Dog Walker Resume: Sample & Writing Guide [20+ Tips]

Personalize your dog walker resume sample and let the other candidates walk away with their tails between their legs.

Updated 01/10/2023

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You’ve got the dream job—hanging out with doggos and enjoying fresh air on the regular sounds like the perfect thing. Even if you also deal with picking up dog poop and calming the dogs down when they spot a squirrel at the park.

It’s understandable that dog owners might be very picky while choosing someone to take care of their pups. They want their canines to be safe, and your friendly face might not be enough to convince them.

That’s why you should write a dog walker resume. Having your experience and skills put on paper can help you win customers and gigs.

This guide will show you:

A dog walker resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
How to write a dog walker resume that will land you more interviews.
Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a dog walker resume.
How to describe your experience on a resume for a dog walker to get any job you want.

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Dog Walker Resume Sample

Floyd Martin

floyd.martin@gmail.com

323-428-3255

Objective

Patient and caring dog walker and dog sitter with 3+ years of experience with various dog breeds (incl. large dogs). Eager to join Barking Lot to take its furry clientele on long stress-relieving walks regardless of weather conditions. In previous roles handled up to 10 dogs simultaneously and cared for 2 epileptic dogs.

Work Experience

Dog Walker

Pet Care, Los Angeles, CA

2018–

Ensured dogs’ physical safety at all times and made sure that they do not endanger any other animal or human in the vicinity.
Picked up dogs from their homes and took them for engaged and attentive walks.
Followed any special instructions or limitations that dog owners provided.
Ensured that any waste on the road or sidewalk was cleaned immediately.
Provided dogs with food and water by following a schedule provided by the dog owners.

Key achievement:

Handled up to 10 dogs attached to the hip with a belt on long walks.
Walked multiple dogs 3 times a day in a variety of weather conditions, incl. rain and snow.

Dog Sitter & Walker

Woof!, Los Angeles, CA

2017–2018

Walked all entrusted dogs in a safe and timely manner.
Followed all special instructions concerning dog care.
Reported all relevant information to the owners in a timely manner.
Reported to client care or general manager after every dog pick-up and drop off.
Filled in report cards for every dog walked.
Groomed dogs (e.g. clipped nails, brushed teeth, untangled matted fur, bathed).
Stayed in owners’ house to dog sit and keep the environment safe for the animal.

Key achievement:

Kept accurate information on 50+ clients in the area.
Cared for 2 epileptic dogs. Dispensed medications and helped the dogs when seizures kicked in.

Volunteering

LA Animal Services—Volunteer since 2015

Education

Los Angeles High School, Los Angeles, CA

Graduated in 2017

Key Skills

Time management
Flexible schedule
Teamwork
Enthusiastic
Detail-oriented
Experience with dogs
Owns a car
Driving license
Physically fit
Owns a cellphone with an unlimited Internet plan
Comfortable with all breeds and sizes of dogs.
Interpersonal skills
Communication skills
Attention to detail
Organizational skills

Certifications

Certified Dog Walker—IAP Career College

Languages

Spanish—Communicative

Interests

Rock climbing
Parkour

Here’s how to turn your dog walker resume into a pedigree:

1. Choose the Best Format for Your Dog Walker Resume

All the dogs in the neighborhood wag their tails when they see you.

Want to make the recruiter just as happy?

Follow the tips below, and let your dog walker resume put a smile on the recruiter’s face:

Start with a resume header that stands out, and make sure it contains all the personal information you want to show.
Write reader-friendly resume section titles so your resume is easily navigable.
Most of the time, the best format for your resume is the chronological resume format. Why? It underlines your achievements and experience.
Use the best resume fonts. Stick to professional looking ones that aren’t too fancy.
Avoid cluttering your resume with too much information. Use white space to make it look lighter.
Send a PDF resume. PDFs keep the formatting intact. Only go for an MS Word file format if you’ve been specifically asked to.

2. Write a Dog Walker Resume Objective or Summary

Make your resume profile stand out.

