what will make or break your reputation as a pet sitter or dog walker.  Clients will rely on you to show up on time and take care of their pets' needs as scheduled; you cannot call it off when you feel like it. The holidays, evenings, and weekends will often be your busiest times and you will need to be reliable. Can you force yourself to show up no matter how bad the weather is and on late night visits, to make sure the animals you are responsible for get the care they need?

Good Health 

You do not have to be a marathon runner or weight lifter to be a pet sitter or dog walker, but you certainly have to be in relatively good health. After all, you do not know from week to week if you will be walking three Great Danes or pet sitting a parrot and a large snake. You should take care of yourself so that you are able to handle any animal you might be called upon. In addition, take care of them in the event they become ill or injured, and you might have to transport them to a veterinarian or animal hospital. You also need to be able to control more than one animal at a time if you are walking dogs in a group. Remember, you have to be able to assert your authority at all times.

Being in good health also goes back to reliability, if you are frequently sick, overworked, or too tired to function properly, you are not giving your clients or their pets the best possible care and it will show. The animals you care for regularly will look forward to seeing you and can sense when you are not fully participating in their walk, play time, or socialization.

Business Skills

A good businessperson has to have a variety of skills in order to keep a business running smoothly, make money, and keep clients satisfied. Organizational and marketing skills are essential as well as some understanding of the basics of bookkeeping, scheduling, and general business practices. If you are not yet familiar with some of the technical aspects of running a business, that is fine, you do not have to have the knowledge already in place. The key is to have the ability to learn it. 

If you have a knack for grasping business concepts and the ability to follow the rules of business and stick to them, you may be able to run your own business successfully. However, if you hate doing paperwork and are always unorganized, you may find yourself six months down the line with unpaid bills, debts, and unhappy clients and you may wonder how you got to that point. You can always learn specific skills such as bookkeeping and marketing, but organizational skills and solid business acumen are traits that you will soon know whether you have or not. In addition, take an honest review yourself and determine where you rank with these skill sets: