004- Walks

We answer some listener questions and then talk about all the essentials of dog walking. From how many dogs should you walk at the same time, to when is it too hot to walk? This episode is all about the walk!

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A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE

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Collin 0:16

I'm Collin.

Meghan 0:17

And I'm Megan.

Collin 0:18

And this is pet sitter confessional, an open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter. On this episode, we're going to talk about walks. A little bit of follow up from last episode, some topics that we didn't quite touch on that I know we wanted to get to. The first one was that question that comes up an awful lot with housesitting is whether you can eat their food or not. And honestly, I would just let that come up naturally in the course of the conversation, and not try and bring that up in any way, shape, or form. And if the owners comfortable enough, they're going to they're going to let you know whether you can eat their food or not. And then secondly, when we were talking about how to introduce and meet a new dog, we did cover a little bit about whether You should, what you should do with the other dogs that you have under your care I did want to bring up something about that is that a lot of dogs in their first time meeting other people can be very protective mean overly protective of their owner. And so it's not always a good idea to introduce a bunch of new dogs to them at the same time with their owners present, especially in a new environment and everything else that's going on. So I would recommend not doing introductions of other dogs while you're doing a meet and greet. Because twofold. One, a lot of those dogs that are there may not be there. So question that we get asked a lot is Who was your very first client, who was

Meghan 1:40

our first client? Our first client actually came off of Craigslist and had an ad on there. And her the dog's name was Trixie. She was a very old Dalmatian. I don't remember how exactly how old she was. She might have been 14 or 15. She's the only Dalmatian that we've ever seen. And hundreds of dogs that we've sat. And she was very, very sweet and old. And I let her out. I dropped in.

Collin 2:10

And it was just for drop ins right while the owner was at work or traveling. I don't remember.

Meghan 2:14

Yeah, it was around noon every day or two to three times a week. And I'm believe she was our very first client. Cool.

Collin 2:24

And then I have this one for you, because I know this may be applying to you a little bit more than me, is people may ask, I'm an introvert. How do you do meet and greets?

Meghan 2:34

That is a great question. We work together during the meet and greets. I asked some questions and Collin will ask other questions. But honestly, it's just experience. I mean, I don't we've been doing this for so long that we basically have our list of questions that we ask every client at the meet and greet and so I'm pretty comfortable now.

Collin 2:57

I think having that preparation beforehand is is a key part. For helping you get to that point, and even in new situations, I know you still get a little nervous about meeting people and being in that formal contact. But having prepared and rehearsed in the context of experience, I think helps a lot an awful lot. So it's a lot of trial and error and forward, unfortunately, but that is how to get better. Yeah. And then another question was, what's something I can do to add value when I'm housesitting, I feel like I just sit there all day and stare at the dog. This is really where trying to add on watering plants, collecting mail, making sure you're cleaning up after yourself and playing with the dog. Probably more than is necessary, but really trying to be engaged during that time, so that you're not just sitting there. So you don't feel like you're just sitting there but you are being up inactive. I will say some dogs especially if they're elderly, are not going to do anything. So you can only clean so much

Meghan 3:56

more if it's a cat tail, right like cats require very low And so if you're just checking on the cat, I can't imagine a lot of people want to house it for a cat, like, like a client would reach out just for them. Yeah, yeah. But cats usually drop ins.

Collin 4:10

And so I mean, if the if the dog or if the, if the animal is elderly, you're probably not going to be doing much. But don't feel bad if you if you are sitting around, because you are providing company for the dog for the animal. And that's really why the owner wants you there so that they know their house is secure, and somebody is with their animal at all times. So just sitting around doesn't mean you're doing nothing because you are providing service to the dog.

Meghan 4:36

So this episode is about walks and we will primarily focus on dogs here but we have heard of a couple of instances where owners want their cat walked instead. So if that applies to you, then you want to listen up. So dog walking, you probably think is pretty simple. You just walk the dog but there's a lot more that goes into it. So you know we want to know your size, your limits on size and quantity For example, if you only weigh 100 pounds, but a client wants you to walk their one on 180 pound, Great Dane, that's probably not going to be the best fit. Also, if you're just starting out, you probably don't want to walk four to five dogs at once you want to get one, start off walking one and then gradually add more as you go along. dog walking is very popular in big cities like New York, San Francisco, Dallas, Miami, those types of big cities where people don't typically have a yard, and they will also work a lot of hours. So they'll want you to usually walk their dog, at least around the noon hour and sometimes multiple times a day.

