Dog walker insurance UK: what cover you need and what it costs
Templates and forms for UK dog walkers: Dog Walkers business templates →
TL;DR: A UK dog walker usually needs public liability insurance, cover for the dogs in your care ("care, custody and control") and key cover if you hold keys. Taking on staff or holiday cover? Check GOV.UK's employers' liability page first. Simply Business says 10% of its animal care customers paid £60.54 or less a year for up to £2m public liability (January to June 2026).
What insurance does a dog walker need?
| Cover | What it pays for | Dog walking example |
|---|---|---|
| Public liability | Injury to people or damage to their property | A dog on your lead knocks over a cyclist |
| Care, custody and control | Injury, illness, loss or death of a dog in your care | A dog slips its harness and is hurt on a road |
| Loss of keys | New locks and keys if a client's keys are lost or stolen | You drop a client's keys in the park |
| Equipment | Your leads, crates and GPS trackers | Crates stolen from your car |
| Employers' liability | Injury or illness to your staff | Your holiday-cover walker is bitten |
| Motor insurance | Your vehicle | Driving dogs to the woods |
What should you check before your first paid walk?
Three checks to do before you take money for a walk:
- Staff or holiday cover. If anyone walks for you, read GOV.UK's employers' liability insurance page and ask your broker what you need before they start.
- Your car. If you drive dogs, tell your motor insurer it's for business use. GOV.UK's vehicle insurance page covers the basics.
- Your council. Check your council's website for any rules on how many dogs one person can walk, and whether it mentions insurance. Our dog walking start-up guide shows how one council sets this out.
Most clients will also ask whether you're insured before they hand over a lead or a key.
How much is dog walker insurance in the UK?
These are insurer and broker figures, not a market survey. Your price depends on your cover, limits, staff and claims history.
| Source | Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Simply Business (dog walking page) | 10% of animal care professionals paid £60.54 or less a year (£5.05 a month equivalent) | Up to £2m public liability, 1 Jan to 30 Jun 2026. 83% choose £1m, 17% £2m |
| Simply Business example quote | £71.33 a year (£5.94 a month) | Sole trader, no staff, Sunderland, £1m public liability only |
| Simply Business example quote | £289.54 a year (£24.13 a month) | Small dog walking company with 2 employees in the Wirral. £1m public liability, £10m employers' liability, legal expenses, stock, and cover for pets in your control |
| Protectivity example quote | £5.41 a month | Real quote on 5 Jan 2026: £1m public liability, £100,000 care, custody and control, £10,000 loss of keys, £250 equipment |
| Suited | From £6.00 a month or £72.00 a year | £1m public liability only. Page updated 7 May 2026 |
Simply Business says the two example quotes are real quotes from its system, made between March and June 2026.
The cheapest headline prices are usually public liability only. Adding care, custody and control, key cover or staff costs more.
Simply Business also says its average dog walker claim was £1,329 (28 successful claims, 1 Sep 2025 to 31 Aug 2026). That's one broker's customers, not the whole market.
What does care, custody and control cover?
Public liability is about people and their property. A dog hurt on your walk may need a separate section.
Protectivity's version covers a dog that's lost, injured, taken ill or dies in your care. It offers up to £100,000 in total, capped at £25,000 per animal.
Before you buy, ask:
- How much is paid per dog, and in total?
- Is a dog that runs off and goes missing covered?
- Are any breeds excluded?
- How many dogs per walk does the policy allow?
- Is a dog covered while it's in your car?
Get the answers in writing. If the policy and the council set different limits on dogs per walk, stick to the lower one.
Do you need key cover and cover for your car?
Keys. If you hold door keys, losing a bunch can mean new locks for several homes. Protectivity's key cover goes up to £10,000 and can include resetting alarms.
Your car. If you drive dogs, tell your motor insurer it's for business use. Check if crates and dog guards are covered.
Your home. If dogs come to your home for drop-offs, your home insurance may not cover business use. Ask your home insurer.
How do you buy dog walker insurance? Step by step
- Write down what you do: solo walks, group walks, puppy visits, drop-ins, dog transport, any staff or holiday cover.
