How to start a pet sitting business in 2026

1Decide on your niche

Don't try to be everything on day one. Pick one:

• Daily dog walks — easiest to start, repeat revenue, you need to be in your neighborhood at specific times.
• Drop-in visits — for cats and dogs while owners are at work or traveling. Predictable, often combine with walks.
• Overnight / vacation sits — higher per-visit revenue ($85-150/night), less frequent, requires trust.
• House-sitting with pet care — premium, niche, often higher repeat.

Starting with dog walks + drop-ins is the common path — they pair nicely, you can scale without losing your weekends, and you'll convert some walk clients into overnight clients as trust builds.

2Handle the legal basics

Rules vary by state and city. In most US jurisdictions:

• Business license — check your city's business license site. Usually $50-150/year. Skip this if you make under ~$1,000 in your first year and want to test the waters.
• LLC (recommended) — $100-300 depending on state. Separates your personal assets from business liability. Worth doing before you take your first client.
• Pet sitter insurance — Pet Sitters Associates or PSI offer $200-400/year coverage. Covers pet injury, key loss, and client property damage.
• Background check — some clients will ask. Offer to run one (Checkr, Sterling) for ~$30. Put the badge on your site.

Heads up: check your state's rules for home boarding specifically. Some states require licensing for boarding over a certain threshold. Walking and drop-ins are usually unregulated.

3Set your prices

The biggest mistake is undercharging. Don't start at $15 for a 30-minute walk because “you're new” — you cannot survive on those prices and you'll train clients to expect them.

Use our free pricing calculator to get a defensible starting range based on your market. Some rules of thumb for 2026:

• 30-min walk: $20-28 suburban, $28-38 major metro.
• 60-min walk: $35-50.
• Drop-in visit: $18-28.
• Overnight in client's home: $75-125/night.
• Additional pet: +$5-10 per visit.

4Get your first five clients

You don't need marketing. You need five people who know you. In order:

• Tell every friend. Post in your local Facebook / Nextdoor, clearly state you're a professional insured sitter. Expect 1-2 bites.
• Rover / Wag — tactically. They'll take a 20-25% cut, but they'll send you work. Once a client books you twice through Rover, make the conversation offline (this is against ToS, obviously). More on the Rover graduation path →
• Local vet + groomer partnerships. Leave business cards. Offer them a referral fee. Vets who trust you are worth their weight in gold.
• Ask for Google reviews from day one. 10 reviews will outperform any marketing you can buy.

5Use software that respects your time

You can run your first 3-5 clients on a spreadsheet and Venmo. Beyond that, the admin will eat your weekends. What you'll want:

• A scheduling system so you stop forgetting visits (they're career-ending mistakes when they happen).
• Automatic payments so you stop chasing Venmo.
• Photo report cards so clients feel looped in — this is the #1 retention driver.
• A place to keep gate codes, feeding notes, and vet info that isn't a group text thread.

That's what we built Nuzzo for. 14-day free trial, no credit card, set up in under 10 minutes. We're biased but confident.

6Use a client contract from day one

A clear contract protects you and sets client expectations. Our free dog walker client contract template covers services, pricing, cancellation, liability, and key access. Swap your details in, have clients sign before visit #1.

7Set a capacity ceiling on yourself

Solo sitters burn out faster than any other service business. Pick a number — max walks per day, max overnight consecutive nights — and stop taking clients beyond it. Raise prices when you're full; don't add more hours.