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By Sennai Daniel, Founder, Fetchd · Published 2026-09-21 · Updated 2026-09-25 · 10 min read

How to Become a Dog Walker in the UK: 10 Things to Know Before You Start

Key takeaways

• You don't need a licence or qualification to walk dogs in most of the UK, but you do need insurance.
• Decide early whether you'll find clients through platforms like Rover, go independent, or do both.
• Register with HMRC once you earn more than £1,000 in a tax year.
• Most walkers charge £10–£20 per walk; solo walks and London rates sit higher.

Dog walking is one of the most popular ways to start a pet care business in the UK — and for good reason. Start-up costs are low, the hours are flexible, and demand keeps growing: there are now around 15.5 million dogs in UK homes, up from 12.5 million in 2021.

But the walkers who turn it into a real business (rather than an expensive hobby) all get the same handful of things right from day one. Here are the ten things to sort out before you take your first paid booking.

1. Get insured before anything else

Public liability insurance is not legally required for dog walkers in the UK, but operating without it is a serious risk. If a dog in your care injures someone, causes a road accident or damages property, you are personally liable — and claims can run into tens of thousands of pounds.

A good pet business policy typically covers:

• Public liability — injury or damage to third parties
• Care, custody and control — the dogs themselves while they're with you
• Loss of keys — most clients hand over house keys
• Walk limits — check the maximum number of dogs; many policies cap group walks at 4–6

Expect to pay roughly £70–£150 a year for a sole trader policy. Compare quotes from specialist pet business insurers and brokers such as Simply Business before you buy. If you also work through a marketplace, check exactly what its cover includes — it usually only applies to bookings made on the platform, not to clients you find yourself.

2. Decide how you'll find your work: platform, independent, or both

Most new dog walkers in the UK start in one of three ways. None of them is wrong, but they lead to very different businesses.

Join a pet care marketplace

Rover and Tailster match local owners with walkers and sitters. You create a profile, set your rates, and the platform sends you enquiries and handles payment.

• Rover is the largest platform in the UK. It's free to join. Rover deducts a 15% service fee from one-off bookings (you keep 85%) and a reduced 5% fee on recurring weekly bookings (you keep 95%), and any tips a client adds are yours in full. Owners pay a separate booking fee at checkout. Check its current fees before setting your prices — they change.
• Tailster is a UK platform where carers quote for local jobs. It takes a 20% commission on bookings made through the site.

Good for: your first reviews and first paying clients without spending anything on marketing. Watch out for: commission on every booking, carers undercutting each other on price, and the platform rules. Clients you meet through a marketplace are generally expected to keep booking through it, so read the terms carefully.

Build experience first with BorrowMyDoggy

BorrowMyDoggy isn't a way to earn money — borrowers don't charge owners and pay a small annual membership instead. But if you've never handled other people's dogs, it's a low-risk way to meet different breeds, energy levels and temperaments, build confidence, and collect references before you charge anyone.

Go independent from day one

Find your own clients through word of mouth, local Facebook groups and flyers (see step 9). You keep your full rate and own every client relationship — but you're responsible for insurance, contracts, bookings and payments yourself.

Many walkers combine all three: they borrow dogs for experience, use a marketplace for their first reviews, and build their own independent client list alongside it through their own marketing. Once you have clients of your own, you'll need proper systems for bookings, records and invoicing (see step 10).

3. Check your local council's rules

Dog walking itself isn't a licensed activity in most of the UK. However, some councils and landowners — including the Royal Parks in London — require professional dog walkers to hold a licence or permit, and many limit how many dogs one person can walk at once, often to four. Fines can apply for breaking these rules, so check with your council and the managers of any parks you plan to use.

If you plan to offer home boarding or day care from your own home, that's different: you'll need an animal activity licence from your local council under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules.

4. Set your prices properly

Dog walking prices in the UK typically range from £10 to £20 per walk, with London and the South East at the higher end. Solo walks command a premium over group walks. Check what established walkers in your area charge and position yourself sensibly — being the cheapest rarely wins loyal clients. If you use a platform, remember to factor its fee into your rate. For full 2026 rates by service and region — and how to work out your own — see Dog Walking Rates UK: How Much to Charge.

Decide your structure early: per-walk rates, block bookings (for example 10 walks paid upfront at a discount), and extras like feeding, solo walks or weekend rates.

5. Get a proper client contract

A written agreement protects both you and the owner. It should cover services and rates, cancellation terms, what happens in an emergency, vet authorisation (permission to seek treatment up to an agreed amount), key handling, and a liability disclaimer.

