Pet sitting in Berlin: 18 questions answered for 2026 sitters

Earnings depend on the mix of services and the hours you put in. Active Petme sitters in Berlin typically earn €413–€1118 per month. Sitters who lean into overnight boarding and house sitting reach the top of that range, while drop-in and dog-walking-only sitters sit in the lower half. You keep up to 90% of every booking: Petme's service fee is 10-15%.

A common pattern: 3–5 dog walks during weekday lunchtimes, 1–2 drop-in visits in the evenings, and one overnight stay across the weekend. That's roughly 12–15 hours of actual paid time per week and clears €110+ before factoring in repeat clients. Sitters who go full-time stack multiple boarding stays back-to-back.

Dog walking pays €12–€22 per walk on Petme. A 30-minute neighbourhood walk is typically priced near the lower end; longer walks, multi-dog walks, or walks in busy city centres command the upper end. You set your own rate when you build your profile.

Boarding at the sitter's home pays €28–€50 per night, and house sitting (you stay at the owner's home) pays €38–€65 per night. Boarding is where most full-time Petme sitters concentrate their income because the per-booking value is the highest.

Petme takes 10-15% from each completed booking and the sitter keeps up to 90%. There's no signup cost, no monthly subscription, and no charge to keep your profile live. The fee covers payment processing, customer support, and the Petme Protection Plan that covers every booking automatically.

Payouts are released automatically once a booking is marked complete in the Petme app. The money lands in your bank account within 2 business days. You don't need to invoice the owner or chase payment: the platform handles it end-to-end.

Every booking is covered by the Petme Protection Plan, which includes up to 20,000 in veterinary expenses if something happens to the pet in your care. It's automatic on every reservation: no separate purchase, no claim paperwork upfront. Petme also offers 24/7 customer support so you're never left handling an emergency alone.

No formal qualifications are required to apply as a Petme sitter. You need to be 18 or older, own a smartphone capable of running the app, complete ID verification, and demonstrate genuine experience around animals during your profile review. Some local rules apply for commercial-scale boarding: see the country-specific question below.

Most new sitters in Berlin go live within 24–48 hours of submitting verification. Your first booking typically lands within 1–2 weeks if your profile has at least 4 good photos, a written bio, clear service descriptions, and a competitive rate for your city. Sitters who add availability over a major holiday (Christmas, summer break) often book their first stay within days.

Yes: most Petme sitters in Berlin start while working full-time elsewhere. Dog walking fits into lunchtime windows; drop-in visits work around evenings; weekend boarding stacks on top of a Monday-to-Friday office job. You set your own availability and accept only the bookings that fit your schedule.

Prenzlauer Berg (highest per-capita dog ownership in the city), Mitte (premium drop-in clients), Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain (young professional sitters with strong dog culture), Charlottenburg (premium boarding rates) and Neukölln (high freelancer/work-from-home drop-in volume). Pankow and Schöneberg are second-tier but very steady.

For regular commercial home boarding, yes. The Berlin Veterinäramt of your Bezirk issues the §11 TierSchG-Erlaubnis after a written application and an in-person inspection of your apartment. Occasional sitting for friends and family is exempt; dog walking and Kurzbesuche normally do not need the permit. Plan 4-8 weeks for the application and a one-time fee of around 80-200 depending on the Bezirk.

Most Petme sitters in Berlin work with BVG (S-Bahn, U-Bahn, tram, bus) and bikes. Concentrate on 2-3 adjacent Bezirke so travel stays under 25 minutes between visits. Tiergarten, Hasenheide, Volkspark Friedrichshain and Mauerpark are the four go-to long-walk spots, all reachable on transit.

Yes, with limits. Most leases (Mietvertrag) allow one or two domestic pets; running a commercial boarding operation that constantly receives paying guests typically needs landlord notification. Boarding 1-2 dogs at a time on weekends is common; running a multi-dog operation generally needs written landlord agreement and the §11 TierSchG permit.

Berlin boarding sits in the upper end of Germany: €28-50 per night for a one-dog stay is standard, with experienced sitters in Mitte and Charlottenburg reaching €50-65. Kurzbesuche run €12-20, lunchtime walks €12-22. The city's strong dog culture means owners are used to fair pricing, do not under-price.

The Berlin Sommerferien (typically mid-July through end of August) is the single biggest revenue window of the year. Boarding bookings clear out 6-8 weeks ahead. Block your calendar early. Sitters who keep two-week availability during this period often clear 1,500-2,500 in that window alone.

Berlin has roughly 1.5x the active sitter base of München with similar per-night rates, so per-sitter market share is comparable. München rates run 10-15% higher (especially during Oktoberfest), but Berlin offers higher booking volume and a longer year-round season. Cost of living is also markedly lower in Berlin.

Outer Bezirke have more houses with gardens and fewer competing sitters, so they often pay 5-10 more per boarding night and tend to send larger dogs. The trade-off is travel time: serving Mitte plus Spandau usually only works if you have a car. Most full-time sitters specialize in the inner ring (S-Bahn-Ring) for density.