Dog Business Prices and Wages in Mississippi: Walking, Grooming, Boarding and Training Examples by City

Start with the spread across services. Each row is a published menu or platform example tied to a business or platform, a city and a date. None of them is a statewide average.

If you quote one of these figures, keep its label with it: business, city, unit and date.

In Jackson, Rover's local price article puts a 30-minute walk at $15 to $20, with an $18 average, and a 60-minute walk at $25 to $30, with a $28 average, based on May 2026 data. A local Jackson company, Jackson Pet Care, lists $20 for a 30-minute walk and $35 for one hour (accessed September 30, 2026).

The Rover listing for Gulfport showed an $18 median walk, and the Hattiesburg listing showed a $20 median with a $21.40 average in its FAQ in September 2026. In Southaven, the Rover listing showed a $20 median on September 30, 2026, while an August 2026 FAQ snapshot showed a $10.70 average. Those come from different dates and methods, so treat neither as the city rate.

Most published walk prices describe one booking with one walker, not a group walk, so price group walks as their own service. Then say plainly what your price covers: one dog or several, holidays, travel. Put your additional-dog and holiday charges on the menu so nobody is surprised at checkout.

Grooming menus usually start with a base price by size and then adjust. Canine Country Club in Hattiesburg, with prices updated April 2024, lists small dogs up to 15 pounds at $30 and up, medium dogs from 16 to 40 pounds at $35 to $40 and up, and large dogs over 40 pounds at $45 and up. In Jackson, Petco's grooming page lists bath-only services from $22 and bath-and-haircut services from $38, and says the price varies by dog size.

The "and up" matters. Coat length, coat condition, matting, dirt and temperament can all push a groom past its base price. Write down which conditions add cost, and tell the owner before the work starts, not at pickup.

In Gulfport, Dog Days of Gulfport lists $35 for a four-hour stay, $50 for an eight-hour daytime stay and $100 per 24-hour stay, plus $50 for each additional dog on the 24-hour rate. The Dawg House of Gulfport lists $25 for a half day of five hours or less and $32 for a full day, with $58 for two dogs and $80 for three dogs. A Rover article on Jackson daycare puts local daycare at $25 to $40 per day, with a $30 average.

Around Hattiesburg, Canine Country Club, updated April 2024, lists boarding from $15 and up for small dogs, $17 and up for medium dogs, $19 and up for large dogs or indoor and outdoor runs, and $21 and up for extra-large dogs, with food charges of $3 or more per day if the owner does not bring food. Okatoma Kennel, with rates effective November 1, 2023, charges $22 a night under 15 pounds, $23 for 16 to 35 pounds, $24 for 36 to 50 pounds, $25 for 51 to 100 pounds and $26 over 100 pounds. Rolling Oaks Farm in Purvis, which serves the Hattiesburg area, lists $18 per daycare day and $27 per overnight.

Checkout rules change what a "day" means, so on your own menu state your checkout time, late-pickup charge, what is included (food, play time, medication) and what a second or third dog costs.

Training prices vary the most because the service varies the most. Sort the published menus by format first.

• Group classes. Petco in Southaven lists six-week group classes at $149, about $24.83 per class. Black Dog Training in Jackson lists six one-hour group classes at $150.
• Private lessons. Petco Southaven lists four private 45-minute lessons for $249, six for $329, and an introductory private lesson for new customers at $39. Black Dog Training lists private puppy or beginner training at $75 an hour and behavior-specific private training at $85 an hour, with six-session packages at $428 and $485. On the Gulf Coast, Powers K9 says one lesson is generally $140 to $150 for one dog, lasting 75 to 90 minutes; that is one business's menu, not a regional rate.
• Private packages and board-and-train. Off Leash K9 Gulf Coast in Gulfport lists four private lessons at $600, eight at $900, a one-week board-and-train at $1,400 and a two-week board-and-train at $2,800.
• In-home coaching and day training. Animal Medical Center of Hattiesburg lists a $150 initial consultation, six-session in-home coaching packages from $525 to $925, and day-training packages from $600 to $1,700.

