Which dog walking app is better for dog owners?

Photo credit: Jaromir Chalabala/EyeEm/Getty Images

In a perfect world, you would be available to meet your dog’s every need. In reality, sometimes it takes a village to care for a fur baby. If you find yourself having to outsource dog care, don’t worry; There are plenty of professional pet sitters out there who can help Fido thrive even when you’re busy, busy. Two dog walking apps seem to reign supreme among dog owners: Wag! and Rover. We break down the differences between dog walking apps so you can make an informed decision about which app to use when you need a dog walker.

Wag! For dog owners

Wag! it’s considered the Uber of dog-walking apps. But before you can see dog walkers, you’ll need to create an account with detailed information about your pup’s preferences, behavior, medications, and allergies. You will then be offered a free lock box, which guarantees that your house key will never be lost by a dog walker again and entitles you to last minute walks.

Then it’s time for the competition…or rather, choosing a dog walker. The option of a nearby dog ​​walker will appear. Depending on where you live, there will be too many to count, just a few, or somewhere in between. You can see the dog walker’s rating, how many walks they’ve completed, whether they’ve passed a background check, and whether they’re insured. Wag! offers scheduled walks (including one-time or recurring) and ASAP walks for unforeseen emergencies (but requires a locker for ASAP walks).

This is where things get a little off with Wag! While it looks like you have to select the walker in the app, Wag! you are actually auctioning off your walk. So don’t get too hung up on who you select in the app; you can get someone else entirely.

Finally Wag! it determines the price of the walk, not the walker, and we have to warn you: the dog walking fee is on the upper end of the scale.

But once you’ve jumped through those hoops, your dog will walk and you’ll get a GPS map of your dog’s outing and a “report card” of all pee and poop activity. Don’t forget to rate the dog walker (and let me know if you’d prefer this walker next time) and tip them too!

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Rover for dog owners

One of the big advantages of Rover is that you don’t need an account to browse dog walker profiles. If you’re not sure how you’d feel about having someone else walk your precious fur baby, visit the site, enter some basic information about your dog walking needs and scroll through the available dog walkers in your area.

Dog walker profiles include bios, photos, reviews, and the number of repeat customers for each dog walker, in addition to schedule and fee information. If you find someone you think you (and more importantly, your dog) will click with, create an account. Then click the “Contact Us” option on the prospective dog walker’s profile page and start a conversation. Rover recommends that dog owners schedule a Meet & Greet so that the dog walker can be properly matched with their fur baby. Once this is done successfully, select ‘Book now’ from the Rover conversation. The dog walker accepts and we schedule the walk. You can ask the dog walker to send you text and photo updates during the walk.

While the initial familiarization period may take a bit longer than Wag!, Rover definitely offers a more personalized experience.

Which dog walking app has the top paw?

Dog owners seem to prefer the Rover because they have the ability to really get to know the dog walker before handing over the leash. Dog owners who swear by the Rover insist that the personal connection and open lines of communication make them feel more confident using the Rover for their dog walking needs. While the free lockbox and ASAP walk option is Wag! nice benefits of the app, at the end of the day, dog owners just want to have a good time with the person spending that special time with their fur babies.

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