How much does a dog walker cost in Ireland?

A 60-minute solo walk costs €12–€22 across Ireland. Dublin, Wicklow and south Galway sit at the top of that range; the midlands, border counties and the north-west sit at the bottom. Small-group walks run roughly €4 cheaper per walk, and a 30-minute drop-in visit is usually €5 less again.

Overnight boarding in a sitter's home is a separate market: €28–€45 a night nationally, with Dublin and commuter-belt Kildare, Meath and Wicklow at the higher end.

These are the guide prices PawPals uses on each county page. They are VAT-inclusive and reflect what local sitters are charging right now.

Two quotes for the same town can differ by €8 a walk. Almost always it comes down to one of these:

• 🐾Solo vs group — one-to-one attention costs more than a walk with three other sociable dogs.
• 🐾Reactive, elderly or puppy dogs — more handling, shorter routes, more skill.
• 🐾Peak slots — 11am–2pm weekday walks are the most requested hour in Ireland and price accordingly.
• 🐾Travel — rural collections add fuel and dead time between bookings.
• 🐾Extras — feeding, medication, plant watering and key handling on holiday cover.
• 🐾Bank holidays and Christmas — expect a 20–50% premium, agreed in advance.

Book a recurring weekly slot rather than ad-hoc walks — most sitters discount a fixed schedule because it makes their week predictable. Join a small group walk if your dog is sociable. And share a slot with a neighbour: two dogs from the same house or street is usually a small add-on fee, not double the price.

Cash-in-hand with no insurance, no written price and no record of the booking. If something goes wrong on a walk — a slipped lead, a vet visit, a lost key — an uninsured arrangement leaves you carrying the whole cost. Every price you see on PawPals is fixed before you pay, held in escrow and released to the sitter only once the walk is done.