How to Get Dog Walking Clients in Australia (2026)

Reviewed 29 July 2026 for Australian Google Business Profile, review, spam, email and advertising rules.

Dog walking marketing works best when it makes you easy to find, easy to trust and easy to book. You do not need to post on every social network or spend heavily on ads. Start by defining a small service area, build a complete Google Business Profile, show real proof that dogs are safe with you, and ask happy clients for referrals and honest reviews.

I used dog walking as a side hustle while working a regular IT job and previously described it as making about $10,000 a year. I do not have itemised records here that separate gross bookings, costs and profit, so treat that figure as personal historical context, not a typical result or earnings promise. The useful lesson was that pet owners are not simply buying a 30-minute walk. They are choosing someone they trust with their dog and, often, access to their home. Your marketing needs to answer that trust question before it tries to sell.

This guide gives you 11 practical dog walking marketing strategies, plus a 30-day plan you can use to get more enquiries without wasting money.

Dog walking marketing: the quick plan

If you only have a few hours this week, do these five things first:

1. Choose the suburbs or postcodes you can serve profitably.
2. Create or improve your Google Business Profile.
3. Publish your services, prices, availability and booking process on one clear webpage.
4. Ask recent clients for honest reviews using your Google review link.
5. Contact five complementary local pet businesses about reciprocal referrals.

These steps create a simple path from “I need a dog walker” to “I trust this person enough to enquire.” The sections below explain how to build each part.

1. Position your dog walking business for a specific local customer

“Reliable dog walking” is too broad to be memorable. A stronger offer combines a customer, a location and a reason to choose you.

For example:

• Solo weekday walks for reactive dogs in North Canberra
• Lunch-time puppy visits for office workers in Belconnen
• Small group adventure walks for active dogs in Woden
• Gentle walks and medication visits for senior dogs in Tuggeranong

You do not have to reject every customer outside your niche. The purpose is to make the right customer recognise themselves immediately.

Define a profitable service area

Travel time can turn a good booking into a low-paid job. Start with a compact area you can cover reliably and group bookings by suburb where possible. Write down:

• the suburbs or postcodes you serve;
• the days and times you have available;
• your maximum travel time between clients;
• the dog sizes, ages or behaviours you can safely handle; and
• the services you do not offer.

Your prices also need to cover travel, administration, insurance, equipment and gaps between bookings, not just the minutes spent walking. Use my guide to setting dog walking rates to work out a sustainable price before advertising a discount.

2. Build a Google Business Profile for local searches

A Google Business Profile (formerly called Google My Business) can show your dog walking business in Google Search and Maps when nearby owners look for a walker.

Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence. You cannot buy a better organic local ranking, but you can give Google and potential clients more complete information.

Complete these profile elements:

• Use your real business name without adding promotional keywords.
• Select the most accurate primary business category available.
• Add your phone number, website, opening hours and current availability.
• List each service clearly, such as solo walks, group walks, puppy visits and pet sitting.
• Write a plain-English description of who you help and where you work.
• Add recent, genuine photos of you, your equipment and dogs you have permission to show.
• Reply professionally to both positive and negative reviews.

Set it up as a service-area business

Most independent dog walkers travel to clients and do not receive customers at a shopfront. In that case, Google treats the business as a service-area business. Google’s current guidance says to hide your address if customers are not served there and enter the cities, postcodes or other areas you actually cover. Google allows up to 20 service areas and no longer uses an editable radius.

Do not create a separate profile for every suburb, use a virtual office, or stuff locations into your business name. One accurate profile is safer and more useful than several profiles that risk suspension.

3. Create one website page that turns visits into enquiries

Your website does not need to be complicated. It needs to answer the questions a cautious dog owner asks before handing over a lead:

• Who are you?
• Which areas do you service?
• What happens during a walk?
• How much does it cost?
• Are you insured, experienced and prepared for emergencies?
• How do meet-and-greets and key access work?
• How can the owner check availability or book?

Create a main service page with a title such as “Dog Walker in [City or Service Area].” Include your real photos, service options, prices or starting prices, availability, testimonials, frequently asked questions and a prominent enquiry button.

Use natural location details. Mentioning the suburbs you genuinely serve is helpful; repeating “best dog walker in [suburb]” in every paragraph is not. Do not clone the same page across dozens of suburb names: Google’s spam policies on doorway abuse warn against substantially similar pages created to rank for similar local queries and funnel visitors to the same destination. Create a separate suburb page only when it contains genuinely useful, distinct local information.