Collin 5:36

But if you live in a big city like that, and you weren't planning on offering dog walks, it may be something to reconsider, because it's very popular in large areas like that.

Meghan 5:44

So this ties in a little bit with the meet and greet episode that we did last week,

Collin 5:48

right? Because you're going to want to discuss with a client where to walk them are there places to avoid at all costs. Do they know of neighbors that don't like dogs or pesky dogs that are in the neighborhood, that might not be Good, do they typically walk them around the block or just go to a favorite park or a hiking trail in the area? Something else to know is how far to walk them, and how long to walk them. Because someone who says oh, I walk them 30 minutes, that doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to walk the same distance as another dog that only walks 30 minutes as well. So getting an estimated time and distance for the walk is going to be really important whenever you're doing that. This where this is going to be where something of whether you can or cannot transport dogs can come into play. Some owners may not want you to walk them around their house, so they may want you to transport them to a trail. We actually have this with some clients where we currently live, where they didn't walk them around their house, they loaded them up into a van, drove them to an actual like, paved walking trail by a local community college and then walk them there and then brought them home. So when we sat them, we had to continue that routine of driving their car over the The walk the dog, this is also another time where you really need to know commands that the dog knows as well and be able to give them like the owner does so that the dog can respond, or the train to respond to know, or stop, stay deal. All of those things become very important when you are taking the dog out into the world and are accepting responsibility of the dog and how it acts and behaves. You'll also really want to know the kind of leash and harness that you are comfortable walking, a lot of owners do not care and we'll just get a simple cheap collar and leash combo that comes from to 99 on a pet smart sale or whatever. And not think twice about it. But when you're out there and it's not your dog and there's a lot of liability on the line and the dog could get loose, could break away could chase after somebody. That's not when you want to have those conversations about having the proper leash or hardest. So having those conversations beforehand and if the owner is unwilling to provide a better harness or leash that they currently have. Maybe something that you may need to purchase a few sizes of, so that you have that on hand at all times so that you know the equipment is taken care of and is going to meet the needs that you are placing upon it.

Meghan 8:16

And of course, you want to ask the owner before you put a harness or leash on their dog that they may not be okay with.

Collin 8:23

Right and that could be a breaking point. If the owner is not willing to have you use your own equipment and you're not comfortable with what they provide. That may be something where you step back and say you know what, this isn't going to work out right now. Hope you can find somebody else that can can meet your needs. I also want to mention to definitely try and stay away from retractable leashes especially for large energetic dogs. I know people love them and it feels like you're letting the dog roam more around you. But they can be very dangerous and there are multiple stories of people getting seriously injured and sliced and cut through these because the dog was running quickly and it slipped behind a knee and twisted and also sorts of stuff so stick to the standard six foot length sturdy leashes was a good harness. And if you're walking multiple dogs, it's a good time to look into

Meghan 9:11

leashes that hold two or three dogs at a time. Clip around your waist and hold multiple dogs at one time. There are lots of different harnesses and leashes available. Front clip back clip leads prongs, like we said retractable and you can do some research about all of these to find out what you're most comfortable with. On your walks. You'll always want to be aware and watchful for your safety but also for the dog safety. So you want to look five seconds ahead of you at all times. There might be cats up ahead or squirrels. And do you know if the dog the dog may hate cats, or squirrels and want to chase after them, so you definitely want to steer clear especially if you're going to a park. There can be lots of interesting creatures at the park that dogs like to chase after

Collin 10:00

And this can be hard to balance especially when you are walking the dog. And you're trying to take pictures of the dog and document the walk. So you may be distracted by your phone because you are doing those things, but also making sure that you are constantly scanning and looking around to make sure you are aware of what's going on around you.

