Marketing keeps your dog walking moving forward, but here’s a little-known fact: the best way to advertise a dog walking business isn’t always the most expensive. Dog walkers earn around $30,893/year on average, so the best marketing strategies are often those that do more with less.
From tips for social media success on a budget to low-cost strategies for rewarding loyal customers, you can do a lot with a little. Check out these dog walking advertising ideas and 11 real ad examples, plus tools to unleash your business potential while keeping a firm grip on your wallet.
How to Create Dog Walking Ads That Stand Out
There’s a way to make almost any dog walker advertisement more effective for less, from social media ads to business cards and flyers. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting a dog walking business, these tricks will make clients sit up and take notice.
Social Media Marketing That Engages
Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and even Pinterest are opportunities to reach your audience where they spend time scrolling. Plus, you don’t have to be a design expert! Start with a free social media ad template from Canva and personalize it, or turn a phone video into a reel in minutes.
So, how do you blend into pet parents’ feeds while promoting your business? These seven examples spotted in the wild each represent a key takeaway for dog walker social media ads.
Make Your Message Timely
Is there a holiday coming up that might require extra pet care? Help dog parents plan ahead by reminding them on social media or even creating a promotion to encourage early bookings.
Holiday Advertising for a Dog Walker Business
The ad reads: “Just another manic Monday. Dreaming of Funday? Grab a Sittersam Cyber Deal.”
Dog walker/sitter @sittersam has holiday marketing down with a playful Cyber Monday promotion offering one-day-only discounted rates if clients book early for next year. Her caption even uses the promotion to announce and limit the sting of next year’s rate increase.
Share Your Expertise
Social media posts also function as ads for your business without asking for bookings. Offering useful info that improves dogs’ and owners’ lives shows you’re an authority on pets and that you genuinely care.
A Credibility-Building Dog Walker Ad
The ad reads: “Things to do with your dog that do not include the dog park.” Instagram carousel slides include “Take a trip to Home Depot” and “Sit/stays at pretty murals,” ending with an invitation to get more “owner training” and a free resource that teaches how to bike with dogs.
Dog walker/trainer Bethany Johnson of @walkingdogtraining on Instagram is a pro at this, sharing helpful, colorful image carousels (side-scrolling posts) that demonstrate Johnson’s training approach and teach owners about their pups. Not a sales push in sight, but don’t you want to book?
Show Walks in Action
Pet parents want to know what walks will be like for their fur babies. Whether you exercise dogs off-leash, walk one at a time, or pack walk, showing (rather than just telling) how much fun dogs have with you or how much they learn increases confidence in your services.
How to Advertise a Dog Walking Business with Video
This interview-style Instagram reel features @saratogadogwalkers. An interviewer asks dog walker Tim Pink questions about training and his business. Shots of pack walking with 14 pups look impressive and keep things active while Pink gives tips and promotes his new facility.
Highlight The Relationship
Ultimately, pet parents book you when they see you treat their dog like your own. Ads showing how much you love your furry clients (and how much they love you) give new clients the confidence to book. Plus, featuring their pups is a fun treat for many loyal clients.
Note: Always ask pet parents before sharing images of their pets, homes, or neighborhoods to avoid liability. Dog Walker Insurance from PCI can cover marketing mistakes like accidental breach of privacy, but practicing good risk management (and thoughtfulness toward clients) is always a good idea.
Advertising Your Bond with Dogs
The ad reads: “Seeing your dog walker in the wild.”
Take advantage of pet owners’ videos of you and their pup. Adventure walker PK’s Pack posted this heartwarming TikTok reel of one of their doggy clients spotting them on the street, filmed by the dog’s owner. The immediate excitement, happy yips, and ferocious bum wiggles tell the story of the relationship — this dog loves this dog walker. What better advertisement is there?
Looking to create this kind of ad? Reels of doggy clients greeting you happily at the door are a fun dog walker marketing trend you can hop on. (Here’s an adorable TikTok example from Dallas dog walker Sarah_Gator.)