Make booking simple on a phone

Most people will compare walkers quickly. Give them one obvious next action, such as “Check availability,” “Book a meet-and-greet” or “Call now.” Keep the enquiry form short and ask only for the information you need to respond:

• owner’s name and preferred contact method;
• suburb;
• dog’s name, age, breed and size;
• requested service and schedule; and
• relevant behaviour, health or access notes.

Test the form yourself and confirm that the notification reaches you. A missed form submission is a lost lead.

4. Turn happy clients into reviews and referrals

Reviews reduce uncertainty for owners who have never met you. Ask after a positive moment: a successful first booking, a repeat booking or a message praising your update.

Google lets businesses create a direct review link or QR code. Send a short personal request, not a long template:

Thanks for trusting me with Max this week. If you have a minute, would you be comfortable sharing an honest Google review? It helps local dog owners find my business: [review link]

Ask for an honest review from a real client. Do not offer a free walk, discount or gift in exchange for a Google review. Google classifies incentivised reviews as prohibited fake engagement.

Referral rewards are different from review incentives

You can reward a client for introducing a new customer without tying the reward to a public review. Keep the terms simple, for example: “When a new client you refer completes their first three paid walks, you both receive $10 off a future booking.”

Give every client an easy way to refer you:

• a digital contact card;
• a short booking-page link;
• a small number of printed cards; or
• a message they can forward to a neighbour.

5. Build referral partnerships with local pet professionals

Dog trainers, groomers, pet sitters, veterinary clinics, pet photographers and independent pet shops already speak to your ideal customers. A good partnership is more effective than dropping a pile of flyers and leaving.

Start with businesses whose services complement yours. Introduce yourself, explain the area and type of dogs you serve, and ask how you can refer suitable clients to them. Bring a small card with your service area, contact details and booking link.

Useful partnership ideas include:

• referring a pulling or reactive dog to a qualified trainer;
• exchanging overflow referrals with another insured walker;
• creating a new-puppy checklist with a local pet shop;
• offering a short dog-walking safety talk at a community group; or
• providing holiday cover for a pet sitter who does not offer weekday walks.

Trust comes before commission. Never recommend a professional you would not use with your own dog.

6. Use local Facebook groups without spamming them

Neighbourhood and breed-specific Facebook groups can introduce you to nearby owners, but repeated promotional posts are easy to ignore and may break group rules.

Join only relevant groups, read the rules and contribute like a local expert. Answer questions about heat-safe walking times, choosing a lead, puppy routines or local dog-friendly areas. Disclose that you run a dog walking business when relevant.

When promotional posts are allowed, make the offer specific:

I have two weekday lunch-time dog-walking places opening in [suburbs] next month. Solo 30- or 60-minute walks are available. Meet-and-greet required. Message me or view the booking details here: [link]

This is more useful than posting “Dog walker available” to a city-wide group. It tells owners whether the service, place and time match their needs.

7. Publish social content that proves what your service is like

Choose one or two platforms your local customers actually use. For most dog walkers, Instagram and Facebook are a more practical starting point than trying to maintain every social network.

Use four repeatable content categories:

• Proof: walk updates, client feedback and milestones;
• Process: what you carry, how meet-and-greets work and how you handle keys;
• Education: seasonal safety, enrichment and lead-handling tips within your competence;
• Availability: the suburbs, days and time slots you can currently accept.

Real, clear content is more persuasive than a perfect logo. Get the owner’s permission before posting their dog, avoid showing house numbers or other private information, and never film when doing so could reduce your control of the dog.

A simple weekly schedule is enough:

• Tuesday: one useful local dog-care tip;
• Thursday: a real walk photo or short video with permission;
• Sunday: next week’s availability or a client story.

8. Use flyers and business cards where dog owners already go

Printed marketing can still work for a tightly defined local service. The key is placement and a clear offer.

Ask permission before leaving material at:

• independent pet shops and groomers;
• veterinary clinics;
• community noticeboards;
• apartment buildings with many pet owners;
• cafes that welcome dogs; and
• local pet events.

Your flyer should include a friendly photo of you, a short description of the service, the suburbs you cover, a trust signal, contact details and a QR code to your booking page. Do not crowd it with every service you might offer.

Use a different QR code or landing-page address for each channel if possible. That tells you whether a vet noticeboard, pet shop or event produced enquiries.

9. Make your marketplace profile stand out

Platforms such as Pawshake can help a new walker gain initial enquiries and reviews. Competition is strong, so a complete profile matters.

Include:

• a clear headshot and recent photos with dogs;
• your real experience and the type of dogs you can handle;
• exactly what a 30- or 60-minute booking includes;
• your service area and availability;
• how you communicate during a booking; and
• your meet-and-greet and safety process.

