Running a dog-walking business is a balancing act of schedules, client communication, payments, and happy pups.
Whether you’re out for a stroll with a pack of pooches or managing a growing team of dog walkers, staying organized is key. Luckily, the right apps can turn chaos into a walk in the park (literally).
From streamlining bookings to tracking walk routes, these 7 dog walking apps are here to help you spend less time on admin and more time caring for man’s (and woman’s) best friend.
Top 7 best dog walker apps:
How we chose the best apps for dog walking businesses
When selecting the best apps for dog walking businesses, the goal was to spotlight apps that empower pet walkers to provide exceptional service while managing their time effectively.
We considered a range of factors and features tailored to the needs of pet care providers, such as:
- Scheduling apps
- GPS tracking
- Team communication
- Accounting
- Marketing
We looked at app ratings and customer reviews to see what users thought of these solutions. When available, we watched tutorials to see these apps in action.
The result is a list of small business apps that combine functionality and convenience to streamline every aspect of your dog walking business.
1. Jobber: Best overall dog walking business software
If you want a software solution that improves every aspect of your dog walking business, from initial booking to recurring payments, Jobber is the top choice.
Jobber simplifies pet care service tasks to help business owners book clients and schedule appointments—all from a single mobile app.
No more back and forth calls and emails trying to figure out the best time for your clients. Jobber empowers your customers to book dog walking services directly through your website or social media.
With Jobber, you can also optimize routes based on your clients’ pick-up locations. This allows you to fit more dog walking visits in your day and increase your revenue.
Better yet, make payments hassle-free by setting up recurring payments for daily or weekly walks with your favorite pups.
Here are some other ways that Jobber keeps your dog walking business organized:
- Create, send, and track quotes for your dog care services, then convert them into invoices with just a few clicks.
- Send automated texts and emails before, during, or after the walk to keep anxious dog parents in the loop.
- Keep client details, pet information, and insurance records in one convenient place
- Automatically send a text to satisfied customers requesting a review with Jobber Reviews.
- Get paid 4x faster with online payment processing
- Integrating with trusted platforms such as QuickBooks Online and Google Local Services
Check out Jobber’s website for pricing.
2. Rover: Best for attracting new clients
The Rover app is often the first dog walking app that new business owners download, as it’s the best app for finding new clients.
Rover connects pet owners with pet care service providers, including dog walkers. You can promote your dog walking business by creating a polished profile to attract new clients.
Rover also provides a unique promo code that you can share with potential clients, giving them a $20 credit towards their first service (you still earn your normal rate).
Business owners can set their availability and manage bookings directly from the app. Dog owners can look through reviews written by other dog lovers to pick the best service provider for their pup.
The app’s top features include:
- GPS tracking to let clients monitor their dogs walks
- Built-in insurance coverage and 24/7 support
- Simple online payment processing
With a wide variety of clients, Rover is a great app to use if you plan to expand your business in the future to include services such as pet sitting, dog training, dog boarding, and pooper scooper services.
Rover charges a profile review fee to pet care service providers when they first sign up, then charges a booking fee for every job. Check out their website for more information on fees.
3. Wag!: Best for real-time updates
The Wag! app is another great dog walking app for business owners looking for new clients thanks to its ability for dog owners to book pre-scheduled or on-demand dog walks.
The app’s best feature is GPS tracking, which provides pet owners with real-time updates during their dog’s walk, enhancing trust and transparency with your clients.
Other features Wag! offers include:
- Walk summaries after each job
- Lockboxes for secure key exchanges
- Instant messaging to quickly contact clients
Wag! charges an application fee to new dog walkers when they sign up and a booking fee per job. Check out their website for more information on pricing.
4. Calendly: Best for client bookings
Calendly makes it easy for clients to book dog walking appointments at their convenience. You can set your availability and allow clients to schedule services without the need for back-and-forth communication.
Better yet, Calendly integrates with other calendar apps such as Google Calendar and Outlook to ensure that appointments are synced and organized.
Other Calendly features include:
- Organize slots by appointment types
- Automated reminders
- Payment integrations such as Stripe and Paypal
Calendly offers a free version of their app and several paid plans. Check out their website for pricing.
If you prefer an all-in-one solution for your dog walking business, Jobber also lets your clients book your services directly in an online calendar which you can share on your website or on your social media.
5. QuickBooks Online: Best for accounting
QuickBooks Online is trusted by millions of businesses around the world, making it the best accounting app for dog walking businesses. It offers tools for tracking income and expenses, generating invoices, and managing payments, making it easy to keep your finances in order.
Key QuickBooks Online features that help dog business owners include:
- Expense categorization and automated tax calculations
- Detailed financial reports
- Receipt tracking
QuickBooks Online integrates with other platforms, such as Jobber, to combine your workflows and maximize efficiency. Automatically sync your customer, service, invoice, and payment information from Jobber to QuickBooks to eliminate double data entry for a smoother workflow.
Check out QuickBooks’ website for pricing.
6. Slack: Best for team communication
If you’re managing a team of professional dog walkers, communication needs to be quick and instant. Slack provides a centralized and efficient way to keep teams connected and informed.
With its real-time messaging capabilities, your dog walkers can quickly coordinate schedules, share updates about clients and pets, and address any last-minute changes.
Here’s how Slack can improve dog walking business communication:
- Set up channels to organize conversations by topic
- Share files directly in the app
- Integrate with other common business tools such as QuickBooks
Check out Slack’s website for pricing.
7. Jobber Campaigns: Best for email marketing
Last on our list of must-have dog walking apps is Jobber Campaigns.
Jobber Campaigns helps you promote your services by creating and sending professional email campaigns to your clients. Choose from several pre-made templates and customize them with your dog walking business name and branding.
After editing the email with details on your pet care services, you can edit your client segments to choose the group of clients you want to email.
For example, you can email your pet owner clients based on their neighbourhood, or retarget clients who haven’t booked in a while. You can even select clients using tags or job history.
Finally, track your success from a simple dashboard. For every campaign you send in Jobber, you’ll see the number of customers who opened the email, clicked on a link, or converted into a job.
Pro Tip: If you plan to expand your pet care services beyond dog walking—for example, if you’re starting a pooper scooper business—email campaigns are a great way to quickly let clients know.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Rover stands out as the dog walking app that pays the most to pet service providers. This is because Rover allows you to set your own prices, and generally charges less fees than similar apps.
-
When choosing a dog walking app, look for features like scheduling, GPS tracking, customer management, invoicing, and payment processing. However, the features you should look for depend on your business needs.
-
Several apps integrate with the tools you already know and love to create an all-in-one solution for your dog walking business. These apps include QuickBooks, Google Calendar, and Docusign.
Better yet, Jobber integrates with all of these apps to create one centralized system from which to operate your business. This means less time fussing over admin work and more time walking dogs and making money.