For your best business protection and savings, we recommend bundling GL with some other important coverages on one Business Owners Policy!
People right now are so crazy about dogs to the point that it’s rare to see not having at least one. And as much as the craze goes, people are now more conscious about how to treat their pets well.
Leave your dog alone in the house without telling anyone, and it’s only a matter of time before someone comes to scold you. Dogs aren’t just pets anymore; they’re family. And for this reason, many go to great lengths to ensure that their poochies grow healthy and bright by providing healthy food, adequate training, and vet care.
Aside from what’s previously mentioned, walking is also essential for dogs as it prevents destructive behaviors. Experts recommend that dogs should be walked for two hours every day. However, many can’t do so due to busy schedules.
Dog walkers offer their services so that dogs can go out even if their owners are busy. It’s true that the global pandemic has made it hard for dog walkers to make an income. But since things are now turning for the better, it’s expected that dog walking services will increase in valuation by about 10.5%.
Are you planning to start a full-time or part-time dog walking career? If you wonder how much you make walking dogs, here is your answer - read this guide to find out.
Dog walkers’ earnings rest on the borderline between good and bad pay. Still, many opt to do dog walking services as it comes with perks that higher-earning professions can’t give.
Depending on where they live, dog walkers are paid on an hourly, weekly, or monthly basis. The stability of income depends on different factors such as the number of clients, experience, educational background, and many more. If you want to know how much can you earn as a dog walker, you’ll find the proceeding sections absolutely useful.
Also read:
On average, dog walkers make $28,491 per year. Here’s a table that shows how much does a dog walker make a year based on which state he or she is currently residing in, for further reference.
| State | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $26,300 |
| Alaska | $30,003 |
| Arizona | $27,948 |
| Arkansas | $26,576 |
| California | $29,548 |
| Colorado | $34,068 |
| Connecticut | $30,139 |
| Delaware | $28,007 |
| Florida | $25,320 |
| Georgia | $26,671 |
| Hawaii | $31,399 |
| Idaho | $27,556 |
| Illinois | $26,272 |
| Indiana | $27,679 |
| Iowa | $27,140 |
| Kansas | $27,437 |
| Kentucky | $26,655 |
| Louisiana | $27,423 |
| Maine | $27,135 |
| Maryland | $30,298 |
| Massachusetts | $30,090 |
| Michigan | $26,236 |
| Minnesota | $28,179 |
| Mississippi | $26,070 |
| Missouri | $28,122 |
| Montana | $28,228 |
| Nebraska | $29,831 |
| Nevada | $29,758 |
| New Hampshire | $31,818 |
| New Jersey | $28,737 |
| New Mexico | $26,613 |
| New York | $33,005 |
| North Carolina | $24,226 |
| North Dakota | $29,645 |
| Ohio | $28,033 |
| Oklahoma | $27,725 |
| Oregon | $28,321 |
| Pennsylvania | $28,216 |
| Rhode Island | $30,022 |
| South Carolina | $28,405 |
| South Dakota | $28,789 |
| Tennessee | $28,287 |
| Texas | $26,661 |
| Utah | $27,825 |
| Vermont | $29,879 |
| Virginia | $29,450 |
| Washington | $32,464 |
| West Virginia | $28,692 |
| Wisconsin | $28,016 |
| Wyoming | $29,630 |
So how much does walking dogs pay per month? On average the monthly income of dog walkers is $2,374. Take a look at this table to know the monthly income of dog walkers in each state.