These cover different lesson lengths, class sizes, methods, equipment and follow-up, so compare what is included before you decide where your price fits.

If you plan to hire, the BLS May 2023 Mississippi table lists these mean wages:

Read the trainer figure with care; it rests on a small base of roughly 40 workers. All three are employee wage estimates, not self-employed revenue, business profit or owner income. What you earn as an owner depends on your prices, bookings and costs.

For regional detail, the Mississippi Department of Employment Security publishes annual reports for the state, the Gulfport-Biloxi, Hattiesburg and Jackson metro areas, and four workforce areas, with entry, average and experienced wages. Download the report for your region and pull the animal-care rows before you set a staff pay rate.

A local menu tells you what customers are used to seeing. Your quote has to cover what the work costs you. Build it from these pieces:

• Service time. The minutes with the dog, plus check-in, notes and messages to the owner.
• Travel. Drive time and fuel between appointments. In rural Mississippi and small towns, clients sit farther apart, so price that drive on purpose instead of absorbing it.
• Labor. Your time or a staff member's wage, using the employee wage data above as a payroll benchmark, not as your own pay.
• Supplies and occupancy. Shampoo, leashes, cleaning products, and rent or facility costs for boarding and daycare.
• Insurance and taxes. Premiums and any sales tax that applies to your service.
• Extras. Additional dogs, holidays, late pickup, matting, special handling, pickup and drop-off.
• Cancellations. A written cancellation policy that says when a fee applies.

I can't promise what you will earn. A menu built from your own costs is simply easier to defend when a customer points to a cheaper platform price.

Before quoting a specific dog, ask: How many dogs? What size and coat? Any reactivity or matting? Are vaccines current? Which dates, including holidays? If many customers speak Spanish, add a Spanish menu; they may search for "paseador de perros," "peluquería canina" and "hospedaje para perros."

A first-week plan you can start now:

1. Pick your service units: 30-minute walk, half-day daycare, overnight, private lesson, and so on.
2. Collect five local menu examples for each service, and write down the business, city and date for each.
3. Time one real appointment from door to door, including travel.
4. Contact the Mississippi Department of Revenue about the tax status of your exact service.
5. Call the zoning office that covers your address.
6. Request insurance quotes that cover the services you actually offer.
7. Publish a clear menu with units, extras and policies.

Taxes can change the final number a customer pays, so settle them before you print a menu. The Mississippi Department of Revenue (DOR) sets the general retail sales tax rate at 7% for taxable sales. DOR's business tax FAQ says a business performing a taxable service needs a sales tax permit and a tax account through TAP, its online system.

DOR's list of taxable specified businesses includes categories such as laundering, cleaning, pressing or dyeing, hotels and storage. Whether your walking, grooming, boarding, daycare or training service falls into one of them is DOR's call, so ask DOR to classify your exact service and location before you collect or remit any tax.

If DOR confirms your service is taxable, the math is simple:

• State rate only: taxable amount × 1.07.
• Jackson, for an eligible transaction: taxable amount × 1.08, because DOR lists a 1% city addition on certain retail sales and services.
• Tupelo, for an eligible transaction: taxable amount × 1.0725, because DOR lists a 0.25% addition.

The Jackson addition covers certain sales and services, not every transaction, so ask about your service specifically. DOR also says Mississippi has city-level local levies and no county-level sales taxes.

On formation, Mississippi One Stop says most businesses need an EIN and advises finishing your Secretary of State filing before applying for a tax ID. The Secretary of State's business FAQs point to the fee schedule set by the Legislature. IRS Publication 583 says tax treatment depends on your business structure and estimated taxes may be required. For a ruling on your situation, ask DOR, the IRS or a tax professional.

State filings do not decide where you can operate. DOR's general FAQ says Mississippi has no central licensing authority for all regulatory and professional licenses, so requirements can come from state, county or city offices. The SBA adds that local governments set many registration, licensing and permitting rules.

