16 dog walkers available in Edinburgh
| Service | Typical range (GBP) |
|---|---|
| 30-minute solo walk | £12–£17 |
| 60-minute solo walk | £17–£25 |
| Group walk | £11–£16 |
| Drop-in visit | £12–£17 |
| Overnight sit | £35–£60 |
Rates are estimates in GBP and exclude any tax. Edinburgh runs a little above the UK average — roughly 14% higher — at about £12–£17 for a 30-minute walk (Rover median near £12, an hour around £19–£20), with established companies charging £20+. Group walks are cheaper per dog; dedicated solo walks for large or reactive dogs run higher. Book someone local (New Town, Leith, Morningside, Stockbridge, Portobello) so travel time does not eat the walk. SnoutWalker takes zero commission, so the walker keeps 100%.
Never book a walker who won't meet your dog first. A good walker wants the meet-and-greet — it's how they check your dog is a fit for them, too. Watch how they say hello: do they crouch and let the dog come to them, or loom over and reach straight for the head? The first is a professional; the second just likes dogs.
They ask you more than you ask them — recall, triggers, medical history, what they'd do if an off-lead dog runs up. Photo updates unasked. Clear on cancellation and rates. They say no to dogs they can't safely handle.
Vague about what happens when something goes wrong. No insurance. No written agreement. Won't say which other dogs are in the group. Cash-only with no records. Takes any dog, any size, no questions. Prices far below everyone with no explanation.
Your dog's microchip number and registry (microchipping is a legal requirement in the UK), your vet's details, current photos, and a second emergency contact who isn't you. A collar ID tag with your name and address is required by law in public. If a walker doesn't ask for these, ask yourself why.
There is no dog licence in Scotland. Microchipping is compulsory UK-wide: every dog must be chipped and registered on an approved database by eight weeks old, with the keeper's details kept current, unless a vet certifies the dog unfit. Rabies vaccination is not required for dogs living in the UK.
Edinburgh enforces the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003 — failing to clean up in a public place carries a £80 fixed penalty (rising to £100 if unpaid, and up to a £500 court fine for persistent offenders). Park byelaws set on-lead areas [VERIFY exact byelaw boundaries and any dog-number limits with City of Edinburgh Council]. Note that Holyrood Park is managed by Historic Environment Scotland, not the council, and has its own rules — from April to July signs ask that dogs be kept under control in certain areas to protect ground-nesting birds such as skylarks. Councils can also serve a Dog Control Notice under the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010.
In Scotland it is a criminal offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (section 3) to let a dog be dangerously out of control anywhere, applying to the owner and any person in charge of the dog — so a walker is directly liable. Separately, councils can issue Dog Control Notices under the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010, civil claims run under the Animals (Scotland) Act 1987 (keeper strict liability), and the XL Bully is restricted (must be muzzled and leashed in public, with an exemption certificate). (See the Scotland law tab.)
Edinburgh's east-coast climate is drier than Glasgow but colder, windier, and steeper.
A walker who talks fluently about coastal wind, dark winter afternoons, and Pentland livestock is an Edinburgh walker.
Scotland runs its own dog-law regime: the criminal Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 s.3 catches the owner AND whoever is in charge of the dog, Dog Control Notices come from the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010, and civil claims run under keeper strict liability in the Animals (Scotland) Act 1987.
These state-level rules apply across Scotland; the local rules that govern day-to-day walking are on the Local bylaws tab.
The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 applies in Scotland, and section 3 makes it a criminal offence to let a dog be dangerously out of control in any place — public or private. Critically, it bites on the owner AND, if different, the person for the time being in charge of the dog: that is the walker hook. A dog is dangerously out of control where there are grounds for reasonable apprehension that it will injure a person (or an assistance dog), whether or not it actually does. If it injures someone the offence is aggravated, carrying up to 2 years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine, plus possible disqualification from keeping dogs. Note Scots courts have read the reasonable apprehension element more strictly than England, tending to require some knowledge of the dog's prior behaviour.
