Certification for dog walking services

In principle anyone can start a dog walking service. Over the past five years the number of dog walking services has risen by more than 50%, from 941 in 2016 to 1,428 in 2021. There are many dog walking services in South and North Holland in particular, and in Flevoland there are no fewer than 24 dog walking services per 100,000 households.

The fact that anyone can just start a dog walking service therefore takes away the guarantee that every walking service really is a reliable business. Dog owners, however, want to be sure that they are handing their house key to, and having their dog picked up by, a dog walking service they can trust. The dog has become part of the family, so it is not surprising that owners want the best for themselves and for their beloved four-legged friend.

To give your clients that extra bit of certainty, you can consider having your dog walking service certified or accredited. A few advantages of certification:

It shows your clients that you take your business seriously and professionally and that you care about the dogs’ well-being.
It can help you stand out from the competition.
You are required to keep on learning, which always benefits your business and the dogs
Sometimes you get exclusive access to information and a community thanks to your membership.

In the Netherlands there are various organisations where you can obtain a certification or accreditation.

Dibevo

For all entrepreneurs in the pet industry there is the trade association Dibevo. Dibevo supports its members and tries to ensure that legislation and regulations are as favourable as possible for entrepreneurs. Dibevo also has a Dierbaar quality mark, which you can apply for as a dog walking service. If, after studying the requirements, you think your dog walking service fully meets the criteria, you can apply for a Dierbaar quality mark for €275. If you pass the inspection, you may call yourself a Dierbaar-certified business for 2 years.

Stichting Platform Professionele Diergedragsdeskundigen

Since 2013, Stichting Platform Professionele Diergedragsdeskundigen (SPPD) has been the trade association for animal behaviour experts. Since 2019 SPPD has also accredited dog walking services. SPPD has drawn up a list of requirements a dog walking service has to meet in order to be accredited, of which training and continuing education are an important part. A new application for accreditation costs €39.50 and a request for re-accreditation costs €35 per year. SPPD makes a distinction between junior and senior dog walking services, where a junior dog walking service has been active for less than 1 year and a senior dog walking service has been active for 1 year or longer.

HUS Nederland

HUS Nederland focuses specifically on all dog walking services in the Netherlands. There are memberships at various monthly amounts that suit the different kinds of walking services that exist. To be able to become a member you have to meet certain requirements, which are rewarded with a HUS-Nederland Certificate.

It is not mandatory to get certified, and there are also other ways to show your clients that you are a reliable dog walking service. For instance, you can invest in getting reviews, in encouraging word-of-mouth advertising by rewarding loyal clients, and in regularly learning more on your own.

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