Meghan 10:17

Especially if it's 5am and it's dark and you want to be aware of your surroundings potentially carry pepper spray if you feel uncomfortable. And then, especially if it's dark, you want to wear reflective gear. Be sure to also check the weather, in case it's too hot or too cold for the dog. Remember that pavement is generally 20 degrees hotter than the air temperature, especially if it's in the direct sun. So check with your hand. A good test is to check with your hand if you can't hold it there for five seconds, then it's probably too hot for the walk. You don't want to blister, the dogs pause or the cats pause. So either you'll want to either delay the walk too early in the morning before the sun comes up or late in the evening. When the sun is about to go down, or you could just wait for another day to you will, it's a good idea to have backup routes, locations and activities in case the weather is rainy or snowy or just not good at all. And then whether it's hot or not, you'll want to bring water and maybe some treats to in case the dog gets distracted and you need to reel them back in to want to bring treats and water for you and for the dog.

Collin 11:30

After you've packed that bag of treats and water for the dog, make sure that you are taken care of as well and that you are being fueled with the right stuff for that walk. We recommend and use or gain for these kinds of things. Whether hydrating with their amazing tasting shakes, or or grabbing a quick bar to go. These products really keep us going and make sure that we're always eating the right stuff to make sure we're at the top of our game. Right now if you go to or gain calm, you can use the code Ambassador 254 to get 30% off your order plus free shipping. And what's great about this is that not a promo code that ends so if you order every month or multiple times a month like we do, you can continue to use this promo code for as long as you're ordering. Again, that's or gain calm and use the code ambassador to fight for, for 30% off and free shipping.

Meghan 12:28

If you're going to go on a long walk if you're going to go on a hike through the woods or something and you want to make sure that the dog has his or her identification on tags rabies tag, name of the pet, the phone number for the owner, in case anything were to happen, and then of course you want to bring doggie bags or lovely poop that comes

Collin 12:49

out lovely poop.

Meghan 12:52

A fanny pack or a small backpack should hold everything that you need for the walking the dog.

Collin 12:58

I do also want to mention that Double check the dog is healthy enough for walks and lots of activity and you're not pushing the dog too far or too much. So you're constantly paying attention to the dog showing signs of stress or getting tired. And

Meghan 13:15

we're overheating or overheating that can be really

Collin 13:17

dangerous, especially dogs with undiagnosed heart conditions. Were getting overheated and too stressed for a walk and doing too much exercise, given their health can lead to really really serious complications and problems that you don't want to be involved in at all. Now if you are going to plan on getting really into walking or have a lot of activity and a lot of interest in dog walking in your area, you may find yourself in this scenario of need to walk multiple dogs at once and some dog walkers maintain a small work radius and work a lot of dogs at one point in time from a lot of different clients. This can be really common, especially if you live in a multi floor apartment complex and there are 20 Dog 20 dogs within that complex alone that you're doing walks throughout the day on.

Meghan 14:04

I know a lot of people just ride the elevator up and down not only to hand out business cards, but also as a way to just pick up their clients.

Collin 14:13

I've always thought to be pretty cool of knowing that your workplace is your apartment complex. And so you work and live in the same place and just walk talk all day. I think that'd be kind of cool. You may need to combine a couple different options here. have both hands free. These are typically waste around your waist leashes as well as handheld. And definitely build up slowly. Multiple dogs. I know we mentioned that earlier. But don't just go out there and really start trying to walk 18 or 20 dogs at one point time. Work your way up to that point, adding one dog two dogs knowing which dogs go best with each other and knowing which ones don't. And some of that will depend on the schedule as well. When you get into that point, you're going to probably come into contact with dogs that are not very well trained on the leash. And this can be either because they are a young puppy and haven't been trained, or they have, or they're an old dog that has a lot of bad habits. And so you're really getting into leash training at this point. Now, as a dog walker, you can only do so much. primarily what needs to be done is education and encouragement of the owner to seek out good quality training sessions, and especially leash training if that's a particular problem. But if that doesn't happen, or if it's not likely to occur, I will say on that, that there are some dog walkers that will mention that the dog needs training. And if the owner can't make it, they'll ask the dog walker to take the dog there for the training themselves. And that's a great opportunity to learn extra skills and get paid doing it in most cases. So if that does come up, I would highly encourage you to do that as well or seek out to become a trainer yourself so that you can offer those services for the docs that you oversee. But least training is a huge topic. And there's a lot of different methodologies involved in getting this. So again, seeking out other specific training would be really important. But a lot of these come back to the same things, finding motivation for the dog, so treats, or toys or certain play times, and more of those over and over and over again, rewarding good behavior, not punishing the bad. But obviously, you've kind of taper off those treats and those rewards over time for the commands that need to be commonplace. However, the one difference to this is when the dog is placed in a new situation, it's always good to go back and reinforce those commands that the dog should know really well with treats to make sure that the dog feels comfortable. So common one would be as the dog learns to sit, you stop giving the dog treats every time the dog sets because that's just something a dog needs know how to do. However, The dog gets put in a stressful situation, a new situation, lots of dogs, lots of traffic, or the dog has just recently moved, it's a good idea to go back and reinforce with treats that sit command because that's something the dog knows how to do is comfortable doing and can get that immediate reward.

