Doggy daycare jobs across Australia
A$40 to 65 per dog per day, in 49 cities from Cairns to Hobart. Host dogs while their owners are at work, set your own headcount and hours, and keep up to 90% of every booking.
Pick your city below for local day rates and the suburbs drop-offs come from, or get verified and start accepting daytime bookings in your own suburb.
Running a daycare day in an Australian year
A daycare day here is shaped by the weather more than by the calendar. Summer covers December to February, and Australian veterinary research on heat-related illness in dogs found cases cluster in December and January, with a higher-risk list that runs well past the flat-faced breeds. Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Border Collies and Staffies are all on it. The Bureau of Meteorology counts a heatwave as three or more days of unusually high maximum and minimum temperatures for that area, and it is the run of warm nights that decides how a group arrives in the morning, because a dog that did not cool down overnight starts the day behind.
Hot days move indoors
Shade, fresh water and a rest through the middle of the day, with the active part at either end. Before anyone goes out, hold the back of your hand on the ground for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, it is too hot for paws. On an extreme day the whole day runs inside.
Smoke days change what owners need
The RSPCA advises against exercising animals outdoors when air quality is poor, and dogs with heart or airway trouble need the closest watching. A walk is off the table for the owner that day, which is exactly when a supervised indoor space is the thing they are ringing around for.
The states do not share a season
Darwin and Cairns run a wet season from November to April, where humidity rather than temperature sets the limit. Brisbane January nights stay above 21 degrees, so dogs arrive already warm. Canberra July mornings average about zero and Hobart about five, which makes a warm indoor room the selling point there rather than shade.
Daytime dog care on your terms, paid per day
No shift rosters, no platform-set pricing, no minimum hours. You control the day rate, the headcount, and which days you open.
A$40 to 65 per day
Typical day rates across Australian cities, with the bigger metros at the upper end. You set your own rate and your own headcount. You keep up to 90%.
Weekday income that repeats
Daycare clients are commuters, so bookings recur on the same days each week. Build a small regular group and the calendar fills itself instead of starting from zero each month.
A$32,000 Protection Plan
Every confirmed daycare booking on Petme automatically includes emergency Protection Plan cover. Free for you, free for the owner.
What the work pays around the country
These are the bands Australian owners are used to seeing on Petme. Where you sit inside one is a metro question more than a state question, with Sydney and Melbourne at the top and regional centres nearer the bottom. Plenty of hosts add boarding over the summer holidays, when the same clients travel and need somewhere overnight instead.
| Service | Typical rate | Billed |
|---|---|---|
| Doggy daycare | A$40 to 65 | per day |
| Dog boarding | A$45 to 75 | per night |
| House sitting | A$50 to 90 | per night |
| Dog walking | A$25 to 40 | per 30 min walk |
| Drop-in visit | A$25 to 40 | per visit |
| Cat sitting | A$25 to 45 | per visit |
You set every rate yourself, so read these as the range owners expect rather than a price list. You keep up to 90% of each booking, and payouts reach your bank within 2 business days.
Built for daycare hosts
Typical platforms take 20 to 40% of your earnings. Petme keeps a low service fee, adds cashback for your clients so they rebook week after week, and protects every booking.
Host from home
No commercial kennel required. Many hosts run daycare from a house or a flat with regular walk breaks, and set a headcount their space genuinely suits.
Daytime hours, evenings free
Drop-off in the morning, pick-up after work. Unlike overnight boarding, the dogs go home at the end of the day, so your evenings and your own space stay yours.
Protected on every booking
Owners can get help with eligible vet costs through the Protection Plan.
Daycare work in 49 Australian cities
Petme lists daycare work in all six states and both territories, in capitals, coastal metros and regional centres. Open the city closest to you for local day rates, the suburbs drop-offs come from, and what owners there look for.
New South Wales
Queensland
South Australia
Tasmania
Australian Capital Territory
Northern Territory
Questions daycare hosts ask before they start
Pay, headcount, heat and smoke days, answered for Australia.
How much can I earn running a doggy daycare in Australia?
What does a daycare day involve?
Do I need a commercial space or a big yard?
How do I keep dogs safe in the Australian summer?
Can I set my own days and headcount?
How do payouts work for daycare hosts?
Are dogs covered if something goes wrong?
When is daycare demand strongest in Australia?
What happens on a bushfire smoke day?
Which dogs turn up at an Australian daycare?
Where in Australia can I host doggy daycare?
Start earning as a daycare host in Australia
Set your own day rate and headcount, and keep up to 90% of every booking.
