What dog sitters charge in the US
These are the bands Petme publishes for the United States. Every sitter sets their own rate, so treat them as the range you are pricing inside rather than a fixed scale.
| Service | What owners pay | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Boarding (dog stays at your home) | $25 - $75 | per night |
| House sitting (you stay at theirs) | $50 - $100 | per night |
| Dog walking | $15 - $30 | per walk |
| Drop-in visit | $15 - $25 | per visit |
House sitting pays the most per night because it books you for the whole stay: you cannot take a second client at the same time, and the owner is paying for their pet to keep its own routine. Boarding pays less per booking but you can host more than one dog, so the earnings per night you are actually working can be higher.
Big metros sit at the top of these bands and often above them. If you are pricing in New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco, look at what sitters in your own neighborhood charge rather than the national middle.
What you actually keep
On Petme you keep up to 90% of your rate, and the owner pays no service fee on top of it. That second half matters more than sitters expect: platforms that add 11% to 15% to the owner's bill are quietly making your rate look higher than it is at the moment the owner decides.
So a $60 night is roughly $54 to you, and the owner sees $60. Work backwards from what you want to earn per night rather than forwards from a number that sounds reasonable.
How to set your first rate
Look at what sitters within a few miles of you charge for the same service, then start at or slightly below the middle of that spread. You are buying reviews with that discount, and you only need to do it once.
Pick one service to build depth in first. Ten reviews for overnight boarding is worth more than two reviews across five services, because an owner booking a week away is reading for evidence you have done exactly that before.
Raise your rate when you are turning bookings down, not when you feel you deserve it. Being consistently busy at your current price is the only reliable signal that the market will carry more.
How dog size and needs affect your rate
Size is the most common reason to price above your own baseline, and owners expect it. A large dog eats more, needs more exercise and takes more space in your home than a small one. Most sitters build that in at the quote stage rather than publishing a separate scale.
The bigger premiums come from work not every sitter will take: medication on a schedule, a dog with separation anxiety, reactivity around other dogs, or a puppy that needs toilet breaks through the night. If you are genuinely comfortable with those, say so explicitly in your profile. It is the clearest way to be found by the owners who have been turned down elsewhere and are not price shopping.
What else justifies a higher rate
- A real review record on the service being booked. The single strongest lever, and the reason to build depth before breadth.
- Fast, specific replies. Owners booking travel are anxious. A same-day answer that addresses their actual dog beats a faster generic one.
- Photo and message updates during the stay. Cheap for you, and the thing owners mention most often in reviews.
- Flexibility owners cannot get elsewhere. Early drop-off, late pickup, holiday weekends. Availability at Thanksgiving and between Christmas and New Year is worth more than any other week of the year.
Building a profile that supports your rate
Write what you actually do, not what sounds professional. "I walk a 45-minute loop through the park twice a day and send photos after each one" tells an owner more than a paragraph about your lifelong love of animals.
Say what your home is like if you board: whether there are other dogs, whether there is a yard, how many bookings you take at once. Every question an owner has to ask is a moment they might book someone else instead.
Every booking on Petme carries the Petme Protection Plan up to $22,000 in vet costs, and every sitter completes ID verification and background screening. Mention neither in your bio. They apply to everyone, so they do not differentiate you.
Frequently asked questions about dog sitter rates
How much do dog sitters charge per day?
For daytime care in the US, a drop-in visit is $15 to $25 and a walk is $15 to $30, so a day built from two visits typically lands between $30 and $50. Full-day care where the dog stays with you prices between the drop-in and the overnight boarding band, which runs $25 to $75 a night.How much should I charge for dog sitting?
Start at or slightly below the middle of what sitters within a few miles of you charge for the same service, then raise your rate once you are turning bookings down. On Petme you set the rate yourself and keep up to 90% of it, so work backwards from what you want to earn per night rather than picking a round number.What should I charge for dog sitting overnight?
Overnight boarding at your home pays $25 to $75 a night in the US. House sitting, where you stay at the owner's home, pays $50 to $100 because it books you for the whole stay and you cannot take another client at the same time. Metro rates sit at the top of both bands.How does dog size affect the rate?
Larger dogs eat more, need more exercise and take more space, and owners expect a higher quote for them. Most sitters build it into the quote rather than publishing a separate scale. The bigger premium comes from needs rather than size: medication, separation anxiety or reactivity are what let you price clearly above your own baseline.Can I charge more on holidays?
Yes, and it is set by you rather than added by the platform. Thanksgiving and the Christmas to New Year stretch are the tightest weeks of the year in most US markets, and sitters who publish availability early get booked first. The scarcer your availability, the more the rate carries.How much extra should I charge for multiple dogs?
A second dog from the same household is more work but not double the work, so a partial addition to the nightly rate is the usual approach rather than charging twice. Decide before you are asked and put it in your profile, because owners with two dogs are comparing sitters on exactly that number.Where to go next
If you are an owner working out what to budget rather than a sitter setting a rate, the dog sitting cost guide covers the same numbers from your side, and the US pet sitting prices page has the full breakdown by service. Sitters ready to start can see what the work looks like on the become a pet sitter guide.
