What type of dog Walk is best for your four-legged friend?
Most dog walkers offer group walks, solo walks, or both. Both types of walks have benefits.
When selecting the dog walker who will look after your dog and become a friend, choosing the right person and the correct type of Walk is essential. Below are a few benefits of both one-on-one walks and group walks.
One 2 One solo dog walks.
Obviously, the best benefit of choosing someone who does one-on-one solo dog walks is that your dog will receive their full attention. This means the Walk can be designed around your dog and anything it requires.
As a result of 2 one dog walks, the journey to the park will not be interrupted by having to stop and collect other dogs, etc. One-to-one dog walks can be anything from a calm and slow walk going at the dogs’ pace for 15 minutes to brain work in the garden, which is suitable for older dogs, or enriched walks with lots of brain work for active and energetic dogs.
Shy, nervous, or reactive dogs also benefit greatly from a solo walk as they won’t have to put up with other dogs in the walking group. The professional dog walker can tailor where the dogs get to minimise stress and trigger stacking.
Solo dog walks are also suitable for dogs with health issues, such as back or hip problems, who are not allowed to play in the same way as the other dogs in the group.
With one-on-one walks, you can be assured that your dog walker will get to know your dog much better than they would in a group walk. As a result, they will be in a position to help with training walks and spend that extra tie stopping the pulling on a lead, etc.
You should be conscious of a dog walker’s ability to handle multiple dogs on leads at the same time. You may not want to take the chance of them losing control. If your dog tends to dart off at inappropriate times, a solo dog walk is probably best.
A standard Group dog walk
This is probably one of the most common services that dog walkers provide. It is also cheaper than solo dog walks for apparent reasons; however, they have their place and benefits like solo dog walks.
One of the apparent benefits is socialising. This makes them ideal for calm, relaxed, and very social dogs. Group walks are probably a better option as they provide more opportunities for your dog to socialise and are certainly the way forward for you.
Group walks also allow them to explore areas with their lunchtime buddies, and any dogs love this. When looking at group walks, it is essential to ensure that your dog has all his vaccinations and that the group they are walking with suits them. It is important to remember that fights can break out if the dog walker doesn’t know how to introduce and match dogs correctly.
At Finchley Dog Walker, we specialise in enriched solo walks and walks for the more senior dog. If you are interested in group walks, we recommend Laura of Pet Sitting Finchley.