Respond promptly, but do not accept a dog that is outside your skills or capacity simply to win a booking. Early clients shape your reviews and your confidence. You can read the full story of how I started as a dog walker, including my first Pawshake booking and the lessons I learned from pricing too low.

10. Follow up with enquiries and past clients

Not every lead books immediately. A parent may be comparing options, waiting for a work schedule or planning a holiday. A short, organised follow-up can recover good enquiries without pressure.

Track each lead in a spreadsheet with:

• date received;
• name and suburb;
• requested service;
• how they found you;
• next action and follow-up date; and
• outcome and estimated booking value.

Send one helpful follow-up if you have not heard back:

Hi Sam, just checking whether you still need Tuesday walks for Bella. I currently have the lunch-time spot available in your suburb. I’m happy to answer any questions or organise a meet-and-greet.

Get consent before sending marketing emails or texts

Do not automatically add every enquiry, social follower or person you meet to a marketing list. In Australia, the ACMA says commercial email and SMS generally require consent, must identify the sender and must provide a working unsubscribe method. Express consent is the safest approach; keep a record of when and how it was given, and action unsubscribe requests within five working days.

Transactional messages about a current booking are different from promotional newsletters. If you are outside Australia, check the rules that apply in your country and to your customers.

11. Measure bookings before spending more on advertising

Marketing should be measured by qualified enquiries and profitable bookings, not likes, followers or website visits alone.

Review these numbers each month:

• enquiries by source;
• meet-and-greets booked;
• new clients won;
• enquiry-to-client conversion rate;
• average first-month booking value;
• cost to acquire each new client; and
• repeat-booking rate.

Ask every new client, “How did you hear about me?” Use the answer alongside your website and platform data.

When to test Google Ads

Paid search can help when you already know which services and locations convert. Start with a tightly bounded service area and high-intent phrases such as “dog walker [suburb]” rather than broad pet-related interests. For a local walking service, review Google Ads’ advanced location options and consider the Presence setting so the campaign focuses on people in or regularly in the locations you can actually serve. Location signals are not perfectly accurate, so still monitor the geographic report.

Before spending, make sure your landing page is clear and that calls and enquiry forms are tracked. Google’s own guidance explains that call conversion tracking can show which keywords and ads produce valuable calls. Without conversion tracking, it is easy to pay for clicks without learning which bookings they create.

Review the search-terms report and use negative keywords for clearly irrelevant intent such as jobs, salary, free, courses or training when those searches do not match your offer. Pause terms that attract the wrong service or location. Judge the campaign by cost per booked client (not clicks) and increase the budget only after expected client value exceeds advertising cost by a margin that also covers your time and expenses.

A 30-day dog walking marketing plan

Do not try all 11 strategies at full scale at once. Build the basic booking path first, then repeat the channels that produce suitable clients in a small travel area.

Dog walking marketing questions

How do I get my first dog walking clients?

Start with people who already have a reason to trust you: neighbours, friends, colleagues and local pet professionals. Create a clear profile or service page, offer a meet-and-greet, and ask early clients for an honest review after a successful booking. Marketplaces can also help you build initial proof.

Where is the best place to advertise dog walking services?

For most local dog walkers, the strongest starting mix is a complete Google Business Profile, referrals from clients and pet professionals, and one useful local social channel. Flyers can work when placed with permission where nearby dog owners already visit. The best channel is the one that produces profitable bookings within your service area.

How much should a dog walker spend on marketing?

Start with low-cost work that improves trust and local visibility. If you test paid ads, set a small budget you can afford to learn with and track calls, forms and completed bookings. Compare the acquisition cost with the expected profit from the client’s repeat bookings, not just the value of one walk.

Should I offer discounted walks to get clients?

A limited introductory offer can reduce risk for a new client, but constant discounting can attract price-sensitive bookings and make your travel time unprofitable. A free meet-and-greet or a clearly defined first-booking offer is usually easier to control. Never offer a discount in exchange for a Google review.

Do dog walkers need a website?

You can begin with a strong marketplace profile or Google Business Profile, but a simple website gives you more control over your services, locations, proof and booking process. It also gives referral partners one reliable page to share.

Build trust first, then increase reach

The best dog walking marketing is not the loudest. It shows the right local owner that you are dependable, experienced and available.

Begin with a compact service area, a clear offer and genuine proof. Make it easy to enquire, respond quickly and track where every booking came from. Once one channel consistently brings suitable clients, invest more time or money in that channel instead of chasing every new platform.

Finally, make sure you are equipped to deliver the service you promote. My guide to professional dog walking equipment covers the leads, treat bags, waste bags and other items I use on walks.