A dog walking contract sets the recurring visit schedule, payment, and — the clause a single-visit pet sitting form has no equivalent for — who is liable if the dog is walked off-leash. Download the ready-to-fill template below, or read the field-by-field checklist first.
A complete, ready-to-fill PDF — 12 clauses, blanks for every detail, and a signature block for both parties. Free, no email, no account. Read it and adapt it before you use it; the cover page explains what it can and cannot do for you.
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This document is a general-purpose template provided for information only. It is not legal advice, it does not create a lawyer–client relationship, and nobody has reviewed it against your situation.
Laws differ by country, state and province, and they change. A clause that is standard in one place can be unenforceable — or illegal — in another. Terms that are ordinary between two businesses can be void in a consumer or employment context.
Read every clause before you use it, fill in every blank, and delete anything that does not apply. For anything high-value, unusual, or that you could not afford to lose a dispute over, have a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction review it before it is signed.
These are the fields and clauses a dog walking contract needs. Leaving one out doesn’t necessarily void the contract, but each gap is a spot where you and the other party can end up disagreeing about what you actually agreed to.
Owner & walker names
Full legal names (or registered business name for the walker) and addresses for both sides — who the contract actually binds.
Dog description
Breed, age, weight, microchip and licence numbers, medical conditions, current medications, vaccination status, and recall reliability.
Recurring walk schedule
Days of the week, time of day, length of each walk, and where the walks take place — plus how the owner requests a schedule change and how much notice that needs.
Leash and off-leash liability
Whether the owner permits off-leash exercise where it is lawful, and who is on the hook if the dog is hurt, hurts someone, or gets loose either way.
Key and access handling
How keys, fobs and alarm codes are handed over, kept secure, and returned when the arrangement ends.
Emergency vet authorization
Named veterinarian and emergency clinic, and a dollar limit the walker can approve for treatment without reaching the owner first.
Missed-visit policy
What happens if the walker can't make a scheduled walk — a backup walker, a reschedule, or a credit toward the next invoice.
Rate & payment terms
The per-walk or package rate, invoicing frequency, payment deadline, and any late fee.
Cancellation policy
How much notice ends the recurring schedule entirely, and how much notice cancels a single walk without being charged for it.
Signatures & date
Both the owner and the walker sign and date the contract. It isn't binding until both have signed.
A pet sitting agreement covers a single stretch of custody — the pet stays at the owner’s home, or the sitter’s, for a defined period. A dog walking contract covers something structurally different: repeated short outings, several times a week, in public places, where the single riskiest decision is whether the leash comes off.
Off-leash exercise is common where it’s legal and the dog is reliable — a fenced dog park, a quiet trail, a yard. It’s also where most of the genuine risk sits: a dog that bolts, gets into a fight with another animal, or is hit by traffic almost always does so off-leash, not on one. Without a clause addressing it directly, the contract is silent on the one question that actually gets tested when something goes wrong — did the owner allow this, and did the walker exercise reasonable judgment in doing it?
The template above allocates it explicitly: the owner states up front whether off-leash exercise is permitted, and where. Where it’s permitted and the walker exercised reasonable judgment, the walker isn’t liable for what a dog off-leash does. Where a leash was required — by law, by the location’s own rules, or because the owner never gave permission — and the walker let the dog off anyway, the walker carries that liability outright, with no cap. That split is what makes the clause enforceable instead of a vague reassurance that “the walker will be careful.”
Fill in the template above and send it to the other party for signature with a free Evenseal account — 3 documents a month, no card required. Only need your own copy signed? Self-sign for free with no account at /sign-pdf.
Not legal advice — for dogs with a bite history or unusual liability terms, have a local attorney review your contract.