---
title: "Dog walking contract: what to put in it (+ free template)"
description: "What a dog walking contract should cover in the UK, from off-lead consent and vet authorisation to the 14-day cancellation right most templates leave out. With a free example template."
canonical_url: "https://woodle-app.com/guides/dog-walking-contract-template"
last_updated: "2026-10-19T09:04:09.074Z"
---

Most dog walkers start on a handshake. A neighbour, a friend of a friend, a quick "Tuesdays and Thursdays, cash is fine". It works, right up to the afternoon a dog slips its harness off-lead, or a client stops paying and says you never agreed on a price.

A contract does not have to be long. It has to exist, and it has to answer the handful of questions that actually come up when something goes wrong.

## What every dog walking contract should cover

**Who and which dog.** Your business name and address, the client's name and address, and each dog's name and breed. With two dogs in one household it matters which one the contract is about.

**The service.** Group or solo walks, how long, how often, from which date. If you also do drop-ins, home boarding or [training](/guides/adding-dog-training-to-dog-walking), say which of those this agreement covers.

**Price and payment terms.** Price per walk or a monthly rate, when you invoice, and how many days the client has to pay. Say what happens to bank holidays and to walks you cannot do because of weather.

**Cancellations.** How much notice a client must give to cancel a walk without paying for it (24 hours is common), and how much notice either side needs to end the arrangement altogether.

**Off-lead consent.** Is the dog allowed off the lead, and where? Get it in writing. Your [insurer](/guides/public-liability-insurance-dog-walkers) may refuse an off-lead claim without it, and "she said it was fine" is worth nothing if it is not written down.

**Keys and access.** How you get in, where the key lives, alarm codes, and who pays if a key is lost. Key cover on your insurance handles the cost, but the contract should say how keys are handed over and returned.

**Vet authorisation.** The clause most often missing. If the dog is hurt on your walk and the owner does not answer the phone, can you authorise treatment, up to what amount, and at which practice? Without it you are standing in a vet's reception waiting for a decision you have no right to make.

**Health, behaviour and the law.** The owner confirms the dog is vaccinated, wormed, flea-treated and microchipped (a legal requirement in England, Scotland and Wales), wears a collar and tag with the owner's name and address in public, and has no history of aggression they have not told you about.

**Photos and data.** Can you send photos to the owner, and can you post them on your social media? Under UK GDPR you need the client's details for the contract itself, but posting their dog and street on Instagram is a separate consent.

<guide-cta heading="Your contract, filled in for every client" text="Woodle turns your own template into a ready contract with the client's name, dog, price and start date. The owner confirms it in the app, and you both keep a copy.">



</guide-cta>

## The clause most templates leave out: the 14-day cancellation right

If you sign up a client **at their home, by phone, by email or online**, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 usually give them 14 days to cancel. That covers most dog walking clients.

Two things follow:

- You should tell the client about that right in writing, before they agree. If you do not, the cancellation window can stretch to a year.
- If the client wants walks to start inside those 14 days, get their express request in writing. They can still cancel, but they pay for the walks you have already done.

One line in the contract solves both: "The client has been informed of their 14-day right to cancel and asks for the service to begin on <span>

date

</span>

."

## Group walks and local limits

Many councils now have Public Spaces Protection Orders that cap the number of dogs one person can walk at once, often four or six. If you do group walks, check the rules for the parks you use, write the maximum group size into the contract, and make sure it matches what your insurance covers.

## Example dog walking contract

<div className="mb-6,rounded-2xl,border,border-gray-200,bg-gray-50,p-6,font-mono,text-sm,text-gray-700,leading-relaxed,overflow-x-auto">

**Dog Walking Service Agreement**

Provider: Sam Taylor Dog Walking, 12 High Street, Bristol BS1 1AA<br />

Client: Alex Morgan, 5 Park Road, Bristol BS6 2BB, for the dog "Biscuit" (Cocker Spaniel)

Service: group walks of up to 4 dogs, 60 minutes, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, starting 3 November 2026<br />

Price: £15.00 per walk, invoiced monthly, payable within 14 days

Walks cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice are charged in full. Either party may end this agreement with 2 weeks' written notice.

Off-lead walking: ☐ permitted ☐ not permitted<br />

Keys: one key, collected on 1 November 2026, returned within 7 days of the agreement ending.

If the client cannot be reached in an emergency, the provider may authorise veterinary treatment up to £400 at Park Road Vets. The client pays for any treatment.

The client confirms Biscuit is vaccinated, microchipped and has no known history of aggression. Photos may be ☐ sent to the client only ☐ also used on the provider's social media.

The client has been informed of their 14-day right to cancel and asks for the service to begin on the start date above.

Signed (provider) __________ Date __________<br />

Signed (client) __________ Date __________

</div>

The names, prices and limits are placeholders. Change them to your own. What matters is less the exact wording than that each of these points is written down somewhere both of you have signed.

## Gaps that cause the most arguments

- Off-lead permission given out loud and never written down
- No vet authorisation, so precious minutes go on phone calls
- No notice period, so every goodbye turns into a dispute about the last month
- A contract signed once and never updated, although the price, the days or the dog have changed since

When your prices go up, send an updated agreement rather than just a bigger [invoice](/guides/dog-walking-invoice-template). It is the easiest way to avoid "I never agreed to that".

## In short

A dog walking contract fits on one page. It needs to cover the service, the price, cancellations, off-lead consent, keys, vet authorisation and the 14-day cancellation right. Write it once, then copy it for every new client and change the name, the dog and the price.

This guide and the example template are not legal advice. For wording you can rely on, particularly around liability and vet authorisation, have a solicitor look over your contract.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.