138: Back to Basics- Dog Walking
This episode is brought to you by our awesome partners: Pet Sitters Associates, Start Scale Sail, & Texas Pet Sitters Association
Summary:
The biggest change to the pet care industry this year has been mid-day dog walks. On our last Back to Basics episode, we discuss how dog walkers have pivoted, dog walking safety, and things you should remember when out with pups. Plus, Natasha O’Banion answers, “How do you do a year end review?”
Topics on this episode:
How covid changed everything
The two questions we always ask
Favorite gear and safety
Ask a Pet Biz Coach with Natasha O’Banion
Main take away? Stay on top of bad behaviors with dogs and watch out for micro-injuries to yourself over time!
Links:
Check out the Texas Pet Sitters Conference and get signed up today!
Check out Start. Scale. Sail. and use PSC20 for 15% off.
Give us a call! (636) 364-8260
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Email us at: feedback@petsitterconfessional.com
A VERY ROUGH TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE
Provided by otter.ai
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
dog, walk, client, gear, leash, pet sitters, pet, dog walkers, people, year, business, important, confessional, constantly, today, training, poop bags, walkers, disinfect, poop
SPEAKERS
Meghan, Collin, Natasha
Collin 00:18
Hi, I'm Colin.
Meghan 00:19
And I'm Megan.
00:20
And this is petsitter. confessional
Meghan 00:21
an open and honest discussion about life as a pet sitter. Welcome to Episode 138. If this is your first time, hello, and if you are joining us again, we thank you so much for taking the time today to listen. Thank you also to pet sitters associates and Texas pet sitters Association for sponsoring this episode. It is the last few days of 2020. And I don't think anyone is sad about that. Nope. Hopefully you have taken this seat this holiday season and reflected a little bit and used some of the lessons from this year to kind of propel yourself into 2021. Hopefully, next year will be a whole lot better than this year.
Collin 01:06
Yeah, there are a lot of signs pointing to a much better year with the vaccine with the fact that all these puppies have been adopted and all these cats as well. And so there are a lot of new pet owners out there. So there are a lot of things to be excited about. Moving forward.
Meghan 01:22
Today is the last installment of our back to basics series. And we're going to talk about a big one today walks. And we would consider this the bread and butter of the pet care industry. midday dog walks are a huge piece of the pie. Or at least they were.
Collin 01:38
Yeah, unfortunately, we do need to start off by talking about how 2020 changed this part of the pet care industry. Prior to 2020, many businesses exclusively did walks and many others found that they comprised well over 70% of the business that they were doing.
Meghan 01:55
And maybe that was your business.
Collin 01:57
Yeah. And there's even an entire platform a new platform dedicated to dog walks wag and rover.
Meghan 02:03
And of course, if you only wanted to focus on daycares and boarding as many choose to do, you wouldn't be doing these at that level, which is totally fine. 2020 has changed all of that with most businesses seen an 80 to 90% drop in client demand. A lot of people work from home. And for some pet care businesses It was so bad that they went out of business entirely. Isabel from the wag pack talked about that in Episode 124. She after 100,000 visits and over 10 years in business, she decided that she wanted to get out of pet care and do something else.
Collin 02:40
right up until this year, midday dog walks were pitched as a way for people who were working long hours away from home to have their dog checked in and had their energy released while they were working. As you mentioned Megan with more people working from home this year, most of those clients didn't see a need to keep their Walker on or or maybe they weren't able to because of a job loss or with all of the uncertainty in the world. On top of that, with lockdowns across the globe, people weren't taking vacations or taking their dogs with them and eating breaks for them while they were traveling.
Meghan 03:13
And so dog walkers really had to change their tactics and marketing messages. The term adventure hikes you've probably heard us talk a lot about that really exploded in popularity during the past 10 months. Because it was for those willing to go on to our hikes with a small number of dogs. We started marketing services directly to people working from home for zoom meeting breaks or just to get some space during the day and getting their dogs energy out. Dogs still needs to run around and play. And if they're stuck at home underneath the desk of somebody who's working all day at a computer that's not very fun for them. So dog walkers also pivoted to delivering favorite toys or treats to clients as a potential subscription service. And they also began digital training courses as well,
Collin 04:02
which is going to continue to grow and be huge in the years to come.
