How many dog walkers offer group walks as well as solo walks? Is it best to offer both or just take dogs from one house at a time? I was thinking probably best to stick to dogs from 1 house at a time to avoid any dog becoming aggressive with another, or maybe 2 at a time if dogs live close together and have met before and get on? Another option is take my own dog on walks when I would only have 1 dog that gets on with other dogs. I would check the owner is happy for their dog to be walked with my dog or another dog before doing this.

My dog walker does both, but mainly group walks. She works with her husband and the dogs have great fun, when My OH is off work he gatecrashes the walks

From a business perspective I can't see how one dog at a time is financially viable as most people will want the window in the middle of the day. So at one at a time you'll only ever be working about 3 hours. I guess it depends on your business plan and the income you require. But don't forget to factor in things like insurance and tax etc.

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Well income plan is quite low but obviously the more I earn the better. I'm on Job Seekers at the minute so as long as I can earn at least £60 or more a week I'm happy. This may seem low but its what I'm on now but only difference will be I'll actually be doing something to get money and have chance of earning more. Does anyone know if anyone who does dog walking/pet sitting in Rotherham area is actually doing well with it I mean earning £60 or more a week and how long they been doing it?

Obviously I'm not hoping to do this just for the money I do love dogs and know a bit about them.

I offer both, but if someone wants group walks I tend to get to know the dog first on a 1-1 basis and then I will walk it with one of my dogs who is fine with everything. I will then decide which dogs it would fit well with and introduce it - however when I say 'group' walks I tend to walk 2 customers dogs together, maximum 3 and am not one of those walkers you see out with huge packs of dogs...
Good luck setting up, I love my job and even though it is cold this week I just tell myself 'Yes, you might be cold but you could be sat in an office nice and warm but bored out of your mind' and then suddenly the cold doesn't matter

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I was thinking 2 or maybe 3 maximum dogs. Not sure I'd be comfortable with 3 at once straight away, fine if they all walk well and get on but what if one starts being aggressive towards the others? Least with 2 on lead you can have some chance of keeping them apart on lead (one lead in each hand) with 3 it will be harder. I've thought about this a while now so its not something I'll start then give up. I think to start with I'll stick to 2 dogs then if I feel I can manage 3 I'll give that a go.

Don't rush to do group walks - get to know the dogs individually first. It's also much easier to assess their level of recall and training. When you are just walking 1 dog you can do basic training which will help with bonding and therefore recall. Once you are confident about that dog then you can walk it with your own or one belonging to another customer if the customers agree.

I originally only offered 1-2-1 walks as I thought that it was better to give attention to each dog individually but when one of my customers moved it made sense to take out her dog with another dog who lived 2 streets away and it actually was for the dogs too. Unless there is a particular reason for them being walked alone I now only offer group walks.

Sorry, but your answer is showing your lack of knowledge and experience with dogs. You won't be able manage two ready to fight dogs only because you will hold leads in both hands. And another thing, before you start walk dogs, for peace of mind, you should know how to break a fight or what not to do when dogs start to fight.
You have to know how to introduce dogs to each other, how to manage them. As i said many times, dog walking isn't that easy as everybody thinks.

I know I need to know how to deal with any situation I may be in and I'm not saying I know everything about it, but how is anyone supposed to know without being told or getting experience? The reason for me asking questions is so I can lea\rn more before I start and I will do voluntary work at a dogs home walking dogs before starting. Its not like I'm starting up without knowing everything.

I do understand but reading how and dealing with are two different things.
Aggression is not easy to handle, you need a lot hands on experience and that isn't nice. I had aggressive dog for many years, I went through many dogs fights , of course I'm, not saying that you should get that kind of dog.
As a dog walker you should be insured and if dog fight will happen you will have peace of mind that you will have money to cover any damages. I the other hand, you don't need a fight or aggression, dogs can hurt, and usually do, themselves during play.

I know reading how to deal with aggression and dealing with it are different but I hope to be able to avoid any aggression between dogs. Obviously there is chance of it happening when ever I take a dog out which is why I need to at least have some idea how to deal with it. I plan to do voluntary at dogs home to get some experience and deal with different dogs and get an idea of what to expect when I start a business. I'm not expecting it to be easy but I am willing to do anything I can to make it work. If or when I decide to walk 2 or 3 dogs together I will make as sure as possible that the dogs will be ok together and see if there is any sign of any getting aggressive with the other on first meet which will be with at least one if not both dog owners. If there is even the slightest sign of aggression from either dog I will not walk them together.