One of the most common questions we hear from new pet care professionals is, “How much can I expect to make with my dog walking and pet sitting business?” The short answer: it depends! Several factors, such as your location, the services you offer, how quickly you can grow your business, and whether you’ll be working in a part-time or full-time capacity, will all impact how much revenue you will be able to generate. The long answer? Well, keep reading on to learn more!
First off, if you love dogs and enjoy spending time outdoors, becoming a dog walker might just be the perfect job for you! Not only is it a great way to stay active and earn some extra income, but it can also be a lucrative career for those who are passionate about animal care and are looking to do this full-time.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the average hourly and yearly earnings for dog walkers and other pet care professionals, provide some tips on how to start your own dog walking business, and tell you some ways to maximize your earnings right off the bat. We also have lots of additional content for new pet care business owners on our blog and within our Time To Pet Academy that will help take your business to the next level!
Hourly Earnings For Dog Walkers And Pet Sitters
Dog walkers and pet sitters typically charge “per event” for their pet care services. Choosing how you want to set your rates is a vital aspect of owning a successful pet care business, and there are several factors for you to consider as you decide. Whether you’re in the process of setting up your company service rates and have additional questions, or you already have some figures in mind and want to ensure you didn’t miss anything, we highly recommend taking a look at our Ultimate Guide To Setting Your Dog Walking And Pet Sitting Rates post. It is one of our most popular blogs and will tell you everything you need to know to set yourself up for success.
To determine what your hourly earnings may be for your business, let’s first take a look at some of the average rates dog walking companies charge around the country. Time To Pet has an excellent Dog Walking Rate Calculator that you can use to see what other businesses in your area are charging for their walks on average. As of August 2024, the national average for a 30-minute dog walk is $29.10.
Does that mean that most dog walkers make almost $60 an hour? Not quite! Unless your clients are all located within walking distance of one another, it’s a tad bit more complicated than that. When calculating your typical hourly earnings as a dog walker, you need to factor in all of your time, which means taking into account the distance you’re traveling between events. While you may have clients that live super close to one another, it may not matter if their visit windows are at opposite times of the day. That means completing two walks per hour, while ideal, isn’t always feasible.
As a dog walker, your schedule most likely doesn’t follow the standard 9am - 5pm workday. Depending on where you’re at in the process of building up your business and clientele, you may not have eight hours' worth of services booked per day, or some days may be busier than others. When it comes to the potential revenue you can earn, it’s important to recognize which times of the day and which days of the week are your most lucrative. You may even want to consider charging a higher rate for those peak days/times or for visits that take place outside of a typical work day, such as late in the evening or over the weekend.
As a business owner, you must also consider what will be taken from your revenue to cover your company’s various business expenses. Transportation, supplies, marketing, and promotional materials will all be taken out of your pocket, so you should familiarize yourself with those costs to price your rates accordingly and determine how much you will need to make to cover your expenses while still making a profit. As it stands, it is not uncommon for professional dog walkers and pet sitters to earn between $15 and $25 per hour after factoring in all of the time and expense it takes to carry out your services. As a caveat, though, your hourly earnings may look a little different depending on your level of experience, the amount of work on your schedule, how you get around, and the average cost of a dog walk in your area. For more information on how much it costs to start a new dog walking or pet sitting business, check out our post here: The Costs to Start a Pet Sitting or Dog Walking Business in 2024.
As your business and reputation grow, you can absolutely expect the demand for your services to rise, your schedule to fill up, and for you to charge your clients more for your time and care. In the meantime, if you are still looking for that first client, check out our Academy article on Getting Your First Pet Sitting or Dog Walking Client for some great tips.
Yearly Earnings for Dog Walkers & Pet Sitters
Now that you have a better idea of what you can expect to make for an hourly rate as a dog walker, it’s time to figure out how much you will make in an entire year. As it with calculating your hourly rate, it isn’t as simple as multiplying your hourly rate by forty hours in a week and fifty-two weeks in a year. Within the pet care industry, certain times of the year are much busier and more lucrative than others. For example, the months of November, December, and January tend to be exceedingly busy for pet care companies due to the winter holidays and all of the travel pet parents tend to do at that time of year. Especially if your business offers overnight pet sitting services or you board out of your home, you can expect any of the usual “travel” times of year to be super booked.
On the other hand, if you mostly offer dog-walking services, you may actually experience a slowdown during these times, as many clients are off work or children are home from school and can handle the midday dog walks themselves. Your busiest times of the year will most likely be during the spring and fall months when children are in school, and pet parents are in the office or busy working throughout the day and need that extra hand.
For that reason, many of our customers try to offer a combination of dog walking and pet sitting services through their businesses to keep themselves (and their team) busy year-round.
To give some rough numbers of what you might expect to make, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that the median pay for Animal Care and Service Works is currently $31,830 per year across all industries. This figure includes a wide range of animal-related jobs, from kennel attendants to pet groomers, so that you may earn more than the median salary as a dog walker or pet sitter. This is especially true if you’re working full-time, have a booked and busy schedule, and are charging reasonably higher rates for your services.
How to Start a Dog Walking Business
If you’re interested in starting your own dog walking business, there are several steps you’ll need to take in order to get started. We have some helpful tips below to help you launch into your venture, but if you’re looking for a more in-depth guide, we strongly encourage you to look at our How To Start a Dog Walking Business post that has all the resources you need to get started.
1. Research Your Local Market
Before you start advertising your services as a dog walker or pet sitter, it’s essential to research your local market to see what other dog walkers and pet care providers are already operating in your area. This will give you an understanding of what services are currently in demand, what rates other pet care professionals are charging, and help you to distinguish yourself from the competition. It can also give you ideas about what services you may want to consider offering, especially if other companies in your area aren’t offering them and pet parents are seeking out those services. Facebook groups and other social media apps where neighbors gather to seek advice or recommendations are also good places to track what services pet parents are looking for and where there might be opportunities for you.
2. Get Certified
While certification isn’t required to become a dog walker or pet sitter, it can help you stand out from your competitors by demonstrating your commitment to providing high-quality care to the animals and clients you service. Several organizations offer certification programs for dog walkers and pet sitters, including Pet Sitters International (PSI) and the National Association Of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS). For more information on how to become certified and what it can mean for your business, we've got a great video below or you can check out our blog here: Understanding Pet Sitting Certifications.
3. Create a Business Plan
Once you have done your research and obtained the necessary certifications, it’s time to create a business plan for your dog walking business. Your business plan should include details such as your target market, pricing strategy, marketing plan, and financial projections. The SBA (the U.S. Small Business Administration) has helpful information here on Writing a Business Plan.
4. Build Your Brand
To attract clients to your new dog walking business, you must build a strong brand that resonates with pet parents in your local area. This might include creating a logo, developing a website, creating promotional materials, and establishing a social media presence.
5. Advertise Your Services
Once you’ve completed the steps above, it’s finally time to start advertising your dog walking services to potential clients. This can include placing ads in local businesses, pinning your business card on community bulletin boards, distributing flyers in your neighborhood, or leveraging social media to reach a wider audience. Whatever you decide to do, ensure your advertising promotes your brand, differentiates you from your competitors, and clearly indicates how prospective clients can reach you to inquire about your services and availability.
By following these steps and providing excellent care to your clients and their pets, you can build a successful dog walking business that allows you to earn a living doing something you love!
