How Much to Charge for Dog Walking & Pet Sitting in 2023!

[@mabelh7305]

Excellent!! I will be raising my prices thanks to you! Because of my low prices I have so many clients and have had to stop accepting new clients. Will raise my prices and see who ends up staying with me!

[@devynb713]

Love this! Just raised my prices yesterday and this makes me feel way more confident about it

[@DougtheDogGuy]

Congrats!

[@retailgirly3871]

I needed this so bad! I am working on increases (like most people) currently and my overnights are….. so undercharged honestly.

[@DougtheDogGuy]

Thanks for watching! You got this!

[@MT-yr7pt]

Same here

[@Yourlocalvamp13]

Same, I also tend to feel bad for having to raise my prices too because some people ask for deals even with my low prices 😢 when if I’m making less than $5 an hour… I don’t think I can do that anymore

[@spikedblade]

Can you please do videos on the process of getting the business ready to hire employees? Is it as simple as hiring a payroll company to take care of everything? Interviewing/ Training employees, employee handbook, do the employees join you on the meet and greet or do you do it yourself, making sure employees are paid fairly, employee benefits, etc

[@DougtheDogGuy]

I will have some videos on this soon! Thanks for the suggestion

[@MT-yr7pt]

Looking forward to a video on paying your employees fairly and how to calculate that based on your rates.

[@WZech-ly8dm]

Thank you, Doug! Excellent, valuable content as always! You never disappoint!

[@SereneDJ]

Whatever you are charging, charge more. 😁

[@starjewel16]

This is crazy to me. I work on Rover and the average overnight price in my area is $30-50 for all but the most popular sitters. And that generally involves staying at the home most of the day. Then Rover takes 20%. I mean, it's awesome people can charge those kind of prices. The only time I've ever made close to $100 a night is when I'm watching 3-4 dogs in one home. I'm looking to moving to an area where people charge closer to the prices you name in the video and I can't wait lol

[@JeffSmith-it4tm]

If your toilet backs up and you have to call someone they charge like 50 dollars just to show up and 100 plus an hour.

[@luckerooni1153]

@@JeffSmith-it4tm The problem is that people keep taking these jobs because they're desperate and want to work with animals even at the cost of their long term viability so no one can charge more easily without social proof. No one's coming out to do a toilet for less than 150, but any sap that loves dogs will watch your dogs all day, and it took them zero effort to even get into the race for taking the job so they'll take the cheap job, work it for a month, say "that's not worth the money," just in time for another sucker to take their place. People using the services like Rover just follow the crowd, but the crowd is just trying to scam because they're allowed to put scam prices. These bozos want to pay 20 dollars for multiple hours of an adult with bills' time in the cities and suburbs of the USA, and on top of that they want truly above and beyond level customer service to go with it because they want their fur baby to always be happy and treated well, but they won't treat the people giving their compassion out to strange animals like they've known them their whole life well.

[@cindy7733]

My ADHD brain cannot understand all the math. My brain is jumbled. I need to pay someone to figure out my prices b/c I am an amazing cat sitter. I go above and beyond but I charge close to nothing and get taken advantage of, as well. :/

[@DougtheDogGuy]

You are not alone. Send me an email and I may be able to help: badtothebonepetcare.com/forpetsitters/

[@jim.zuzukiz3583]

20 / hour minimum

[@angie_getsfit22]

I didn’t understand the math either 😕

[@brendatomlinson]

I’m still confused after watching twice. I’ll try again in early morning.

[@brendatomlinson]

I hear you Cindy. I’m so afraid to lose clients that I never increase rates. I’ve been at $15 per visit for 10+ years. I need a coach like Doug.

[@KimmieThorne]

I love your channel, I am learning so much from you, thank you so much. I have 2 quick queations, 1. What is a good company to get bonded through? and 2. Should we list our prices on our website?

[@JeffSmith-it4tm]

If your toilet backs up and you have to call someone they charge like 50 dollars just to show up and 100 plus an hour.

[@mabelh7305]

Excellent point!!!!!!!

[@RussiaDaily]

Your toilet backing up is a rare occurrence, maybe twice a year at most? And at that point you need to change your toilet or your habits. whereas your dog needs a walk every day, sometimes multiple times a day depending on the condition, so by your logic, it makes it seem like a dog walk should cost like 82 cents an hour.

