25/08/2026
Choosing someone to walk or care for your dog is really important. You are trusting them with a member of your family, so it's worth taking the time to make sure they are safe, knowledgeable and professional.
Making sure they have appropriate insurance is an absolute must. They should also ideally have qualifications in up-to-date, evidence-based dog behaviour, particularly with a clinical behaviourist or an organisation registered with the UK Behaviour Charter. This gives you more confidence that they will have the knowledge and understanding to handle a range of situations appropriately.
A current DBS check and canine first-aid training are also highly preferable.
Other things to look for include:
• Appropriate experience with dogs of different ages, breeds and temperaments.
• A clear emergency procedure, including what happens if your dog becomes ill, injured or goes missing.
• Safe group sizes and careful matching of dogs rather than simply walking as many dogs as possible at once.
• Secure handovers and safe methods for collecting and returning dogs.
• Good communication, honesty and clear policies.
• A willingness to discuss your dog's individual needs rather than using a "one size fits all" approach.
• Asking about your dog's behaviour, health, triggers and routine before agreeing to care for them.
• Secure, well-maintained transport with appropriate ventilation and temperature control.
• An understanding that not every dog is suitable for group walks.
Red flags include:
• Using aversive equipment or methods, such as prong collars, shock collars, grot collars or other equipment designed to cause discomfort or pain.
• Describing themselves as a behaviour expert while having little or no recognised, up-to-date education in canine behaviour.
• Promising to "fix" serious behaviour problems quickly or guaranteeing results.
• Using punishment-based methods.
• Transporting dogs loose in a vehicle without appropriate crates, harnesses, barriers or other safety equipment, where they could become tangled, injured or fight while the vehicle is moving.
• Transporting multiple unfamiliar dogs together in a way that does not allow them to be safely separated.
• Using household crates designed to collapse for transport and stacking them on top of one another. Transport crates should be secure and designed for use in vehicles.
• Overcrowding dogs into unsuitable crates or vehicles.
• Leaving dogs unattended in vehicles for extended periods, particularly in warm or cold weather.
• Walking far too many dogs at once to safely supervise and manage.
• Being unwilling to answer questions about insurance, qualifications, transport or safety procedures.
• Dismissing your concerns or making you feel unreasonable for asking how your dog will be cared for.
Ultimately, qualifications and certificates alone do not automatically make someone the right person for your dog. Look at the whole picture: their knowledge, handling, safety standards, experience, communication and whether they genuinely put the welfare of the dogs in their care first. Anyone can use ai to write a great advert but that doesn't mean the service matches and we are seeing far too many incidents recently where we are having to pick up the pieces due to dogs being poorly trained, lost by professionals, lack of care and more. And sadly it seems to be getting worse quite rapidly with the industry becoming increasingly flooded by inexperienced people who see dog walking and pet care as an easy way to make quick money, often without the knowledge, qualifications or safety standards needed to properly care for the dogs entrusted to them.