Meghan 04:06
Before we continue, I wanted to talk to you about our sponsor pet sitters associates. As pet care professionals, your clients trust you to care for their furry family members, pet sitters associates is here to help for over 20 years they've provided 1000s of members with quality pet care insurance. If you work in the pet care industry or want to make your passion for pets into a profession. You can take your career to the next level with flexible coverage options, client connections and complete freedom in running your business. Learn why pet sitters associates is the perfect fit for you and get a free quote today. At pets@llc.com. You can get a discount when joining by clicking membership pet sitter confessional and use the discount code confessional at checkout to get $10 off today. Check out the benefits of membership and insurance once again at pets@llc.com. It's important to remember that as we've noted all along dog and cat adoptions have skyrocketed through COVID and this is awesome. The market groups tremendously in the background. But the need is not really there right now, for pet care providers so much, especially midday dog walkers. But as we get into 2021, we should be ready to meet that need, and keep marketing to those potential clients to stay top of mind to those with dogs out there, but they just may not need us right now, but will in the future.
Collin 05:24
Right. So that's how the market has changed because of 2020. We saw a decrease in demand. But we saw a huge section of the industry pivot to all these new and interesting services. COVID in 2020 also changed how we prepare for walks. Suddenly, things like gloves, disinfecting wipes, masks, outdoor or contactless picks up pickups, and coated wedding leashes all became standard overnight. And many of those things won't go away. And that's mostly because clients are looking for security and convenience. And we need to be able to meet that need in this very real way.
Meghan 06:02
That's right, people were looking for a way to clean and disinfect their gear and so coated webbing like biothane really is attractive to people because it's easy to clean. Walker's also started bringing their own gear, we are really not fans of retractable leashes. So we were already accustomed to bringing our own gear anyway. But now it's even more so because we want to make sure that we aren't transferring bacteria or anything. We just want to keep everything nice and clean.
Collin 06:28
It also brought this awareness of why it was so important to have and control your own gear. Yes, you were able to disinfect it and limit any potential spread through contact like that. It also gives us as walkers confidence that the gear that we're using is being maintained. And there's this standardization of gear meaning that all of a sudden, we don't have to learn 20 different styles of harnesses, clips, and gear and question whether it's being maintained properly, or whether it's actually the right one to be using on that, that dog.
Meghan 07:00
So what does a walk look like for us? The first thing to do is to know and understand your limits. So what behaviors are you willing to put up with? how large of a dog will you walk? Sure, pulling is kind of funny on a 10 pound Chihuahua, who's being a little stubborn, but deadly. With a 160 pound Great Dane, we screen our dogs and take them on test walks, especially if you plan on walking them frequently. Back in Episode 81, just Bay with the school for dog walkers suggest giving them a trial period where both you and the owners know if it doesn't work out, then you won't be doing walks for them anymore. It's very important to know that going in because every dog is different. Every owner has trained them differently or not train them at all right? And so you have to do a test walk to make sure that they're going to be a good fit for your pack or just for you.
Collin 07:53
Right, it's giving them time and seeing what dogs are going to work with. If you're walking if you choose to walk multiple dogs at the same time. You may decide okay, well, well, Sally doesn't work with Joe and Bennett. So I need to make sure and put her in with a different group as I rotate them throughout the week.
Meghan 08:09
And there's the question of how many dogs are you going to walk? Well, it's what you're comfortable with. Many walkers choose to walk one at a time, because either it's easier to manage, or they live in the suburbs, or they just don't want to pack walk for safety reasons. Or some owners specifically request that their dog be the only dog on the walk. For us,
Collin 08:31
we will only walk multiple dogs if they're from the same household. And that's just because that's what we're most comfortable with. And we do it so infrequently with most of the dogs that we care for that building up a routine with multiple dogs is a little bit more difficult. So if you're going to be walking the same area with the same dogs on a regular basis, it may be easier to build that routine so they have that familiarity of other dogs that they're going to be around with.
Meghan 08:57
If you do choose to walk multiple dogs at the same time, make sure your gear is up for that. Trying to adapt single leads into a multi lead system can be really daunting, especially if you're not using your own equipment. So look into gear that's specifically designed for multiple dogs and it not again, not those terrible retractable leashes with two or three clips on the end.
