What should the maximum number of dogs that a professional dog walker should be responsible for at one time be?

Over the years I always walked my GSDs in pairs , even when I had several I only ever took 2 at once. When I had my last 2 , mother and daughter, I happily walked them together for years until one day a dog came flying out of a farm drive and caught me and them by surprise. They both lunged and I lost my footing on muddy ground and face planted . Luckily the dog thought better of having a go , and my girls were distracted by me nearly flattening them! From then on they were walked singly.
 
On the other thread I said that I often feel quite unnerved when I see or read about people/households that have a large number of dogs themselves, precisely because I see how dogs can be when in packs. I suppose I see a bit more of the wolf nature in them than I see when it's a 1-3 pet dog situation. Bringing it back to this thread, what is the maximum number of dogs you would feel confident having yourselves?
 
Apercrumbie said:
On the other thread I said that I often feel quite unnerved when I see or read about people/households that have a large number of dogs themselves, precisely because I see how dogs can be when in packs. I suppose I see a bit more of the wolf nature in them than I see when it's a 1-3 pet dog situation. Bringing it back to this thread, what is the maximum number of dogs you would feel confident having yourselves?
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I have three and it's a lot on your own, if you're to give them all individual time and attention. While it would be easier if they got on, the older two don't take much looking after, to be fair, but things like holidays and doing things spontaneously are difficult, even when I had one, it was simpler. I'll not have this many again.
 
I’ve got 5 at the moment and 1 on order. It’s intensely hard work training and giving them all one to one. Mine do have their basic exercise together though, so easier than CC.
I couldn’t do it if I worked full time and/ or have a supportive husband. We don’t go out much or away ever. Spontaneity is not something we do.
 
I think 4 as a job. I’m assuming that a pro dog walker is better at handling than the average person (I’d like to think!)
I wouldn’t like to take 4 myself though.
There’s a guy near me, I’ve posted before mentioning him I think. He walks 6. 5 big and a terrier. He had to stand still and brace himself for people to walk past while they all lunge barking. I avoid like the plague, Im 100% sure that he’s only very just in control and the noise they make I’m not so sure how friendly they’d be if they got loose.
I’ve never met him walking them in my car but I’m told they lunge barking at vehicles aswell.
 
I am happy to walk our three, but two of us go if day care dog is here. The rotters were big strong dogs, well behaved but you can't legislate for other people's dogs, so they always had a person each. As a teenager I used to walk five labs, all ours, dad used to walk the five off lead, to heel and as Clodagh says, they are fairly easy dogs, if they are yours and well trained to start with.
 
We had 7, a mix of breeds; Labs, Rottweiler, Border Collie, jrts and later 2x LabxGSD but no one person walked them all. They did go out together but always with at least 2 people. We won't have so many again, for a number of reasons. We walk 4 Labs together, usually 2, sometimes 3 people.
 
I found three a good number but there were two humans pitching in and there were two distinct life stages involved. It was never necessary to walk all three together and the retirees were company for each other while the youngster got the more intense input. I did walk the sibes together in their youth - 2 x 27kg-ish at their heaviest, attached to me with a waist belt and harnesses.

If I had wanted to get back into the sport I used to do with them then you'd end up with at least four just as a replacement rate, it's very easy to accumulate dogs in working/sports households. I had an unintentional gap once and didn't know what to do with myself that year.
 
We have four. Rew is my house dog, the other three are OH’s gun dogs. I walk them around at home but these days wouldn’t take them all out together. This is not because they’re an issue, it’s because of two things - I don’t enjoy walking them en masse, and we moved to an area which whilst still on Dartmoor and rural sees a lot more ‘town’ type dogs and owners ie dogs that scare me witless, or multiple dogs on multiple extendable leads.
 
bonny said:
I think most dog walkers are offered more dogs than they can take on so they can pick and choose which ones to have as customers. There are lots of dog walkers wherever I walk round here and they never seem to have a problem with their charges. Most of them have 5 or 6 at a time but they seem to bond well and get on well with their walking buddies. I always assumed the walkers turn down dogs that don’t fit in with the others.
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Exactly. I’m very choosy. Don’t do big dogs for a reason (my own dog is small), and I don’t do individual walks.
 
There's a local man who has around 25 or so labs and a few spaniels that I very occasionally see (I strongly suspect they're gundogs). They usually walk on the heathland early morning or late evening.

They are all under total control from what I've seen. They stay in a pack around him, they do not approach other dogs/ walkers/ horse riders etc. If he calls, they all bunch in to him immediately. This is obviously a group of dogs that have the right breeding and training from a very early age, but obviously most pet dogs that pro walkers take on aren't going to be any where near under level of off lead control.
 
HobleytheTB said:
There's a local man who has around 25 or so labs and a few spaniels that I very occasionally see (I strongly suspect they're gundogs). They usually walk on the heathland early morning or late evening.

