How to Advertise Dog Walking

Co-authored by David Levin

Last Updated: August 10, 2021 References

In order for your small business to stand out amongst the competition, you must learn how to market it effectively. An effective advertisement grabs customers' attention and has them contacting you for your business. While there are several different ways to get the word out about your dog walking business, it helps to utilize a variety of advertising techniques targeted towards different customers.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using the Internet to Advertise

1
Post ads on the internet. You could try posting your advertisements on Craigslist or another website like MerchantCircle, GoogleMaps, or PetSitter.com. You can post ads by creating an online account, which allows you to revise or edit any online ads you post. If you post an ad without an account, it is more difficult to manage your personalized ads. Include a small paragraph of information about yourself to let new customers know your background and love for animals. State in your ad how long you have been doing this type of work, and why they should choose your services over another dog walking service.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- Make your listing stand out from others. You can accomplish this in many different ways. One way is to capitalize important words and frame these words with asterisks. Use a catchy headline to grab the reader's attention. A good example would be, "New Customers RECEIVE 50 PERCENT off DOG WALKING Services."
- Repost your ad every two days. Craigslist has rules and regulations to keep spam posts limited. This is why you are advised to post only once every two days.
- If you are underage, you might want to have a parent or trusted adult answer the replies so that they can talk to the person and decide if it is safe for you or not.
2
Make variations of your ad. Change your advertisement up by adding different worded ads to attract different kinds of customers. Keep specific types of customers in mind as you design different ads targeted towards different people.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- For example, make ads for new customers, different ads for returning customers, and ads for people with more than one dog.
- Be sure to edit your ads for different target audiences. If you are writing an advertisement for PetSitter.com, you might want to emphasize your diverse pet watching skills, rather than just mentioning dog walking. If you are writing an advertisement for customers for with more than one pet, you should consider offering a discount.
Advertisement
3
Make yourself a website to advertise your services. The website is a great way to showcase your pet-loving nature and walking/pet care service. Describe yourself and let potential dog owners get to know you. You should also upload a picture of yourself and several of you with some furry companions to show how much you love animals.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Make sure to include some information about yourself like, “Hi, my name is Joe. I am 14 years old and I love taking care of my family's black lab, Buddy. I have been taking care of Buddy and taking him on walks for several years. I would love to share my love for animals with you and your family by being hired to walk your dog.”
- Optimize your website to local search results. This Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be time consuming, but it guarantees that your website will be shown higher in the organic search results when someone searches for your targeted keywords.
EXPERT TIP

David Levin
Professional Dog Walker
David Levin is the Owner of Citizen Hound, a professional dog walking business based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 9 years of professional dog walking and training experience, David's business has been voted the "Best Dog Walker SF" by Beast of the Bay for 2019, 2018, and 2017. Citizen Hound has also been ranked #1 Dog Walker by the SF Examiner and A-List in 2017, 2016, 2015. Citizen Hound prides themselves on their customer service, care, skill, and reputation.

David Levin
Professional Dog Walker

Make sure your website emphasizes the qualities that make you a good dog trainer, like being patient. When you're working with dogs, patience isn't just a virtue, it's a requirement. Communication isn't as simple as when you're working with humans, and it can take a while to reach your long term goals. However, you have to be patient with people, as well, because every dog you're going to work with will have a human.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Print Sources to Advertise

1
Call your local newspaper. Ask for the "classifieds" advertising department and place a classified ad in the services advertising section of the newspaper. Depending on how much money you want to spend on your ad, you can have a large or a small ad; however, the key component to attracting customers is to make your ad short, concise, and catchy in order to grab the attention of potential customers.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- A good example of a successful ad would be, "Have a dog? Need your dog walked? Call xxx-xxxx for fast, reliable, low-cost dog walking services."
- Run the ad for at least a few months. This is the length of time it usually takes to attract customers.
- Depending on how large your newspaper ad is, the cost could get very expensive. However, if you choose a small ad size, you can probably spend less than $40 – depending on how widely distributed your newspaper is.^{[5]
  X
  Research source}
- Switch your ads every couple of weeks. Run varying ads to attract different customers. Check to see when there is a correlation between ads and customers.
- Once you determine which ad is more successful at attracting customers, use the remaining time you have left for the newspaper ad to post this particular ad.
2
Use your computer to create a flyer. Make a hand-bill or flyer as an ad that you will post, hand-out, and place around town. This is a great way to increase visibility and get new clients.
- Include your name, your phone number or email address, and a brief introduction. You could even include a picture of yourself walking a dog.
- Make different sized ads. Use bright colored paper to catch the attention of onlookers.
- You can also create simple tear-off flyers that include your advertisement at the top, with your phone number on little strips at the bottom that people can rip off to take home with them.
3
Post your flyers around town. You can create small flyers and hang ads on street-light poles facing traffic. You can also post these ads on the windshield wiper blades of cars in parking lots, though this is intrusive and not allowed everywhere. In order to reach your target customer base, it might be a good idea to visit pet store parking lots and veterinarian offices.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- Go inside these places of business and ask if they have a bulletin board for professional services. Place one of your ads on this bulletin board.
- Keep in mind that not all places will allow you to post flyers. So be careful not to break any rules by checking ahead of time.
- Try posting flyers near the mailboxes at apartment residences.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Word of Mouth to Advertise

1
Ask your parents to put the word out. Your parents can be a great asset for you in advertising your dog walking business. Ask them to tell their friends, colleagues, and acquaintances that you are trying to make money by walking dogs so that they can see if anyone is interested.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- Ask your parents to say something like, “My daughter has started a dog walking business. I know that your family has a dog. Would you be interested in hiring her to walk your pet a few times a week?”
- Your parents probably have a much bigger network than you have of people they know, so this is a great situation for you to take advantage of.
- You should also ask other family members if they need their dog walked or if they know of anyone who might be interested in your dog walking services.
2
Tell your friends. Ask your friends if they would be interested in hiring you to walk their dog. Maybe their family or someone they know has a dog that needs walking too. ^{[8]
X
Research source}
- Working for your friends can be complicated sometimes, so make sure you establish clear guidelines about what you both expect from the situation – how much money they will pay you and how long or how frequently you will walk the dog.
3
Let your community know. There are people you interact with every day who would benefit from your services as a dog walker. You need to find them and let them know you are available. Network within your existing community because people are usually more willing to hire people they already know and trust.^{[9]
X
Trustworthy Source
Harvard Business Review
Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices
Go to source}
- This means talking to your teachers at school, members of your church, your neighbors, or even family friends.
4
Ask your veterinarian to recommend you. If you have a good relationship with your pet's veterinarian (or a family friend who is a veterinarian), ask them to recommend you to their clients. This would be a great (and safer) way to get the word out to fellow pet owners.
- You could even ask if you could hang one of your flyers in the vet's office.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I advertise without giving too many of my personal details out if I am still a kid?

Community Answer

If you are worried about sharing personal information, consider using an email address for your business contacts. That way, you won't be giving out your phone number or home address.
Question

I'm 11 and I need to prove to my parents I'm responsible. I made flyers for dog walking, but I'm worried no one will hire me cause I'm a kid. How could they trust me?

Community Answer

Convince your parents first. Then you just have to convince one potential customer at a time. Maybe one your parents have said it's okay, they could refer you to someone they know who needs a dog walker. If you do well, maybe that person will recommend you to someone they know, and so on. A little positive word-of-mouth is all that's needed in your case.
Question

Is it a good idea to have a partner in a dog walking business?

Community Answer

Definitely. It's almost always nice to have a partner to share work responsibilities with, especially if you have enough business to keep you both busy.