Collin 09:21
Those look like just an injury waiting to happen. They're these terrible.
Meghan 09:26
So during the meet and greet, we always ask two questions. The first one is do you have a route you already walk and too Are there any places we should avoid walking. The second part there is really key they may know of a neighborhood dog or dangerous trails to stay away from that you don't necessarily know.
Collin 09:44
We also like to ask about training expectations and commands that the dog is familiar with. And then we test them we test them with the client there and we test them when the client is not there. Two things that are really important for us are getting them to heal. stop signs or crosswalks. And knowing whether they have good recall in case they make a break for it, or they try and lunge and you're not able to keep them on lead. So those two pieces are really critical for us. And we can work on leash behavior and other things like that as we do walks with them. But those two right up front, we really have to get nailed down, because that's that safety for us that safety for the dog at the end of the day. Another reason recalls are critically important is because if you decide you want to offer off leash walks, recall is one of the only tools that you have to get the dog back. Now, off leash walks are really popular in the UK. And they're not so popular here in the US, but they're growing in popularity. And one of the reasons they're not so popular here is because of local leash laws, these limit where you can provide them or even if it's legal at all, to take them into a public place. And be off lead off lead walks are not for everybody, and they're not for every dog. That's why it's so important to go through a thorough screening process and really work on them. If you're interested with in providing these kind of walks, as I mentioned, you have to work with each and every single dog on recall and enforce it constantly. Obviously, you can't just go out and on the first day, let them off lead and expect them to be there at the end of the day. The first time you walk them, they're actually on a leash. And then you slowly increase the length of the leash, then you drop the leash all the while working on recall and getting a good group of dogs that work together,
Meghan 11:31
it's key to know that it's something that you work up to and not just something you dive right into. Because again, like I said, Every dog is different, every situation is different. And you need to protect yourself and your dogs as much as possible.
Collin 11:45
Right. So if you're not wanting to have to put in that much work of actually training and reinforcement off lead walks might not be where you should focus on. Additionally, again, if you're interested in these, check your leash laws and see what places are off limits. See what kind of permits you need, because I know that is required in some states is to have them off laid. A lot of times over in the UK, they will have these large fenced in fields or popular areas where a lot of people go to take their dogs off Lee kind of at these, these adventure walks almost, that they're able to be off laid over there. And those kinds of spaces are not as common over here in the US.
Meghan 12:23
So let's talk about gear a little more. Many clients have no clue what's good and what isn't. So either talk to them at the meet and greet or just an ongoing basis about what they need, and maybe even require specific gear for you to walk them if you aren't comfortable with their own. Or like we said, bring your own. That's the easiest way to know and trust the gear as much as possible because you are the one working with it day in and day out. Gear can be a really touchy subject though. Just search in dog training Facebook groups for front versus back clip or literally anything with prawn collars. So know that going in it, people are very divided on dog training. And it can get pretty heated quickly. Personally, we see the need to be adaptable for every single dog and to never use anything in excess. We definitely fall in line with fear free, and know that we have to have those conversations with clients
Collin 13:24
to see exactly where they line up. And their expectations are for dealing with their dog. Because there may be a mismatch there of their use to reacting in a certain way and being physical with her dog. And that's something we're not comfortable with and that we are not willing to reinforce and we will do it our own way. But having those conversations right up front, especially if you have a dog that's new to a leash or new to a group walk. You have to let that client know exactly how you're going to handle certain situations because otherwise you're going to have this miscommunication and that's that's never good when dealing with people or their pets.
Meghan 13:59
One of the biggest parts of gear are the shoes on your feet.
Collin 14:04
Shocking.
