Dog Walker resume examples & templates

Dogs are man’s best friend for a reason. They are loving, loyal, and friendly. As a dog walker, you care for someone’s best friend, so you must show you are trustworthy, caring, and reliable.

You must also show your ability to handle diverse dog breeds and your expertise in dog walking.

Your clients will be looking for someone who doesn’t just meet their pets’ physical needs but also who provides companionship and safety. Your resume needs to reflect both your passion and your practical skills. Whether you’re an experienced dog walker or just getting started, this guide can help you present your qualifications in a way that stands out to both clients and pet care companies.

Resume guide for a dog walker resume

At Resume.io, we want to make creating an eye-catching resume as simple as possible. We have over 500 professions available in our resume examples section, and our resume builder can help you customize any of them. 

This guide and corresponding dog walker resume example will discuss the following sections in greater detail:

• How to write a dog walker resume
• Choosing the right resume format for dog walking
• How to add your contact information
• Using summaries
• Adding your dog walking experience
• Listing education and relevant experience
• Picking the right resume design/layout

How to write a dog walker resume

Before we jump into the specifics of crafting your dog walker resume, let’s take a look at the key sections to include. Here’s a breakdown of the essential elements every resume should feature:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

Your dog walker resume is just like that first tail wag when you meet a new pup. It’s your chance to make a great first impression. Instead of just listing your dog walking experience, however, show potential clients how excited you are to care for their furry friends. 

Start by getting to know what pets and their humans are looking for in a dog walker. Then, craft a thoughtful and enthusiastic resume that shows them how you can bring a little extra joy and care into their lives.

One way to accomplish this is by focusing on your unique selling proposition. Here are some tips to help with that:

• Emphasize tail-wagging results by adding action-packed language instead of just ticking off your dog-walking duties. Show potential clients your unique skills, the happy pups you’ve helped, and the extra wag you added to their walks.
• Think like a dog owner and customize your resume around the job requirements your clients will have. The language you choose should also match the expectations of your clients.
• Stay organized and keep the information in your resume easy to read by using a template that has clear headings and consistent formatting.
• Add appropriate keywords to help ensure ATS screening software won’t filter out your resume. We have ATS resume templates available to help with this.

How to choose the best resume format for dog walking roles

Choosing the right resume format for a dog walking role involves highlighting your experience and skills in a way that catches the eye of potential clients and employers. 

The best format option is a reverse chronological format. With this format, you’ll put your employment section at the top and detail your most recent role before working backward. You can find an example of this format below.

Another option you can choose is the functional format. With this format, you’ll focus more on your skills and educational background than you will on your employment history. This is a great option for those who are just starting in the industry or who are making a career change.

If you still aren’t certain which resume template will work best for your resume, be sure to check out our resume builder. We have numerous formats to choose from in our resume examples section.

Tips for including your contact information

One of the most important elements all your clients will need to know is how to reach you. This is where your resume header comes into play. The header is the section at the very top of your resume that details all of your contact information.

However, just having your contact information on your resume isn’t enough. You need to also format the information correctly.

• Full name & title. Make it easy for a client or potential employer to find your name by making it the largest item in your header.
• Professional email address. A professional email, such as firstname.lastname@ gmail.com is typically preferred by employers.
• Phone number. You should include your phone number in a prominent location in your header.
• Location. Listing your city and state in your header is all you need to do. Don’t worry about adding your full address and zip code as that information is unnecessary and distracting.
• LinkedIn. While you might not have an active LinkedIn profile, it’s a good idea to at least set up a profile with relevant career information and include a link on your resume.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth: Due to age discrimination issues, adding your birth date isn’t advisable.
• Personal details: Hobbies, marital status, social security number, etc.

Writing an effective summary

Following your header, you’ll want to jump right into writing your resume summary. The goal here is to start answering some of the questions a potential client might have. 

For example, they may be wondering what dog breeds you have experience with or how you ensure the safety and well-being of the dogs you are caring for. You can put their minds at ease by addressing some of those important questions right in your summary.

Your resume summary should be short, preferably 2-3 sentences. In it, you need to formally introduce yourself and show off some of your top skills. Some ideas for what to include in your summary could be showing how you manage multiple dogs or displaying your expertise in following specific care instructions.

Ultimately, you want to start strong and catch the potential client’s attention right from the start. Here’s an example of how you might do that. “Passionate dog walker with extensive experience handling a variety of breeds and sizes, committed to providing exceptional care, safety, and companionship.”

You can find adaptable dog walker resume summary examples below:

Outline your dog walking experience: a walk well-trodden

As we mentioned earlier, it’s best to put your work experience in reverse chronological order. Starting with your most recent role, include information about each role you’ve had over the past 10-15 years. Going back further than that isn’t necessary. However, if you do have additional roles that are relevant, you can list those in the “other experience” section.

One great way to keep everything concise and easy to read is by using bullet points to draw attention to your greatest achievements. The goal here is to be specific about your accomplishments and use dynamic action verbs, such as guided, managed, monitored, controlled, trained, and nurtured.

You should also cover the duties you’ve had in your roles, but remember not to just list them. Instead, use quantifiable outcomes to show the differences you made in the lives of past clients. Here are some examples of task-related statements you should avoid when writing your dog walker resume:

• “Took dogs on daily walks and kept them safe.”
• “Gave dogs medications and talked to clients about health.”
• “Cleaned up after dogs and took multiple dogs on a walk at one time.”

While these statements may accurately describe what you did, they do little to show the impact you had on the dogs under your care. Using these statements means a client won’t be able to distinguish you from any of the other dog walkers they are considering hiring.