- Check the group size and insurance conditions for every council area you walk in.
- Choose your public liability limit. £1m and £2m are the common picks at Simply Business.
- Decide how much care, custody and control cover you want per dog.
- Add key cover if you hold keys.
- Get at least three quotes with the same limits.
- Read the exclusions, especially for breeds, off-lead walking and dogs per walk.
- Keep the certificate on your phone, and diary the renewal.
What records back up a claim?
If an owner says their dog was hurt on your walk, your paperwork is your evidence:
- the signed registration form and behaviour notes from the meet-and-greet
- the owner's emergency vet permission
- a walk log for that day
- a key record showing who held the keys and when
- an incident note written the same day, with photos
Where LaunchKit fits
The Dog Walkers Startup Guide (£4.99) is a 12-section PDF covering setup, insurance, pricing and your first 90 days.
The Dog Walkers Business Documents — Premium (£19.99) has 13 templates. They include an Emergency Authorisation Vet Release, Key Property Access Agreement, Walk Log Service Record and Incident Report Form.
They're paperwork, not insurance. A waiver doesn't replace cover.
FAQ
What insurance do I need for a dog walking business?
Most dog walkers carry public liability, care, custody and control for the dogs, and key cover if they hold keys. If anyone works for you, check GOV.UK's employers' liability page.
How much is dog walker insurance in the UK?
Simply Business says 10% of its animal care customers paid £60.54 or less a year for up to £2m public liability (Jan to Jun 2026). Protectivity shows a £5.41-a-month example that includes cover for the dogs and keys.
Does public liability cover a dog I'm walking?
Don't assume it does. Many insurers sell care, custody and control as a separate section. Ask what's paid if a dog is hurt or lost on your walk.
Do I need insurance to walk dogs for friends?
If you're being paid, treat it as a business and get cover. Check your council's website for any rules on group walks too.
Sources
All accessed 1 October 2026.
- Simply Business, "Dog walking insurance" (10% of animal care professionals paid £60.54 or less a year / £5.05 a month for up to £2m PL, 1 Jan–30 Jun 2026; 83%/17% £1m/£2m; example quotes £71.33 and £289.54 a year; average dog walker claim £1,329 from 28 claims, 1 Sep 2025–31 Aug 2026; page updated 29 Sep 2026)
- Protectivity, "Dog walking insurance" (example quote £5.41 a month on 05/01/2026; CCC up to £100,000, £25,000 per animal; loss of keys up to £10,000; equipment £250 standard)
- Suited, "Dog walker insurance" (public liability from £6.00 a month / £72.00 a year for £1m; last updated 7 May 2026)
- GOV.UK, "Employers' liability insurance"
- GOV.UK, "Vehicle insurance"
This article is general information, not insurance advice. Read the policy wording and speak to an FCA-authorised broker or insurer before you buy.
Next useful links
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Dog Walkers Startup Guide
Launching a dog walking business means handling business registration, public liability insurance for pet care, key-holding procedures for client homes, Animal Welfare Act 2006 considerations, banned-breeds awareness, and recall and group-size discipline that protects every walk. This guide covers business setup, insurance, vehicle setup for safe multi-dog transport, pricing solo versus group walks, temperament screening for new clients, the boundary between walking and licensable boarding/daycare, and the first-90-days checklist for building a tight local round.
Dog Walkers Business Documents — Premium
13 business-record templates for dog-walking businesses, each supplied as a fillable PDF and an editable DOCX file. Every template is also included in one fill-online HTML bundle: add your business details and brand colour in the sidebar of each template (they are saved per document, not shared between templates), then send clients a locked copy they can fill in with one click. Answers you haven't changed for 60 days are deleted the next time you open the form, and ‘Prepare copy for clients’ clears them; your business details and colour are kept. Type into the PDF fields or use a DOCX-compatible editor to change the business name, logo and wording. The exact delivered-file list is shown on this page. These practical templates do not provide legal, clinical or regulatory advice or certification, and do not replace any official records your work requires.
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