Meghan 14:06
We've heard that noble, Meryl and Sorrell are well liked by many walkers including us. We love meril shoes, check out our gear page on our website petsitter confessional comm slash gear for links to those shoes, and obviously if you're doing predominantly concrete so if you're in the city that will require different shoes than if you're on a rugged mountain trail. But it's important to have good footwear for every season you'll experience especially the rainy season,
Collin 14:33
we've talked about how adventure walks can range up close to two hours. Our standard walk is 30 minutes, which seems to be really common among walkers. However some choose to do 45 offer up to 60 minutes and it's all dependent about how you want your schedule to look and think about it also for the kind of clients that you have. So the length of walk will depend a lot on the dog age and breed as well as the weather on extremely cold or really hot day, you're going to be doing a lot of shorter walks. If the dog is very young or very old, you're going to be doing shorter walks. So it really is about adapting each and every single walk to make it unique for the client, for their breed for their age of dog and the expectations that the client has. You'll also need to change and vary your pace and constantly monitor the dog to make sure it's keeping up okay, or whether it may or may not need a break. We've heard many stories of dogs with undiagnosed heart conditions that then go out and do strenuous exercise and unfortunately succumb to it. That's obviously not a reason to just sit there and plod along. But absolutely, it's so critical to work with the owner to find and get a good pacing length and distance for their dog dependent on the weather and the outcome that they want.
Meghan 15:53
So yes, check the weather. If it's too hot or too cold for your dog, then don't take them on a walk or take them on a very short walk. Remember, pavement is generally 20 degrees hotter than the air temperature, especially if it's in the direct sun. So put your hand on the pavement. And if you can't hold it there for five seconds is too hot to walk. You don't want blisters on the dog's paws. So either delay the walk for early in the am or late in the pm or just wait for another day. Have backup routes, locations and activities that you can provide if the weather isn't good. There are lots of games and puzzles out there. There's the snuffle mat, there's a lot of mental stimulation that you can still do even if you can't provide a walk for
Collin 16:34
them, or add training reinforcement on those days for those walks are shorter so you can kind of pick and choose how you want to divide your time.
Meghan 16:42
We want to take a moment and talk to you about the upcoming Texas pet sitters conference. It is February 19 through the 21st 2021. And you have until December 31 to get in VIP registration. So the conference is totally free. It's online, you do not have to be a Texas resident you don't have to live in Texas, you don't even have to live in the United States. It's online. So you can attend from anywhere. And it is totally free. All you have to do is go to TX pet sitters comm and register. If you do want to be on the VIP registration, you can get a swag box, you get recorded video access to the conference, you are a founding member of the Texas pet sitters Association, but you only have until December 31 to do that. So if you're listening to this afterwards, I'm sorry. But hopefully you're listening to this beforehand and you're able to register and get all that cool stuff. If you want it
Collin 17:37
head on over to TX pet sitters calm and get registered today,
Meghan 17:40
we just finished up talking about the weather. So if it's too hot, or not, you need to bring water and maybe treats for you and for the dog. Don't forget about yourself if you need a quick snack during the day stuff a granola bar in your pocket or maybe an apple or something. And don't forget about the treats and especially the water on those hot days. Make sure the dog has his or her identification on and bring doggie bags for poop. So much poop. Don't forget the doggy bag right.
Collin 18:08
Nobody wants to be the one who is taking their dogs on the walk and doesn't have poop bags and you have all those people looking at you as they're driving by or walking by and your dog's pooping and you're not able to pick it up. So have poop bags in your car in every single pocket of your jacket in your fanny pack or in your backpack. However you choose to store them. Have them in multiple multiple locations.
Meghan 18:28
Yes, so have a fanny pack or a small backpack it should hold everything you need. And again, check out our gear resources page. On our website, we asked our community of dog walkers and pet sitters what they like best and we compile those answers on our website.
Collin 18:40
Do keep in mind though, that some dogs won't poop on walks, maybe they've like maybe they don't like going on concrete. Or maybe they don't feel safe on a leash or around new environments. Just know that there are dogs out there that won't move on a walk and to to note that let your client know if that happens.
