How to Vet a Dog Walker: 12 Questions + Red Flags Checklist [2026]

Vetting a dog walker takes about 60 minutes done right and protects against the most costly downside: a missing dog, a serious injury during a walk, or a stranger with a key to your home. This guide is the 12-question framework, the insurance + certification verification walkthrough, the red flags that disqualify candidates outright, and a first-week trust test before committing to a recurring schedule.

VETTING FRAMEWORK
7 steps in order

Confirm $1M liability insurance: certificate available

Verify criminal background check: national level, clean record

Ask 12 specific questions: handling, emergencies, experience

Call 2-3 client references: specific questions, not just "are they good"

In-home meet-and-greet: observe dog reaction + walker handling

Paid trial walk: single 30-min, GPS + photo verification

First-week trust test: 3 walks across the week before locking in

Already shortlisting providers? Cross-reference our roundup of the best dog walking services and budget with how much a dog walker costs.

For more walker guidance, see our dog walking hub.

For a deeper dive, see our guide to how much to charge for dog walking: a pricing guide.

A good walker should follow solid safety habits. Our dog walking safety tips list the practices to look for when you vet a candidate.

The same vetting instincts apply when you need overnight help. Here is how to find a trustworthy dog sitter.

Since Wag matches you with a nearby walker, it helps to understand how safe Wag is first.

12 questions to ask

# | Question | Red flag answer
1 | Do you carry $1M general liability insurance? Can I see the certificate? | "I'm covered" without specifics, refuses to share cert
2 | Have you passed a national criminal background check? | "It's clean" without offering proof, vague timing
3 | Do you have pet first aid or CPR certification? | "I know basic stuff" without naming a cert
4 | How long have you been walking dogs professionally? | Under 6 months and no other pet care background
5 | How many dogs per day, max group size? | Over 15 dogs/day or group walks over 4 dogs
6 | What's your protocol if my dog has a medical emergency? | No clear plan, no named vet partner
7 | Can I contact 2-3 client references? | "They're private," "I'll send later," no follow-through
8 | Do you provide GPS-tracked walks with photos? | No, or "sometimes" without consistency
9 | What's your key handling protocol? | No documented process, mixes keys with personal items
10 | How do you handle reactive dogs on walks? | "I just keep walking" without de-escalation plan
11 | Cancellation policy + backup if you're sick? | No written policy, no backup walker arranged
12 | Ever lost a dog or had a serious incident? | Evasive answer, blames previous owner, no learning shared

How to actually verify insurance + cert

Insurance: Walker emails Certificate of Insurance (COI). COI lists insurer + policy # + coverage amount ($1M GL minimum) + policy dates + named insured. Call the insurance company listed on the COI and confirm the policy is currently active. Takes 5 minutes; walkers expect this.

Background check: Walker provides a copy of their most recent national criminal background check (under 12 months old) from a service like Checkr, GoodHire, or Sterling. Some walkers use NAPPS or Pet Sitters International background verification, which can be confirmed with those orgs.

Pet first aid cert: Walker provides cert number or photo of cert card. Call the issuing org (PetTech, Red Cross, ProPetHero) to confirm active certification + walker as named holder. Most certs valid 2 years.

Business registration: Walker's business should be registered in your state (LLC or sole proprietorship). Look up on Secretary of State website, public information, takes 60 seconds.

Red flags that disqualify on the spot

Refuses a free meet-and-greet

Won't provide insurance certificate within 24 hours of request

Vague about background check or certification details

No references available, or refers to "private" clients only

All-positive reviews online (looks artificial or pay-to-play)

Pushy hard-sell at first call with limited-time pressure

Requires large upfront deposit before any service

No written service agreement or contract

No GPS tracking on walks

Rotating-walker policy (different person each visit)

Can't articulate medical emergency protocol

History of pet incidents they're evasive about

First-week trust test

Day 1: Paid 30-min trial walk, you home. Observe arrival timing, dog handling, leash technique, departure. Check the walker's body language with your dog.

Day 3-4: 30-min walk, you at work. Verify: GPS routes match advertised distance, photo update arrives within 5 minutes of walk end, dog returns happy not stressed.

Day 6-7: Extended 60-min walk. Verify: walker handles longer walks well, no signs of rushing, dog still positively engaged at pickup.

If all three pass without flags, lock in the recurring schedule. If any flag rises, choose another walker. The 60-90 minutes of vetting upfront prevents months of low-grade anxiety or a costly incident.

Bonded vs insured: they are not the same thing

Owners often hear "bonded and insured" and treat it as one credential. It is two, and they protect against different disasters. You want both.

Protection | What it covers | The disaster it prevents
General liability insurance | Damage or injury during the job: your dog bites someone, injures another dog, damages property, or is hurt on the walk | A vet bill or lawsuit landing on you
Bonding (dishonesty bond) | Theft by the walker or their staff from your home, yard, vehicle, or shed | A walker with a key stealing cash, jewelry, or electronics

Insurance pays when something goes wrong with the work. A bond pays when the person is dishonest. Since a dog walker frequently holds a key to your home, the bond is not a nice-to-have. Ask for proof of both, and remember that "I'm covered" is not proof. The minimum to require is a $1M general liability policy plus a dishonesty bond, with certificates you can verify by calling the issuer.

