Have you ever thought about starting a career in the dog walking or pet sitting industry, for example as a professional dog walker?
That’s exactly how I paid my bills from 2012-2020, as a professional dog walker and pet sitter!
I worked for pet sitting businesses from 2012-2014 and then ran my own business K9sOverCoffee Pet Services from 2015-2020.
But I can tell you from my 9 years of pet sitting experience that it involves a little more than clipping a leash to a dog’s collar and going for a walk around their neighborhood.
The right equipment truly make all the difference when you’re juggling leashes, keys, and poop bags in the pouring rain.
Working with dogs every day showed me that it’s not just about walks — it’s about the overall routine and environment you create. I break that down in my dog lifestyle tips guide covering daily life with your dog.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wilderdog Fanny Pack
✅ Holds all your stuff
✅ Built-in poop bag dispenser
✅ Holds up in rainy weather
Storm Whistle
✅ Super loud
✅ Deters loose dogs that run at you
✅ Works in rain too
Large Slip Collar
✅ Emergency back up collar
✅ Won’t break
✅ Fits in your fanny pack
Having said that, let’s take a look at the most important equipment of a professional dog walker – here’s what else you’ll learn:
- What tools do you need as a dog walker?
- Which type of dog collar to use as an emergency back up collar
- A valuable tip for client keys
- A weekly pet sitting report card template
- Bonus advice to attract more clients
- Also: how much you can expect to make
What You Need As A Professional Dog Walker
1. A Car – More Than A Simple Means Of Transportation
Since I didn’t live and work in a huge city like NYC where I could have walked to my clients’ homes, I heavily relied on my car for getting around between clients.
It took me anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes to get from client A to client B, and with an average of 7 daily visits you get the picture.
I also kept the following in my car:
- Pet first aid kit for emergencies
- Sleeping bag to help transport/move injured larger dogs
- Cheap towels for rainy days and muddy paws
- Travel umbrella for rainy walks
- Stun gun flashlight for increased safety/visibility on early morning and late night walks
- Tons of dog poop bags (also work great to clean kitty litter boxes)
- Extra collars and leashes
- Pens
- My calendar planner to see my schedule
Coffee and water were always along for the ride as well!
The same applied to snacks and my lunch or dinner, depending on the time of day I was out and about. I also brought an insulated cooler bag on those really hot summer days.
Side note: I tracked my daily miles in a mileage log. All of those miles are tax deductible. If you track your miles, you don’t need to keep your gas receipts.
2. A Smart Phone – Providing Peace Of Mind For Clients
Providing peace of mind is a major part of any dog walker’s/pet sitter’s job description.
Clients want to know that their beloved fur babies are well taken care of while they’re not home.
Without my smart phone, I wouldn’t have been able to provide this peace of mind in a timely manner.
I used my phone to snap pictures and videos of the pets in my care which I then sent to my clients via text or email.
It let them know that we:
- Went for a walk
- Administered medications as necessary
- Handed out treats
- Brought in a package or
- Had a play session
3. Dog Walker Fanny Packs, Poop Bags, Dog Collars & Leashes
When you’re out and about all day walking dogs, you’ll need a smart solution that holds all your dog walking necessities.
Aka dog walker diaper bag, ha – this is what it needs to hold:
- Client keys
- Poop bags
- Treats
- Phone
- Tissues
- Pepper spray
- Your extra collar (read on to learn more about that one)
- Whatever else you may need (eye drops, lip balm, pen etc)
I switched it up between crossbody bags and fanny packs.
These days, I recommend the fanny pack from Wilderdog because it’s super spacious and holds ALL of your s***!
I always liked to be prepared for poop emergencies because we all know that poop happens, right?! As mentioned above, that’s why I always had extra rolls of poop bags in my car.
Most clients provided their own poop bags, but sometimes they ran out or we just happened to use the last one when Fido decided to poop again!
Tip: Use This Type of Dog Collar as an Emergency Back Up Collar
I also carried a LARGE size slip dog collar along in my cross body bag/fanny pack.
Sling collars are also known as choke collars. I recommend you use a large size slip collar because it fits around all size necks, from a Beagle to a German Shepherd and even Mastiff.
I started carrying one on me at all times ever since the flat collar of one of my dog walking clients’ broke mid-walk.
