Dog walking in West Hampstead is where Premier Dog Walkers began. Sixteen years ago Warren was walking one dog called Foxy and decided she ought to have friends, and West Hampstead, NW6, is still the patch we know best: the streets, the shortcuts and the rhythm of a working week here. If you’re thinking about a dog walker in West Hampstead, here’s exactly how our morning and afternoon rounds work.
Two rounds a day: morning or afternoon
West Hampstead has both a morning and an afternoon walk, so you can pick whichever fits your dog and your week.
- Morning walk, collected around 9:30. Your walker arrives in West Hampstead around half nine and drives the group up to Hampstead Heath. Your dog is home, settled, about an hour and a half later.
- Afternoon walk, collected around midday. After the morning round, your walker comes back to West Hampstead for pick-up, heads up to Hampstead Heath, and has your dog home again around 1:30.
The morning round suits dogs who like to get their energy out early, and owners who want the house quiet for a day of calls. The afternoon round breaks up a long day nicely, especially for younger dogs or dogs who find a whole day at home hard going. Whichever you choose, it’s the same rhythm every day, and dogs settle into it quickly.
You don’t need to be home
Most of our West Hampstead clients are at work or busy at home when we arrive. We’re fully insured to hold keys, and collection and drop-off are included. Our keys carry your dog’s name, never your address: walkers look the address up in our app, and outside working hours keys are kept securely at Warren’s house.
Where the West Hampstead dog walking groups go
From West Hampstead it’s a short drive up to Hampstead Heath, and the group goes to whichever part of it suits your dog.
Jack and the West Heath. Jack works a steady rhythm of three walks a day on the West Heath. It’s dense woodland you can zigzag into until you’ve lost your bearings, which is exactly what the dogs want. Jack is a big, gentle, calm presence, so the dogs who need a serious run go to him: his own energy never rises to meet theirs.
Ashley and the Hampstead Heath Extension. Ashley takes dogs who need to open up onto the Hampstead Heath Extension, with long clear sight lines and room to run flat out while staying in view. He’s easy to talk to and generous with photos and videos, so you always know how the walk went.
Every walker on Hampstead Heath holds a Hampstead Heath licence from the City of London, and groups there are never more than four dogs. Your dog gets a full hour of actual walking, never less. The drive isn’t counted in it.
What a walk looks like for your dog
Collection is calm and unhurried. It’s always the dog’s own choice to jump into the van; we never lift a dog in. Every van has crates, so each dog travels securely in its own space, and the air conditioning runs right through to the back, so dogs stay warm in winter and cool in summer.
On Hampstead Heath, the group walks, sniffs, explores and plays, and the walker keeps the energy steady. We aim to keep dogs at a 3 or 4 on a scale of 0 to 10, letting them jump up to an 8 to play and then bringing them back down. There’s no ball throwing: a ball creates competition, and we want every dog in the group to get on. Partway through, your walker sends a WhatsApp with a video of your dog and who they’ve been running around with today. When your dog is home, the walker marks the booking complete in our app and you get a notification.
For a step-by-step look at a normal walk, read what happens on a dog walk with Premier Dog Walkers.
Fitting walks around a West Hampstead working week
Walks are £25 each. We ask for a minimum of two walks a week on average. It doesn’t need to be exactly the same every week, but it does need to be regular, because the same walker and the same small group are what keep dogs calm and settled. Plenty of owners book the days they’re in the office and leave home-working days free. If you book Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we’re there Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
All our walks are group walks, made for friendly dogs who love being around other dogs, and for nervous dogs who just need a little time to find their feet. Puppies are very welcome once they have the all-clear from the vet after their first immunisations, and new dogs are introduced to the group gently.
Booking runs through our own app, Appy Dog. You register yourself and your dog, set up a direct debit, then book one-off walks or a recurring order that runs every week until you pause it.
Or a full day out: daycare from West Hampstead
Some dogs need more than an hour. Our doggy daycare is four hours in the Secret Woodland we’re lucky enough to use, run 100% by Warren. He collects from West Hampstead between about 8:30 and 9:30, drives the group around 40 minutes out to real woodland, sends WhatsApp videos during the day, and drops your dog home between 3:00 and 4:00. The ground there holds firm through winter, so your dog isn’t coming home caked in mud in January. Daycare is £55 a day, including pickup and drop-off, and many owners mix daycare days with walks across the week.
Get in touch
You can see the walkers, times and daycare details on our West Hampstead dog walking and daycare page. Or, if you’re out with your own dog at the weekend, our guide to the best dog walks in North West London has a few local favourites.
To find out which round and walker would suit your dog, call Warren on 020 8442 0520 or send us a WhatsApp message. Every dog meets us first.