Is the TruePath meet-and-greet free?

Yes — TruePath covers the walker's time for the first meet-and-greet. There's no charge to the owner. If you need a second meet-and-greet with a different walker (because the first wasn't the right match), that's also handled at no cost. We'd rather you find the right walker than rush into a booking that doesn't work.

How long should a dog walker meet-and-greet take?

30–45 minutes for a first meeting. This allows time for your dog to settle and approach the walker at their own pace, for you to cover the key questions, and for the physical access walkthrough. A 10-minute visit is almost always too short to establish anything meaningful — if a walker is trying to rush it, that itself is information.

What if my dog doesn't warm up to the walker at the meet-and-greet?

Some dogs are genuinely slow to warm up to any new person, and that's fine — don't misread general wariness as walker-specific. But a dog that's normally sociable with people and shows persistent avoidance specifically with this walker is worth paying attention to. You can request a different walker. You don't need to push through a match that your dog is clearly signalling against.

Should I be home for the first actual walk after the meet-and-greet?

You don't need to be — but many owners choose to be nearby (not in the room) for the first solo walk. Being home-but-absent lets you observe the departure on the live GPS without the owner's presence influencing the dog's separation response. If your dog has separation anxiety, discussing the transition plan with the walker before the first solo walk is more useful than being physically present.

Dog walking

What to Expect at a Dog Walker Meet-and-Greet

A meet-and-greet with a dog walker should take 30–45 minutes and cover more than you think. Here's exactly what happens, what you should observe, and what to do if it doesn't go well.

By atticus · 6 min read · Last updated 17 May 2026

A meet-and-greet done properly takes 30–45 minutes and leaves you with clear answers to the questions that matter: Does the walker know your dog's specifics? Does your dog show comfort with them? Does the practical handover make sense? Most meet-and-greets are too short and cover too little.

Before the meet-and-greet

Update your dog's profile. The walker will have read it before arriving. Anything that's out of date or missing creates a gap between what they've prepared for and what they're actually walking. Update: current health conditions, medications, known triggers, energy level, and any changes since signup.

Have the physical space ready. Lead on the hook, keysafe accessible, any gates you'll be walking the walker through latched or noted. The physical handover should happen during the meet-and-greet — don't leave it for the first solo walk.

Prepare your questions. See the questions to ask a dog walker guide for a full list. At minimum: verification process, emergency protocol, what parks they'd use in your area, their approach if your dog reacts to something on the walk.

What should happen during the meeting

Walker greets you, then the dog. A professional walker greets the human first, then lets the dog approach them at their own pace. They crouch sideways, avoid direct eye contact initially, and offer the back of a hand rather than reaching over the dog's head. Watch for this — it reveals whether their approach to dogs is instinctive or performed.

They ask about your dog specifically. A walker who doesn't ask questions — about the dog's triggers, health, routine, what the dog is like in the first 5 minutes of a walk versus the last 5 — isn't preparing to walk your dog. They're filling in a booking.

Your dog's reaction over the first 5 minutes. Note where your dog goes when the walker sits in your space. Do they approach? At what pace? Do they take a treat offered by the walker? Do they settle near the walker or maintain distance? A dog that gradually moves toward the walker over 5–10 minutes is warming up normally. A dog that maintains consistent distance or avoidance after 10 minutes is signalling something worth noting.

Physical walkthrough. Take the walker through the access sequence: how they enter, where the lead is, any door or gate quirks, the return process. Walk the gate yourself while they watch. Test the keysafe code together.

Questions from the walker. A good walker asks more than you do. They want to know: Does the dog pull? Do they have any off-lead recall? What does a typical walk currently look like? Any incidents with other dogs recently? What's their emergency vet? These questions are green flags.

What to watch for

Speed. A walker who rushes through the meeting, barely interacts with your dog, and focuses primarily on logistics is telling you how they'll approach your dog when you're not there.

How they read the dog. If your dog shows any stress signal (yawning, lip lick, whale eye, moving away) and the walker either doesn't notice or keeps engaging anyway — that's information.

Their specific local knowledge. Ask where they'd take your dog. The answer should include a specific park name and specific knowledge of that park — off-leash hours, entry points, any hazards. Generic answers suggest they don't regularly walk in your area.

Whether they're honest about limits. A walker who agrees to everything without questions or caveats hasn't thought through what a challenging day with your dog actually looks like.

If it doesn't feel right

Trust the instinct. You don't need to articulate exactly what felt off. Tell TruePath support and we'll arrange a different walker match. This is common — it's not a reflection on the walker's quality overall, just whether they're right for your specific dog.

The most common reasons owners request a different walker after a meet-and-greet:

Their dog showed persistent avoidance throughout the visit
The walker's approach felt impatient or pushy with the dog
The walker couldn't answer specific questions about local parks or emergency procedures
The dynamic felt off in a way the owner couldn't fully articulate

All of these are valid. The meet-and-greet exists to catch poor matches before the first solo walk — use it.

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