And guess what – I didn’t have an extra collar on me. Yikes.
Thankfully that dog – her name was Bailey – wasn’t a runner and didn’t stray very far. I was able to turn the leash I was walking her on into a makeshift sling leash, and that’s how we made it safely back to her home.
Ever since that day, I made it a point to have an extra sling collar on me (size large!), and have had to use it several times, mainly to regain control over a dog who was simply pulling too much.
Used correctly, it’s a great tool to encourage polite leash walking.
4. Client Keys, Professional Pet Sitting Liability Insurance, Storm Whistle, Pepper Spray
Having all the necessary client keys on me was kind of a no-brainer, so I won’t go into a lot of detail here.
Let me just share one tip that comes to mind as far as keys are concerned – never leave your client keys in your car. I learned that one from Erica as well.
That seemingly small negligence makes up a big chunk of claims filed with professional pet sitting liability insurance providers. It can get very expensive if all the client locks need to be replaced.
Side note: DO have professional pet sitting liability insurance. It’s peace of mind for yourself should something happen. I was with Pet Sitters Associates and they’re quite affordable.
I can’t tell you enough how much I valued my storm whistle/tick twister combo and also my clip-on pepper spray.
While I never actively used the pepper spray (except for training purposes), it provided ginormous peace of mind that I would have been able to break up a dog fight if necessary.
However, I definitely used my storm whistle and tick twister countless times.
The whistle is super loud and acts as a great distraction. I used it regularly to stop loose dogs in their tracks (there’s many of them here in our rural area).
It can also serve you well if you’re in need of help and trying to get people’s attention.
I mainly used the tick twister during spring, summer, and fall. It’s an easy-to-use tool and definitely handy to have on me while out on walks.
5. Virtual & Hard Copy Scheduling Tools, Weekly Report Cards
One of the best decisions I made in 2016 was to invest in a professional pet sitting software.
Scheduling Tools
Pet Sitter Plus makes scheduling and invoicing a breeze and is affordable, which is obviously an important criterion, at least in my opinion.
What I really loved about it is the app-like phone interface. This feature set it apart from several other softwares I tested and ultimately made me go with it.
I used it to check off visits while out and about as well as to schedule and/or send invoices – all conveniently from my phone.
Good to know: The Pet Sitter Plus software is available in:
While I absolutely loved my pet sitting software, I still used a hard copy schedule as well.
It was a great way of double-checking my own planning/scheduling PLUS it always worked, regardless of whether or not the internet might be down.
Weekly Pet Sitting Report Cards for Clients
One habit I learned from my awesome former boss Erica is to always leave notes.
For one, it’s proof that I actually showed up for the respective dog walking or pet sitting job.
But it also provides a summary of my stay with the dog and/or cat AND is a cute keepsake.
Some of my clients have kept every single pet sitting report card sheet I have filled out in a binder!
Bonus Advice: Share Social Proof from Dog Walking Clients
Ask your happy clients to write an honest review of your services! This can either be on your Facebook page or via email.
Then you can screenshot those reviews and embed them on your website. You can also include them on physical brochures and postcard mailers.
Sharing social proof of your trustworthy services and exceeded client expectations is what a potential future client wants to see before they book you.
Below are a few examples of some of my former dog walking and pet sitting clients:
How Much Do Professional Dog Walkers Make?
This depends on a few things, but most importantly on:
- Whether you’re a solopreneur or whether you have other dog walkers and pet sitters who work for you
- How much you’re willing to work
- How many clients you have
- Your geographical location
- The services you offer
According to Indeed, professional dog walkers make $21.65 per hour on average in 2025.
(Overnight) pet sitting visits and pet taxi services are going to pay you the most.
You’ll also be able to charge more in an urban area as opposed to a rural area.
That said, here’s what I charged when I ran my own dog walking business in rural NC:
- $15 for a 30 minute dog walk
- $25 for a 60 minute pet sitting visit
- $70 for overnight pet sitting visits at the client’s home (12 hours)
- $35 for pet taxi rides (to the groomer’s, vet’s, pet store)
On average, I made about $600 per week.
Tools Of A Professional Dog Walker: Bottom Line
I hope you enjoyed the glimpse behind the professional dog walking scenes.