They are all under total control from what I've seen. They stay in a pack around him, they do not approach other dogs/ walkers/ horse riders etc. If he calls, they all bunch in to him immediately. This is obviously a group of dogs that have the right breeding and training from a very early age, but obviously most pet dogs that pro walkers take on aren't going to be any where near under level of off lead control.
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There’s a good gun dog trainer locally to me. He has his own land and secure fields to train on but I’ve seen him whilst riding past and here at the farm picking up. It’s amazing. They are so totally focused on him. I’d be happy to meet him out with however many dogs. Incredible!
 
Dog walkers is a discussion we have had in the context of getting older and not at some point being able to give enough exercise .
I would trust the lady I know to walk my dogs but would not want them walked in a mixed group .
I can see myself in the future needing a dog walker .
 
I have two GSDs that I walk together on the shooting estate where we live. I also often take a collie or two as well. It’s a very quiet rural area. If I meet friends with their dogs in a busier setting such as the beach or woods then I only take one GSD. I enjoy being able to concentrate entirely on one.
Hubby has 11 working sheepdogs at various stages of training/work. They never go for recreational walks away from home and they are exercised in small groups rather than all at once, unless they are just out for a run about in the area immediately around our cottage.
 
I’m happy to walk our 4 collies out wherever, they all have good recall and heel when needed. Or take 2 out with me with the horses hacking. They don’t really pay any attention to other dogs apart from a cursory sniff if one comes right up. Currently have my mums 2 staying as well and only walk the 6 together round the fields at home as hers can be a bit more easily distracted. If my sister comes then the 6 plus her spaniel between the two of us is ok as one person to keep eyes on dogs if the other is occupied poo picking or otherwise!
 
This thread has been an education for me. I've never used a dog walker but I had this naive belief that they only walked dogs belonging to the same owner. I thought dog walkers must be super fit doing multiple walks each day, but apparently thats not how it works. . It's a pretty good hourly rate if it includes 7 or 8 dogs at a time, although collecting them all must be time consuming. How long do the dogs have to be in the van ?
As a dog owner, I now know what questions to ask. A shared walk with one other regular dog would be fine, but a changing mix of multiple dogs would be a no no.
 
Honey08 said:
May I ask why you don’t do individual walks?
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I'm assuming it's not as financially viable as walking more dogs. I.e. say a dog walker charges £10 per dog per walk, and normally takes 3 dogs, it isn't really worth walking 1 dog even if the owner pays extra (say £20), particularly if they have a waiting list. Or, the dog walker may find it hard to fit in a solo walk whilst also walking existing client dogs and/ or may want the flexibility to be able to walk their own dog at the same time.
 
Honey08 said:
May I ask why you don’t do individual walks?
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I used to do individual walks for those dogs that needed it, as well as my group walks ( that was prior to COVID ). But COVID made me reevaluate. I was always completely knackered and was starting to not enjoy it. So I now only do two walks a day (as opposed to four), and no longer do the two dogs that needed to be walked individually.
 
Our dogs all get free running together twice a day, we have 7 working collies and a lurcher, they get loose running on the estate where there is no chance of meeting other dogs.
The lurcher comes out and about and on holiday and if we have a pup working dog that comes out and about too.
They are a pack though although when out and about 4 or 5 of them play constantly, one very much does her own mooching, the youngest one currently just over a year old is faffing around our feet or plays with the lurcher at the end of a walk and the lurcher does her own thing till the end of the walk too.
Its too many to take to a public place, far too many and the working dogs don't have pet dog manners with people, they jump up for example and think everyone is their best friend.
 
I wanted to add when I was dog walking I would take 2 clients JRT and my own lurcher, we would road walk on the leads as the JRT were not great if we saw other digs, big digs would go one at a time and small dogs in 2 but only if they were from the same household, digs were walked on lead on roads to secure private fields I was the only person who had permission to use.
The risk from other people's dogs was always first in my mind.
 
As far as how many dogs I would have - 2 max. This is because as a family we have 2 more - one with son and one with daughter. Holidays and busy days we help each other out. All dogs are terrier types. Sons dog doesn't come very often and is actually related to my JRT. Daughters dog comes at least once a week and stays fairly often overnight or when she goes away. If I go away daughter and dog stay here as there's more room and less neighbours for the barking!

We rarely walk all 4 but if we do there will be at least 2 people sometimes 3 to supervise on or off lead. I do know when the three usual ones go out if one reacts to a dog ( usually daughters dog) my boy will then wade in with my peace loving friendly girl shouting encouragement. It happened once - never again. No harm was done it was just horrible noise and they were picked up and taken away and massive apologies made. One of the 2 reactive ones will be onlead at any time which seems to stop the pack mentality starting. They all weight less than 6kg but the 3 of them could likely do some damage if they were allowed/chose. I consider my dogs to be well trained and friendly - but 3 is a pack.
 
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