A guide to help you choose the perfect name for your dog walking business for 2025!
When it comes to starting your own business, one of the first big decisions you’ll face is choosing the perfect name for your company. Fortunately, like many other aspects of starting your own dog walking business, naming your company can actually be a lot of fun! But we get it, it's easy to feel overwhelmed in the search for the perfect name and struggle trying to find the ideal fit.
You want to pick a name that truly represents both you and your business. Many professional dog walkers and pet sitters opt for something fun, like a pet-related pun or something based on the unique services they offer. For example, a pet sitting business specializing in cats might want to incorporate that fact into their name to better advertise their cat focus to potential clients. You can also choose to go with local SEO (Seach Engine Optimization), like 'INSERT CITY NAME HERE Dog Walker' or 'INSERT CITY'S NAME Best Dog Walker.' A name with built-in SEO value can be a wise choice if you are in a city packed with competitors.
Don’t forget to think about whether or not the name you choose for your dog walking company is something that will look good on business cards, logos, invoices, and even apparel. Think about how well it will pair with a logo or other branding materials when it's time to promote your business.
As you can see, picking the right name is a crucial step in starting your business. It’s often the first impression potential clients will have of you and your company, so you want it to be memorable! Since it’s an essential step to getting started as a professional dog walker or pet sitter, we've put together this guide to help you pick the perfect name for your company.
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Step 1: Thinking About You and Your Brand
Your company name can do a lot to help potential clients identify the kind of business you run and the services you might offer. It may also demonstrate the type of experience clients can expect from you and your team. For example, if you choose a playful pet pun, clients might expect a business run by someone with a deep love for animals who derives great joy from their job. On the other hand, with a name that highlights a certain level of expertise or superior service, clients may expect a higher degree of professionalism than usual. So, be sure to carefully consider the image you want to project to pet parents searching for a reliable provider.
Your company name can help potential clients understand what type of business you run and the services you offer. It can also set expectations for the experience they’ll have with you and your team. For example, a playful pet pun suggests a fun-loving approach and a deep passion for animals, while a name that highlights expertise or premium service conveys a higher level of professionalism. So, be sure to carefully consider the image you want to project to pet parents searching for a reliable provider.
Here are a few questions for you to consider while you brainstorm:
- Will you exclusively offer dog walking services? If so, a name that centers on dogs might make the most sense. If you provide other services, however, consider a name encompassing all the services you plan to offer.
- How will you position your business? Will you offer upscale pet care services or specialize in a particular service?
- Do you plan to be the biggest and the best, or are you aiming to be a smaller and more boutique type of business?
- Do you plan to expand to other cities or markets? Think carefully about this one, as it might be more challenging for your business to grow if you pick a city-specific name and are forced to change it later.
- Do you want your business name to be silly or playful that brings a smile to your clients? Or do you desire something that reflects your company’s professionalism?
- Do you have any veterinary and medical animal care experience and plan to incorporate that into your services?
A great place to start with the name-creation process is to write down ten characteristics that are most important to potential clients when it comes to your dog walking business. Think of how you want people to feel when they hear your name, whether they’re prospective clients, current clients, or even team members working under you. Make sure it’s a name that will look great on your logo, website, and business cards. It should be something people will be proud to wear on t-shirts or other official branded merchandise.
Whatever name you end up choosing, it should be something that resonates with you on a personal level. After all, it is a name that you’ll use every day, and people will come to associate with both you and your business. It will also often be the first impression prospective clients have with your company, so it’s important to pick a name that reflects your brand thoughtfully – not just something you come up with on a whim.
Step 2: Brainstorm Name Choices
Sometimes, you get lucky, and the perfect name comes to you immediately, or maybe you already have a clear idea of what you want to call your dog walking business. But if you’re drawing a blank don’t worry – that's completely okay! All you need is an idea of what you want your name to represent. After that, it's time to let the creative juices flow!
Start by brainstorming a list of everything you can think of related to your business. You can even make a mind map to help you connect different ideas! As you think about the various aspects of your dog walking company, here are a few questions to guide you:
- What are the most important services your business will offer?
- Where do you want to operate and grow your business?
- Do you want a friendly name? Or a name that sounds buttoned-up and professional?
- Do you want a name that refers to a pet’s safety? To your reliability?
Whatever keywords you pop into your head, write down as many of them as you can!
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Once you have those keywords written down, it’s time to start putting those keywords to work and turning them into potential business names. There are no limits here – write out as many different names and variations as you like. We do have a few pointers here, though! The best business names tend to be simple and easy to memorable. Choosing a name that’s easy to pronounce and sticks in your clients’ minds is a smart choice, since they may come across your name while running errands and not have time to look you up right away. You may also want to consider local relevance (especially if you live in a big city with a lot of competition). It can help both potential clients and Google pinpoint exactly where your business operates. Lastly, consider the types of names your competitors are using. Choosing a name that’s different from theirs makes it easier for your business name to stand out in the crowd and avoid confusion.