Collect it alongside a detailed pet profile: vet details, medical conditions, medications, behavioural notes (reactivity, recall, triggers) and emergency contacts. You'll need this information on your first walk, not when something goes wrong.

6. Register as self-employed

You must register as a sole trader with HMRC once you earn more than £1,000 in a tax year from dog walking (the trading allowance). Registering is free and takes about 15 minutes online. Register by 5 October after the end of the tax year in which you started trading.

Keep records of every payment and expense from day one — mileage, insurance, poo bags, treats and marketing are all deductible.

Making Tax Digital is coming for sole traders. From April 2026, sole traders with qualifying income over £50,000 must keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC using compatible software. The threshold drops to £30,000 in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028. Even if you're below the threshold today, keeping digital records from the start will save you a painful switch later.

7. Consider training and certification

You don't need a qualification to be a dog walker, but training is genuinely worth it. A canine first aid course (usually £30–£100) teaches you how to respond to heatstroke, choking, wounds and poisoning — situations you will eventually face. Owners increasingly ask for it.

If you want a nationally recognised qualification, the iPET Network Level 3 Award in Dog Walking and Pet Sitting for Professionals is Ofqual-regulated and taught by colleges and training centres across the UK, typically for £400–£560. It covers running the business as well as handling dogs. The College of Animal Welfare's careers guide is a good overview of the role and the routes in.

Courses in dog behaviour and body language pay for themselves quickly: reading a dog's signals is what prevents incidents, and prevented incidents are what keep clients for years.

8. Be realistic about group walks

Group walks are where the money is — four dogs at £12 each is £48 an hour, versus around £15 for a solo walk. But they multiply the risk: more dogs means more management, more potential for conflict, and stricter insurance and council limits.

Start with one or two compatible dogs, build up slowly, and never mix dogs you haven't assessed together first. A well-matched group is a joy; a badly matched one is a claim on your insurance.

9. Get your first clients

Most new independent walkers get their first ten clients the same way: word of mouth, local Facebook groups, and flyers at vets, groomers and pet shops. A simple online presence — even just a page where owners can see your services and request a booking — makes every one of those channels convert better.

Offer a free introductory meet-and-greet. It lets you assess the dog and collect the details you need, and it converts far better than quoting prices cold.

10. Run it like a business from day one

The walkers who burn out are the ones juggling bookings by text, chasing payments in person, and keeping client details in their head. Set up simple systems early: one calendar for all bookings, written invoices for every job, and a record of each visit.

This is exactly what Fetchd was built for — bookings, client records, invoicing and visit reports in one place, with a client portal where owners can request bookings. It takes about ten minutes to set up, and the free plan covers your first clients while you grow.

Dog walking is a brilliant business when it's set up properly: insured, contracted, priced sensibly and run with simple systems. Sort the ten things above and you'll be ahead of most walkers in your area before your first booking.

FAQs

Do I need a qualification to be a dog walker in the UK?

No. There's no legal requirement for a qualification to walk dogs in the UK. A canine first aid course is strongly recommended, and the Ofqual-regulated iPET Network Level 3 Award in Dog Walking and Pet Sitting for Professionals is a recognised option if you want a formal qualification.

Do I need a licence to be a dog walker?

Not in most of the UK. However, some councils and landowners, including the Royal Parks, require professional dog walkers to hold a licence or permit and limit how many dogs you can walk at once. Home boarding and day care from your home do need a council licence.

Should I join Rover or Tailster as a new dog walker?

Platforms are a good way to get your first reviews and clients without marketing costs, but they take a fee from every booking — Rover deducts 15% from one-off bookings and 5% from recurring weekly bookings, while Tailster charges 20% commission — and clients you meet there are generally expected to keep booking through the platform. Many walkers use a platform to get started while building an independent client list through their own marketing.

Can I get paid on BorrowMyDoggy?

No. BorrowMyDoggy borrowers don't charge owners and pay an annual membership instead. It's useful for building experience and references before you start charging.

How much do dog walkers earn in the UK?

Most dog walkers charge £10–£20 per walk. Group walks are the most profitable: four dogs at £12 each earns £48 an hour. Your earnings depend on how many walks you can fit in a day, your area and your mix of solo and group walks.

Do I need insurance to be a dog walker?

It isn't a legal requirement, but you'd be personally liable if a dog in your care caused an injury, accident or damage. Most professional walkers carry public liability plus care, custody and control cover, typically costing £70–£150 a year.

Sources

• GOV.UK — Register for Self Assessment if you're self-employed
• GOV.UK — Tax-free allowances on property and trading income
• GOV.UK — Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
• legislation.gov.uk — Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018
• UK Pet Food — Pet Population data
• The Royal Parks — Professional dog walking

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