Your resume profile is a short opening paragraph. It introduces you to the recruiter and serves as an elevator speech of a sort.

Choose one of two options:

A summary for a resume is ideal for candidates that have more than 2 years of relevant experience. A resume summary draws attention to your experience and accomplishments.

An objective for a resume would work great on a dog walker resume with no experience. It highlights your transferable skills to prove it to the recruiter you’re a great match for the role.

And remember:

Put some numbers in your resume profile. Numbers don’t just look good. They show your impact.

Pro Tip: Writing this section can be very hard if you do it first. So, get your entire resume done first and write the opening paragraph at the very end. It will be so much easier this way.

3. Create the Perfect Dog Walker Job Description for a Resume

See to it that your professional experience section is done right.

It has to make only one thing clear:

You’ll get the job done better than anyone else.

This is how to tailor your resume to a job posting so that it lasers on the skills the recruiter is looking for:

List your most recent position up top.
Make sure each entry lists your job titles, dates, company names, and locations.
Don't put more than 6-7 bullets per entry. Bring up your relevant experience.
Use strong resume words, such as ensured, provided, handled, etc.
Translate your experience into the language of numbers and percentages.
Cherry pick up to 3 things you’re most proud of. Put them in a dedicated key achievements subsection to make them stand out.

Pro Tip: Trying to make your first resume ever? Check out our guide on how to write a stellar first resume with no work experience.

4. Make Your Dog Walker Resume Education Section Jump With Joy

Let’s be serious—

It’s your love for dogs and experience that counts most.

But it doesn’t mean you should neglect your resume education section.

Here’s the deal:

List your highest education level, and limit the information to your degree, school name and location, and graduation year. You’re done.

If you happen to have any relevant professional certifications, mention them in a separate section.

Pro Tip: Consult the job offer to see if the employer has specific expectations as to your minimum education level. Some may require you to have a high-school diploma or GED.

5. Highlight Your Dog Walking Skills

If your resume for a dog walker proves you’ve got the required skill, getting a job will be child’s play.

Use the list below as a source of inspiration:

Dog Walker Resume—Skills

Attention to detail
Comfortable with all breeds and sizes of dogs
Detail-oriented
Driving license
Enthusiastic
Experience with dogs
Flexible schedule
Owns a car
Owns a cellphone with an unlimited Internet plan
Physically fit
Teamwork skills
Communication skills
Critical thinking
Interpersonal skills
Organizational skills
Problem solving
Time management

Focus on your key skills. Whittling is a great skill, but rather useless when it comes to dog walking.

This is how to get things right:

Make a big list that encompasses your entire skill set (including soft and hard skills).
Take one more look at the job ad to see what skills the employer desires.
Come back to your list to see which skills your list and the job ad have in common.
Pick out your strongest skills and put them on your resume under a key skills heading.
Scatter your skills throughout the entire resume. Put some in your resume profile and your job description.

Pro Tip: Getting your resume right may be a daunting task. But fret not. Head straight to our guide to learn everything about resume dos and don'ts.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Add Other Sections to Your Dog Walker Resume

Let your resume put on the dog for the hiring manager.

The following sections will surely make your dog walker resume stand out:

7. Attach a Dog Walker Resume Cover Letter

Do you need a cover letter for a resume?

(Wo)of course!

Half of the recruiters expect you to submit one. And only about 50% of the candidates do. So, you can easily stand out.

And if you follow our tips, writing a cover letter will be a walk in the park:

First, learn about cover letter formatting rules.
Then find out how to start cover letter to grab the reader’s attention.
Make sure you write about what you have to offer. Not what you want.
And don’t forget your cover letter closing section should call the reader to action.

And make sure you know how long a cover letter should be.

Pro Tip: If you want to show you really care, don’t fail to send a follow up email.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

Create my cover letter now

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

And you have it all!

Now you know how to make a job-winning dog walker resume.

Are you writing a dog walker resume for the first time? Or perhaps you’re a seasoned pro eager to help the rookies out? We’d love to hear from you, leave your comment below!

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