Once you have produced a list of names, try to refine that list down to your top ten favorites and begin the process of elimination. If you’re still stuck – don’t worry, we have an excellent list of name ideas at the bottom of this post to help get you started! You can also jumpstart the creative process by using an online name generator. The business name generator from Shopify is a good place to begin.
Step 3: Research Availability and Trademarks
Once you’ve narrowed your list down to a name or two that you really like, it's time to do some research! Before making things official and picking your final choice, you must first ensure that the business name you want is available for you to use and own. Follow these steps to make sure a business name is free for you to use:
- Use a trademark search tool to ensure your dog walking business name is not already trademarked. The US Patent and Trademark Office has a great trademark search tool that’s free to use! If you plan on incorporating your business, you must also check on that with your local state.
- Check to see if your desired domain name is available, we like using Instant Domain Search. You can always try to create a variation of your name for your website domain, but it's best to keep the domain name as simple and as close to your actual business name as possible. A .com domain is always better, too!
- Look at your competitors’ business names in your area. You want to avoid choosing a name that is too similar, as it can confuse prospective clients. For example, if there is already a “Denver's Best Dog Walker,” you don't want to call your business “Denver's Very Best Dog Walker.”
- Finally, you should also check if the social media accounts for your desired business name are available. Namechk has an easy-to-use tool to help you search for available social media usernames. Also, remember that you'll have more flexibility with social media usernames than website domains. You can get a little creative with your usernames for a workaround if the one you want isn’t available.
Step 4: Get Feedback on Final Name Picks
Before finalizing the name for your dog walking business, it’s a good idea to seek out some feedback from outside sources. It's best to get feedback from existing or prospective clients. If that's impossible, try to find people who can give you their objective, honest opinions. Family and friends are great for helping you start your business, but sometimes, they can be overly optimistic and hold back on sharing constructive criticism. That being said, at the end of the day it is your business, so despite what others may think, what matters most is what you think of it!
Step 5: Register Your Business Name
Once you have settled on the perfect name for your dog walking business, it’s time to register the name and buy a domain for your website. The Small Business Administration has some great resources on how to Register Your Business Name. After you purchase your domain name, scoop up as many social media usernames for your business name as possible. Even if you don’t plan on using sites like Twitter or Instagram, it's best to claim those usernames just in case. Doing so will also prevent others from taking the username and causing potential confusion with clients when they search for you on the web.
Step 6: Bring Your Dog Walking Business Name to Life
Now that you have all of your ducks in a row, it's time to bring your business name to life!
In order to do so, you will want to create an eye-catching logo that represents your dog walking business. This logo will be used on business cards, marketing materials, flyers, T-shirts, and other brand merchandise, so it must look professional while capturing your business’s vibe. If you don't know anyone with graphic artistry skills who can create a logo for you, there are plenty of online resources like Fiverr and 99designs, where you can find artists to create affordable graphic designs. If you have some experience in graphic design and want to try your hand at designing your own logo, Canva is a free-to-use resource with a lot of templates and tutorials available.
Once your logo is ready, you need to add it to your website and all of your social media channels. If you need guidance on building a website for your company, we also have a great blog post on the 10 Must-Have Website Pages For Your Dog Walking Business. For even more resources, take a look at our complete guide on How To Start A Dog Walking Business to help you get a strong start to your business!
Bonus: Some Ideas For Your Dog Walking Business Name!
Here are a few examples of some dog walking business names to help get your creativity flowing!
Creative Ideas:
- Dog Day Treks
- Walkies & Wags
- The Dog Walk Wonders
- Paws & Pups Adventures
- Pup Paces
- Four-Legged Adventures
- Bark & Trek
- Pup Power Walks
- Tail-Blazers
- Fur on the Move
- Rover's Ramblers
- Paw Prints Pathfinders
- The Daily Dog Trot
Local Relevance:
- Austin's Pawsome Trails
- Urban City Pup Walkers
- Wichita Hound Hikers
- Windy City Tail Waggers
- Barkingham Palace Walks (London)
- Coastal Maine Canine Walks
- Metro DC Mutt Walkers
- Doggie Downtown Detroit Adventures
- Rover City Walks
- Mountain City Paws
- Bay Area Pup Buddies
- Oakland City Tails and Trails
- Lone Star Cap City Leash Lovers
- Emerald City Pooch Walkers
- NYC Pup Explorers
- Golden Gate Dog Walkers
- Cap City Canine Crew