[@prtdiva]

@@RussiaDaily nope. If your dog needs a walk and you can’t make it home, you’re going to pay whatever is necessary to make sure your dog is taken care of because you can’t get to them. Same way with your toilet. You can’t fix it so you’re going to pay the $100/hr. We saw on the map some of the national averages and people are paying up to $30-$40/walk depending on the region of the country you live in.

[@luckerooni1153]

@@RussiaDaily His logic is no human being will suffer your bullshit to the point of personally going to your house to solve a problem for you unless you pay them good money, but somehow you throw pets in the mix and now you can scam people because they have a big heart and just want to work with animals. It ruins the industry.

[@The_Gallowglass]

Been thinking of doing it myself. I really enjoy walking and hiking and sitting down in an office or a vehicle all day is just untenable for me these days. Pets are great too. I don't need to make a whole lot or work a whole lot, but I definitely want to make a good rate.

[@mrspunk61]

I'm watching this because I can envision myself doing this. I don't think I would want to be walking dogs all over but certainly on a minor basis. But house sitting (probable not overnight) and watching cats and whatever else a customer might need while they are away seems feasible. I've been a painting contractor my whole life but I feel like I'm going to need to transition at some point. One thing I've learned over the years is that your customers are your sales agents and people are willing to hire responsibility. That's why my brother and I have always been busy. But that means being 100% reliable no excuses. Constant contact and being prepared for anything that could possibly go wrong. When it comes to pets, people can really be stressed about their well being to the point that they can't go away at all . This is all stuff you need to factor into pricing. I haven't figured out what pricing should be but the more responsible you seem the more you can charge. I live in the northeast, everything is expensive. A half hour feed, clean litter and leave for cats is really an hour minimum. You have to drive there and drive back. You also need to figure in communication time with the customer. It almost gets to the point that it's even difficult to charge enough . But think about it, If customers can actually afford to go away and sometimes for 2 or 3 weeks they will be willing to pay for responsibility so don't be shy about basically overcharging for what you think your reputation is worth. Remember , you have to meet with the customer and go over everything ahead of time, it's alot more than cleaning up after Kitty and keeping her fed

[@benjaminyoung4517]

Very happy to have this info. more theses plz

[@DougtheDogGuy]

Thank you!

[@charleneh8084]

What would you charge 13 hour day in Massachusetts for 1 small dog? Plus 1 other 8 hour day. I was thinking $50-$75 a day I dont know help

[@shar8679]

Needed this! Thanks

[@DougtheDogGuy]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@trackingmylifeaway1931]

thank you! i definitely needed this 😇

[@DougtheDogGuy]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@liveyouryoga]

How much do you value online education like PSI? How would getting this training affect your income expectations?

[@bsp5161]

That’s a great question. Been wondering that myself.

[@flowersafeheart]

I recently joined PSI and feel very happy about it! It helps me upgrade my quality! Has valuable discounts, other resources, etc.

[@GlowBean_Studio]

I have a question/Video idea! How do you price/charge when doing a pet sitting business as a minor?

[@AliveBoldTV]

Very helpful! You just earned a new sub Thanks!!

[@DougtheDogGuy]

Thanks so much!!

[@debinlbc]

How many walks on average can a dog walker do without tiring out physically? Right now I do 2 -30 minute walks and walk my own dog for an hour. At 2 hours a day I am tired but someone told me that it takes your body time to adjust to the increase in time. I have some dates coming up where I will be doing 6- 30 minute walks as well as walking my own dog so total time 3 hours of walking. I would love to know what the maximum amount of walks you or your audience have done in one day? Also, when you have a lot of scheduled walks do you also walk your own dog as long as you usually do?

[@debinlbc]

Don't know why the text above is stricken out. Hope you can read it! lol

[@DougtheDogGuy]

Thanks for the question! There are a lot of factors that go into this such as your age and health, as well as the age and health of the different dogs you are walking. You also need to take weather, length of visit, and travel time into account. And of course experience plays a factor as well.

