What to ask a dog walker before you book one

You are handing a stranger your key and your dog. Most people spend longer choosing a plumber. These are the questions I would ask if I were the one on the sofa, and none of them should make a decent walker uncomfortable.

Insurance, and what it covers

Ask whether they are insured, who with, and what the policy actually covers. Public liability on its own covers damage to other people and their property. Cover for the animals in their care is a separate thing, and it is the part you want to hear about, because it is the part that applies if something happens to your dog on a walk. Ask to see the certificate. Anyone who has one will not mind showing it.

A DBS check

A DBS check is a criminal records check. It does not tell you somebody is good with dogs. It tells you they were willing to be looked at, and what, if anything, came back. The certificate is a snapshot of the day it was issued, so ask when it was done and whether they renew it. Then ask to see it.

Who actually turns up

The person who comes to meet you and the person who walks your dog are not always the same person. Larger walking businesses use staff, and staff change. There is nothing wrong with that, but you should know it before you book rather than find out from a neighbour. Ask three things. Will it be you every time? If not, do I meet whoever it is first? And will I be told when it changes?

Bad weather

For a good chunk of the year in Liverpool this is really a question about whether they turn up at all. What you are listening for is a rule they can state without thinking about it: when the walk still happens, what counts as too dangerous to them, and what your dog gets instead on those days. Ask about ice and storm warnings, and ask about hot days too, because heat is at least as much of a problem for a dog and easier to underestimate. If your dog is older, flat-faced or has a condition, ask your vet what they can cope with and pass it on. My own rule is on the dog walking page.

If your dog is unwell

Ask two things: what they will do in the moment, and what they need from you beforehand to be able to do it. A walker who has thought it through will answer the second one without pausing. One who has not will be working it out on a pavement with your dog at their feet. It is also worth asking whether they hold an animal first aid certificate. It is not veterinary training and nobody should pretend it is, but it means they know what to do in the first few minutes, which is often the part that matters. Tell them about anything your dog is on or prone to, and ask your vet what a walker should be watching for. What I do, and what I ask for at the consultation, is on the FAQ page.

Keys

You are handing over access to your house, so ask where the key lives when it is not being used, whether anything on it could lead a stranger back to your door, and what happens to it when you stop. If you would rather not hand a key over at all, ask whether they will work with a key safe. How I handle keys, key safes included, is on the FAQ page.

Solo or in a group

Some walkers take dogs out in groups, some take one at a time, and some do a mix depending on the dog. None of those is wrong, but they are different walks, and the walker should be able to tell you which one your dog is getting, how many dogs go out together, and how they decide who goes with whom. If your dog is nervous, reactive, very young or very old, this is the question that matters most. I will be straight about my own position: I no longer offer solo walks as standard, and I say so before anybody books. I would expect any walker to be as clear about their own set-up as I am about mine.

The answer you are listening for

None of this is about catching anybody out. A good walker has been asked all of it before and will be pleased you bothered, because it means you care about the same things they do. Ask everything in one go, at the first meeting, before any money changes hands. If a question causes offence, that is an answer as well.

Where I come into it

In my case the question of who turns up has a short answer: I work on my own, and have done for over sixteen years across Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton and St Helens. The rest of my answers are on the dog walking page and the about page, and the consultation is free, so you can put every question above to me in person before you decide anything.

Related posts

• 17 September 2026

  Signs your older dog is struggling that are easy to miss

  Stiffness, thirst, appetite, stairs, confusion, sleep and coat, from what I see on visits, and why the answer is always your vet.

• 10 September 2026

  How much does a dog walker cost in Liverpool?

  The going rate for a dog walk across Liverpool, what pushes a quote up or down, and why the lowest price is not always the cheapest.

• 27 August 2026

  Looking after a diabetic cat when you go away

  Insulin timing, what to do about a missed dose, and who can cover it if a cattery is not the answer.