| State | Average Monthly Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $2,192.00 |
| Alaska | $2,500.00 |
| Arizona | $2,329.00 |
| Arkansas | $2,215.00 |
| California | $2,462.00 |
| Colorado | $2,839.00 |
| Connecticut | $2,512.00 |
| Delaware | $2,334.00 |
| Florida | $2,110.00 |
| Georgia | $2,223.00 |
| Hawaii | $2,617.00 |
| Idaho | $2,296.00 |
| Illinois | $2,189.00 |
| Indiana | $2,307.00 |
| Iowa | $2,262.00 |
| Kansas | $2,286.00 |
| Kentucky | $2,221.00 |
| Louisiana | $2,285.00 |
| Maine | $2,261.00 |
| Maryland | $2,525.00 |
| Massachusetts | $2,507.00 |
| Michigan | $2,186.00 |
| Minnesota | $2,348.00 |
| Mississippi | $2,173.00 |
| Missouri | $2,344.00 |
| Montana | $2,352.00 |
| Nebraska | $2,486.00 |
| Nevada | $2,480.00 |
| New Hampshire | $2,652.00 |
| New Jersey | $2,395.00 |
| New Mexico | $2,218.00 |
| New York | $2,750.00 |
| North Carolina | $2,019.00 |
| North Dakota | $2,470.00 |
| Ohio | $2,336.00 |
| Oklahoma | $2,310.00 |
| Oregon | $2,360.00 |
| Pennsylvania | $2,351.00 |
| Rhode Island | $2,502.00 |
| South Carolina | $2,367.00 |
| South Dakota | $2,399.00 |
| Tennessee | $2,357.00 |
| Texas | $2,222.00 |
| Utah | $2,319.00 |
| Vermont | $2,490.00 |
| Virginia | $2,454.00 |
| Washington | $2,705.00 |
| West Virginia | $2,391.00 |
| Wisconsin | $2,335.00 |
| Wyoming | $2,469.00 |
The weekly rates of dog walkers are not so bad. The table below shows the weekly rates of dog walkers in the different states of the US.
Dog Walker Weekly Rates By State
| State | Average Weekly Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $506.00 |
| Alaska | $577.00 |
| Arizona | $537.00 |
| Arkansas | $511.00 |
| California | $568.00 |
| Colorado | $531.00 |
| Connecticut | $580.00 |
| Delaware | $539.00 |
| Florida | $487.00 |
| Georgia | $513.00 |
| Hawaii | $604.00 |
| Idaho | $530.00 |
| Illinois | $505.00 |
| Indiana | $532.00 |
| Iowa | $522.00 |
| Kansas | $528.00 |
| Kentucky | $513.00 |
| Louisiana | $527.00 |
| Maine | $522.00 |
| Maryland | $583.00 |
| Massachusetts | $579.00 |
| Michigan | $505.00 |
| Minnesota | $542.00 |
| Mississippi | $501.00 |
| Missouri | $541.00 |
| Montana | $543.00 |
| Nebraska | $574.00 |
| Nevada | $572.00 |
| New Hampshire | $612.00 |
| New Jersey | $553.00 |
| New Mexico | $512.00 |
| New York | $635.00 |
| North Carolina | $466.00 |
| North Dakota | $570.00 |
| Ohio | $539.00 |
| Oklahoma | $533.00 |
| Oregon | $545.00 |
| Pennsylvania | $543.00 |
| Rhode Island | $577.00 |
| South Carolina | $546.00 |
| South Dakota | $554.00 |
| Tennessee | $544.00 |
| Texas | $513.00 |
| Utah | $535.00 |
| Vermont | $575.00 |
| Virginia | $566.00 |
| Washington | $624.00 |
| West Virginia | $552.00 |
| Wisconsin | $539.00 |
| Wyoming | $570.00 |
On this table are the daily rates of dog walkers. Use the data provided if you want to calculate how much can you make dog walking daily.
| State | Average Daily Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $101.15 |
| Alaska | $115.40 |
| Arizona | $107.49 |
| Arkansas | $102.22 |
| California | $113.65 |
| Colorado | $113.00 |
| Connecticut | $115.92 |
| Delaware | $107.72 |
| Florida | $97.38 |
| Georgia | $102.58 |
| Hawaii | $120.77 |
| Idaho | $105.98 |
| Illinois | $101.05 |
| Indiana | $106.46 |
| Iowa | $104.38 |
| Kansas | $105.53 |
| Kentucky | $102.52 |
| Louisiana | $105.47 |
| Maine | $104.37 |
| Maryland | $116.53 |
| Massachusetts | $115.73 |
| Michigan | $100.91 |
| Minnesota | $108.38 |
| Mississippi | $100.27 |
| Missouri | $108.18 |
| Montana | $108.57 |
| Nebraska | $114.73 |
| Nevada | $114.45 |
| New Hampshire | $122.38 |
| New Jersey | $110.53 |
| New Mexico | $102.36 |
| New York | $126.94 |
| North Carolina | $93.18 |
| North Dakota | $114.00 |
| Ohio | $107.82 |
| Oklahoma | $106.63 |
| Oregon | $108.93 |
| Pennsylvania | $108.52 |
| Rhode Island | $115.47 |
| South Carolina | $109.25 |
| South Dakota | $110.73 |
| Tennessee | $108.80 |
| Texas | $102.54 |
| Utah | $107.02 |
| Vermont | $114.92 |
| Virginia | $113.27 |
| Washington | $124.86 |
| West Virginia | $110.35 |
| Wisconsin | $107.75 |
| Wyoming | $113.95 |
Just like any other worker, a dog walker is paid on an hourly basis. So, how much does a dog walker make per hour? Dog walkers get paid $13.69 on average. Take a look at this table to know how much does a dog walker get paid per hour in the different states of the US.
