Dog walker vs animal daycare provider

The differences between dog walkers and animal daycare providers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a dog walker and an animal daycare provider. Additionally, a dog walker has an average salary of $30,893, which is higher than the $30,390 average annual salary of an animal daycare provider.

The top three skills for a dog walker include PET, walkers and clients homes. The most important skills for an animal daycare provider are child care, nutritional meals, and CPR.

Dog walker vs animal daycare provider overview

	Dog Walker	Animal Daycare Provider
Yearly salary	$30,893	$30,390
Hourly rate	$14.85	$14.61
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	5,474	42,565
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	3	3

What does a dog walker do?

A dog walker provides dog walking services to pet owners at scheduled times, ensuring their safety. They first meet with pet owners to discuss their preferred schedule and use this opportunity to learn more about the dog and understand its needs. There are instances where a dog walker may walk multiple dogs, consider weather conditions, pick-up and dispose of waste properly, and feed dogs with water or food. Moreover, a dog walker regularly updates pet owners with the duration or location of walks, including the dog's behavior.

What does an animal daycare provider do?

An animal daycare provider is an individual who deals with animals and provides care to animals whose owners are temporarily unavailable. Animal daycare providers must assist and facilitate activities based on the curriculum set out by the animal daycare facility. They are required to have walks with the animals they are taking care of and should help in cleaning their cages or sleeping area. Animal daycare providers must also ensure that the animals they monitor have adequate food and water.

Dog walker vs animal daycare provider salary

Dog walkers and animal daycare providers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dog Walker	Animal Daycare Provider
Average salary	$30,893	$30,390
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $44,000	Between $19,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	-
Highest paying state	Oregon	-
Best paying company	CARE	-
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between dog walker and animal daycare provider education

There are a few differences between a dog walker and an animal daycare provider in terms of educational background:

	Dog Walker	Animal Daycare Provider
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	University of Massachusetts Amherst	University of Pennsylvania

Dog walker vs animal daycare provider demographics

Here are the differences between dog walkers' and animal daycare providers' demographics:

	Dog Walker	Animal Daycare Provider
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8%	Male, 6.2% Female, 93.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 2.6% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 2.9% White, 69.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between dog walker and animal daycare provider duties and responsibilities

Dog walker example responsibilities.

Manage all breeding, whelping, raising of puppies, grooming and showing of dogs for owners in the AKC.
Head groomer, use of dremel, clippers, dryers, hemostats.
Provide in-home grooming services such as bathing, nail trimming, and clipping for all breeds and sizes of dogs.
Provide general bathing and preventative services, such as nail clipping and ear cleaning to maintain and improve clients health.
Assist pet owners by transporting animals to grooming and veterinary appointments.
Assure proper annotation of administrative MWD utilization and training records used for legal reviews.

Show more

Animal daycare provider example responsibilities.

Assist children in learning numbers, ABC's and colors.
Teach children basic daily living skills such as washing hands, toileting, ABC's and numbers.
Maintain all safety and health standards as well as ensured up to date training including CPR and first aid.
Administer learning materials, provide one-on-on tutoring and supervise kids during time of play.
Maintain nutritional guidelines consistent with USDA guidelines

Dog walker vs animal daycare provider skills

Common dog walker skills

PET, 50%
Walkers, 44%
Clients Homes, 2%
Fresh Water, 1%
Minute Walk, 1%
Customer Service, 0%

Common animal daycare provider skills

Child Care, 72%
Nutritional Meals, 13%
CPR, 5%
Social Development, 2%
Quality Care, 1%
Developmental Problems, 1%

Dog Walker vs. similar jobs

Dog Walker related careers

Dog Walker related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse personal care and attendants jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z