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How much to charge for dog walking, pet sitting, and mobile grooming in 2026

Walks, drop-ins, overnights, and mobile grooms by dog size, with national price ranges, what moves the number, and a worked quote you can copy.

By Paul DeLalla, founder of Zeemy. Updated September 9, 2026. National figures in US dollars.

A 30-minute dog walk costs $20 to $40 in 2026 with the national average around $31, overnight in-home sitting runs $75 to $150 a night, and a mobile full groom is $60 to $150 plus a door-to-door premium of $20 to $40. Mobile grooming is growing 15 to 20 percent a year, faster than any salon, because owners will pay for the van to come to them. The money in pet care is the standing client: the same dog, three walks a week, every week, billed without a Venmo request.

This guide gives you a starting price for every service, explains what pushes the number up or down, and walks one real quote for a new client from the first meet-and-greet to the weekly invoice. The typical column matches the list Zeemy is adding for pet care accounts, so you can start from it and adjust for your market.

2026 pet care price table

Twenty services most walkers, sitters, and mobile groomers quote, with the 2026 national low and high and a typical price you can start from.

ServiceLowTypicalHighNotes
30-minute dog walk$20$28$40National average about $31. Cities at the high end.
60-minute dog walk$35$45$60Park visit or long route.
Additional dog, same household$5$10$15Per walk or visit.
30-minute drop-in visit$20$28$40Feed, water, potty, play.
60-minute drop-in visit$35$45$60Extended visit with light tidying.
Overnight in-home pet sitting$75$95$150Suburbs low, major cities high.
Puppy visit$25$30$40Frequent short visits for puppies.
Cat sitting visit$20$25$35Feed, water, litter, play.
Pet taxi, one way$25$35$50Vet or groomer within your area.
Mobile bath and brush, small dog$40$65$90Salon $25 to $50 plus mobile premium.
Mobile bath and brush, large dog$70$95$130Drying time is the cost.
Mobile full groom, small dog$60$95$120Salon $40 to $80 plus mobile premium.
Mobile full groom, medium dog$90$120$150Salon $70 to $110 plus mobile premium.
Mobile full groom, large dog$110$150$190Salon $90 to $140 plus mobile premium.
Nail trim$15$20$30Standalone or add-on.
De-shedding treatment$20$30$45National figure about $29.
Teeth brushing$10$12$20Quick add-on.
Ear cleaning$8$10$15Quick add-on.
Flea and tick bath add-on$15$20$30Medicated shampoo in place of standard.
Weekly walk package, 5 walks$100$125$175Package rate, billed weekly.

"Typical" is the price Zeemy preloads for a new pet care account, so a new owner can quote on day one and adjust for their market. Low and high are the 2026 national ranges from the pricing guides listed at the end.

What moves the price

Time and dogs, not miles

Walks and visits are priced by the half hour, and a second dog from the same home is a small add-on, not a second walk. Price the time you are there and keep the add-on modest. Multi-dog households are your most loyal clients.

Size and coat

Grooming is priced by dog size because drying and clipping time scale with it, and by coat because a doodle takes twice as long as a lab. Have a size chart, ask the breed on the phone, and add a matted-coat surcharge when you see one.

Mobile premium

The van, the water, the generator, and the drive are real costs, and the customer is paying for convenience. Charge $20 to $40 above salon prices for mobile grooming and do not apologize for it.

Holidays and last-minute

Thanksgiving week, Christmas, and summer weekends are your peak. A holiday surcharge of $10 to $25 a visit is standard, and same-day bookings deserve one too.

Your market

Major cities run $30 to $40 for a walk that costs $20 to $30 in the suburbs, and overnights follow the same pattern. Set your list for your area and hold it. Under-pricing a walk by $5 costs you $1,300 a year on one three-walk-a-week client.

A worked quote

A new client with a golden retriever wants walks three days a week while they are at work, a weekend drop-in when they travel, and a groom before a family photo. Here is the first estimate, built at the meet-and-greet.

ESTIMATE
Biscuit, walks and groom
AWAITING APPROVAL
Mobile full groom, large dog$150.00
De-shedding treatment$30.00
Nail trim$20.00
30-minute dog walk, 3 per week, recurring$84.00
Total$284.00

The groom and its two add-ons are one-time lines. The walks are the recurring line, quoted per week so the client sees the real weekly cost and approves it once. De-shedding and the nail trim are the add-ons that nearly every large-dog owner takes when they appear as lines.

After approval, the walks move to a recurring invoice that goes out every week with automatic reminders. No texting for money, no chasing, and the client can see every visit and invoice in their own login.

Pricing tips from the field

Package the week

Five walks at a package rate beats five walks at the single rate for the client and for you. It commits the schedule and makes the weekly invoice one line.

Bill weekly, automatically

Standing clients on recurring invoices with automatic reminders are paid on time without an awkward conversation. This is the single biggest change most walkers and groomers can make.

Charge the mobile premium

You brought the salon to their driveway. $20 to $40 above shop prices is what the market pays, and it covers the van.

Add-ons on every groom

Nails, teeth, ears, de-shedding. Put them on the estimate as lines and the owner ticks two. It adds $30 to $60 to an average groom without a harder sell.

Surcharge holidays and matted coats

Both take more of your time, and both are expected. Put the surcharge in your policies and on the estimate, and nobody is surprised.

Questions pet care owners ask about pricing

How much should I charge for a 30-minute dog walk?

In 2026, $20 to $30 in most US markets and $30 to $40 in major cities, with the national average about $31. Add $5 to $15 for a second dog from the same home.

What do overnight pet sitters charge?

$75 to $100 a night in the suburbs, $90 to $130 in mid-sized cities, and $100 to $150 in major metros for in-home sitting. Boarding at the sitter's home runs $40 to $75.

How much more should mobile grooming cost than a salon?

About $20 to $40 more per groom. Salon full grooms run $40 to $80 for small dogs, $70 to $110 for medium, and $90 to $140 for large; mobile adds the premium on top.

Should I charge more for holidays?

Yes. A $10 to $25 surcharge per visit on major holidays is standard, and so is a premium for same-day bookings. Put both in your written policies.

How do I bill regular clients?

On a weekly or monthly recurring invoice that goes out automatically with reminders. Clients get their own login to see visits and invoices, so nobody is texting screenshots or chasing Venmo.

Sources

National ranges come from The Vet Desk and Calculators for Dogs pet sitting rate guides for 2026, HomeGuide dog grooming prices, PawCalculator grooming cost data, and Angie's Mobile Pet Styling mobile grooming pricing. Prices are 2026 US figures and vary by region; use them as a starting point and adjust for your market.

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