Walking your dog is an important part of pet ownership as it allows the pet to not only get outside for bathroom breaks, but also gives them a chance to exercise, socialize with other dogs and people, and in general, receive enrichment.
However, it can be hard to schedule these walks, especially for someone who works during the day and is away from home for many hours.
When this happens, it may be time to call for a dog walker. But do you know how much do dog walkers charge?
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The Costs of Getting a Dog Walker
Dog walkers and dog walking services such as Wag are becoming increasingly abundant and popular, and are a great and relatively cheap option to ensure that your dog has its needs met.
The cost of this will depend on a number of factors, including but not limited to: your location, the number of walks your dog will need per day, the length of the walks themselves, and the time of day it would be taking place.
Generally speaking, an average cost to walk a dog is between $10 and $30 per 30-minute walk for a single animal – with 20 to 30 minutes being the typical length of time for dog walking. You can also request a 60-minute walk, which would run around $30 to $60, depending on the walker.
Most dogs will need 1-2 walks per day – with younger and more active dogs needing at least 3 daily. One rule of thumb is that walkers charge around $0.50 to $1.00 per minute on walks so one should shop around for the best rates.
These rates will differ based on your location, as walkers from a larger city may charge more than in smaller towns. Lastly, many dog walkers will offer discounts of up to 30% for the monthly charges if you use their services consistently.
Naturally, the price would be much lower when you employ a local kid or a neighbor which can be as low as $5 to do the dog walking for you. However, you should know that the people who are professional dog walkers are more capable of taking your dog out for a walk and caring for it than a kid from the street.
What Pet Owners Say
Scanning through pet forums reveals the following dog walking expenditures as shared by pet owners:
- $25 per day for 1.5 hours off leash (6 walks a month for $150).
- $35 per visit (unspecified number of hours), twice a week for a total of $280 a month.
- $17 for a 20-minute walk and $22 for 30 minutes in DC area.
- $15 for 30-40 minutes walk, $18 if outside working hours plus tip.
How to Save on Dog Walking Cost?
- Number of Dogs
If you have more than one dog to be walked, the extra charge depends on the walker. Some may not charge anything, others may add a few dollars, while still others may charge 50% of the cost for the second, and any subsequent animals.
Group walking is another option, as long as your dog doesn’t mind being with other dogs.
This service is especially popular in denser cities where walkers may walk up to 5-10 dogs at a time. This will cost you less money as walkers can walk multiple dogs at once, with savings of $5 to $10 off per walk.
- Number of Walks
Some dog breeds may need more than one walk per day or a few times a week due to exercise requirements. With this, dog walkers or dog walking companies offer reduced rates for volume service subscription.
A pet owner in a forum is paying $330 per month to walk her 2 dogs, 10 minutes per day, 5 days a week–service tax included. The fee for 1 dog in this instance is around $8.25 for every 10 minutes if the walker visits 20 times a month.
- Bundle Packages
Costs can add up quickly when your dog needs to be taken out more than once per day. Thankfully, there are a number of companies that offer bundle packages for those willing to have their dogs walked regularly.
Although these are similar to the discounts given based on the number of walks, these especially cater to walking services for a prolonged period of time.
What dog walking companies would do is to set a discounted minimum standard price specifically geared for those wanting regular walks for their dogs.
One company that offers bundle packages is YoDogWalker.com which charges $390 for 15 one-hour walks which would be about $26 per walk.
Additional Charges
- Park Visits
A trip to the park may cost more – about $30 – even more so if the dog walker would take your pooch to a dog park where it can socialize with other dogs. A dog park visit may cost you a total of $40.
- Early Mornings, Evenings, Weekends, and Holidays
There will be additional charges if you schedule a dog walker during the weekends, on holidays, and evenings. For weekends, early mornings, and evenings, there may be a surcharge of $3 to $5.
Holiday or off-hours walking will also incur extra charges of $5 to $10 per walk but may spike up to $15 during major holidays such as New Year’s Eve, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Independence Day among others.
- Additional Services
There are also additional optional costs to consider. Some walkers offer pickup and drop-off services, where for example, they could pick your dog up from daycare, take them on their walk, and drop them off at your home.
These are more expensive of course as they are more labor and time-intensive on their part and so they run from about $40 to $50 per hour.
Some walkers can assist with special needs animals – whether it be medication, grooming, feeding or even extra pampering. Extra dog walking prices for these services are difficult to generalize. However, quotes range from $20 to $40 for the combined services per visit.
