What actually applies to a walker
Dog walking is one of the more lightly regulated pet services almost everywhere. Boarding, daycare, breeding and selling animals attract licensing regimes that walking usually does not.
What does apply is three things: local rules on how many dogs one person may walk in public spaces and whether commercial walking needs a permit, the ordinary consumer law that governs prices, terms and cancellation, and privacy law, which matters more than walkers expect because you hold home addresses, key arrangements and alarm details.
This is orientation, not legal advice. Your local authority, council or municipality and a local adviser are the authorities, and the dogs-per-walker rules in particular are set at a very local level.
United Kingdom
Licensing: commercial dog walking is not licensed under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018 in England, which covers boarding, home boarding, daycare and catteries instead. Scotland and Wales have their own licensing arrangements for those activities.
Dogs per walker: set locally. A number of local authorities operate Public Spaces Protection Orders limiting how many dogs one person may walk in parks and open spaces, and some operate a permit or registration scheme for professional walkers. Check the councils covering every area page on your site, because they can differ between neighbouring boroughs.
Consumer law: the Consumer Rights Act on services, and the Consumer Contracts Regulations, which give cancellation rights on services agreed at a distance or off-premises. A meet-and-greet arranged online and an agreement signed in the owner's home both fall in that territory, so your terms and the information given at sign-up matter. Prices stated inclusive of VAT if registered, and no drip pricing.
Company details: a limited company's registered name, number and registered office on the site; a sole trader's trading name and an address for correspondence.
Privacy: UK GDPR and PECR. A privacy notice covering owner contact details, addresses, entry arrangements and pet health data, with retention stated. Most businesses need ICO registration. Key codes and alarm codes deserve a line on how they are stored.
Accessibility: the Equality Act, with WCAG 2.1 AA as the working standard.
United States
Licensing: mostly city and county. Some cities require a commercial dog walking permit or a business licence, and some parks departments issue their own permits for walking multiple dogs. Kennel and boarding licensing is separate and generally does not reach walking.
Dogs per walker: several cities cap the number of dogs one person may walk on public land, and permit schemes sometimes set the cap as a condition. Check the city, not the state.
Consumer law: the FTC on deceptive advertising, and state consumer protection statutes. Cancellation, deposit and recurring billing terms stated clearly at sign-up, and note that automatic renewal laws in some states apply to recurring monthly billing.
Privacy: state privacy laws such as California's for businesses over the thresholds. TCPA consent rules apply to marketing texts, which matters if you send anything beyond transactional visit alerts.
Accessibility: the ADA as applied to websites through litigation, WCAG 2.1 AA the practical standard.
Canada
Licensing: municipal. Some municipalities require a commercial dog walking licence or permit, and several set a maximum number of dogs per walker in parks and on public land. Toronto and Vancouver are examples of cities with rules in this area; confirm the current position with the municipality.
Consumer law: provincial consumer protection acts, with Quebec's the strictest on pricing and contract terms, and the Competition Act on misleading advertising. Sites serving Quebec must be available in French.
Privacy: PIPEDA, plus Quebec's Law 25 with its consent and policy requirements. CASL governs consent for marketing email and text, which catches newsletters and offers but not the visit reports an existing client has contracted for.
Accessibility: AODA in Ontario, the Accessible Canada Act federally.
Australia
Licensing: state, territory and council. Boarding follows state codes of practice; walking generally does not. Many councils cap the number of dogs one person may have under control in public, commonly a low single figure, and some require a permit for commercial walking or for exceeding the standard limit.
Consumer law: the Australian Consumer Law on misleading conduct, consumer guarantees and unfair contract terms, which is worth reading against any minimum term in your walking agreement.
Privacy: the Privacy Act for businesses over the turnover threshold, with the Australian Privacy Principles, and the Spam Act for marketing messages.
Accessibility: the Disability Discrimination Act, WCAG 2.1 AA.
European Union
Licensing: varies by member state and often by municipality, with animal welfare rules generally aimed at boarding, breeding and transport. Note that transporting animals commercially can attract its own rules in some states, which is relevant if you collect dogs by van.
Consumer law: the Consumer Rights Directive as implemented locally, including the fourteen day withdrawal right on distance and off-premises contracts and the pre-contract information you must give.
Privacy: GDPR, with a privacy notice, a lawful basis, and care over health data about the dog's owner rather than the dog. The ePrivacy rules mean cookie consent before any non-essential cookie loads.
Accessibility: the European Accessibility Act, with EN 301 549 pointing at WCAG.
The parts that are the same everywhere
Insurance stated with a named insurer and a figure. Terms covering cancellation notice, bank holidays and what happens if you cannot walk. A privacy notice that mentions keys and entry arrangements. Cookie consent that actually blocks before consent. Business identity on the site.
Where this sits
The terms, the privacy notice, the country-appropriate trust page and the cookie handling are all part of a dog walking business website as we build it, and the same country-by-country care goes into our other pet business websites. What is included is on pricing. Confirm the dogs-per-walker rule with every council you work in before you publish a group size.