Private vs group dog walks: which one suits your dog?

Which kind of walk suits which dog?

A group walk suits a social, healthy, adult dog. For almost every other situation a private walk is the safer and calmer choice: for reactive, anxious, senior and recovering dogs, for young pups, during a season, and until vaccinations are complete.

When is a group walk a good choice?

When your dog loves running and playing with other dogs, stays relaxed around dogs they don't know and is fit enough for an hour of walking. The RSPCA calls dogs sociable animals and advises letting a dog that's friendly towards other dogs interact with them regularly. A group offers exactly that.

These belong on the list too:

• After playing, your dog calms down again rather than getting more and more wound up.
• They can walk for an hour without it becoming too much.
• They're fine in the car, because we drive to the dunes, the woods or the beach.
• They're vaccinated, including against kennel cough. The Dutch pet information centre LICG recommends that vaccine when a dog meets many other dogs, including at a dog-walking service.
• They're about six months or older. Younger? Talk to us first.
• They're not aggressive towards other dogs or people, and not in season.

Sounds like your dog? Then see how our group walks work.

When is a private walk the better choice?

Whenever other dogs mean stress, a health risk or trouble for your dog. A private walk is one-on-one, at your dog's pace, and the route adapts to your dog instead of to a group.

Reactive and anxious dogs

If your dog barks, pulls or lunges at other dogs, Dogs Trust describes that as a heightened emotional response, often driven by fear or frustration. A fearful dog is trying to put distance between itself and what scares it. Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine notes that a reactive dog is usually a fearful dog, and suggests walking when few others are out. A group of unfamiliar dogs is the opposite of what helps.

On a private walk we choose quiet places and times, and keep our distance if a dog does come along. Those routes and times are also in our tips for walking a reactive dog. We're not behaviourists: if keeping distance isn't enough, ask your vet or a qualified behaviourist who uses reward-based methods.

Senior dogs

The PDSA recommends shorter, flatter routes for older dogs, ideally familiar ones if sight or hearing is fading, and never rushing them. A group that keeps going for an hour usually doesn't fit that. A 30-minute private walk does.

Puppies

According to the AVSAB, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, the first three months of life are the most important time for socialisation, and it can start before all vaccinations are done. What matters is calm, positive experiences — not as many dogs as possible at once. Short private walks fit that better. More in puppy socialisation.

After surgery or injury

After surgery, your vet decides how much your dog may move. VCA lists common instructions: leash walks only, short walks only, no rough play. After abdominal surgery that often lasts one to two weeks; after orthopaedic surgery, much longer. Running and playing in a group is off the table. See also walking your dog after surgery.

Females in season

The PDSA says a season lasts roughly two to four weeks and usually comes round about twice a year. It advises keeping her on a lead and away from other dogs on walks during that time. A group walk is out; a private walk is fine.

Not fully vaccinated

AniCura, a Dutch veterinary clinic group, notes that the risk of kennel cough is higher when a dog has a lot of contact with larger groups of dogs, such as walking groups. That's why the core vaccinations and the kennel cough vaccine are required for our group walks. If your dog isn't there yet, a private walk is possible. Ask your vet where your pup can safely walk in the meantime.

Checklist: private or group for your dog?

Go through these questions. If the answer to any of them is 'yes', choose private for now. If it's 'no' across the board, a group walk is probably a good fit.

• Does your dog bark, pull or lunge at other dogs?
• Do they flinch when dogs approach, or try to get away?
• After ten minutes of play, are they impossible to stop?
• Are they older, tiring or stiffening up more quickly?
• Are they younger than about six months?
• Are they recovering from surgery or an injury?
• Is your female in season, or about to be?
• Are they missing a vaccination, or the kennel cough vaccine?

What do our group and private walks look like?

A group walk with us is one hour of walking with 4 to 6 dogs in the dunes, the woods or on the beach. A private walk is one-on-one, 30 or 60 minutes, on a route that suits your dog. Either way Dominic or Evika walks, never a stand-in.

More on prices, including other providers', in how much a dog walker costs.

Can you combine private and group walks, or switch later?

Yes. The choice often belongs to a period, not to your dog for life. A female in season walks privately for a few weeks and then rejoins the group. A recovering dog walks privately for as long as your vet prescribes. A puppy starts with short private walks and can be introduced to the group at around six months.

A reactive dog is different. Dogs Trust notes that reactivity is very unlikely to resolve by itself. It advises avoiding situations that make your dog react: when barking or lunging makes the other dog move away, the dog learns that it works. So a group to 'get used to it' is not training. Stay with private walks, and work on the behaviour with a qualified behaviourist who uses reward-based methods.

Frequently asked questions about private and group walks