[@bigbird2240]

Just keep going you will get strong

[@mabelh7305]

Hi! Excellent question. It's all individual. I'm 56 and a long distance runner. I do 4-5 walks a day, and to be honest I'm a little exhausted and stressed out. I walk from 11:00am - 3:0pm. I also board/daycare 1-2 dogs at a time, which can add to my stress, but I'm making great money to support my family. I sometimes feel like quitting, like the time I hit a biker on my way to a $20/30 min puppy walk. Now I'm being sued by the biker. But I keep on going because I love my dogs and am attached to all of them. Good luck.

[@wanderfullymade8374]

I want to start petwalking and pet sitting in my gentrification area.

[@delynneggs]

get that bag sis

[@csouthern8692]

Some people don’t want walking they just want a sitter to stay 24 hours a day in their place with their pets and what if they don’t leave the sitter any food or drinks or anything while they are there ….not even a snack . I literally had to go buy groceries then take them home when done ✅

[@DougtheDogGuy]

Staying in a clients home 24 hours a day is not feasible as that would mean you could not have a life or other clients or pets of your own. And I would never expect a client to supply me with food or drinks

[@jim.zuzukiz3583]

Make a lunch

[@nicoleyap-chiongco3004]

I always bring my own groceries in and out. I can't imagine expecting otherwise. I have had several clients tell me to please help myself to anything in their fridge and to make myself at home which is always so sweet. For the other clients that never mention it, I would never ask and would bring my own stuff.

[@dianekuschel963]

When you say "add up all expenses for services to cover every dollar you would spend and divide that by the number/amount of visits you want to do", would you just break even then? Or by expenses, do you mean business expenses plus your own living expenses?

[@DougtheDogGuy]

Great question! You would add up anything and everything you expect the pet sitting income to cover. So if you're doing this full time with no other sources of income, you'd add all your business expenses and your own living expenses and saving/investing also :)

[@sarahgrohmusic]

How are you keeping a full-time job and walking 6 dogs a day x 5? Glad you have contractors.

[@DougtheDogGuy]

You would be a full time dog walker and would not have another full time job if you were walking 6 dogs a day 5 days a week. I have been a full time dog walker for over 10 years, and all of the content here on my channel is geared towards helping people achieve the same. And I would highly recommend staying away from the contractor model. You cannot legally train independent contractors, and it is vital to be able to train anyone that you are sending out into the field to represent your brand. I have employees and only recommend hiring employees, I would never recommend using contractors. I have a lot of content on this subject here on the channel, and I have a full hiring course you can enroll in on my website when you’re ready to take that leap!

[@momobabyy3]

What about dog boarding prices in our home?

[@DougtheDogGuy]

Hi! My business does not offer boarding, but the same logic could be applied to any service.

[@offleashadentures]

where is the mention of profit? expenses do not include profit.

[@csouthern8692]

What do you charge for 24 hour a day pet sitting in a clients home ???? Two large dogs and one cat ??? And the clients require you pick up dog poop with heavy shovel daily and clean cat box constantly…….

[@DougtheDogGuy]

I would not offer 24 hour a day pet sitting in a clients home as that would mean I could not have a life, care for my own pets, or go to my other clients. Personally, I currently charge $36 per hour or $24 for 30 minutes. And I do offer overnight care for $120 for an 8 hour overnight and if they need additional time during the day they can book drop-in visits separately. (And I have a price increase coming soon)

[@luckerooni1153]

It's so funny how common the idea of "I'll charge less than the local because I'm starting out" is. You should just charge $5 more as a baseline, insist that you give high quality care however you can and that you intend to be doing this for the long run and improving the service over time. Otherwise, it just looks like you're trying to undercut someone because you can't compete with them.

[@cicelysimmons5802]

Hi

[@Dymendd]

Is 50$ overnight bad for two dogs ?

[@GrayFoxsDen]

I charge here in Los Angeles $80 per night

[@Dogger1230]

Beyond confusing video. Do you mean having $50,000 in business expenses such as payroll, licenses, business taxes, etc? Or $50,000 in living expenses such as mortgage, food, car, etc? Also keeping in mind it’s a confusing video because I’m beyond tired. I’ll be watching your other videos as well

[@DougtheDogGuy]

You would add up ALL business expenses, and of your own living expenses that you expect dog walking and pet sitting to cover. (I say that because some pet sitters just do it part time around another job, but some do this full-time). Let me know if you have any other questions, happy to help!