How To Be A Dog Walker - Start Up Guide - BDWS

Introduction

The chances are high that you own a dog. In that case, you’ve no doubt been out walking at your go-to place and seen the local dog walkers arriving in their vans, taking their group out for a walk, and wished you could do the same. Spending time outdoors with dogs and getting paid for it seems almost too good to be true. Especially if you’re not happy in your current job.

Dog walkers are popping up everywhere, and all share the dream of finally earning a fair wage, in proper working conditions, and doing something they love. There’s plenty of work out there, and you can be successful even with little to no funds to invest, but you must be 100% committed to make your new business work!

To make sure your business doesn’t fail in the first few months, plan how you will pay your bills while you build a client base. If you have a partner or family that can support you, that’s great. But if not, consider looking for evening and weekend work to bring in extra income while leaving the daytime available for dog walking. An evening job like a takeaway driver is ideal.

Set Your Dog Walking Prices

The first thing you should do is research your local dog walkers. So get on Google and Facebook and find all your local dog walkers in your area. Find out how much they charge to walk dogs, and what services they offer. Areas vary slightly, so London prices are different from the rest of the UK, and even one town can have different prices from the town next to it. Find the average price the locals are charging and set that price as yours. For example, walking a dog for an hour where I live is around £14+ in 2025 (more in places like London), with discounts for secondary dogs from the same home – you will need to confirm the dog walking prices in your local area.  Dog walker’s earn around £25,000 – £30,000+ for full time work on average.

There are two types of dog walks – group and solo. Most people are happy to get their dog walked in a group, so they get to socialise and play. You can charge more money for a solo walk, but you get paid way more money walking six dogs in a group than one dog on its own.

A couple of group walks a day can be enough for a dog walker to make a living. Some do just that – it makes for an ideal job for those who have kids and want to work during school hours. So what is the main reason someone hires a dog walker? Answer: They’re usually at work or have plans during the day. I didn’t know this when I started, and I just hoped someone would pay me to walk their dog. I didn’t even consider the motivation of those that hire a dog walker. Who wants to give their money away, after all? Most people like walking their dog. So, for most people, hiring a dog walker is a necessity because there’s no one else at home to do it.

And because the most common need for a dog walker is that the owner is at work, nearly everyone wants their dog walked in the middle of the working day. Not 9 am, just after they’ve left home, and not 5 pm when they’re on their way back. So the lunchtime period is peak working hours for a dog walker. You may only manage two walks at that time (an early lunch walk and a late lunch walk, e.g. 11 am & 1 pm).

You will earn most of your money for the day during lunch, so you can’t do solo walks or offer any other service during this time – that time is for group walks only. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do solo walks. You may get asked to do walks by people like the elderly and the disabled who don’t mind what time their dog gets walked during the day; as long as they get walked – you can fit them around your schedule. But solo walks tend to be done more by those just starting with time on their hands, while the established dog walkers tend to stick to group walks only. For example, I walk three group walks a day, and then I’m done.

You’ll be surprised how much time it takes to pick up and drop off dogs. Taking three groups of dogs out for a 1-hour walk takes me around 6 hours – half my working day is spent collecting or dropping dogs back home in a small area. Dog walkers are always racing against the clock, so working in a small area is always advisable.

Pet Services to Offer

The most popular services are doggy daycare, dog boarding, and cat visits outside of dog walking. Doggy daycare is taking off nowadays. Dogs come to stay with you for the day (or half-day) while their owners are at work, with the option of a pick-up and drop-off service available.

I don’t offer daycare, but it’s a significant rival/addition to dog walking and growing by the day. You can charge quite a bit more for daycare, but someone will have to be at home to look after the pups if you are out dog walking. Some dog walkers offer this service, and some folks provide daycare exclusively.

There are dedicated premises for larger daycare centres that also hire staff. When looking for a dog walker, clients will sometimes look for those who can board their dogs, too – this is quite important to some, but it’s not a deal-breaker. People like to go on holiday or the odd weekend away, so having a dog walker that can look after their dog is a big bonus, plus boarding pays well (£20-£30+ per night, per dog).

In the summer months and school holidays, a dog walker’s wage can almost double with the addition of the boarders, but it can be hard work. Expect to wake up to ‘accidents’. Several dogs living with you can bring a lot of dirt and fur into the house and along the walls – your once beautiful lawn is now scorched with urine, plus if they’ve never stayed before, it can take a day or two for them to settle in.

Apart from group dog walking, dog boarding and doggy daycare, all other services are just pocket money, and if you don’t fancy them, then it’s ok to forget about them, and that includes pet sitting.

But what is pet sitting? Do you know? I’ve been doing this for fifteen years, and even I sometimes wonder. Is it cat visits or dog sitting in the owner’s home? Is it dog boarding in your own home or looking after small furries? Well, it’s all those things, actually and more. Technically, pet sitting is an umbrella term for caring for a pet in either the client’s home or your own. Some think it just relates to pet care in the owner’s home. It’s a vague term, and because of that, I don’t like it, as it can mean anything to anyone. So if you do promote ‘pet sitting’ as a service, then describe clearly what it is you’re offering potential clients. I prefer to be more exact in my descriptions and only list actual pet sitting services I offer, e.g., cat visits, dog boarding, etc.

But whatever pet sitting services you choose to offer, describe clearly what each service is in layman’s terms and don’t just assume clients will know, as most won’t be sure.

A visit to feed the cats while their owners are on holiday.