08/10/2026
I wasn’t going to post this but I feel a little upset from a message i received this morning- so here it is
🐾 A little insight into the cost of dog walking 🐾
I thought I’d explain a little about my pricing, because I think it’s easy to look at the price of a dog walk and think “that’s £16 for an hour”.
In reality, that £16 doesn’t equal £16 an hour.
For me, a walk can take around 2 hours of my time once you include travelling to and from the client, collecting/drop-offs, getting the dogs ready, the actual walk and returning home.
Then there are all the costs of running a dog-walking business:
🚗 Fuel and vehicle costs
🛡️ Business insurance
🐕🦺 Leads, harnesses and equipment
🧼 Cleaning and laundry
📱 Phone and business costs
💷 Tax and National Insurance
⏰ Admin, messages, arranging visits and managing bookings
🌧️ And of course, working outside in all weathers!
So when a £16 walk takes approximately 2 hours of my working day, that’s £8 an hour before any of those costs are taken off.
I actually keep my prices as reasonable as I can because I know everyone has a budget. I also offer a £14 drop-in visit, and I know from speaking to other local dog walkers that many charge around £15–for a drop-in and £20+ for a group walk.
I completely understand that everyone’s circumstances and budgets are different, and nobody is obliged to use my service. ❤️
But I also think it’s important to remember that when you pay a professional dog walker, you’re not simply paying for the time the dog is physically walking.
You’re paying for their time, experience, reliability, insurance, vehicle, equipment and all the costs involved in running a small business.
I love what I do and I’m proud to offer a reliable, personal service to my customers and their dogs. 🐾❤️