Make Your Content Shareable & Invite Engagement
No one likes ads. But just about everyone likes a cute dog video. Good news for you: your furry client base is very photogenic. Lean into what your current and potential clients usually share on social media by creating cute or funny not-an-ad ads designed for reposting and commenting.
Dog Walking Advertising That Begs to Be Shared
Ad caption says: “Who is the Goldie to your Elphie?? Send this to them 🥰”
This compulsively shareable Instagram reel from @thevillagedogwalker tells the story of doggy best friends Elphie and Goldie. In 10 seconds, it shows them greeting each other joyfully at the dog park in every season and ends with the invitation, “Send this to your Goldie.”
Think about it. This ad-that-doesn’t-feel-like-an-ad links to your business profile in every repost and specifically targets dog lovers and their friends (aka referral networks). Smart, right?
Highlight Problems & Solutions
Pet parents won’t care about your business until they know what you can do for them. Instead of marketing what makes your dog walking business better than the competition directly, focus on a common dog owner problem in your area and how you can solve it.
How to Advertise Dog Walking By Putting Clients First
The ad reads: “Early morning shift? We have availability as early as 7 am!”
This simple Facebook ad from Fur Babies Pet Service walks in step with its audience. Early-rising pet parents can have trouble finding a dog walker. The solution: Fur Babies Pet Service. The ad highlights what’s unique about the business (flexible scheduling) but engages dog owners by framing it around their needs. Plus, who could resist that face?
Dog Walking Flyers That Pop
So far, we’ve focused on digital dog walking advertising ideas, but that doesn’t mean traditional marketing is any less effective. Posting a flyer (with permission) at a pet store, vet office, dog-friendly restaurant, or home repair store has an excellent chance of reaching pet parents. It’s also an easy first step into advertising if you’re considering becoming a dog walker full-time.
Top-Notch Flyer Templates
There are a lot of free dog walking flyer templates out there, so the ability to create a flyer is likely not your problem. With so many choices, how do you know which one is best for your business? Here’s what to look for in a dog walker flyer template:
Eye-catching (but not distracting) design: You want passing dog owners to spot your flyer, so bold colors, strong shapes, and attractive branding are essential. But keep the flyer’s purpose on selling your services, not just looking cool.
Readable font that highlights the critical stuff: Sure, that font’s fun, but can you read it without squinting? Keep your flyer design accessible to all kinds of dog parents by skipping the trendy fonts and focusing on making your message clear, even from a distance.
Contact information that’s easy to find (and use): Whether you use tear-off tabs or a QR code, make clients burn the fewest possible mental calories to book you. Use this free QR code generator from Adobe to plug the booking page from your website into your template.
Want a free template recommendation? Here’s one we like and one we made. (If you use PCI’s dog walking flyer template, create a copy first so no one else overrides your design changes!)
Canva dog walker template by Diana Muñoz
Canva dog walker template by PCI
Low-Cost Paid Advertising That Connects
If you’re interested in a paid dog walker advertisement that doesn’t break the bank, consider marketing opportunities in your city.
- Community magazines: Does your city have local papers or bargain publications where you could buy a little ad space? Since you took the time to make it, you could also run your ad on Craigslist or even as a display ad on pet-related websites.
- Facebook/Instagram: Turn any Facebook or Instagram post into a paid ad to boost visibility. Creating a Lookalike audience uses existing customers to help Facebook serve your ad to local dog owners with the same demographics and interests.
- Community events: Get a popup booth at a local festival, farmers market, or expo, and hand out freebies like dog treats or branded merch along with a QR code business card. It gets your name out, and you’re bound to make a few doggy (and human) friends.
Affordable Loyalty Marketing That Rewards and Retains
In the quest to attract new customers, don’t neglect the ones you already have. Retention marketing, aka a loyalty program, is a strategy for keeping current clients by rewarding them for staying by your side. This usually involves treats like discounts and promotions, but you can control your spend with careful planning.
Milestone Rewards
Rather than using your promo budget on random giveaways, milestone rewards let you plan for discounts and spend them nurturing your best relationships. Something as simple as a punch card they can redeem for branded merch or a gift card lets your loyal clients know you care.