Meghan 18:58
And so maybe cut the walk a few minutes shorter than normal so that they can if they have a yard go outside and go poop in the yard right. Also, many clients are increasingly expecting to see where you walked. So having a way to track GPS is a very nice addition. If you have an iPhone or you Strava or really any other run tracking app, you can always start a workout, track the walk and then screenshot the results and send to your clients. But there's a lot of apps already out there that will do this for you doggy log rover map my walk our options as well. Just be sure to track your walk with a GPS verified system. You always want to have a record that you walk the dog there have been way too many sitters over the years that have skimped on walks and or really not done them entirely. So some clients may be leery and want verification that the walk was actually completed
Collin 19:53
and that gets to communication to communicate with your client about what happened on the walk. How many times did Fido go? pee or poop? Did they chase a squirrel or a bark at a dog passing by? Did they pull or were they well behaved, the more info you can give, especially in a story format and tell a narrative, the better, we've found that communication is especially key for owners of puppies, because a lot of them are trying to do a lot of leash training and work on some behavior issues. And they just want to know, because they're really excited to have their puppy and really excited to have their puppy taken care of. So the more photos that you can send to them in new in different locations, the Morrigan, that that story, format and narrative that you can give them, the better that that is going to be. Unfortunately, if you've been walking the same dog weekly, for several months, or years, the updates can get really monotonous. And I know I am very bad about coming up with new and unique updates. So try and take a slightly different route so that I can smell new things and get new pictures in different places. That's something that I've really been trying to do with one of our newer clients is exploring some of the more historic parts of downtown and getting the dog photo taken in these new and interesting locations where maybe they haven't been before. And telling the story about how we got there, maybe things we learned about are a little bit of the history of the area as well. Now the dog doesn't care about the history. But the client likes seeing that and likes knowing of the locations that we've been to. We like to allow plenty of time after a walk to give the dog access to water before they are either created or we leave. And so it's it's so that we can make sure that they are well hydrated and that we've documented and sent that to the owner.
Meghan 21:38
If you've been dog walking for really any amount of time, you need to be mindful of micro injuries as well, they can really build up and not really be noticeable until there's an issue. So taking care of your shoulders, your knees and your hands is critical to avoiding injuries. Which is why having the best gear for you is so important. Bad shoes can sometimes equal bad knees bad leads can equal bad hands and shoulders. And it's also a reminder to directly work on polars or other behavior issues ASAP. And not just hope it'll go away, let the owner know that you would like to start working on this or have the owner work on it as well. The combination of you and the owner working on it will help to solve the problem faster with the dog,
Collin 22:27
you can either suggest leash training for the client, or as you mentioned, start implementing some of those basics on your walk. Here. redirection is absolutely key through treats or subtle polls. And always using strong firm commands, that we can also suggest to the client we buy, or again, bring your own compression or directional harness as part of that training with the goal to eventually not need any of those at the end of that. Now if you're having a lot of problems, this is a great way to partner with local trainers and do referrals to them. And those kind of instances.
Meghan 23:03
Whether you're walking a small dog or a large dog at safety is also something else we should definitely consider. The most important aspect of dog walking is just being aware of your surroundings. Is there a loose dog coming up to you? Is there a streetlight that's out and you're walking in the middle of the night, be aware of where you're walking at all times and what is around you. Maybe not have your headphones in,
Collin 23:30
which is really hard for me because I'm constantly listening to podcasts and to music. But when I'm out on dog walks, I'm taking those out because I need to be hearing things around me I need to be hearing the world around me and I need to be aware of that. I mean, just the other day, I was walking a new client and suddenly from across the street came this loose dog just running straight at us. And I caught it just out of the corner of my eye and actually heard the nails on the asphalt as it was running towards us. I got the dog I was walking behind me and I was able to stay between the two. Now, thankfully, the other dog was not aggressive. It was just really curious. And it was able to be persuaded away after a few minutes. Now Have I not been constantly looking around and watching or had my my ear air pods in I would have missed that dog entirely and it could have ended a lot worse.