Local rules differ between cities, unincorporated county land and zoning districts, and can cover home occupations, kennels, privilege licenses, client traffic, noise, parking and animal numbers. The Jackson County zoning ordinance includes home-occupation controls, such as limits on visible storage or display tied to the business.

Call these offices about your exact address and the number of dogs you plan to handle:

• City clerk or city revenue office: Do I need a business license, privilege license, DBA registration or local tax account?
• Planning and zoning office: Is this use allowed at this address?
• County zoning office: What applies if the address is outside city limits?
• Animal control: Are there kennel limits, animal permits, record rules, nuisance rules or inspections?
• Building, fire, wastewater and health offices: Do I need occupancy or fire-safety approval, a plan for grooming wash water, or sanitation and bite-reporting steps?

Do this before you sign a lease, accept boarding dogs or start working from home.

Vaccination is a state rule worth building into your intake. The Mississippi Board of Animal Health says dogs and cats three months and older must be vaccinated against rabies under Mississippi law, by a licensed veterinarian or authorized person. Ask for proof before a dog stays with you.

Pet Sitters International's standards call for walking and pet-sitting businesses to carry general liability insurance specific to their services, including care, custody and control coverage, plus bonding or theft coverage as appropriate. A general liability policy alone may not cover a dog in your care, so ask your agent directly. Keep written policies for emergencies, vaccines, cancellations and late pickup, and keep emergency contacts for every dog.

Short answers on local rates and wages.

Rover's May 2026 data shows $25 to $30, with a $28 average, and Jackson Pet Care lists $35. In both Jackson examples, an hour costs less than twice the 30-minute price, so don't simply double your half-hour rate.

It sits at the top of Rover's $15 to $20 Jackson range and matches the Rover medians in Hattiesburg and Southaven. Whether it works for you depends on your travel time, insurance and taxes, so test it against one timed appointment before you commit.

For kennel and grooming staff, start with the BLS May 2023 animal caretaker figure, a $12.10 mean hourly wage, as an employee pay benchmark. For a regional number, download the MDES report for your metro or workforce area, which shows entry and experienced wages as well as the average.

No. Each business sets its own checkout. A Hattiesburg kennel runs its day from drop-off to noon the next day, while a Gulfport facility sells a defined 24-hour stay, so state your checkout time on your menu.

Pick one service and its unit today, then work through the first-week plan. Once DOR and your zoning office have answered, you can publish a menu with clear units, extras and policies, and a price you can explain to any customer who asks.

• animal-er.com: Animal Medical Center of Hattiesburg
• blackdogtrainingllc.com: Black Dog Training in Jackson
• bls.gov: BLS May 2023 Mississippi table
• caninecountryclub.yolasite.com: Canine Country Club pricing
• dogdaysofgulfport.com: Dog Days of Gulfport services
• dor.ms.gov: business tax FAQ
• dor.ms.gov: general FAQ
• dor.ms.gov: Mississippi Department of Revenue
• irs.gov: IRS Publication 583
• jacksonpetservices.com: Jackson Pet Care
• mbah.ms.gov: Mississippi Board of Animal Health
• mdes.ms.gov: Mississippi Department of Employment Security
• ms.gov: Mississippi One Stop
• okatomakennel.com: Okatoma Kennel
• olk9gulfcoast.com: Off Leash K9 Gulf Coast
• pets.co.jackson.ms.us: Jackson County zoning ordinance
• petsit.com: Pet Sitters International's standards
• powersk9.com: Powers K9
• rollingoaksms.com: Rolling Oaks Farm
• Rover: Hattiesburg listing
• Rover: Rover article on Jackson daycare
• Rover: Rover Gulfport
• Rover: Rover Jackson dog-walking prices
• Rover: Rover listing
• sba.gov: SBA
• sos.ms.gov: Secretary of State's business FAQs
• stores.petco.com: Petco Jackson grooming
• stores.petco.com: Petco Southaven training
• thedawgshouse.com: The Dawg House of Gulfport daycare