How to start a dog walking business

How to start a dog walking business, step by step

1. 01

   Set your walk menu and area

   Decide what you'll sell before you post anywhere: 30-minute walks, 60-minute walks, solo or small-group, and drop-in visits for puppies or older dogs. Set a cap on how many dogs you'll walk together, and check your city's leash and dog-count rules for parks.

   Pick a service area you can walk or drive between in minutes, such as a few zip codes or one neighborhood. Dog walking pays by the visit, so every minute between houses is unpaid. A tight route lets you fit more walks into the midday window when owners are at work.

2. 02

   Get insured and bonded

   Owners hand you their keys and their dog, so carry insurance made for pet care. Pet Care Insurance sells dog walker policies starting at $194 a year, with $1,000,000 of general liability per incident and $2,500 of coverage for animals in your care.

   A bond, sold as employee dishonesty coverage, pays a client back if someone working for you steals from their home. Pet Care Insurance adds $10,000 per occurrence in the same purchase. Put "insured and bonded" on your profile and site once both are active.

3. 03

   Write a service agreement

   Every new client gets a free meet-and-greet and a signed agreement before the first walk. The agreement covers your prices, cancellation rules, how keys or door codes are handled, what happens in bad weather, and written permission to take the dog to a vet in an emergency.

   Collect the vet's name and number, vaccine records, feeding notes, and any habits that matter on a leash, like pulling toward other dogs. Keep it all in one place you can open on your phone mid-walk.

4. 04

   Start on Rover, then go direct

   Rover brings you owners who are already searching, and it handles payments and its own guarantee. The price is real: Rover applies a 20% service fee per booking for pet care providers, so you take home 80%, and owners pay an 11% booking fee on top.

   Use Rover to fill your first weeks and collect reviews. Then give repeat clients a reason to book you directly, such as a weekly walk package, through your own site and scheduling app, where you keep the full price minus card fees.

5. 05

   Set up scheduling and payments

   Once you have direct clients, you need recurring schedules, visit notes with photos, and automatic invoices. Time To Pet's Lite plan is $25 a month and includes a client app for service requests, recurring bookings, and invoicing with automatic charging.

   Keep your calendar honest. Block the travel time between walks, and don't sell more midday slots than you can reach on time. Being late for a dog who's waiting by the door is how you lose a weekly client.

6. 06

   Build a site for direct clients

   Your site needs your walk menu with prices, the area you cover, an insured-and-bonded section, photos of you with dogs, reviews, and a meet-and-greet request form asking for the dog's name, breed, age and preferred walk times. Replo builds that site and puts it live on your own domain.

   Replo doesn't schedule walks or send invoices. Link to your scheduling app, or embed a Calendly or Cal.com calendar for meet-and-greets. Replo checkout can sell a fixed-price walk package, like ten walks, in USD.

7. 07

   Grow one street at a time

   Your best advertising is being seen with happy dogs in the same neighborhood every day. Carry a few cards, wear something with your business name on it, and ask every happy client if they know a neighbor whose dog needs midday walks.

   When your midday window is full, raise prices for new clients or add a second walker. Before you hire, update your bond and insurance to cover employees, and run a background check.

What it costs to start a dog walking business

What it costs to start walking dogs with insurance, a scheduling app and your own site. Start on Rover and Calendly's free plan to spend less.

Your first 30 days

1. Week 1

   Set up and insure

   • Write your walk menu with lengths, group sizes and prices.
   • Pick a service area of a few zip codes near home.
   • Buy pet care liability insurance with bonding included.
   • Draft a service agreement with an emergency vet authorization.

2. Week 2

   Get listed and walking

   • Create a Rover profile with clear photos and your insurance details.
   • Offer two friends' dogs a free week of walks for reviews.
   • Launch your site with prices, service area and a meet-and-greet form.

3. Week 3

   Book the first clients

   • Reply to every Rover request within an hour.
   • Run a meet-and-greet and sign an agreement before each first walk.
   • Send a photo and a short note after every walk.

4. Week 4

   Lock in weekly walks

   • Offer each regular a weekly package booked through your own site.
   • Set up Time To Pet for recurring schedules and invoices.
   • Ask every client for a review and a neighbor referral.

Build your dog walking site

Frequently asked questions

How much should I charge for a 1-hour dog walk?

Look at what walkers in your zip code charge on Rover and price within that range. Remember that Rover keeps 20% of each booking, so a listed price nets you 80% there. On direct bookings through your own site, you keep the full price minus card fees.

What are red flags in a dog walker or pet sitter?

No proof of insurance or bonding, no meet-and-greet before the first visit, no written agreement, and vague answers about emergencies. A good walker asks about your dog's habits, vet and vaccines, and sends an update after every visit. Show owners you do all of this.

Do dog walkers make a lot of money?

Usually a modest living, and more as an owner with a full route. The BLS reports a median of $17.08 an hour for animal care and service workers. Owners earn more by keeping walks in one area, selling packages and moving clients off marketplace fees.

Is $30 a day good for dog sitting?

It's low if you book it on Rover, where the 20% service fee leaves you $24. Count your time and travel: a day of sitting usually means several visits or an overnight. Compare with local listings, then price for the hours it really takes.

Do I need insurance to be a dog walker?

Yes, in practice. Owners give you keys and responsibility for their dog, so expect them to ask. Pet Care Insurance sells dog walker policies from $194 a year, covering liability and animals in your care, with bonding available in the same purchase.