| State | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $12.64 |
| Alaska | $14.42 |
| Arizona | $13.44 |
| Arkansas | $12.78 |
| California | $14.21 |
| Colorado | $16.00 |
| Connecticut | $14.49 |
| Delaware | $13.46 |
| Florida | $12.17 |
| Georgia | $12.82 |
| Hawaii | $15.10 |
| Idaho | $13.25 |
| Illinois | $12.63 |
| Indiana | $13.31 |
| Iowa | $13.05 |
| Kansas | $13.19 |
| Kentucky | $12.81 |
| Louisiana | $13.18 |
| Maine | $13.05 |
| Maryland | $14.57 |
| Massachusetts | $14.47 |
| Michigan | $12.61 |
| Minnesota | $13.55 |
| Mississippi | $12.53 |
| Missouri | $13.52 |
| Montana | $13.57 |
| Nebraska | $14.34 |
| Nevada | $14.31 |
| New Hampshire | $15.30 |
| New Jersey | $13.82 |
| New Mexico | $12.79 |
| New York | $15.87 |
| North Carolina | $11.65 |
| North Dakota | $14.25 |
| Ohio | $13.48 |
| Oklahoma | $13.33 |
| Oregon | $13.62 |
| Pennsylvania | $13.57 |
| Rhode Island | $14.43 |
| South Carolina | $13.66 |
| South Dakota | $13.84 |
| Tennessee | $13.60 |
| Texas | $12.82 |
| Utah | $13.38 |
| Vermont | $14.37 |
| Virginia | $14.16 |
| Washington | $15.61 |
| West Virginia | $13.79 |
| Wisconsin | $13.47 |
| Wyoming | $14.24 |
Rates vary from state to state. Based on our research the states where you can make a lot of money by getting paid for walking dogs are New York, New Hampshire, Washington, Maryland, and Hawaii.
Top States in The US with The Highest Rates for Dog Walking
| State | Annual Rate | Monthly Rate | Weekly Rate | Daily Rate | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $33,005.00 | $2,750.00 | $635.00 | $127.00 | $15.87 |
| Washington | $32,464.00 | $2,705.00 | $624.00 | $125.00 | $15.61 |
| New Hampshire | $31,818.00 | $2,652.00 | $612.00 | $122.00 | $15.30 |
| Hawaii | $31,399.00 | $2,617.00 | $604.00 | $121.00 | $15.10 |
| Maryland | $30,298.00 | $2,525.00 | $583.00 | $117.00 | $14.57 |
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Dog walking companies now exist because a lot of owners can’t find the time to walk their pets. In the United States, the most popular dog walking companies are Wag and Rover.
Wag acts as a digital platform where pet caregivers and dog walkers can offer their services to clients in all 50 states of the US. Other services the company offers are training, pet sitting , and veterinary care services. Right now, more than 150,000 pet professionals are using wag to leverage their services in the market.
So how much money do you make on wag? Dog walkers make $12 - $14 on Wag.
Nevertheless, the actual income might be higher. Wag doesn’t prohibit dog walkers from accepting tips from highly satisfied clients. Perks you’ll enjoy by working with Wag are:
Flexible work schedule
24/7 support
Secure payments
$1 million property damage insurance coverage
Chat clients live through the Wag website and app
Wag doesn’t prohibit you from offering numerous services. So how much can you make from wag if you provide pet sitting services aside from dog walking services? Wag pet sitting services cost $26 a night. Therefore, offering dog walking and pet sitting services will give you an income of somewhere between $40 - $50.
To start applying to Wag, visit the company’s website and click on the “become a walker” drop-down option. You’ll then go to the application page and be required to submit some of your personal information.
Wag takes three days to look at the information you provided. If approved, you’ll receive access to the Wag website and app. But that isn’t the end of the application process, as you’ll have to make a Stripe account (for receiving payments) and undergo a paid background check that costs $29.95.
