It is very important that your dog gets the right amount of exercise in order for him to stay physically and mentally healthy. Often this means that a dog should be walked for at least a ½ hour or 45 minutes per day. Without this amount of regular exercise your dog could become tense or mischievous and look for ways to dispel his energies.
If you do not have time to walk your dog then you may want to hire professional dog walkers to provide this service for your dog. Simply put, dog walkers come to your home are specified hours of the day and take your dog for his required walk. Sometimes a dog walker will take your dog to a dog park to let him run off his excess energy.
Often, also, a dog walking service will take several dogs walking at the same time. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as your dog learns to get along and socialize with other dogs at the same time. It can be seen as your dog having a good time during his daily walking sessions.
Similarly, if your dog is left alone a great deal of time while you are working, you may want to hire a dog sitter to keep your dog company. A dog sitter can be hired for a dog as a daytime companion. The main object is companionship for your dog while you are away.
The dog sitting service you choose should be committed to spending quality time with your dog walking them, playing with them, petting them and nurturing them—not simply being there in presence. Of course dog sitters will also feed you dog for you, if required. Some dog sitting services will also ‘sit’ with your dog for overnight or longer in your home if you need to go away.
You can hire someone you know, or someone who has advertised in the newspaper to perform these tasks but there are also many very good professional walkers and dog sitters. When checking out which service you may wish to use, check to see that they are bonded and insured. Try to get references, and follow up on the references to make sure the person or service is reliable. Also, if possible, interview the person who will be staying with your dog. Make sure that the person and your dog are compatible. Check out the credentials of the person or service too. Many are also trained in first aid for dogs.