Launch League

Full guide · Ohio

How to start a dog waste cleanup business

Nobody wants this job, which is exactly why it pays. Every dog owner with a yard deals with it, most of them hate it, and almost none of them know it is something you can hire out. You will get fewer nos than you expect, because the person you are asking is imagining never doing it again.

Under $50From age 13First dollar: A weekend.

What it costs

What you actually need

A long-handled scoop and rake
$25–$40

The long handle is the whole point. You should never be crouching.

Heavy-duty bags
$15

Doubled. A split bag on someone's driveway ends the arrangement.

A bucket with a lid
$10

To carry it, so nothing touches your clothes or their path.

Rubber gloves and a disinfectant spray
$15

For your tools after every yard, without exception.

Boots you keep for this
$0–$30

One pair, left outside, never worn anywhere else.

Borrow before you buy

Do your first three jobs with equipment you already have access to. Buy your own out of money a customer has already handed you, never out of money you are hoping to make.

What to charge

Pricing, honestly

Start at the lower end of each range. Raise it once five people have paid you without hesitating.

One dog, weekly visit
$15–$25

Most of the money in this business is in the word weekly.

Two dogs, weekly
$20–$35

Twice the dogs is genuinely close to twice the work.

One-off spring cleanup after the snow melts
$50–$120

This is a much bigger job than a weekly visit. Look at the yard first.

Every two weeks instead of weekly
About 70% of weekly

Less often does not mean less work. Do not halve your price.

These are what people commonly charge, not what you will make, and they were first written for a Canadian market. Look up what adults near you charge for the same job, then start a little under it and raise your price once you have five happy customers.

Your first five

Exactly who to ask, in order

Warmest first. Your first attempt should be with someone who will be kind about it, because you will be bad at it.

  1. Person 1

    A dog owner on your street with a fenced yard you can see.

  2. Person 2

    Anyone who already pays you to walk their dog. You are the obvious person to ask.

  3. Person 3

    A family with a big dog and small children — they care most and complain about it most.

  4. Person 4

    A neighbor who has just got a puppy. The first winter is when people discover they hate this job.

  5. Person 5

    Your first customer's dog-owning friends. Ask after a month of not missing a week.

Send this

“Hi Mr. Arsenault — I'm Casey from across the street. I clean up dog waste from back yards, weekly, $20 a visit, and you never have to think about it again. Want me to do the first one free so you can see the yard afterwards?”

Change the names and the price. Keep the shape: who you are, how they know you, what you do, the price, and an easy way to say yes.

Not optional

Staying safe

  • Gloves every time, and wash your hands properly afterwards, every time. This is a hygiene job before it is anything else.
  • Disinfect your tools between yards so you never carry anything from one dog to another.
  • Keep one set of boots and clothes for this work and change out of them before you go anywhere else.
  • Never enter a yard with a dog in it unless the owner is there and you have met the dog.
  • Agree where the waste goes before you start — their bin, or you take it. It matters more than you think.

Tell a parent or guardian where you are working and when you expect to be finished, every time.

The actual business

Getting them to book you again

  • Same day, same time, every week. The whole product is that they stop thinking about it.
  • Text when you are done. A two-word message is enough.
  • Tell them if you notice something about the yard — a gate latch, a hole under the fence.
  • Never skip a week in bad weather. That is the week they would have had to do it.
  • Put your price up in the spring, for new customers only.

Two things to know in Ohio

If someone hires you. Ohio generally requires a minor work permit (an age and schooling certificate) for ages 14 through 17 during the school year, and in summer break only for ages 14 and 15. It is not required in some common teen jobs, including snow shoveling, newspaper delivery and family farm work. See the Department of Commerce and the Legislative Service Commission.

If you work for yourself, that is a different situation, and the sources I read do not spell out how the permit rules treat a teenager running their own small business. If you are unsure, ask the Ohio Department of Commerce, Bureau of Wage and Hour.

Taxes. Money you earn counts. Net self-employment earnings of $400 or more usually mean self-employment tax, and in Ohio lawn care, landscaping and snow removal become taxable services once your sales reach $5,000 a year. The Ohio starting guide explains both.

Checked October 9, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Rules change.

More ideas are on the full list. Ready to make it a real business? Read how to start a business in Ohio.

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