Who knows, you might just ditch your 9-5 gig and give this niche a shot.
I recommend checking out PetSittersInternational and/or ProfessionalUnitedPetSitters for more information on how to start a profitable pet sitting and/or dog walking business.
The same goes for the book Pet Sitting For Profit.
Know that all the tools mentioned above are tax deductible, besides the cost of the smart phone.
You can, however, deduct a certain percentage of your monthly phone cost, and if you have a designated home office space, that can save you some cash come tax time as well.
Have you thought about starting a dog walking/pet sitting business, or do you know someone who owns one?
As always, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below this blog post!
Related Reading
- Little Tool, Big Impact – The Safest & Easiest Way To Remove Ticks
- Avoiding Bloat in Dogs – When NOT to Exercise Your Dog
- How to Combine House-and Crate Training Puppies
- How to Train Your Dog to Accept a Dog Backpack
- 3 Tips For A Safe Encounter With Loose Dogs
- 10 Easy Ways to Puppy-Proof Your Home
- When a Dog Walker Faces Skin Cancer
- How to Take Control Of Dog Obesity
- How to Rollerblade With Dogs
- How to Prevent Dog Bites
Barbara Rivers is the founder of K9sOverCoffee and a raw feeding educator with over a decade of hands-on experience.
She has fed raw in the US and Europe since 2015, after her Boxer mix Missy’s cancer diagnosis led her to move away from processed kibble and commit to species-appropriate nutrition.
As a former professional dog walker, she developed deep insight into canine behavior, conditioning, and the essential link between proper exercise and long-term health.
Barbara completed online training with veterinarian Dr. Marion Smart and Labrador breeder Dana Scott and works for one of Germany’s leading raw dog food brands, BARFER’S.
In 2026–2027, she is completing a year-long raw nutrition certification for dogs and cats at THP School, founded by raw feeding pioneer Swanie Simon.
Through her blog and weekly newsletter, she provides clear, experience-based guidance to help dog owners feed raw safely and confidently.
Another great article, Barbara! Bummer you are not in our area. I am very impressed with all the work you do!
I’ve been walking my (one) dog daily over the last four years. We’ve gone through four trainers. Finally with the best star dog trainer (Brain) for the last two years.
You would probably really enjoy his book: http://altitudedogtraining.com/
I use e-collar, smart collar (a softer version of the chain above), carry a spray pepper and water spray…Also, I wear ice-breakers not to slide myself. With all that said, I still need to work on my energy. In my opinion, dog’s training is all about mastering our human energy.
I wish dog walking classes were required for all pet parents.
Oh, I couldn’t agree more with the dog walking classes, Anna!! Thank you for all your kind words. I’d love to go on a snowy walk with you & Rocky & my pups. Maybe I’ll make it out your way at some point in time :) I hear Colorado is beautiful.
Cudos to you for being so active with Rocky and walking him every day, AND seeking out the advice of a professional trainer. The daily walk is so important, and such a wonderful bonding opportunity between the dog and his handler.
Thank you also for the link to Brian’s book. I will check out his training philosophy. You are spot on with the energy. I’m a huge believer in energy ever since the pups came into my life. They really do mirror the energy they’re surrounded by, so it always boggles my mind when people are surprised at dogs reacting to a crazy environment. Ugh. One of my pet peeves.
I’m all for using a variety of tools to make our lives easier – thank you, pet industry for coming up with all of them!!
I have used head collars (Gentle Leader & Halti), martingale collars, sling collars, prong collars, and regular flat collars on my own pups, and I also have one of each in my car, just in case. I never know when it might be helpful to have one of those to fall back on. No one collar works for all dogs, and some really need the e-collar or prong collar to be manageable, at least temporarily.
I know that some people have very strong opinions as far as the use of the e-collar and the prong collar are concerned, but in my honest opinion, they are very likely to never have had to handle a difficult dog. I learned how to correctly use a prong collar on both of my dogs in a basic obedience class I took, and it got rid of several problem behaviors. I currently don’t actively use them on my pups, but Buzz is walked on a head collar, and Missy on a sling collar. She still has a tendency to want to chase every squirrel and cat she sees, and I don’t think that she’ll ever fully kick that behavior to the curb.