Our Service – Take My Lead

Take My Lead provides professional and fully insured group dogs walks within the Harpenden/Wheathampsead/St Albans Area by experienced dog walkers.

Take My Lead will ensure that your dogs are happy, exercised and cared for during a long country walk, this routine can reduce problems such as stress, frustration and anxiety.

I have lived in Harpenden for the last twenty four years and having worked myself in London for many years I identified that there is a real need for a dog walking service within the area. Boarding is expensive and there is little day care offered for man’s/womens best friend and a mid day break could be all that is needed for your pal.

In my twenties I spent nine years of my life as a police constable based in St Albans and Harpenden and most of my career was spent walking from one place to another and since then I have always enjoyed walking in the countryside with my two dogs.

I am a professional photographer and over the last five years have run my own family portrait a studio in St Albans. During the week I spend at least three hours a day walking in our glorious countryside with my two best friends George and Sophie (always with a small camera in my pocket).  Having cared for and walked dogs for friends whilst they were attending events or away on business I decided that this would be the ideal job for me to carry out during the week and gives me the much needed exercise that is required for a forty something grandfather.

Over the last fourteen years my wife and I have trained and rehabilitated dogs that we have rescued from both the RSPCA and Battersea Dogs Home with wonderful results. Dogs like humans are naturally social creatures and benefit greatly from meeting each other for exercise and play. Our own training and rehabilitation results has been achieved by leadership and reward based training and exercise methods as dogs do not learn through punishment.

If you have been lucky enough to see any of the episodes of  ‘The Dog Whisperer’ you will  know the true benefits of ‘The Power of the Pack’ and being around the calm assertive energy of other happy dogs can help with stress, frustration and anxiety.

Our walks are carried out within safe areas of the local countryside, away from roads where they can experience supervised socialising, practise basic obedience, play and take pleasure in sniffing and exploring the environment.

It is a requirement that your dog knows at least  basic commands, wear a collar and ID tag (as is required by law), is preferably micro chipped and be of a non aggressive disposition. Dogs will be walked on leads but with the permission of the owner be allowed some supervised off lead socialising, play time and reward based training.

No balls or toys will be used on the walks, exercise will be achieved from play and mental stimulation.

Dogs will be collected and dropped off from your home within a four mile radius of  Nomansland Common and walks will be one hour in length. Please allow up to a two hour time slot between collection and delivery as the dogs will need a drink after the walk and towel drying in wet weather. Some of the round trip walks can take one and a half hours for some of the smaller dogs and a good country walk on a fine day just cannot be rushed.

If your dog is at home whilst you are working or for what ever reason you may need our services, please give me a call on my mobile 07865 994122 to arrange a consultation with me – Daryl

I  hope that I can be of help to both You and your Best Friend.

Daryl Seeley