Wag dog walkers directly collect the payment from their clients. This means that they’re not receiving any salary from Wag itself. However, the downside is that Wag takes 40% of the earnings. And so, how much do people make on wag might be lower. Still, this isn’t a major drawback considering that Wag offers insurance to dog walkers.
We hope that this section answers your question about how much do wag dog walkers make. Proceed reading to the next section to know how much do dog walkers earn on Rover.
Founded in 2011, Rover offers online pet services such as dog walking, house sitting, boarding, and drop-in visits to 10 countries. In the western part of the globe, the company helps busy homeowners in the neighborhoods of the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.
So, how much do dog walkers make on Rover? Rover dog walkers earn $1,000 a month. And what’s great about the company is that dog walkers won’t experience difficulties finding clients, as the clients themselves will be the ones to look for dog walkers using Rover’s website and mobile app. These are the perks of offering dog walking services through Rover:
24/7 support
Safe collection of payments
Seamless detail management of your dog walking service
Free tools and coaching to grow your career as a dog walker
Rover doesn’t have strict requirements on who should qualify as one of its dog walkers. The company only demands that an applicant must love dogs. You’re free to apply regardless of your racial and educational background. Nonetheless, applicants who are studying or graduates of a vet tech, vet assistant, and other pet and animal care courses will enjoy higher pay. The application process is easy. All that you have to do is visit Rover’s dog walker application page, provide your credentials, and wait for an email or call.
For each payment, Rover hands out 80% of the total payment of the client to you. This means that your earning potential is limitless as you're paid not on an hourly basis but based on how many dogs you’ve walked for the day.
By the way, Rover doesn’t offer insurance coverage if something goes wrong. As soon as you start earning a stable income as a Rover dog walker, get professional liability insurance and general liability insurance . So, how much can you make on Rover dog walking with insurance? Probably more, because more clients will be inclined to work with you.
When asked, “ how much do dog walkers earn ”?dog walkers will certainly answer,” not that much”. > We couldn’t agree more. Dog walking is a job that doesn’t yield a lot of income, yet many make a living out of it due to non-monetary benefits.
Nonetheless, you should know that dog walkers have unlimited earning potential. It’s because their rates are not based on any standard salary set by the company. In other words, dog walkers will only earn meager income at the beginning, but they can earn equal to the income of engineers , architects , software developers , and personal trainers in the long run.
If you’re a dog walker who’s looking for ways to increase income, then allow us to give you some practical tips.
Walking a dog might look easy. However, in reality, it’s not. That’s why clients are more inclined to pay higher rates to dog walkers with experience than those who don’t have experience. We know that you might find this unbelievable and so, we searched the web to find the rates of dog walkers according to experience and give you an idea of how much does a professional dog walker makes.
| | Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Less than 1-year experience | $31,789 |
| 1 - 2 years experience | $32,377 |
| 5 - 6 years experience | $33,100 |
| 7 - 9 years experience | $33,400 |
| 10+ experience | $33,789 |
Compared to inexperienced dog walkers, professional dog walkers make more money. One reason for this is that their services come with additional perks such as training and therapy. On the other hand, the average dog walker enjoys lesser income as clients are reluctant to pay generously for the services of someone who doesn’t have a proven work history and achievements.
Aside from experience, an educational background will also help to increase your income as a dog walker. By the way, contrary to what many believe, you can still walk dogs even if your educational background has zero relevance to dog walking. Here’s a table that shows you the rates of dog walkers based on your educational background.
| | Annual Salary (Assuming that median value is $31,789) |
|---|---|
| Less than 1-year experience/no educational background | $30,050 |
| Less than 1-year experience/with a technical certificate or high school diploma | $30,050 |
| Less than 1-year experience/with associate’s degree | $30,480 |
| Less than 1-year experience/with bachelor's degree | $30,919 |
| Less than 1-year experience/with master’s degree | $31,354 |
| Less than 1-year experience/with JD or equivalent | $32,000 |
With that said, you can make up to $32,000 a year walking dogs if you have a notable educational background. >
Rates for dog walking vary from city to city. Therefore, relocating might be a good idea if you see that your location doesn’t pay much to dog walkers. Take a look at this table if you're wondering where to relocate.
