21/11/2025
So last night on I'm A Celebrity.... one of the celebrities said they'd have been a dog walker if they weren't famous. Just walking dogs all day on nice walks and that dog walkers earn lots of money...
Seen a number of social media posts about this, this morning from pet care professionals. One dog walker even offered for that celebrity to shadow them for a week to see there's more to the job than 'just walking dogs and getting paid'
I was a self-employed dog walker and pet care pro for a number of years and I absolutely loved every second of it, but I rarely if ever earned 'lots of money' and some months just about scraped by!
Now there will be pet care professionals out there who do earn a nice chunk of change, but like any profession there'll be people earning a lot and others who don't.
A dog walker is like any business:
🐾 There's running costs from insurance and third party public liability insurance policies costs, waterproofs, good solid walking boots, branded work wear, business bank account fees, accountancy fees, professional body membership fees, CPD costs (which are NOT cheap in the dog world), mountains of poo bags purchased on a regular basis, website ownership and maintenance costs, transport costs, bulk buying treats, leads and lead replacements and other equipment etc..
🐾 All the social media and website content is usually put together and uploaded on our own time where nobody is paying you for that time!
🐾 There is no HR Dept, No accounts dept etc all the usual departments within a large business/company/organisation. Many dog walkers are self-employed and they're every department within their own business often with nobody else and no back up!
🐾 The walking dogs part is the easy bit! Its everything around that, that takes up your time, causes stress, diary organisation, last minute cancellations, late payments chasing, trying to organise your own annual leave well in advance, trying to get on that course that's coming up/CPD...
🐾 We often spend large amounts of money on the best and latest mobile phones or cameras to try and capture the best possible pictures and video's of the dogs in our care for their owner's. They're not cheap.
🐾 A really good dog walker/pet care pro are worth their weight in solid gold! Because they care for your dog(s) as if they were their own dog. I was heavily invested in every dog in my care and I made it my business to know that dog inside and out, their quirks, likes and dislikes, favourite walking spots, what enrichment they loved doing, their own little body language changes, their own unique ways of communicating that they're stressed/happy/relaxed etc etc.
Spoke to someone in the charity I currently work for about what I did offering 1-2-1 dog care and all the rest of it. And to my surprise they told me they'd personally value that type of service for their own dog at £35.00 to £45.00 per hour for dedicated 1-2-1 care I wasn't expecting that at all, they said £15 an hour is far too cheap for a dedicated service like that and group dog walkers often charge that or slightly more per dog in a mixed group from their experience of enquiring....
Anyone setting up thinking its just walking dogs all day and earning loads of money thats just not the case! HMRC will take their share of your earnings and all your running costs will also eat in to your hourly rate and you might be surprised to see there's isn't a lot left when all bills, HMRC and business related expenses and bills are paid.
And the walking side of things there's an art form to it.
🐾 Do you have good lead & long line handling skills?
🐾 Can you be in control of the dog or dogs in your care, keep them safe and everyone around you safe?
🐾 Have you got a K9 First Aid course under your belt from someone like Canine First Aid Workshops - UK - Rachel Bean RVN
🐾 Do you know the absolute basics of canine body language and able to interpret what the dog is communicating?
🐾 Can you say no or refer a client on to someone else if you can't deliver the service the customer wants/needs? Maybe the dog is far too powerful for you to have under control? (Think safety of the dog, yourself and anyone who might be in that environment you're walking in. Injuries and even broken bones have happened when a walker hasn't been able to keep a dog under their control) Never be afraid to say no or refer on to someone else.
🐾 What type of dog walker are you going to be? Yes there's a massive variety of types and styles of dog walkers! I was a dedicated 1-2-1 dog walker specialising in dogs who are nervous/anxious/fearful or reactive. There's mixed household group dog walkers, gun dog specialist walkers, breed specific specialist dog walkers, adventure dog walkers who take small groups on trips to beaches/lake district and a whole host of environments etc but do you have the relevant knowledge, experience, CPD, qualifications etc to back it up?
There's far more to it than clipping a lead on and mooching around parks and woodland...
Someone is entrusting you with access to their home and their best friend, often you entering the property when nobody is home that's a lot of trust for someone to put in you. And that trust can take years and years to build and seconds to destroy!
Benn ✌️
