Do dog walkers walk multiple dogs at once?

It depends on the walker and the service you go with. Some dog walkers take out packs of 6–8 dogs at a time to maximize their efficiency, and you’ve surely seen photos of this! Others will only walk dogs individually or in very small groups from the same household.

But if you’re asking this question, you’re probably picturing your own dog. And the idea of having, say, a nervous rescue or an arthritic senior being pack-walked is just unattractive. It gives you this vision, one you can’t quite shake, of the pup getting lost in a pack of unfamiliar dogs. Or being mean to the others. And it’s not a leap from that to imagine some poor walker somewhere getting pulled in a zig-zag pattern just trying to make it all work.

Your worry is not irrational. Because it really is true that dogs have different energy levels and walking speeds. You might have a young Lab who wants nothing more than to sprint, much to the chagrin of a elderly Beagle who wants to stop and sniff every three feet.

Pack walks can work for certain dogs. Social, well-trained dogs with similar energy levels do just fine being walked in a pack. But this only works when the walker has the skill to manage the group and the time to address individual needs. The problem is that many pack-walk services prioritize volume over attention. And if your dog is one of eight, and they become slow, anxious, or need extra guidance, even a really good pack walker can only do so much. So the dog kind of has to…figure it out or hurry up.

The difference between a stressful walk and a good one often comes down to whether your dog is getting individual attention or is just being moved from Point A to Point B alongside a bunch of strangers. Professional dog walkers pay attention to what each dog needs, how fast they need to go, and what they’re hoping to do while outside. They also keep groups small unless it really is OK to do otherwise.

Your dog shouldn’t have to compete for attention during their own walk. Woofie’s dog walkers focus on individual or small, same-group household walks so your dog gets the pace, route, and interaction level that works for them. And that’s true whether they want to stop and smell the roses or get some serious cardio in.