Dog Walker job description template

Dog walkers take clients' dogs out for midday walks, potty breaks and exercise, often letting themselves into homes with a key or lockbox code. Because they work alone with pets inside clients' homes, trust and reliability matter as much as experience. The best posts say how many walks a typical day includes, whether walks are solo or small groups, and which neighborhoods you cover.

Post this job free

Dog Walker

Part-time
Your Company is hiring a dependable dog walker to give our clients' dogs safe, happy walks while their people are at work or away. You'll follow a daily route of homes, let yourself in with keys or door codes, walk dogs on leash and send a quick update after each visit. If you're comfortable with dogs of all sizes, show up when you say you will and care about getting every dog home safely, we'd love to meet you.

What you’ll do

  • Walk dogs on a secure leash along safe routes, keeping full control near traffic, people and other dogs
  • Let yourself into clients' homes with keys or lockbox codes, and lock up securely every time
  • Check harnesses, collars and leash clips before every walk so no dog can slip free
  • Pick up and properly dispose of waste, and follow local leash laws and park rules
  • Refill water bowls, wipe muddy paws and follow each client's notes on treats, feeding and crates
  • Log each visit in our scheduling app with your arrival time, a photo and a short note for the client
  • Watch for limping, vomiting, overheating or unusual behavior and report concerns to us right away
  • Keep dogs from different households apart unless their owners have approved group walks

What we’re looking for

  • Hands-on experience handling dogs, whether professionally, as a volunteer or with your own pets
  • Calm, confident handling of excited, shy or leash-reactive dogs
  • Able to walk several miles a day outdoors in heat, cold and rain, and hold a strong dog on leash
  • Reliable transportation between homes in our service area and a smartphone for our scheduling app
  • Trustworthy with house keys and door codes, and willing to complete a background check

Nice to have

  • Pet first aid and CPR training, or willingness to take a course after hire
  • Previous work at a dog daycare, boarding kennel, shelter or veterinary office
  • Experience using a pet care scheduling app such as Time To Pet
  • Familiarity with reward-based handling and reading dog body language

Schedule

Part-time weekday hours, mostly late morning through early afternoon while clients are at work. Weekend, holiday and early evening visits are available if you'd like more hours.

What we offer

  • Paid shadow walks with an experienced walker before you go solo
  • Steady routes with the same dogs, so you get to know them well
  • Mileage reimbursement when you drive between visits
  • Tips from clients are yours to keep
  • A predictable midday schedule that fits around another job or other commitments

Add your pay, location and schedule when you post. Jobs that show pay get noticeably more applicants.

Screening questions for a dog walker

Ask these on the application form to sort applicants quickly. They’re added automatically when you post this template.

  • Are you comfortable walking and controlling dogs of all sizes, outdoors in all kinds of weather?Yes / No · required
  • How will you get between clients' homes, and which neighborhoods can you cover?Short answer · required
  • Tell us about your experience caring for dogs, including any that were nervous, strong pullers or reactive.Paragraph

Dog Walker interview questions

  1. An off-leash dog runs toward you while you're walking a nervous dog. What do you do?
  2. You arrive at a client's home and the key isn't in the lockbox. What are your next steps?
  3. How do you check that a harness or collar fits well enough that a dog can't back out of it?
  4. What signs tell you a dog is getting too hot or too tired on a walk?
  5. A dog you walk every day seems sluggish and won't drink. What do you do, and who do you tell?
  6. How do you keep control of a dog that pulls hard or lunges at squirrels and bikes?
  7. What would you include in your update to a client after a walk?
  8. Your first visit ran late and four more dogs are waiting. How do you handle the rest of your route?

Tips for hiring a dog walker

  • Do a paid shadow walk with your most experienced walker. Leash handling and how a candidate reads a dog are easy to see in person and hard to judge in an interview.
  • Check references and run a background check with the candidate's written consent, since walkers will hold keys and codes to clients' homes.
  • Ask your insurance agent whether your liability policy and bonding cover new walkers, and what coverage walkers need if they drive their own cars.
  • Put your typical number of walks per day and your group walk limits in the post so applicants can judge whether the pace suits them.