Are you ready to grow your dog walking business?
You’ve built something solid. You’ve got a steady stream of clients; your calendar fills up fast; and word-of-mouth referrals keep coming in. But lately, things feel a little tight. Your time is maxed out. Your inbox is full. You're overwhelmed and constantly stressed —feeling like you might burn out, so you face two choices. Set boundaries and stop taking on new clients or grow.
If you’ve decided to grow, you’re in the right place.
This post kicks off our “How to Grow Your Dog Walking Business” series, designed for established pet care businesses ready to grow with more ease and less stress. Whether you're a solo operator with 20-30 clients or a small team handling multiple routes, we’ll walk through the real challenges and opportunities that come with expansion—and how to do it in a way that fits how you already work.
At PetPocketbook, we’ve spent the last eight years working closely with thousands of pet care professionals—supporting solo walkers as they grew into thriving teams, helping companies streamline their operations, and sharing best practices that make business growth more sustainable. Along the way, we’ve partnered with industry veterans and experts to bring even more resources to our community. Now, we’re bringing that knowledge together in this series so that more professionals can confidently grow their businesses—and ultimately help more pets get the care they deserve.
Growth doesn’t mean changing who you are as a business. It means getting clearer, more focused, and more supported so you can handle more without burning out.
Signs You’re Ready to Grow
You might not be new to this, but you’re hitting familiar walls: your schedule is full; logistics are getting messy; and you're wondering how long you can keep running at this pace. Maybe you’re turning down new clients or outgrowing your current setup. You're doing great work, but you know there’s a smarter, more sustainable way to do it. If you're thinking about raising rates, hiring help, or putting systems in place to support your growth, you're already on the right track.
So, What Does Growth Look Like?
For many businesses at this stage, growth isn’t about changing everything—it’s about clearing the path to move forward with more ease and confidence.
Maybe you’re tired of turning away new clients. Maybe you’re doing the work of three people and want to hire your first (or fifth) walker—but you're not sure how to make it all run smoothly. Or maybe your current process—manual or software-based—is starting to show its limits.
Whatever the case, if you’ve got the demand and the desire, you’ve already got the foundation to grow. What you need next is the strategy.
The Questions We Hear the Most
When businesses hit this in-between stage, a few common questions always come up:
How do I bring on help without losing quality or control? Am I charging enough for what I offer? Do I need better systems now—or can I wait?
These aren’t just logistical questions. They affect your time, your client relationships, and your sanity. That’s why we’re starting with a pause—so you can take stock before making your next move.
What to Look For (and What to Do About It)
If you’re constantly at capacity or overwhelmed by logistics, it’s time to zoom out. Growth might not mean adding 50 clients tomorrow, but making space to breathe again.
Here’s where to start:
If your schedule is always full, but your income isn’t where you want it to be, this might be the moment to revisit your pricing. When you're fully booked, raising your rates or introducing minimums is often the fastest way to increase revenue without taking on more.
If you’re not sure where to start, we recommend this video from Doug the Dog Guy: How to Price Your Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Services. He breaks down practical steps and mindset tips to help you charge what you’re worth without overthinking it.
If you're thinking about bringing on staff but feeling unsure how to manage it all, stick around for Chapter 2, where we’ll dig into hiring. You’ll need a way to assign visits, manage what your staff can access, and track who’s doing what. Whether that means refining your process or finding software that supports team scheduling and permissions (all possible with software like PetPocketbook!), having the right structure makes hiring feel a lot less risky.
If you’re swamped by admin, it's time to streamline before you scale. Scheduling visits by text, tracking everything manually, and tallying invoices by hand can work—until it doesn’t. Switching to software can feel like a leap, but the time you save adds up fast. One business, The Happiest Hounds, reported saving 90 minutes a week on scheduling and an average of 10 hours a month just on invoicing after switching to PetPocketbook. That’s time they now spend on training, marketing, and building relationships instead of chasing paperwork.
If your core services are dialed in, but you’re still feeling stuck, look at what you’re offering. Sometimes growth means getting more strategic—not busier. Adding high-value services like dog hiking, structured pack walks, or midday routes can boost revenue without adding hours. We've seen businesses grow just by shifting from one-off solo walks to route-based group walks that serve more dogs in less time.
You don’t have to figure it out alone and you’re not the only one navigating this phase of growth. Here’s what some of our clients are saying:
“Exceptional service by the team, great user friendly app. It has improved by ability to keep up with my busy, growing business.” - Jacquelyn H, Business Owner
Growth Can Be Intentional–Not Reactive
The shift is moving from reactive to proactive.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Yes, I’ve been stuck in the same loop for months,” know that you're not alone and you're not behind. Most businesses hit a plateau before they find their rhythm again. The difference is whether you keep grinding or pause to reassess and move forward with intention.
That’s what this series is here for.
In the next chapter of our “How to Grow Your Dog Walking Business” series, we’ll talk about hiring help without losing control: how to build a team you trust, delegate with confidence, and set up systems that make growing feel smoother, not scarier.
For now, ask yourself:
What’s working well right now? What’s starting to feel like a strain? What’s one thing I’ve been putting off because I haven’t had the time?
Write it down. Talk it out. Or reach out using this link to our contact page—we love hearing how others are navigating this same stage of growth.
Because growth isn’t about doing more for the sake of it. It’s about building a business that works for you—your schedule, your priorities, and your vision for what’s next.