| | Hourly Rate | Daily Rate | Weekly Rate | Monthly Rate | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $19.15 | $153.20 | $919.20 | $3,676.80 | $44,121.60 |
| Brooklyn,NY | $19.12 | $152.96 | $917.76 | $3,671.04 | $44,052.48 |
| New York,NY | $17.99 | $143.92 | $863.52 | $3,454.08 | $41,448.96 |
| Denver,CO | $17.01 | $136.08 | $816.48 | $3,265.92 | $39,191.04 |
| Philadelphia | $16.99 | $135.92 | $815.52 | $3,262.08 | $39,144.96 |
| Washington, DC | $16.25 | $130.00 | $780.00 | $3,120.00 | $37,440.00 |
| Chicago, IL | $16.10 | $128.80 | $772.80 | $3,091.20 | $37,094.40 |
| Austin, TX | $15.61 | $124.88 | $749.28 | $2,997.12 | $35,965.44 |
| Sunnyvale, CA | $17.85 | $142.80 | $856.80 | $3,427.20 | $41,126.40 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $17.27 | $138.16 | $828.96 | $3,315.84 | $39,790.08 |
| Williston, ND | $16.99 | $135.92 | $815.52 | $3,262.08 | $39,144.96 |
| Manhattan, NY | $16.94 | $135.52 | $813.12 | $3,252.48 | $39,029.76 |
| Cambridge, MA | $16.73 | $133.84 | $803.04 | $3,212.16 | $38,545.92 |
| Arlington, VA | $16.54 | $132.32 | $793.92 | $3,175.68 | $38,108.16 |
| Dickinson, ND | $16.47 | $131.76 | $790.56 | $3,162.24 | $37,946.88 |
| Ketchikan, AK | $16.41 | $131.28 | $787.68 | $3,150.72 | $37,808.64 |
| Vacaville, CA | $16.28 | $130.24 | $781.44 | $3,125.76 | $37,509.12 |
We strongly suggest you relocate to this cities so that you can up to $40,000 or more from dog walking
Walking dogs is a risky business. Dog’s don’t have similar personalities. One day you might walk a well-behaved dog, and then the next day, you might walk an unruly guard dog .
Also, you never know when accidents might happen. Nothing’s stopping misfortunes from happening, no matter how careful you are. The dog you’re walking can get sick, get into trouble with people or other pets, or destroy someone’s property. And so, protect yourself from all risks with dog walking insurance.
In simple terms, dog walking insurance prevents you from spending your own money to pay for medical bills or repairs when a dog causes bodily injury or property damage. Policies that comprise this insurance are:
Dog walking general liability insurance
Dog walking commercial auto insurance
Don’t hesitate to get professional liability insurance as it will help remove clients’ doubts to work with you. Having this insurance means that you can pay costs if the client's dog got sick, lost, or injured because of your negligence.
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The amount of pay dog walkers get for each walk is affected by numerous factors. But still, in most cases, the earnings start at $10 and scale based on the quality of the service provided.
How Much Money Do You Get for Walking Dogs That Are Big?
Dog walkers charge an additional $5 - $10 for walking big dogs such as Anatolian Shepherd, Bernese Mountain Dog, Black Russian Terrier, Bullmastiff, Cane Corso, Scottish Deerhounds, Chowchow, and Tibetan Mastiff.
Walking small dog breeds doesn’t pay much, provided that you only walk on dogs. While you get paid $13.69 for walking a small dog for an hour, walking multiple small dogs will be more profitable because you can charge an additional $4 - $5. By doing this, an additional $3 - $4 can be made, so that dog walkers make $33,964.8 a year by walking small dogs
Old dogs aren’t that active, and their walk lasts shorter than younger dogs. For this reason, clients don’t pay much for walking them. Still, you can charge more if you provide therapy sessions to improve mobility, flexibility, and mood.
Dog walking for animal shelters is a volunteer service, and therefore, you won’t get paid. However, to compensate for your effort, you’ll get certifications and valuable training not only for dog walking but also for dog handling. We strongly suggest working as a dog walker for animal shelters if you want to build a notable dog walking career.
Grownups aren’t the only ones who can be dog walkers. Teens, specifically those between 12 - 18 years old, can walk dogs as a sideline. Walking dogs pay $15 - $20 a day for teens.
In general, you get paid $13.69 an hour, $2,374 a month, and $28,491 a year to walk dogs on average. Also, a dog walker makes $43,000 per year or $826 weekly if he or she has a certification. You can get certification from the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters.
Calculate how much money you can make walking dogs by referring to the above table showing hourly rates. Afterward, add additional costs based on the following factors:
Dog breed and size
How many hours to walk the dog
Special needs of the dog
When to walk to the dog
Where to walk the dog
How many dogs to walk
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