Man’s best friend takes on a whole new meaning when you step in the door and see the perfect little pup wagging his tail.
It could be a dog’s need to constantly cuddle with you, his off the wall zoomies when you get home from work, or the way she tilts her head in confusion — whatever the reason, most dogs have you at hello.
Some of us just can’t get enough of our cute cuddly friends and would love to turn that love into a full-time or part-time job.
You’re in luck if you love dogs and have ever thought about turning it into a well-paying dog walking business.
Rover — the world’s largest network of pet sitters and dog walkers — should be first on your list when looking for a dog walking job.
In this article, we’re going to show you everything you need to know to land a dog walker job.
We’ll go over the benefits of providing dog walking services, how to become a dog walker with Rover, and how to lock in your first dog sitting or walking gig, regardless of if you have your own dog or not.
What Is Rover?
Rover is an all-in-one petcare solution for dog owners to connect with trusted pet sitters.
With Rover’s online platform, dog owners can pay people like you to take care of their beloved animals.
Rover is an excellent opportunity for animal lovers to make money.
Not only can you get paid to walk dogs, but you can also board, house sit, pay a visit to someone’s home, and watch pets in your own home.
The online platform makes the entire dog walking process safe, easy, and convenient for both parties.
You’ll be able to find available dog walking jobs near you, book various jobs, and get paid all through the app.
So where is Rover available?
Rover is available in over 14,000 cities all across the United States and in Canada.
If you head to Rover.com, you can scroll to the bottom and browse through some of the more popular cities or type in your location to see available jobs near you.
Now let’s get into why you might want to start walking dogs with Rover.
Benefits of Walking Dogs With Rover
Rover gives you access to pet care opportunities all around your city.
Instead of scouring social media and Craigslist, you can use Rover to find available jobs.
Walking dogs with Rover allows you to set your own schedule and gives you complete control of when you work.
You get to set your availability on your calendar and only have to work when it’s convenient for you.
You can even decide what types of dogs you’ll be dealing with.
If you don’t want to walk an enormous dog, you don’t have to.
If you’d rather not deal with potty-training puppies, you don’t have to do that either.
Additionally, it lets you choose which type of service you want to provide.
If you want to walk dogs, you can walk dogs.
If you want to watch dogs in your own home, you can do that too.
If you’d rather not have other animals in your home, you find jobs where you stop in at a pet owner’s homes or house sit for them.
Lastly, the Rover platform is incredibly safe and secure.
All of your services will be covered by the Rover guarantee, which is a $1,000,000 liability insurance.
Rover also has your back if you ever need support while on the job.
Sound like the perfect fit?
It’s time to sign up as a dog walker.
How to Become a Dog Walker
To start, you need to be at least 18 years old to become a dog walker for Rover.
You must also be able to pass a background check.
Knowing this, the first step to signing up to become a dog walker is to head to the Rover dog sitter sign-up page.
After you create your account, you’ll choose the services you want to provide on Rover.
You can pick “dog walker” for now and add additional services later if you change your mind.
The next step is creating your profile for pet owners to see.
This is your chance to make a great first impression with potential clients.
You should be as informative as possible and make sure you show how much of a dog lover you really are.
Include photos of you and your furry pals and completely fill out all of your personal details and contact information.
To strengthen your pet sitter profile, reach out to previous clients for references.
The stronger you can make your profile, the better chance you have at landing higher paying gigs.
Next, you’ll need to pass a brief onboarding session that includes a safety quiz at the end.
This will consist of watching safety videos and answering questions after each one.
The last step will be consenting to a background check to ensure you’re a safe and reliable dog sitter.
The background check is done right through Rover’s platform and will be looking for any felonies and violence- or sexual-related offenses.
Once you’ve completed all of the steps above, the Rover team will review your application to see if you fit the bill.
You can expect to hear back via email within five business days.
If your profile is approved and you pass your background check, you’ll be listed on the Rover marketplace for pet owners to see.
How to Find a Dog Walking Job
To land your first job, you’ll need to wait until a pet owner reaches out to you first.
By having an approachable profile and an up-to-date availability calendar, you have a better chance of receiving bookings from pet owners.
When a pet owner reaches out to you, you’ll receive a pending request in your inbox.
You can review the details of the dog walking job like day, time, type of dog, location, and how much you’ll be paid.
If everything looks good, you can request to schedule a meet and greet.
Meet and greets are the perfect way to feel out the situation and see if its a good match for all parties.
You can get to know the owner and their dog before committing to the job.
If your meet and greet went off without a hitch, you or the pet owner can go back to the pending request and finalize the booking by tapping the green “Book it now” button.
Once either party has hit the book button, the other party will have 72 hours to confirm the booking.
Then when the time comes, you can head to the dog’s location and fulfill your dog walking duties.
Throughout the entire dog walking process, notifications and updates will be sent between you and the dog owner.
For peace of mind, the dog owner has real-time GPS tracking through the Rover app while on your walk.
You can even send them texts and photo updates of your fun day around town.
You’ll receive payment two days after you’ve successfully completed your service.
Payment will come through PayPal or by check depending on your preference.
So how much can you actually make as a dog walker?
How Much Can You Make Walking Dogs?
How much you’re paid will all depend on the rates you set.
If a pet owner comes across your profile and agrees to the price you set, then they’ll send a pending invitation.
This could be somewhere in the range of $25 per dog walk or more if you consider yourself a true professional dog walker.
So really, how much money you take home is largely in your hands.
Rover will also take some fees out of what you make walking dogs.
For each booking you complete, Rover will take a 20% service fee.
This fee helps cover the costs of running the platform, liability insurance, and background checks.
If you want to make more money, you can look into providing more services beyond walking dogs, some of which pay up to two times more.
Additional Jobs on Rover
Dog walking is great and all, but some people may want to do more than only walk dogs.
With Rover, you can get paid to walk dogs and do any of these additional pet services.
Dog Boarding — This dog care service lets you take care of dogs or other pets overnight in your own home.
It pays the most out of any service on Rover — up to two times more than other services.
Doggy Daycare — Daycare is when you let pets come into your home but you don’t watch them overnight.
Many pets in this category need plenty of attention, like senior dogs, puppies, or dogs with special needs.
House Sitting — Rover sitters will stay at someone’s home throughout the day or even overnight.
House Visits — House visits are quick stop-ins where you’ll feed the dog, play with it, and give it some loving attention for around 30 minutes before heading home.
You’ll Never Work a Day in Your Life
If you love animals and want to turn it into a profitable side job, then dog walking and pet sitting might be your calling.
It allows for a flexible work schedule, you can set your own prices based on your experience, and you’re paid relatively quickly within two days.
The best part is that you get to hang out with plenty of your best doggy friends while on the job. What could be better than that?
If you’ve decided that you want to sign up, the next step is maximizing your earnings.
Before you hit the sidewalk, check out these seven ways to make more money as a Rover dog walker.