Scotland has its own civil, preventative regime under the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010, distinct from England. Where a dog is out of control — the person is not keeping it under control effectively and consistently and its behaviour causes alarm or apprehensiveness — a local authority authorised officer can serve a Dog Control Notice (DCN) on the proper person in charge of it. A DCN can impose conditions such as muzzling in public, keeping the dog on a lead, neutering, microchipping, and training; the list is non-exhaustive. Breaching a DCN is a criminal offence (summary, fine up to level 3 — currently £1,000), and there is a right of appeal to a sheriff. A DCN attaches to the situation, so a walker can find a client's dog is already subject to one.
The §1 banned types under the DDA 1991 — Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro — are prohibited in Scotland as elsewhere in Great Britain. The XL Bully rules ran on different dates from England. From 23 February 2024 an XL Bully type in Scotland must be muzzled and kept on a lead in public at all times, and it became an offence to breed, sell, exchange, gift, advertise, rehome, abandon or allow to stray. The deadline to apply for a Certificate of Exemption was 31 July 2024, and from 1 August 2024 it became an offence to own an XL Bully in Scotland without an exemption (or a pending/court-authorised application). Exemption conditions include neutering and microchipping. Treat any bully-type client dog as a hard question at intake.
Civil injury claims run under the Animals (Scotland) Act 1987, which imposes strict liability on the keeper of a dog. Dogs are a listed species — deemed likely, unless controlled or restrained, to injure severely or kill by biting or otherwise savaging, attacking or harrying — so the keeper is liable for injury without proof of negligence or of any prior history. Under §5 a keeper is a person who owns the animal OR has possession of it — so a walker in possession of a client's dog can be a keeper. Microchipping is mandatory in Scotland; there is no dog licence. Dog fouling is an offence under the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003 (fixed penalty £80, rising to £100 if unpaid), and leads / park rules are set by local councils and byelaws.
A 30-minute walk in Edinburgh typically runs about £12 to £17 — around 14 percent above the UK average, reflecting the capital's higher costs. An hour is roughly £19 to £20, and established dog-walking companies often charge £20 or more. Group walks cost less per dog; solo walks cost more. These are estimates; independent local walkers often price below the big companies.
There is no dog licence in Scotland. Microchipping is mandatory UK-wide: every dog must be microchipped and registered on an approved database by eight weeks old, with your contact details kept current, unless a vet certifies the dog unfit. Rabies vaccination is not required for dogs living in the UK.
Edinburgh enforces the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003 — failing to pick up in a public place draws a fixed penalty of £80, rising to £100 if unpaid, with a court fine of up to £500 for persistent offenders. Local park byelaws set on-lead areas, and Holyrood Park is managed by Historic Environment Scotland with its own rules, including keeping dogs under control to protect ground-nesting birds from April to July. Councils can also serve a Dog Control Notice under the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010, and dogs must be on the lead near sheep, such as in the Pentland Hills.
Yes to both. Under section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 it is a criminal offence to let a dog be dangerously out of control anywhere, applying to the owner and to any person in charge of the dog — so a walker holding the lead is directly liable. Civil compensation runs under the Animals (Scotland) Act 1987, which places strict liability on the dog's keeper, so hiring an insured walker matters.
Popular spaces include Holyrood Park and Arthur's Seat (managed by Historic Environment Scotland, with signed control areas for nesting birds and rocky, steep ground), The Meadows near the city centre, and the Pentland Hills Regional Park — but keep dogs on the lead near sheep on the Pentlands. Dogs should be under close control and off signed on-lead zones.
Ask whether they carry liability insurance — in Scotland the person holding the lead carries direct legal responsibility under the Dangerous Dogs Act — whether they have pet first aid training, how many dogs yours would be walked with, exactly what they would do if your dog slipped its lead, and how they handle keys. Always arrange a meet-and-greet first and ask for two client references.
No. SnoutWalker charges zero commission. Walkers set their own rates and keep 100 percent of what they earn. Every walk is GPS-tracked and owners receive a photo report card after each walk.