The Honest Guide to Choosing a Dog Walker in North London

The dog-walking industry in the United Kingdom is essentially unregulated. Anyone can call themselves a professional dog walker, charge professional rates, and take charge of your dog with no formal qualification, no insurance, and no legal obligation to disclose either. This guide exists because that reality deserves to be stated plainly — and because the questions you ask before handing over a key matter more than most owners realise.

Why Regulation Is Essentially Absent

Unlike the childcare sector, the pet care industry in England has no mandatory registration scheme, no statutory licensing requirement (beyond the Licensing of Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963 for kennels), and no required insurance. The various voluntary accreditation bodies that exist — the National Association of Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers (NarPS), the Pet Industry Federation, and others — operate membership schemes that provide some baseline vetting, but membership is not a legal prerequisite for trading.

This is not a criticism of the many excellent, responsible dog walkers operating in North London. It is the context in which you are choosing between them.

The Five Questions to Ask Any Prospective Walker

1. Are you DBS checked?

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check reveals criminal convictions and cautions. An enhanced DBS check — the highest level, typically used for those working with children or vulnerable adults — is the appropriate standard to expect from someone who will have unsupervised access to your home, your keys, and your dog. A basic check covers less. Ask specifically for enhanced, and ask to see the certificate.

Be aware of what a DBS check does not cover: it is a point-in-time snapshot, not a continuous monitor. A clean DBS from two years ago means the person had no disclosed convictions at that time. It does not cover anything since. Nonetheless, it is a minimum, and a walker who does not have one should be asked why not.

2. What insurance do you hold?

The critical distinction in pet care insurance is between public liability (covers injury or damage to third parties caused by your dog while in the walker's care) and care, custody and control (covers injury, illness, or death of the dog while in the walker's care). A responsible professional dog walker holds both. Ask for the insurer's name, the policy number, and the cover limits. A cover limit below £1 million for public liability is inadequate for London. Ask when the policy renews and whether it is currently in force.

3. How many dogs do you walk at once?

This is the question with the most significant variance in the industry, and the one most directly relevant to your dog's experience and safety. Group walkers typically walk between four and six dogs simultaneously — in some cases more. Solo walkers take one dog at a time. The implications are discussed in detail in our separate guide on why one-to-one walking matters, but the short version is: a walker managing four dogs on busy North London streets cannot give your dog the attention that managing one dog allows.

4. What does a typical walk look like — and how will you tell me about it?

A professional dog walker should be able to describe their standard route options in detail, explain how they manage unexpected situations (a dog that slips its lead, a traffic incident, a dog fight), and explain clearly what post-walk communication you will receive. GPS tracking and a photo update after every walk is now a reasonable expectation, not a luxury. A walker who cannot describe what happens if something goes wrong is a walker who has not thought it through.

5. Can you provide references from current clients in this area?

References should be from active clients, not historical ones, and ideally from clients in your neighbourhood whose dogs use similar routes to yours. A walker who is reticent about providing references, or who provides only written testimonials rather than direct contacts, warrants further questions.

Reading Reviews Critically

Online reviews for dog walkers should be read with the same scepticism you would apply to any personal service provider. Key questions: Are the reviews from verifiable Google accounts with other review history? Are they specific about the service (routes, communication, the dog's behaviour after walks) or generic ("great service, highly recommend!")? Are there any negative reviews, and how were they responded to? A small number of genuine critical reviews that have been professionally handled is more reassuring than a suspiciously unbroken 5-star record with no detail.

What a Good Trial Walk Looks Like

Any reputable professional dog walker will offer a free or low-cost introductory meet before committing to regular walks. This meeting should happen at your home, with your dog present, and should include time for the walker and dog to interact before you discuss rates and schedules. Watch how the walker approaches your dog — is it patient, calm, and at the dog's pace, or immediately physical and over-enthusiastic? The approach to a nervous or reserved dog in the first meeting tells you more about their instincts than anything on their website.

This guide is maintained by Bramble & Hound Pet Care, Highgate N6. Last reviewed: May 2025.