How do I ask when I only see the owner at drop-off?

Text them a few days after a good walk, with something specific about their dog. A note that mentions the squirrel or the loose leash feels personal, and people reply to those.

Is it okay to ask a client who recently complained?

Wait until the issue is fixed and they have said so. A quote from someone whose concern you resolved shows readers what happens when something goes wrong.

What if my clients are on a schedule I cannot interrupt?

The text takes them thirty seconds in the evening, when they are home. You do not need to catch anyone in person, so your walks run on time.

Should I mention the dog's name in the quote?

Yes, if the owner is fine with it. A name makes the quote read as a real person, and it is easier for the next owner to picture their own dog.

dog walkers

Testimonials for dog walkers

You get a key and a dog, and nobody watching.

You get a key and an animal, unsupervised, every day. That is a very high trust bar, and past clients are the fastest way over it.

Right below is the text I would send a client, ready to copy.

Start freeNo card needed. Cancel whenever.

A text you can send

The text I would send after a good job

After a few good weeks, on a day the owner thanked you at the door.

Hi Colin, it's Jess from Four Paws Walking. Rufus has been great lately, and I loved how he trotted past the squirrels today. Would you write a few lines about how walks used to go and what they're like now? Owners check that before handing over a key. This link needs no account: [your link]

Swap in your own names. The link comes from your dashboard.

Dog walker testimonial examples

The kind of thing dog walkers collect with Exalted. Each one is invented and labelled as an example.

Example

A photo and two lines every single day, unprompted. My dog has stopped destroying the hallway, which was the entire reason I called.

Chris N. · Owner

Example

My terrier pulls so hard I used to dread walks. After three weeks with Jess he trots next to her on a loose leash. She sends a text with a photo from the park, and I can tell from his face how it went.

Colin M. · Terrier owner, weekday walks

Example

I work twelve-hour shifts at the hospital and my husky was chewing the door frame. Now there is a noon walk and a note on the fridge about what he did. The door frame has stopped getting chewed.

Lena F. · Nurse and husky owner

Example

He keeps my shy rescue apart from the big dogs and walks her alone on Thursdays. When it rained all week he sent a photo of her in a coat I had not known she owned.

Gus P. · Rescue owner

A walker is trusted with a leash and a dog's safety, and owners are away when it happens. Quotes that mention a loose leash, a note on the fridge or a dog kept apart from bigger ones show a reader what the walk is actually like, which a bare five stars does not.

How it works

1
Share one link
You get a single link. Send it by text or email to a client whose work went well.
2
They write it, in a minute
No account and no app to download. They rate you and write a couple of lines.
3
You approve what appears
Nothing is public until you say so. Approve the good ones and they appear on your website automatically.

When to ask

After the first month, once the routine is established and the dog is happier.

The single biggest reason dog walkers have no testimonials is that nobody asks while the work is still fresh, not that clients are unwilling.

Questions that get a real answer

“Please leave a review” produces “great service”, which persuades nobody. Ask something specific instead:

What made you comfortable leaving us a key?
How do you hear about each walk?
How has your dog been since?

Or an email

For a client who has had a walker through a hard winter.

Subject: Six months of walks with Rufus

Hi Lena,

We started in April with the door-frame problem, and Koda has been on his noon walk ever since, even through the January snow. I still think about the first week, when he would not come back to the car.

Could you put down a few sentences about how the days went before and how they go now? Other people who work long shifts search for a walker they can trust with the key.

You can send it here without an account: [your link]

Thanks, Jess

Swap in your own names and the details of the job. The link comes from your dashboard.

Where people check a dog walker first

Neighborhood Facebook groups
Walker requests show up weekly, usually from someone returning to the office. Replies from neighbors who vouch for a name decide who gets the message.
Google Maps
A search like "dog walker near me" lists a handful of names. Owners read the stars and then look for a mention of their breed or a similar problem.
Rover and Wag
Walkers listed there are compared on rating and review count. A client moving off the app to book you directly will often still check what others wrote.
The dog park
Owners ask each other who walks which dog. A walker seen on the same loop with a happy dog gets mentioned, though you will never see that exchange.
Your own website
Someone trusting you with a key reads slowly. A quote from a client with a similar dog, on your own page, answers the worry before they ask.

Questions dog walkers ask

How do I ask when I only see the owner at drop-off?: Text them a few days after a good walk, with something specific about their dog. A note that mentions the squirrel or the loose leash feels personal, and people reply to those.
Is it okay to ask a client who recently complained?: Wait until the issue is fixed and they have said so. A quote from someone whose concern you resolved shows readers what happens when something goes wrong.
What if my clients are on a schedule I cannot interrupt?: The text takes them thirty seconds in the evening, when they are home. You do not need to catch anyone in person, so your walks run on time.
Should I mention the dog's name in the quote?: Yes, if the owner is fine with it. A name makes the quote read as a real person, and it is easier for the next owner to picture their own dog.

Every testimonial Exalted publishes is written by a real person and approved by the business owner.

Your reputation, as a ladder

Each approved testimonial moves you up a tier, so you have a reason to keep asking. Visitors see the tier and know how established you are.

Friendly1+ approved

Honored5+ approved

Revered15+ approved

Exalted30+ approved

Pricing

Starter is $9 a month or $85 a year. Pro is $19 a month or $180 a year. Both are free until your fifth testimonial, and neither asks for a card to begin.

See what is in each plan

Worth reading before you ask

More on the blog. If you ask for Google reviews too, the free Google review link generator and the review request templates need no account. If you want a client quote as a picture to post, I made a free testimonial image maker.

Start collecting this week

Set up a link in about five minutes and send it to the last client who thanked you.

Start free