I have been reading here how someone is using a borrow a dog. Now my questions are. Could you? If so would you allow them to let them off the lead? Would you allow them to keep up with your training? I know I would never join a scheme like that and I also wouldn't use a dog walking service. My reasons for not using them are a lack of trust. One of the places near me for walking my dogs used to be quiet, unfortunately it's getting busier as folks have discovered letting their dogs off lead and just running. Now a couple of times I've parked my car next to a dog walking van, I use the walking term loosely. Knowing they would be in the area I keep both dogs on leads. Unfortunately she doesn't. Two greyhounds on lead and one westie barking and charging at my dogs. Oh and dog walker is on the phone , turns about walks back and tries to recall westie. I managed to keep my two beside me, although pulling and yanking the whole time. If thats a dog walking service you can keep it. Mine will be safer shut in a house all day, rather than being removed from house , driven to walking spot, let loose and walked for a whole five minutes , while walker talks on mobile phone. This walking spot is right next to a busy road. My OH loves Cupar to bits and took him with him to watch the last few minutes of a local football game. I was a wreck. So I may have trust issues but aren't they justified?
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. I meet one often and she's great - she only has three dogs at a time and you can tell she loves dogs. I haven't used dog walkers, but I have used two doggy day cares, one excellent, one not so much. The one I didn't like had too many dogs at a time. He was a really nice bloke and took the dogs good long walks over the moors. But, when Tatze went to him, he looked after three little pugs, another lab and he had his own lab. She adored them and had great fun - but he let them play all day and the pugs never let her be. She came home too exhausted for my liking, she was only 9 months old. The second I use whenever we go away. She only has two at a time and she takes them everywhere with her. They get a good walk at 7 am, one at lunch time and one before tea. I can book Tatze in at the drop of a hat. I certainly wouldn't use the one you describe. But from the dog's point of view I still think it's better than leaving them home alone all day. The important thing with dog walkers is to get recommendations. But your instinct will soon tell you if things are not right.
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. I belong to a website called borrow my doggy. I have only had positive experinces. You can choose people from profiles, who just love dogs and want to walk your dog for free, or look after them. It is really great, yesterday, a man from the site took Otis for a walk on the downs, and played with him. He is responsible and kind to my dog. x
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. I've used 2 dog walkers in my time. The first one started off great with murphy, she was coming in from when we got him at 8 weeks doing house visits and doing little bits of training (she was also a trainer and ran her own puppy classes). So all was good to start with and she always posted photos of the dogs on walks on Facebook and send them to me so I could see he was happy etc. she always walked him with the same dogs so he got to know them and she was always careful to match dogs in her groups so there wasn't any issues. She was great but then I feel she got a bit complacent, and a couple of times id come home to his water bowl being empty which would make me question whether she had filled it up (he wouldn't have drunk a whole bowl in 2 hours!), and the final straw was when I came home and he was loose in the kitchen, clearly distressed and had weed everywhere. She said she had definately shut him in the crate but obviously not! In the meantime through a local Facebook page I had made friends with a other dog walker who had 2 labs and one was similar age to murphy, so we used to meet up and walk together and I would sometimes meet her on her group walks and walk with her. After the crate incident with the first walker I swapped to my friend and she has walked murphy and visits Maisie as well. Because I spent a lot of time with her and her dogs I was able to see that she was very similar to me with her approach and I was confident she knew murphy well. I am very paranoid about who walks my dogs but I fully trust this dog walker as she is also my friend and I trust her. I think I am lucky that it happened like that. I think as boogie says is get recommendations and I would suggest maybe asking if you could tag along on a walk or two so you can see how they manage the dogs. Not all walkers are bad and to he honest there are some family members I wouldn't trust walking my dogs! It's perfectly normal to feel protective, as I do. But I think if it's needed, a good walk with a dog walker is better than being left home alone. X
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. There are good people who are on the 'borrow my doggy' website. I regularly see a young couple walking a lab, off lead in the woods. They are on the site and the lab belongs to a lady who has had major surgery. They have the lab overnight one night on the weekend and walk him once a week. They started by building a relationship with the lady prior to her op I. Her house then on walks together. The lady has now recovered, but the couple still help out. During the week they work long hours and can't commit to a dog full time, so this helps everyone My dog walker won't answer her phone when out with the dogs - I've called her once, not realising she was walking, but she didn't answer and called when back in her van again, with dog walkers, you get good and bad ones. Mine is a gem and also does daycare with a max of 3 dogs, plus her own 2. They have separate areas for some chill out time too
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. I don't know whether you have all been lucky, or don't have the trust issues I seem to have. Unfortunately I have only came across that one dog walker and it didn't leave a good impression. Another trust issue I have is daycare. I have witnessed a doggy daycare in action and under no circumstances will any of my dogs be left there either. I really couldn't see our village starting up borrow your dog, thankfully. I see how most of the dogs in village get walked by their owners and that leaves a lot to be desired. Keep them coming, I find this interesting as I reckon I live in the wrong place and know the wrong people.
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. It's not quite the same, but I have a couple of friends who help out and we walk each others' dogs on occasion, as well as walking them together. Next week, I'll be walking one of my neighbours' labs in the mornings and at lunchtimes because she'll be out all day working. She has done the same for mine when I've been out all day. I know I can trust these people to walk my dogs safely, and it may be different because they're friends as opposed to paid, unknown individuals. I do know that they won't do any training with them, which is a good thing. I'm quite happy that they just play with their mates for half an hour or so, tire themselves out and then sleep all afternoon. I can do the training when I'm home
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. I have a dog walker, and she is great. Very experienced handling dogs, and I trust her. I've spent a lot of time with her, as in the summer instead of walking Charlie in the afternoon, she helps me by being a helper while I'm training Charlie (otherwise, I would never have a helper). Her Dad trains gundogs, and she is excellent with dogs. She takes her dog to the communications class that Charlie used to go to, and the tutors there were singing her praises about how good she is with dog communications. She is more of a pro, I think, than most dog walkers. She has always worked with dogs, either training puppy class, running daycares etc. I think if you just choose "someone off the street" then you'll take your chances. But if you are in an area where there is choice (I have a lot of choice living where I do) then it's possible to find someone good. But the good ones get booked very, very quickly and I did get lucky in that I found mine as she started her business so had spaces. I pay her on time, don't cancel walks when I could do them myself to save money, and remember her birthday....