Certifications and memberships worth asking about

None of these are legally mandatory to walk dogs in the US, which is exactly why they signal a professional who chose to invest in the craft. Knowing what each one actually means stops you from being impressed by a meaningless badge.

Pet first aid and CPR certification. The most useful single credential. The American Red Cross offers a short online cat-and-dog first aid course, and providers like Pro Pet Hero and ProTrainings issue professional-grade certs valid about two years. Confirm the cert is current, not from five years ago.

NAPPS (National Association of Professional Pet Sitters). A nonprofit membership association, around $135/year, that provides resources and access to insurance. Membership signals professional intent, not a skills exam.

Pet Sitters International (PSI). An educational association, not an insurer. PSI does not sell insurance directly but flags on member profiles whether a business is insured, bonded, background-checked, and first-aid trained. Useful as a verification layer.

The takeaway: treat memberships as evidence of seriousness, and treat the pet first aid cert as the one to actually verify, because it is the credential that matters in the moment a dog chokes, overheats, or is hit by a car.

GPS tracking and report-card apps: what good looks like

A professional walker in 2026 should give you a digital record of every walk, not a "yep, all good" text. The standard tools to expect are GPS-tracked route maps, time-stamped start and end times, a photo or two from the walk, and notes on potty, water, and behavior. Software like Time To Pet, Scout, and the built-in tracking on platforms like Rover and Wag produce these report cards automatically.

What separates a real system from a token gesture:

The GPS route matches the advertised distance and duration. A "30-minute walk" that shows a 6-minute loop is the single clearest red flag this section exists to catch.

The photo and report arrive promptly, within a few minutes of the walk ending, not batched hours later.

The notes are specific (peed twice, drank water, met a friendly lab) rather than copy-paste boilerplate.

If a walker cannot or will not provide GPS-verified report cards, you lose your only objective check on whether the service you paid for actually happened. For budgeting context once you have a shortlist, see how much a dog walker costs.

Background checks: what to require and how to confirm

A criminal background check is non-negotiable for someone holding your key. Ask for a national-level check completed within the last 12 months from a recognized service such as Checkr, GoodHire, or Sterling. Walkers who run their business through NAPPS or a marketplace platform often have a background verification you can confirm with that organization directly.

The verification itself takes minutes: the walker provides the report or the verifying organization's confirmation, and you check the date is recent and the result is clean. Vague answers ("it's clean, trust me"), refusals to share, or checks that are years old all belong in the disqualify column.

Frequently asked questions

What questions should I ask a dog walker?

12 essentials covering insurance, background check, pet first aid cert, experience, emergency protocol, references, GPS tracking, key handling, reactive-dog handling, cancellation/backup, past incidents.

How do I verify insurance?

Ask for Certificate of Insurance (COI). Should list insurer, policy #, $1M+ coverage, current dates, named insured. CALL the insurance company to confirm policy is active. 5 minutes.

What are red flags?

Refuses meet-and-greet, no insurance cert, vague background check, no references, all-positive reviews, pushy hard-sell, large upfront deposit, no written agreement, no GPS, rotating walkers, vague emergency protocol.

Meet-and-greet required?

Yes always. Reveals walker-dog dynamics, handling, professionalism in person. Free 15-20 min standard. Walker who charges or refuses is disqualified.

How to check references?

Ask for 2-3 current clients. Call each and ask: how long used, ever had incident, communication quality, ever no-show, would you trust with key access, anything you wish you'd known. Like vetting childcare.

First-week trust test?

3 walks: Day 1 trial walk you home, Day 3-4 walk you at work (verify GPS + photo), Day 6-7 extended walk. All pass = lock recurring. Any flag = choose another walker.

Verify pet first aid cert?

Walker provides cert number or photo. Call issuing org (PetTech, Red Cross, ProPetHero) to confirm active + walker as named holder. Most valid 2 years.

Trust Rover walker?

Generally yes with verification. Read 50+ reviews on specific walker, check for negative reports, request additional credentials beyond Rover requirements, in-person meet-and-greet. Rover vetting is baseline not complete.

What is the difference between a bonded and an insured dog walker?

Insurance covers damage or injury during the job, such as your dog biting someone or being hurt on a walk. A bond covers theft by the walker from your home. Since walkers often hold a house key, require both, not just one.

Does a dog walker need to be certified?

No certification is legally required in the US, which is why voluntary credentials matter as a professionalism signal. The most valuable one to verify is a current pet first aid and CPR certification, since it is what counts in an actual emergency.

How can I tell a GPS-tracked walk is real and not faked?

Check that the route map's distance and duration match what you paid for, that the photo and report card arrive within a few minutes of the walk ending, and that the notes are specific to your dog rather than generic boilerplate. A short loop logged as a 30-minute walk is the giveaway.

METHODOLOGY
Vetting framework synthesized from Pet Sitters International + NAPPS professional standards, partner provider intake protocols, and our pet transport vetting playbook. Refreshed annually.