Dog Walker Cost UK 2026: Walking, Daycare and Sitting
What UK dog walkers, doggy daycares and dog sitters charge, taken from providers' own published price lists and platform averages, with what it adds up to each month.
How much does a dog walker cost?
Published prices for a group walk of about an hour ran from £10 in Fife to £22 in London parks; a solo hour cost £13 to £30. Most walkers charge less for a second dog from the same home.
| Walker | Group walk | Solo walk | Extra dog |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your Dog WalkerLeeds; effective 1 April 2026 | £15 (1 hour) | £11 (30 min) | £12 group; £7 solo |
| Canine Walk TimeSutton Coldfield | £17 (1 hour) | £12 (30 min); £17 (1 hour) | +£5 |
| The Walkies CoKent (Faversham, Canterbury and nearby) | £9 (30 min); £14 (1 hour) | £12 (30 min); £20 (1 hour) | +£4 |
| Premier PetsSurrey (Claygate, Surbiton and nearby) | £16–£18 (45 min) | £20–£24 (45 min) | Not listed |
| The London LeashEast London | £20 (60–90 min) | £25 (45 min); £30 (1 hour) | £15 |
| Leading the WayFinsbury Park, North London | £15 (1 hour) | £15 (30 min); £20 (1 hour) | £28 for two dogs, group |
| Green Dog WalkingLondon parks | £22 (60–90 min) | £30 (1 hour) | Not listed |
| WalkWagPlayCardiff | £15 (1 hour) | £17 (30 min); £24 (1 hour) | £24 for two dogs, group |
| Walk This WayFife | £6 (30 min); £10 (1 hour) | £13 (1 hour) | +£4 (30 min); +£6 (1 hour) |
Published prices, checked 21 October 2026. Rover's UK average for a 30-minute walk is £19 (Rover, May 2026).
How much does doggy daycare cost?
Full days at the six daycares we checked cost £28.25 to £55 at the pay-as-you-go price, and half days £20.25 to £42. Rover's UK average is £30 a day (Rover, June 2026).
| Daycare | Half day | Full day | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paws & PlayBolton | £20.25 | £28.25 | 10 full days £254.25. Licensed by Bolton Council |
| Tails In The CityLiverpool | £24.50 | £30 | Second dog £25 a day. Liverpool City Council licence |
| Doggy Day ClubNewcastle-under-Lyme | £22 (5 hours) | £30 | Newcastle-under-Lyme Council licence |
| Dogs PlaySouth Derbyshire | £29 (from £24.50 in packages) | £39 (from £32 in packages) | Transport £7 each way |
| Bella PawsBasildon, Essex | Not listed | £33 | Transport from £5 |
| City Paws ClubLondon | £42 | £55 | Second dog: £71 for two a day |
How much does dog sitting cost?
Dog sitting covers a sitter staying in your home or your dog boarding in theirs. Published figures:
- Rover: UK dog boarding with a sitter: £30–£50 a night (Rover UK, accurate as of May 2026)
- TrustedHousesitters: UK overnight dog sitting: £43.85 a night (TrustedHousesitters, updated 24 January 2025)
- City Paws Club, London: boarding: £67 per 24 hours (£90 for two dogs) (price list)
- Canine Walk Time, Sutton Coldfield: pet sitting: from £40 a day (price list)
For a week or more away, compare these with a licensed kennel in our kennel and cattery cost guide.
What it costs per month
Regular care adds up. These worked examples use the lowest, a middle and the highest published price above.
| Pattern | Price each | Per week | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group walks, 1 hour, 5 a week | £10.00 | £50.00 | £216.67 |
| Group walks, 1 hour, 5 a week | £15.00 | £75.00 | £325.00 |
| Group walks, 1 hour, 5 a week | £22.00 | £110.00 | £476.67 |
| Doggy daycare, full day, 3 a week | £28.25 | £84.75 | £367.25 |
| Doggy daycare, full day, 3 a week | £30.00 | £90.00 | £390.00 |
| Doggy daycare, full day, 3 a week | £55.00 | £165.00 | £715.00 |
Per month = per week × 52 ÷ 12. Before supplements, travel charges and package discounts.
See how these costs sit beside food, insurance and vet bills in our cost of owning a dog guide. If you are new to dogs, our first-time dog owner guide covers what to plan for.
Do dog walkers and daycares need a licence?
Daycare and home boarding: yes, in England
Dog day care and home boarding run as a business need a council licence in England under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, Schedule 1, Part 3. (legislation.gov.uk). Defra's statutory guidance for dog day care sets no more than 10 dogs per member of staff, at least 6 m² of space per dog, no more than 6 dogs walked at once and no overnight stays. It excludes sitters and walkers who care for dogs in the owner's home. (Defra guidance). Home boarding licences state the maximum number of dogs, counting the household's own dogs, and dogs from different households can be boarded together only with every owner's written consent. (Defra guidance). Ask to see the licence: a licensed business must show it at its premises and put its licence number on its website.
