Pricing
How much to charge for dog walking, day care and boarding
By the Trusthound team · · 6 min read
The best way to set your dog walking prices is to work out what you need to earn and what your business costs to run, turn that into a price per walk, then check it against what others charge locally. As a rough guide, a 30-minute walk in London averages around £17 on Rover, while walks in Toronto average around C$22 and in Dublin around €17. Day care and boarding are usually priced per day or per night, and it's worth deciding your extras and when you'll review prices before you take your first booking.
This guide covers walks, day care and boarding, with a worked example and indicative prices for the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The figures are a starting point, not a recommendation, and local rates can vary a lot from one town to the next.
How do I work out what to charge?
Start with your costs, not your competitors. If you only copy local prices, you can end up busy but not earning enough.
- Decide what you want to earn in a year, before tax.
- Add up your yearly business costs: insurance, fuel and vehicle wear, kit, phone, software, training, licences or park permits, and accountancy.
- Work out your real working days. Take off holidays, bank holidays and a few days for illness.
- Count how many paid walks you can fit in a day, including travel between dogs and time for messages, keys and admin.
- Divide your earnings plus costs by your working days, then by your walks per day.
Here's an illustrative example in pounds. Swap in your own numbers.
| Step | Example |
|---|---|
| Target earnings before tax | £24,000 |
| Business costs | £4,000 |
| Total needed | £28,000 |
| Working days (46 weeks × 5 days) | 230 |
| Needed per day | about £122 |
| Price per dog, 6 solo walks a day | about £20 |
| Price per dog, 3 groups of 3 dogs a day | about £13.50 |
Two things stand out. Solo walks take more of your time per dog, so they need a higher price. And travel matters: a tight round of dogs in one area earns far more per hour than a spread-out one. Our dog walking price calculator does this sum for you.
What do dog walkers charge in different countries?
These are indicative figures from pet-sitting marketplaces, so they mostly reflect individual walkers and sitters rather than licensed premises such as kennels or day care centres. Walk lengths vary between listings, and prices change, so check current local rates before you rely on them.
| Country (area) | Dog walk | Day care (per day) | Boarding (per night) |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK (London) | 30 min: about £17 on average, most £12–28 | about £20–30 | about £40 on average |
| UK (other cities) | about £10–15 | – | about £27–32 |
| Ireland (Dublin) | about €17 on average (median €12) | – | about €40 on average |
| Canada (Toronto) | about C$22 on average | about C$39 | about C$54 |
| Australia (Sydney) | mostly A$28–34 | – | typically A$50–60 |
| New Zealand (Auckland) | listed from about NZ$15 to NZ$50 | – | – |
We couldn't find reliable figures across the rest of Europe, where prices vary widely by country and city. Search local listings and the websites of walkers near you instead.
Use local rates as a sense check, not a target. If your cost-based price is well below the local average, you're probably undercharging. If it's well above, look at whether you can cut travel time or offer something that justifies it, such as smaller groups, longer walks or photo and GPS updates.
How should I price day care and boarding?
Day care is usually priced per day, often with a half-day rate. Boarding is usually priced per night. A few common approaches:
- Packages. A lower daily rate for regular days each week (for example, a block of 10 days) helps you plan staffing.
- Same-household discounts for a second dog, since much of your time and space is shared.
- Minimum stays at busy times, such as a three-night minimum over a bank holiday weekend.
- Peak rates for Christmas, New Year and school holidays.
- Late collection fees, so the end of the day stays predictable.
If you're licensed, your licence sets a maximum number of dogs, so your capacity is fixed. That makes it even more important to price from your costs.
What extras can I charge for?
Be clear about extras up front and put them in your terms. Common ones include:
- Key holding or key collection, especially if you look after keys long term
- Additional dogs from the same household, often at a reduced rate
- Bank holidays, weekends and late-notice bookings
- Travel outside your usual area, as a flat fee or per mile or kilometre
- Puppy visits or medication, which need extra care and time
- Late cancellations, for example charging in full if cancelled with less than 24 or 48 hours' notice
Our dog walking terms and conditions builder can help you write these down clearly.
When should I raise my prices?
Most small businesses review prices once a year. It's usually a good time to raise them when:
- your costs have gone up, such as insurance, fuel or a licence fee
- you're fully booked and keeping a waiting list
- you've added something new, such as a qualification or a secure field
- your prices haven't changed in over a year
Give clients plenty of notice, in writing, and follow whatever your terms say (many walkers give at least a month). Explain the change briefly and without apology. Some businesses keep existing clients on the old rate for a few months, which can soften the change.
Should I invoice in advance or in arrears?
| In advance | In arrears | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Clients pay before the walks, stays or month | Clients pay after the work is done |
| Cash flow | You're paid before you spend | You wait, sometimes weeks |
| Cancellations | Easier to enforce your policy | Harder to collect for no-shows |
| Admin | Credits needed for changes | Bill exactly what happened |
Many walkers charge regulars monthly in advance and one-off bookings at the time of booking. Whatever you choose, automatic payments such as saved cards or Direct Debit save a lot of chasing, and our dog walking software can take both.
Do my prices need to include VAT or GST?
Not until you reach the registration threshold where you are, unless you choose to register voluntarily. Once you're registered, you'll usually need to add tax to your prices, so plan ahead as you grow.
| Country | Registration threshold |
|---|---|
| UK | £90,000 taxable turnover in the last 12 months |
| Ireland | €42,500 for services |
| Canada | C$30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters |
| Australia | A$75,000 GST turnover |
| New Zealand | NZ$60,000 turnover in 12 months |
Thresholds differ across the rest of Europe, and the rules have more detail than this table can show, so check with your tax authority or an accountant.
How Trusthound helps
Trusthound lets you set prices for walks, day care, boarding and extras, then take bookings and payments by card or Direct Debit. Clients get photo updates and GPS routes after each walk, and you get daily care records and vaccination reminders in the same place. It can make charging easier, but your prices and your income are always up to you and your local market.
Sources
- Register for VAT (HMRC, GOV.UK)
- VAT thresholds (Revenue, Ireland)
- When to register for and start charging the GST/HST (Canada Revenue Agency)
- Registering for GST (Australian Taxation Office)
- Registering for GST (Inland Revenue, New Zealand)
- Dog walkers in London (Rover)
- Dog boarding in London (Rover)
- Dog walkers in Dublin (Rover)
- Dog walking in Toronto (Rover)
- Dog walkers in Sydney (Mad Paws)
- Dog walking in Auckland (Pawshake)
Checked 20 October 2026.
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Rules vary between areas and change over time, so check with your local authority or an adviser.