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Choosing a walker
How to choose a dog walker
A walker sees your dog more often than almost anyone outside the family, usually when nobody is home to watch. That makes the choice part hiring and part trust. This page sets out what to decide before you call anyone, how to run the interview and the trial walk, and where our answers on insurance, keys and photos go into more depth.
Before you start
Before you start, decide whether your dog needs a walk of its own or can share one
The AKC's advice begins with your own dog: its energy, its leash manners and how it copes around other animals. Those three facts settle the biggest question on any walker's price list, which the AKC suggests asking outright: will my dog be walked alone or with others? A relaxed, sociable dog that already walks on a loose leash may enjoy a shared outing. A dog that pulls, lunges at other dogs, startles at traffic or needs to set a slow pace is better off with one walker and one leash.
Next, pin down the schedule and the length. A puppy on a house-training timetable needs a midday visit on office days; a dog whose people ride the Rockport line into Boston may need cover only on commuting days. Match the length to the dog rather than the budget: a young retriever can use 60 minutes, while an elderly terrier may be finished at 20. Dogtown walks are solo by design, one dog with one member of our staff, so a shy or reactive dog moves at its own pace.
- Solo or shared: how your dog behaves when another dog passes on a leash
- Length: 20, 30 or 60 minutes, judged by age and fitness rather than price
- The days and times that actually need covering, holiday weeks included
- What a stranger must know: pulling, door-dashing, fears and medical notes
The questions
Ask every walker the same seven questions, and compare the answers in writing
The AKC suggests interviewing several walkers with specific questions: where the walks go, how long they last, whether the walker has handled dogs like yours, how long they have done the work, whether they hold pet first-aid training, and what happens on a day they are sick. It also notes that some walkers are better with dogs than with people, so a short answer is not automatically a poor one. Judge the content instead: a good answer names a route, a length, a person and a backup plan.
The table puts the questions in a sensible order beside how Dogtown answers them today. Two answers are not printed on this site, how walking is insured and whether background checks are part of hiring, and we give both in person at the evaluation. Our page on walker insurance and background checks explains what those terms usually cover, and our page on keys and codes covers the way in. Put the same list to every walker you meet, us included.
| Question | Why it matters | How Dogtown answers |
|---|---|---|
| Is my dog walked alone or with other dogs? | A shared walk splits the walker's hands and attention | Alone: one dog with one member of Dogtown staff |
| Where do you walk, and for how long? | The route should suit your dog's age, fitness and the local leash rules | 20, 30 or 60 minutes, on a route matched to age and fitness |
| Have you handled a dog like mine? | Pullers, seniors and nervous dogs each need a different hand | Walkers are Dogtown staff, and every dog completes the free evaluation first |
| Who walks my dog if you are sick? | The AKC lists the sick-day plan among its core questions | Ask the front desk; walks are staffed from the Dogtown team |
| Are you insured, and for what? | Insured can mean several different policies | Not published on this site; answered at the evaluation |
| How will you get in, and where is the key kept? | You are handing over access to your home | Key, code, lockbox or a person at home, settled with each household |
| What will I hear after each walk? | The update is your only window onto the walk | A photo and a short note after every walk |
The steps
Hire a walker in seven steps, from a written brief to the third walk
The AKC recommends letting a walker meet your dog before you hire anyone, watching whether your dog greets them happily or cowers, and taking one walk together to judge the match. It also suggests asking, a few outings in, whether the walker has noticed your dog's usual habits, which is a quick test of attention. The steps below turn that advice into an order of work most households can finish inside two weeks.
With Dogtown, the meeting is the free evaluation, on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM at 210 Eastern Ave in Gloucester: a temperament test and a few supervised hours with the team our walkers come from. After it, you set the days, the walk length and the way into your home with the front desk. Availability depends on your address and the season, so ask us whether we cover your street before you plan the week around it.
- 01
Write a one-page brief: your dog's age, weight, leash habits, fears and medical notes, your vet's number and the days you need covered.
- 02
Shortlist two or three walkers who cover your street, and send each one the brief and the same set of questions.
- 03
Meet in person with your dog present and watch the greeting: an easy approach and a loose body on your dog are good signs, while cowering or hiding is not.
- 04
Walk together once, with the walker holding the leash and you a few steps behind, so you see how they handle the door, the curb and the first dog you pass.
- 05
Agree the way in, the alarm routine and where the leash, bags and towels live, then test the entry yourself before the first solo visit.
- 06
Book one trial walk on its own, then read the update and check your dog: paws, breathing, mood and whether it went to the bathroom.
- 07
After the third walk, ask the walker what they have noticed about your dog; an attentive walker will have specifics.
Mistakes we see
The mistakes we see are hiring on price alone, skipping the trial and forgetting the local rules
A low price for a shared walk is not a saving if your dog cannot cope in a group, and a 20-minute slot is no bargain for a dog that needed an hour. Compare like with like: solo against solo, the same length, the same update. Packs change the arithmetic as well. Ten single 30-minute walks at Dogtown come to $350, while the 30-minute 10-pack is $315, so price a routine as a routine rather than one walk at a time.
Local rules catch out walkers who take several dogs at once. Manchester-by-the-Sea limits each person to two dogs on Singing Beach in its dog season, Rockport requires a leash at all times downtown and keeps dogs off its beaches from June 1 to September 15, and Gloucester bars dogs from Good Harbor from April 1 to September 30. A walker who knows those lines keeps your dog, and you, clear of a fine. Ask where the walks will go in summer and in winter.
- Pricing a shared walk against a solo one
- Hiring after one phone call, with no trial walk
- Keeping your dog's quirks out of the written brief
- Never asking where the route goes in each season
When to call us
Call us when your dog needs a solo walk from people it already knows
Dogtown walks suit dogs that do better alone on a leash: reactive and shy dogs, seniors, puppies on a schedule and dogs that need a break in a long workday. A walk is $25 for 20 minutes, $35 for 30 and $55 for 60, with 10-packs at $225, $315 and $495 and 30-packs at $637, $892 and $1,402. Every dog completes the free evaluation first, and a photo and a short note arrive after each outing.
Some dogs are better served by a day in a group than a walk at home. Daycare playgroups of 7 to 10 dogs run at 210 Eastern Ave, and the Pup Van collects daycare dogs for $10 each way in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea. Call 978 491-5922 or send the new customer form with your address and the days you need, and we will tell you which suits your dog and whether walks reach your street.
At Dogtown
Walks and days out
Solo at-home walks of 20, 30 or 60 minutes, and matched daycare playgroups for the days a walk is not enough.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Is a solo walk better than a group walk?
Is there a limit on how many dogs one person can walk?
Should the first walk be a trial?
Does Dogtown walk dogs at my address?
What should I leave out for a new walker?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- AKC: finding and choosing a dog walker
- Manchester-by-the-Sea: Singing Beach
- Rockport: responsible dog owner rules
- City of Gloucester: dog regulations
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Meet the team that walks your dog.
Book a free evaluation on a weekday morning, ask your walker questions in person, then set the days, the length and the way in with the front desk.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