Meghan 17:17

As we had mentioned earlier, when you're walking, you need to be aware of your surroundings. And some dogs can get easily distracted, and they need to be redirected quickly. So again, it's important to pay attention to what's going on around you.

Collin 17:29

When you do give those commands during redirection or during the short training sessions that you're trying to do. Make sure that you give gentle, firm direct commands, and that you are consistent every time you do that, because when you're consistent, the dog can be consistent and the dogs on having to guess what you're trying to or not do each time you guys are together. Kind of a hot button topic that can get some people riled up is to weather us choke callers or not, especially in instances where the dog is really pulling in Really misbehave. And this can be especially dangerous if you are that 100 pound person that we started off talking about. That's all of a sudden being asked to walk 170 pound Great Dane that you could basically right as a pony instead of walking, the traditional choke collars come with the prongs on the inside. And, again, this is a heated topic that that people get very passionate about. Um, there are pros and cons to using this in certain situations. And I think what typically happens is an overuse or an over reliance on these kind of collars to where the only thing that's used in lieu of being trained, they have to go hand in hand. There are actually a couple different options to look into if you're opposed to the traditional metal choke collars. These these come in the forms of correctional compression or directional harnesses. I really like the compression harness. It's a whole harness that wraps around the rib cage of the dog, and as you pull on it and give commands, it actually the whole thing squeezes around its chest as opposed to just the collar. And then directional harnesses our way of steering a dog with tightening and releasing of different joints within the hardest. We actually use one of these when we walk are a client of ours has a 170 pound. Great Dane. So if you wondering where that example came from, that's why and it's basically like having leads on a horse and pulling brains left and right to to guide the dog as opposed to just straight up collar. And finally, after all this effort, you've thought about the temperature you thought about the backup plans, you've packed the appropriate water and treats and you've worked on the training. All of this can be for not if you don't keep track of that.

Meghan 19:50

Track. You don't you don't if you don't track your walk.

Collin 19:52

Yeah, if you don't track your walk.

Meghan 19:54

There are a few dog walking tracking apps out there. So if you use rover or wagon This is done for you in the app, you just hit New walk, and it starts it. And then when you're done, you just go back into the app and complete it. And it maps your walk for you.

Collin 20:10

And that app, those apps are kind of cool, because you can also say that the dog were in when the dog man poop, p got water or got treats, and include notes, all sorts of stuff, too.

Meghan 20:22

But there's also a few

other apps out there, the doggie log app, the math, my walk app, or you can just even use your iPhone or Google Fit. But whatever you go with, you want to make sure that you have some way to prove you took the dog on a walk where and when you said you went because the last thing you need is somebody coming back and saying No, you didn't walk my dog and when you actually did,

Collin 20:45

right, so documenting with photos and tracking apps is a great way to make sure that that doesn't happen and effectively communicating expectations before you even get into that scenario as well.

Meghan 20:57

We appreciate you listening to this episode about dog walking Please join us next time when we talk about dropping visits,

Collin 21:02

how to make sure you're giving appropriate value and consistency with those. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram at pet sitter confessional. Twitter is at PS confessional. Please send feedback to feedback at pet sitter confessional calm, and make sure and subscribe to these episodes on iTunes, Google Play Stitcher, all the places so that you can always get the latest episode

Keyword: dog, walk, leash, owner, client, harness, people, collar, treats, cats, commands, app, comfortable, greet, pet sitter, sitter, training, questions