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. Homer has been to a dog walker since he was young. They are a sprightly retired couple, sometimes their son or teenage grandson help out too. They do a great job and keep up his training. He stays overnight in their home if we have to go away. It's a second home for him. We also have a few friends who I'd trust, one is brilliant with him and won't take any nonsense, the other adores him but is a bit soft.
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. I do live in the wrong area. I just googled dog walking etc and apart from the dog walker I mentioned there is another in the next village but I wouldn't use them as they state for safety reasons no more than five dogs are walked as a group. Five dogs ? One person! Is that a lot? My dogs are pullers on a lead, Cassie I am now managing but Cupar I am sticking rigidly to the stop start. So having only been curious about this , I have started thinking about what would happen if I couldn't walk my dogs. Unless I can talk my non dog loving off spring to walk them, they're housebound with me. The friends I have don't do dogs. Rather worrying. I have had bother with my ankle recently, so walking has been curtailed. I am fortunate to have empty fields beside me I can use to throw a ball for the dogs and I don't need to walk far, or use a lead. In the summer I wouldn't be able to use the fields. I think I'm really going to have to think carefully as to when I no longer can get a pup or young dog. Then again when I get old I'll just rescue an old girl or boy that's happy to go for meandering strolls.
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. A lot of councils now have dog control orders and a maximum of four dogs are allowed to be walked by any individual.
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. [quote author=Cupcase link=topic=9901.msg143769#msg143769 date=1424002159] My dogs are pullers on a lead, Cassie I am now managing but Cupar I am sticking rigidly to the stop start. So having only been curious about this , I have started thinking about what would happen if I couldn't walk my dogs. [/quote] Well, this is a problem if you need to use a dog walker. Most dog walkers just cannot walk dogs that pull all day - they either needs to have them off lead or they ask you to provide a headcollar (you might be happy with that, but I wouldn't be). I got lucky and my dog walker was happy to co-operate with Charlie's loose lead walking using positive only methods, but I know she wouldn't do that for other dogs. It was because I was buying a lot of support from her when Charlie was injured and I needed the help to do a lot of lead walks. He walks perfectly on lead for her now though.
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. I guess a lot depends on the nature of the dog , Sam will happily go for walks with family or close friends, off lead too whereas Millie would panic if allowed off lead ( she has proved this ! ) even with my husband, although much improved now and tends to follow Sam , but I wouldn't allow a stranger to let her off .
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. I met with 6 or 7 different dog walkers until I found the one we are with now. As Harley is (or was) a puller, I was worried about how that would be managed. I went out with our walker to see what she was like. She asked if she could use a head collar with Harley - I agreed and it has actually really helped me. 95% of their walks are done off lead and she has used Harley to teach others the recall. After a few weeks she dropped the head collar and now has Harley walking by her with a loose lead I am still working on a loose lead, we are getting there slowly. My walker is a positive trainer and has years of experience of working, training and walking dogs. She is so busy that she is selective about which dogs she takes on - she is very strict about numbers per walk and won't over commit. As for family........apart from hubby or my daughter.......no chance!!
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. Under no circumstance would I let anyone else walk Penny... I think that I am over cautious with her though. Knowing what she is like around other dogs I just worry that other people wouldn't be able to control any situation before it escalates. Obviously my mum walked her whilst I was on my honeymoon and Penny stayed with her and she was very good with her. I think my mum is a lot more authoritative with her... Not in a bad way, I think I mean like Penny just knows that she won't get away with the same sort of stuff she does with me so she doesn't play up as much. I am lucky enough to be in a situation where I don't need a dog walker. Obviously if I found myself in need of one I would have to reconsider my stance about it. There is a very good company that operate in my area, and they walk my colleagues springer spaniel - he pays something like £9 a day for when they need them (his wife works shifts so they don't always need a walker) and the dog will get anywhere from an hour to a whole day out!
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. Charlie is fine with a dog walker I trust - although she doesn't have him off lead, so the risks are zero, and if anything, she walks him better than I do. I think it's really beneficial for him to do an hour's lead walk (mix of proper heel and go sniff round the park) a day. I don't have time to do this, and it really keeps his lead walking up. His routine is that he is left for 5 hours - he gets a 1.5 hours exercise (mix of lead walking, off lead and off lead training) before I leave him with a pile of kongs, then the dog walker calls in after 3 hours and takes him out, replaces his frozen kongs, then he just has an hour or before someone is home. I think he does really well on this routine and I go off to work really happy he is fine. Plus, if anyone is a bit late home or delayed, it's no big deal.
Re: Trusting other people to walk your dog. We use a dog walker twice a week (and one of these days is a playgroup too). They walk the dogs in groups. Always on lead. It's a company, so there are multiple walkers, but we always get the same one. She is terrific. She and her dog go to my dog club as well. The company sends their walkers on training sessions (e.g. they all went to Melbourne a couple of months ago to have a training session with Grisha Stewart of BAT when she was here). Every week they have case study meetings where they talk about specific dogs and behavioural issues. I am completely comfortable leaving Obi with these people So, there are good, trustworthy walkers out there.
