Manage Health and Safety in Your Dog Walking Business with Easy-to-Use Templates
Strengthen health and safety in your dog walking business with professional templates designed specifically for self-employed dog walkers and small pet care companies. Our editable health and safety documents cover dog walking risk assessments, health and safety policies, lone working procedures, vehicle safety, cleaning and hygiene, and more — all tailored to the dog walking industry. Many templates are pre-filled with relevant dog walking hazards and examples, helping you complete them quickly, save time, and stay compliant with essential health and safety requirements.
Safe Steps Forward: Navigating Health and Safety in Your Dog Walking Business
Running a dog walking business isn’t just about enjoying fresh air and wagging tails — it’s also about protecting yourself, the dogs in your care, and the public. Whether you’re self-employed or managing a small dog walking business, health and safety should always be part of your daily routine.
The Hidden Risks of Dog Walking
From unpredictable dogs and busy roads to slips, trips, and extreme weather, dog walkers face more hazards than many people realise. Walking multiple dogs at once increases risks further, while lone working can leave you vulnerable if something goes wrong. Identifying these risks early with a proper dog walking risk assessment is the first step to preventing accidents.
Health, Hygiene, and Safe Handling
Dog walkers regularly handle waste, interact with the public, and manage dogs with different temperaments. Without the right controls in place, this can lead to injuries, zoonotic illnesses, or even dog theft. A tailored health and safety policy for dog walkers ensures you’re handling animals, waste, and equipment responsibly, protecting both walkers and pets.
Why Compliance Builds Confidence
Keeping up with health and safety requirements can feel daunting, especially if you’re a sole trader or new to running a dog walking business. But having the right documents — covering dog walking risk assessments, lone working, vehicle use, and more — means you can stay compliant without reinventing the wheel each time.
Walk Safely with the Right Templates
Health and safety doesn’t have to be complicated. Our Dog Walker Health and Safety Templates give you pre-filled, easy-to-edit documents designed specifically for professional dog walkers. From risk assessments to policies, they’ll save you time, reduce stress, and help you keep your business safe, compliant, and trusted by clients.
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Lone Working & Personal Safety
Many dog walkers work alone, which increases risks if they are injured, confronted by aggressive dogs, or face theft attempts. Lone workers may also experience stress or fatigue if risks aren’t properly managed. Mitigation includes carrying a charged mobile phone, having an emergency contact system, walking in well-populated areas, and using GPS tracking where appropriate. Embedding these controls into your dog walker health and safety policy supports both personal safety and client confidence.
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Dog Behaviour & Aggression
One of the biggest risks in dog walking is unpredictable behaviour — from pulling on the lead to biting or aggressive reactions towards other dogs or people. These incidents can cause injuries to walkers, the public, or other animals, as well as reputational damage to your business. A dog walking risk assessment should include temperament checks, use of secure leads or muzzles where necessary, and limiting the number of dogs walked at once to maintain safe control.
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Road Traffic & Outdoor Hazards
Busy roads, uneven pavements, and unpredictable environments put both dogs and walkers at risk. Accidents can occur if dogs pull suddenly into traffic, or if walkers slip, trip, or fall during a walk. To reduce risks, dog walking businesses should plan safe routes, keep dogs on short leads near roads, and wear high-visibility clothing in poor light. Regularly reviewing routes as part of your dog walking health and safety procedures helps prevent accidents.
Benefits of managing health and safety yourself...
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Improve safety
Health and safety at work is about preventing accidents, incidents and ill-health by assessing the work environment, the activities within it, and taking appropriate action.
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Increase compliance
Our ready to use templates, many of which are pre-filled, will enable you to quickly increase your compliance to health and safety law.
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Save money
With health and safety consultants often charging upwards of £400 per day, there is a better way. Take control and save yourself time and money.
Compliance Hurdles for Dog Walkers
For many dog walkers and small dog walking business owners, health and safety compliance can feel like a daunting challenge. Whether managing solo walks or coordinating a small team, it’s often difficult to dedicate the time and resources needed to fully meet health and safety requirements.
While the commitment to providing a safe, professional dog walking service is always there, the practicalities — such as carrying out dog walking risk assessments, creating health and safety policies, managing lone working, ensuring vehicle safety, and handling dog waste responsibly — can be demanding. Without the right tools in place, it’s easy to overlook important details, which increases the risk of accidents, client disputes, legal issues, and reputational damage.
It’s a balancing act that highlights the critical importance of health and safety for dog walkers, no matter how small or large the business.
At easyhealthandsafety, we make compliance simple for dog walkers with ready-to-use templates and expert guidance documents — helping you stay safe, professional, and stress-free.