Choose a loyalty card template with a simple design and bold colors that will attract attention in clients’ wallets, like these punch card templates from Vistaprint.
BOGO, LTO, and Discount Promotions
Clients love a deal, but you need to (dog) walk a thin line to ensure promotions benefit your business. Discounts like Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) and Limited-Time Offers (LTOs) can help or hurt you as a dog walker, depending on when and to whom you offer your deal.
When Discounting Helps (and Hurts) Dog Walkers
✅ Discount: Pets from the same household if you usually walk one dog at a time
If you walk a second dog for half price, you’re gaining revenue you wouldn’t have had on a typical walk, and your client feels like they’re getting a deal.
❌ Don’t Discount: Pets from the same household if you’re a pack walker
You can only bring so many dogs with you safely, so each discounted pup takes the place of a full-price furry client.
✅ Discount: Introductory prices for add-on services
If you start offering a new service, use an LTO to introduce and upsell it. For the first month of your service, offer existing clients $10 off one pet sitting visit or round-trip taxi to doggy daycare. You’ll take a hit at first, but you’ll likely end your deal booked for repeat services at full price.
❌ Don’t Discount: Longer walks for existing clients
Extra time caring for one client’s pet is time you can’t bill elsewhere. Politely decline if a loyal client asks you to extend your walk for free, and try offering your loyalty punch card instead. One discounted walk you planned for is easier to handle than repeat requests for free walk time.
Professional Websites That Do More
A professional website allows you to direct customers to more detailed info about your services and qualifications. But, make sure your website is more than a glorified resume. If you build it right, an official website for your dog walking business can also be a selling feature and draw people in.
Don’t feel like you can build a website? No worries — hire a pro to build a Wix site for you on Fiverr for as little as $50.
Leverage Credibility Assets Like Insurance
It’s hard for clients to trust you with their fur baby’s safety based on advertising promises. Trust signals like testimonials, certifications, permits for commercial dog walking, and insurance show clients you’re a credible, responsible business and help you stand out from competitors.
If you’re insured through PCI’s dog walker insurance or pet sitter insurance, don’t forget to download your insurance badge. Since you’re already paying for insurance, why not use it for a free credibility boost? Your About page, website footer, or checkout screen (to increase confidence when they’re ready to buy) are all great places to show off that you’re insured.
We love how Wags Walks n Whiskers used their website footer to showcase trust signals like pet care certifications and their PCI insurance badge.
Add a Booking Tool
You can handle bookings by text or email, but you might miss out. Adding an appointment tool to your website makes scheduling faster for clients and can lead to more bookings, especially if your local competitors are still asking for phone scheduling.
Software like Calendly (which includes free and $10/month options) integrates easily into most websites and syncs with your calendar.
Strut Your Stuff for Less with Dog Walker Ads
Finding (and keeping) dog-walking clients doesn’t have to be hard or expensive. If you do some DIY work and think outside the box, you can connect with dog owners and pups who will love you back.
Just beginning your pet care journey? Make your first steps easier with our how to start a pet care business blog.
FAQs About How to Advertise Dog Walking
How Can I Advertise Dog Walking on Facebook?
Facebook gives dog walkers the opportunity to post for free on their profile, turn a regular post into a paid boosted post, or create a paid ad. Facebook ad costs vary but usually fall between $0.50 and $3.50 per click or $12 to $20 per 100 impressions (or times viewed). On average, boosted posts cost $25 to $125/week.
What Should a Dog Walking Flyer Say?
Every dog walking flyer needs to include four key pieces of information:
- Who (your business name)
- What (what you do)
- Why (why they need your service)
- Where (your contact information)
If you have the space, it’s great to show your rates, hours, or experience, but communicating the basics is most important. To send clients to that extra information, consider including a scannable QR code on your flyer to help them book instantly or read more.
How Do I Find Clients as a Dog Walker?
Dog walkers often have the most success in finding clients when they advertise through multiple channels. The best way to advertise a dog walking business is a combination of these tactics:
- Encouraging recommendations with a pet care referral program
- Engaging on social media
- Creating a searchable professional website
- Running paid ads
- Offering promotions