Instead of using vague statements like the ones above, it’s best to choose more impactful ones. When deciding what to choose, consider the results you had and the skills you used to achieve them. For example, you may have ensured safe and enjoyable experiences on walks or facilitated positive interactions and playtimes for dogs. Showing examples of what you did in each role helps to ensure a client knows what tasks you completed and the impact you had.

With this in mind, let’s look at some reworked examples of the statements above:

• "Guided over 30 dogs daily on walks, ensured safety, and reduced incidents related to behavioral issues by 20%."
• "Administered medications to up to 15 dogs daily and provided detailed health updates, leading to 25% improvement in pet health and owner satisfaction."
• "Cleaned up after dogs during walks and efficiently managed 5 dogs simultaneously, maintaining a 100% record of cleanliness and safety."

To learn more, see the dog walker employment history resume sample below:

How to write a dog walker resume with no experience

It isn’t uncommon to begin working as a dog walker without having much (or any) previous experience in the dog walking industry. If you are in this situation, you should highlight some of the transferable skills you have. Some common skills to focus on include safety awareness, problem-solving, and time management.

You should also show how your current skills make you a qualified candidate for a dog walking position. Perhaps you have experience walking your family pets or have worked in a related field. Your goal should be to show a potential client why they should choose you for their role even though you haven’t worked in the industry before.

Having no direct experience doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t suitable for the role of a dog walker. You’ll just need to work a little harder to develop a resume that shows off your skills in an impactful way.

Adding relevant key skills to make your dog walker resume effective

Along with your experience, a dog owner or pet care facility hiring manager will be most interested in learning what skills you bring to the table. But it isn’t just your specific dog walking-related skills they are interested in seeing. 

They also want to know what relevant soft skills, such as communication, organization, and reliability, you have mastered. 

Hard skills are also important. Effective dog walkers should have leash handling, first aid for pets, basic dog training, and behavior control skills they can rely on. It takes an effective mix of both your hard and soft skills to make an impactful skills section.

You’ll find several pre-written key skills in our resume builder, but you can also use some of your skills in this section.

See the table below for an example of what your dog walker skills box could look like if you use our resume template. 

The skills box is just one place to mention your skills. In reality, you should be sprinkling them in throughout your entire resume. 

For best results, use your summary and work experience section to demonstrate how you’ve used your skills. You can make those skills more credible when you give specific examples of how you’ve used them.

Some examples of demonstrating your skills in your work experience section include:

• Leash and harness skills could be demonstrated by detailing the steps you took to keep dogs safe and controlled on walks.
• You can show off your basic dog training skills by showing how you applied basic obedience commands during walks.
• Highlight your first aid skills by demonstrating how you handled minor injuries and health concerns promptly.

If you aren’t sure what skills to focus on, check out the job description for clues.

Adding your education to your dog walker resume

As a dog walker, you may not have specific training or certifications. However, the education section is a great place to talk about your training and educational background. Just as you did with the other sections of your resume, keep your education and certifications section in reverse chronological order. 

Start with your highest degree or certification, then move on to the training you’ve had. You can also talk about any relevant training you’ve had related to dog walking. For example:

• Training. If you’ve taken any training courses related to caring for dogs or dog walking, list them in this section. Eg;
  • The Dog Walking Academy by Dogbiz
• Volunteer work experience. Internships and volunteer programs, such as helping at an animal shelter, can be mentioned here.
• Organizations. List any local groups or organizations you are part of, especially if they are related to the animal care industry, like wildlife rescue organizations or humane society chapter.

If you haven’t had a lot of experience, but have been training to become a dog walker, you may want to focus on including that training first. A functional resume lists your education and training before your work history, which lets you highlight that experience.

Choosing the dog walker resume layout and design

Choosing the right resume layout and design for your dog walker resume is a lot like choosing a collar for a dog you are about to take on a walk. 

Think of your resume as your personal dog park. You want it to be inviting, easy to navigate, and highlight your best traits. Just as a collar reflects a dog’s personality, your resume should reflect your unique skills and enthusiasm for the role.

Like a well-groomed pup, your layout should be clean and organized. Be sure to use clear headings and bullet points to make your experience and skills stand out. You should also choose a font that’s easy to read and arrange sections neatly. Don’t be afraid to add a little splash of color, but do keep things professional and non-distracting.

Don’t forget to include some white space so that your resume has some room to breathe. This helps to keep things fresh and makes sure important details aren’t missed. Creating the perfect resume sometimes takes a little time, but you can use our tested resume templates to make the job a little easier.

Dog walker text-only resume example

Dog walker job market and outlook

One of the great things about becoming a professional dog walker is that you can find work in a variety of settings, such as animal shelters, pet stores, kennels, veterinary clinics, and private clients.

Overall, the job market looks good for dog walkers due to the growing demand for pet care services since more people view their pets as family members these days. Busy lifestyles and an increase in pet ownership have also contributed to the rising need for dog walking services.

For those entering the market, the flexibility of dog walking makes it an attractive option for those seeking part-time work as well as gig workers. Competition will be stronger in larger cities, but many dog walkers can find opportunities by building a loyal client base. Current data suggests a range of around $17 per hour.

Key takeaways for building a dog walker resume

On your dog walker resume, you want to show you are passionate and reliable while tailoring your resume to the job you are applying for. Use a clean and engaging layout, highlight your quantifiable achievements, and incorporate relevant keywords. Show a potential client why they should trust you with their pet!

Your job search starts with our resume builder, but don’t just stop there. At Career.io, we have 18 powerful tools that let you search for jobs, track your journey, prepare for interviews, and negotiate salaries. You’ll find an all-inclusive career toolkit at your fingertips.