Dog Walking explained
Dog Walking is when a Dog Walker will come to your house to walk your dog in your neighbourhood. Your dog should already be wearing ID tags on a collar, and or harness, and head halter if they are a stronger or larger dog, and you will provide a strong leash with sufficient dog waste bags attached. Dog Walkers are not permitted to go to dog parks or let your dog off the leash in a public area as they are a hot spot for dog fights - as advised by the RSPCA and are high risk.
Book Dog Walking
You can book 12 recurring weeks of Dog Walking by posting a job on PetCloud: https://www.petcloud.com.au/guest/post-a-job
As per Platform Terms: A minimum 12 week term applies to all Flexi-schedule Dog Walks and Day Care. Once off Dog Walking is not available to guarantee placement for pets who need weekly service. All payments are made via PetCloud.
Duration: Duration can be 1 hour or 30 mins. They can be a group walk of 3 dogs, or a private walk.
Walk Duration for Different Breeds:
High-Energy Breeds: Dogs such as Border Collies, Labrador Retrievers, and Siberian Huskies typically require 1 - 2hrs of exercise per day. This can include brisk walks, running, or engaging in dog sports.
Medium-Energy Breeds: Breeds like Terriers and Scent Hounds need around 1hr - 1.5hrs minutes of exercise, daily. Activities can include walks, play sessions, and interactive games.
Low-Energy Breeds: Brachycephalic Breeds like Pugs, Boston Terriers, French bulldogs, Bulldogs or Basset Hounds may be content with 30 to 45 minutes of gentle exercise each day, such as leisurely walks and light play.
Walk Duration for Flat Nosed Dogs:
Brachycephalic breeds include; Pugs, Pekingese, French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, Boxers, Shih tzus, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Cavoodles.
Brachycephalic breed dogs should not be walked less, but they may need slower 1hr sniffari walks or twice daily 30 min short walks.
Walk Duration for Puppies:
Young dogs have developing bones and joints, so it’s important to avoid over-exercising. A common recommendation is 5 minutes of exercise per month of age, up to twice a day.
For example, a 4-month-old puppy would benefit from 20 minutes of exercise twice daily.
Walk Duration for Senior Dogs:
Senior dogs should not be walked less, but they may need slower 1hr sniffari walks or twice daily 30 min short walks. Dogs are considered senior in the following categories;
- Tiny <10kg dogs over the age of 8;
- Small 10-25kg dogs over the age of 7;
- Medium 25-40kg dogs over the age of 6;
- Large >40kg dogs over the age of 5;
Walk Pre-existing Medical Conditions:
Any injury, illness, behavioural problem (such as being reactive), issue, sign or symptom, hereditary or congenital conditions. You need to disclose this to the dog walker prior to walking and we advise putting this in writing in messaging on the PetCloud platform. This includes disclosing whether your dog is female, not desexed, and is on heat (having a menstrual cycle bleed) - dog walkers are not legally allowed to walk dogs on heat (as this is a public health and safety issue).
Avoiding heatstroke:
In hotter seasons of Australia, dog walkers booked through PetCloud are advised to only walk your dog in the cool of the early morning from roughly 6:00 - 10:00, or late afternoon/ evening 4:00pm to 7:00pm to avoid heatstroke and burnt paws. You and the dog walker need to decide on what hour of the day is best depending on the season of year (spring, summer, autumn, winter) and location of where you live, whether you live in a hotter climate (towns like Bundaberg) or cooler climate (towns like Bundanoon in the Southern highlands).
Hydration:
Your dog must have access to fresh water before, during, and after exercise.