Hi everyone!
I'm new here, so I hope I'm posting in the right place!
I've been running my dog walking business for about 9 months now, and it's going well so far!
However, I could use your advice please! Either from dog walkers or those of you who book dog walkers yourselves!
I live in a city, and all of my dog walking and visits are done on foot, with walks done around the neighbourhood parks. I walk dogs solo or in pairs, usually for around 30 minutes each. (Though some are 1 hour). My initial clients asked for specific pickup times, and so I've been doing that for them ever since.
However, I'm now finding that this makes it difficult as I take on more clients. I'm also finding that I have awkward gaps where I'll finish one booking and not have another for 30-60 minutes, which leaves me unable to use my time efficiently.
What would you recommend I do, moving forward?
I'd considered setting time "windows" for pickup (for instance, between 11.30 and 1.30 for lunchtime walks, etc.), but I don't know if this will work. Most of the dogs in my area are toy/small breeds, and I'm concerned that giving a 2-hour time window for pick-up might not be feasible, since they may not be able to go much longer than 4 hours at a time without being taken out to relieve themselves?
TLDR: How do I "stack" daily dog walking and pet visits in a flexible yet fair way?!
I'm new here, so I hope I'm posting in the right place!
I've been running my dog walking business for about 9 months now, and it's going well so far!
However, I could use your advice please! Either from dog walkers or those of you who book dog walkers yourselves!
I live in a city, and all of my dog walking and visits are done on foot, with walks done around the neighbourhood parks. I walk dogs solo or in pairs, usually for around 30 minutes each. (Though some are 1 hour). My initial clients asked for specific pickup times, and so I've been doing that for them ever since.
However, I'm now finding that this makes it difficult as I take on more clients. I'm also finding that I have awkward gaps where I'll finish one booking and not have another for 30-60 minutes, which leaves me unable to use my time efficiently.
What would you recommend I do, moving forward?
I'd considered setting time "windows" for pickup (for instance, between 11.30 and 1.30 for lunchtime walks, etc.), but I don't know if this will work. Most of the dogs in my area are toy/small breeds, and I'm concerned that giving a 2-hour time window for pick-up might not be feasible, since they may not be able to go much longer than 4 hours at a time without being taken out to relieve themselves?
TLDR: How do I "stack" daily dog walking and pet visits in a flexible yet fair way?!