Dog walking: no national licence, but local rules
Dog walking does not need a licence under the 2018 Regulations; Newark and Sherwood District Council says 'Dog walking and dog grooming do not require a licence'. (council page). The Royal Parks require a commercial dog walking licence (£300 plus VAT a year, or £225 for Richmond and Bushy Parks only), at least £2 million public liability insurance, and no more than 4 dogs per person. (Royal Parks). Tower Hamlets limits anyone to 4 dogs; its professional dog walker licence allows up to 6, costs £240 from 1 April 2026, lasts a year and needs proof of insurance. (Tower Hamlets).
Insurance
A dog walker policy typically includes public liability (injury or damage to other people or property) and care, custody and control (injury, loss or death of a dog in the walker's care); one insurer's standard policy sets £5 million public liability and up to 6 dogs at once. (Cliverton policy page). Ask any walker for proof of cover. Your own dog insurance may include third-party liability; check the policy wording.
A good walker should also ask about your dog's health and behaviour. Licensed boarding kennels must see an up-to-date vaccination record under Defra's guidance, so keep your dog's vaccinations current: see our dog vaccination cost guide. If you are worried about your dog's health after a walk or daycare, contact your vet.
What these prices do not include
- Travel or collection charges, which several walkers and daycares add outside a set area.
- Evening, weekend and bank holiday supplements (for example £5 a walk at two of the walkers listed).
- Trial or assessment sessions that daycares often require first.
- VAT, where a business is registered and has not included it.
How we worked out these figures
- Read the published price lists of nine dog walkers and six daycares across England, Wales and Scotland on 21 October 2026.
- Recorded the price, length of walk or session, and extra-dog charges exactly as published. Ranges are the lowest and highest published price, not a national average.
- Took national averages from Rover UK's published price pages and TrustedHousesitters, with their stated dates.
- Worked out monthly costs as price × visits a week × 52 ÷ 12.
- Checked licensing rules on legislation.gov.uk, Defra's statutory guidance, and Royal Parks and council pages.
What we did not do: book or survey providers. Most small-business price pages carry no effective date; only Your Dog Walker (1 April 2026) shows one. Rover pages were read through a text reader because they block automated checks. Platform averages come from companies that sell these services.
All prices checked 21 October 2026.
Sources
- Your Dog Walker (Leeds)
- Canine Walk Time (Sutton Coldfield)
- The Walkies Co (Kent (Faversham, Canterbury and nearby))
- Premier Pets (Surrey (Claygate, Surbiton and nearby))
- The London Leash (East London)
- Leading the Way (Finsbury Park, North London)
- Green Dog Walking (London parks)
- WalkWagPlay (Cardiff)
- Walk This Way (Fife)
- Paws & Play (Bolton)
- Tails In The City (Liverpool)
- Doggy Day Club (Newcastle-under-Lyme)
- Dogs Play (South Derbyshire)
- Bella Paws (Basildon, Essex)
- City Paws Club (London)
- Rover: UK average 30-minute dog walk · Rover UK, accurate as of May 2026; excludes taxes
- Rover: UK average dog day care · Rover UK, accurate as of June 2026
- Rover: UK dog boarding with a sitter · Rover UK, accurate as of May 2026
- TrustedHousesitters: UK overnight dog sitting · TrustedHousesitters, updated 24 January 2025
- Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018
- Defra: dog day care statutory guidance
- Defra: home boarding statutory guidance
- Royal Parks: dog walking licences
- Tower Hamlets: professional dog walker licence
- Newark and Sherwood: animal activity licensing
- Cliverton: dog walkers insurance
Questions
How much does a dog walker cost in the UK?
The nine UK walkers whose price lists we read on 21 October 2026 charged £10 to £22 for a group walk of about an hour and £13 to £30 for an hour's solo walk. Rover puts the UK average for a 30-minute walk at £19 (May 2026). London prices were at the top of the range.
What does doggy daycare cost per day?
Six daycares' published full-day prices ranged from £28.25 to £55, and half days from £20.25 to £42. Rover's UK average is £30 a day (June 2026). Packages of 5 or 10 days usually cost less per day.
How much does dog sitting cost?
Rover gives £30 to £50 a night as the UK range for boarding your dog with a sitter (May 2026), and TrustedHousesitters puts overnight dog sitting at £43.85 a night (January 2025). A London daycare we checked charges £67 for 24 hours of boarding.
How much is dog daycare per month?
Three full days a week costs about £367 to £715 a month at the daycares we checked, from £28.25 to £55 a day. That is the daily price × 3 × 52 weeks ÷ 12.
Does a dog walker need a licence in the UK?
Not under the national licensing rules in England: the 2018 Regulations cover day care and home boarding, not walking. Some parks and councils run their own schemes, such as the Royal Parks licence at £300 plus VAT a year and Tower Hamlets' £240 licence, and many set a limit of 4 dogs per person.
Is dog daycare expensive?
Compared with walks, yes per visit, but it covers a whole day. Three full days a week at £30 costs about £390 a month; five one-hour group walks a week at £15 cost about £325 a month.