Meghan 24:21
So it's also important if you're walking early morning or late at night to have reflective gear on and maybe a flashlight or to safety is always priority. You might also consider carrying pepper spray if you're really concerned which could be used for both human or stray dogs who can get aggressive sometimes
Collin 24:37
you can use pepper spray or sometimes an air horn is a great way because here we're trying to think of Yes, our safety but also scaring away any stray dogs or again people that are coming across us that could cause us harm. So trying to come up with some things that you have on your person. So a combination of pepper sprayed air horns and having your phone always charged and ready to go is also a great thing. To have on. I'll also add here that it is a really good idea and a really good reminder that we should all be pet CPR and first aid trained for instances, especially when we are out and about on walks even more. So when you are doing adventure walks, and you may be well removed from the nearest help. There are special outdoor and backpacking kind of first aid classes that may interest you if that's something that you're going to be providing. But at a bare minimum, we should be pet CPR and first aid trained. And we should have a first aid kit located in our car. And then you can always carry a smaller version of that on your person as you're doing walks. So we like to have gauze wraps, blunt in scissors, cold packs, hydrogen peroxide, tweezers, cotton balls, nail clippers, antibiotic ointment, not neosporin, because that is actually toxic, and to dogs. So get a veterinary antibiotic ointment specific to use on pets. And then you can change it up based on where you're walking and the kind of things that you may or may not encounter off. Obviously, having extra leashes and extra carrier, collapsible water bowls, all of those kind of things are going to really benefit you. And you may only have to use it one time. But it's the one time that you do need it that you're going to be thankful that you have those packed. So again, have a larger first aid kit located in your car and even back at your home. And then have a smaller version of that in your fanny pack or in the backpack that you're using as you're carrying all the other stuff that you have as well.
Meghan 26:32
We would really like to know how walks have been for you this year. Pre COVID were you doing midday walks all the time, and now you're not? Or did you switch to dog walking? Did you switch services to something else? We would like to know that have you had to change any of your services, you can give us a call our number is 636-364-8260. Or you can find us anywhere on social media at pet sitter confessional. Natasha, oh Banyan is going to answer the question, Why do a year end review
Collin 27:03
going into the last week of 2020? What's the best way to do a year end review.
Natasha 27:10
I love reviews. Reviews are so great, like quarterly by the way. So you should be reviewing your business every quarter. Okay, because you're going to put new things in, you're going to test it and you're going to see what worked and what didn't work every single quarter. So going into the new year, it's like it doesn't really matter that it's the new year because you were doing this every quarter, you were setting resolutions all year long, something that you were used to doing. But set realistic goals for yourself. Goals, you can keep promises you can keep to yourself, you know, I know people who write a 20 item to do lists. And they end up getting maybe three or four things done and they feel like unmotivated on accomplish. So set quarterly goals, even going into the first quarter of the new year that you can accomplish. And feel good about mini goals, small
Collin 27:57
things that you can attain. And again, not waiting to the end of the year, as you said doing these quarterly ones, because you're making small course adjustments constantly constantly seeing trying out new things, and just chunking away at it so that it's easier, it is easier to review because you're not having to sit down and go, Oh gosh, it was 365 days ago. And I said it was good to do that. Like what was like what wasn't even doing then because it's easier to remember it's easier to recall easier to find all sorts of stuff.
Natasha 28:24
It's also training the body for natural behavior, right? So any new habit we're going to learn we're going to learn up into 45 days. So I see this all the time and you guys we know in the gym and everywhere else is that people are living their best amazing productive life in January and February, and then come March are falling off and the stuff we were posting excited we were given is dying down. So if you're constantly training this behavior to check in on your business, check on your financial health, check on your business, help your staff health, your family health, you're training yourself to do this constantly. You're gonna always Stay on your game. But if you're like okay, it's gonna be amazing. Oh, it's spring. No, I said but you know what I mean? It's just natural. You know, we're all human. These are just natural things that we're all going to do. Just like the gym membership, you know, gyms are busy and then from February to March, it's empty again. So slowly create these lifestyle changes that not shock the system, right? Like nobody wants to shock the system. Not only
Meghan 29:43
does Natasha have her own personal pet business, but she is a pet business coach as well. And if you would like to use her coaching services, you can go to start scale sale.com and use the code p sc 20. For any of her coaching as we come to the end of the episode today. We thank you so much for Taking your most valuable asset, your time and listening to us today. It is so much fun to create these episodes. And we are so thrilled that you continue to listen every week,
Collin 30:10
right this year has been an absolute whirlwind and we are beyond humbled by the response and by the feedback and by you taking the time out of your really busy days to listen to us every week, you have no idea how much that means to us. And we are so thankful for you in that time that you're giving us and we really do not take that lightly and it means so much to us.
Meghan 30:32
We also want to thank pet sitters associates and the Texas pet sitters conference for sponsoring this episode today. We hope you will join us again next time
