What to ask every new dog walking client

A good first walk starts before you reach the door. The more you know about the dog and the owner, the safer and smoother it is for everyone. Here is what to ask every new client.

About the dog

• Name, breed and age.
• Any health problems or medication.
• How they behave with other dogs, children and strangers.
• Do they pull, jump or run off? Are they let off the lead?
• Any fears, such as traffic or fireworks.

About the walk

• How long, and how often?
• Where do you collect them, and how do you get in?
• What should happen after the walk: water, towel, treats, any food rules?

About emergencies

• Which vet do they use, and the phone number.
• A second contact if you cannot reach the owner.
• Whether you can take the dog to the vet if needed.

Collect it at booking

Asking all of this over messages is slow and things get missed. A better way is to ask the one key question when someone books. For example, a booking form can ask for "Your dog's name and anything I should know", and make it required, so you never get a booking with nothing in it.

Keep it with the booking

When the note sits with the appointment in your calendar, you see "Biscuit, nervous around bikes" right when you open the day, not buried in a chat from three weeks ago.

The takeaway

Ask the same questions every time and keep the answers where you will see them. Bookable lets dog walkers add their own question to the booking page and shows the answer with each booking.

Keep reading

• How much time do nail technicians lose to booking DMs?
• How to put a booking link in your Instagram bio