How much to charge for dog boarding

Describe the stay the owner is buying

A boarding price becomes useful when the owner knows what a stay includes. Start with your care setting, the unit you sell and the daily routine you provide. Overnight accommodation, daytime activity and the arrival and collection arrangements all shape the commitment the business makes.

Define your service within your training, premises and professional arrangements. Ask the owner about the dog's routine, feeding, behavior, contact arrangements and support needs. Keep individual suitability and health questions with the appropriate qualified professionals. A price is a business decision, while accepting a dog requires a suitable care assessment.

Write down what belongs in the standard stay and which requests need separate discussion. Feeding preparation, individual activity, transport or other services can use different resources. The owner can make a confident choice when the offer describes the care you actually intend to deliver.

Use the right capacity for the model

Count the accommodation and attention you can responsibly provide, using your competent care plan and professional guidance. Capacity is more than the number of spaces in the premises. Different dogs, rest needs, care arrangements and staff availability can change the bookings you can accept together.

Estimate occupied capacity realistically. Leave room in your financial model for empty spaces, changeovers and the availability you need to manage the service. A price calculated only at full occupancy may look comfortable while leaving little support for the business's continuing commitments.

Consider how arrival and collection affect the working day. A dog collected after another booking begins may still occupy space and attention. Define the unit clearly, whether you use nights, days or another understandable arrangement, so the quote and the care schedule agree.

Count every part of the care routine

Estimate intake, owner communication, preparing the accommodation, feeding, agreed activity, cleaning, observation records and handover. Include the time needed between stays to reset the space. Use your own records to understand how the complete routine differs from the most visible exercise or feeding tasks.

Allow for the work around food and belongings. Checking owner-supplied items, labeling them appropriately, preparing agreed meals and returning everything at collection all take care. Keep personal information and sensitive contact details in appropriate records rather than public examples or ordinary marketing notes.

Give your own work a labor allowance and include the actual costs of other staff supporting the service. Overnight responsibility can affect availability even when active tasks occur at particular times. Use a consistent method to account for the complete commitment without pretending every occupied hour is identical active labor.

Add supplies, premises and overhead

List cleaning materials, laundry, waste handling, consumables and any food or equipment you provide as part of the offer. Track what varies with a stay and what supports the business generally. Use actual purchasing and completed-stay records so the allocation reflects your own setting.

Shared costs may include premises, utilities, equipment replacement, communications, insurance, administration and training. Allocate them across realistic paid capacity and keep the method consistent. Check your business records with qualified advisers where needed, rather than turning a pricing allowance into a tax or coverage claim.

Example: This fictional USD illustration is not a boarding market rate. An imagined stay has a labor allocation of $72, supplies and laundry of $18, space and equipment allocation of $24, and overhead of $30. Planned cost totals $144. A planned 20% margin gives $144 / 0.80 = $180 for the defined stay.

Set extras around specific care choices

Price an additional service from the labor, supplies and capacity it actually adds. An agreed transport trip, extended collection or different activity arrangement deserves its own assessment. Explain the choice and obtain approval before adding the service to the stay.

For another dog from the household, calculate shared tasks without assuming all care is shared. Suitability, accommodation and individual attention remain part of the assessment. A thoughtful multi-dog offer needs evidence from your service rather than a blanket discount applied before the care plan is known.

Use the profit margin calculator to test the effect of changed labor or occupancy assumptions. Check the result for a complete stay and the overall business. A per-unit average should still support the actual mix of bookings you can accept.

Make arrival and collection part of the quote

State the stay dates in the private booking record, arrival and collection windows, included routine and any separately agreed services. Explain payment timing and the process for changed plans. Keep contract questions with a qualified attorney where appropriate, with the care description clear in the service offer.

Microtra uses Job and Client for Other setup. Keep booking notes, estimates and invoices with the work, arrange the stay on the schedule, and share the invoice PDF from your device when it is ready to bill.

The pet boarding hub connects the business records behind the stay, and the pet sitting invoice template offers a useful starting document to adapt to your boarding service. Keep the final description aligned with the unit and care the owner approved.

Review occupied capacity after handover

Compare planned care time, supplies, changeover and owner communication with the completed stay. Record what changed and why. A recurring collection delay, extra laundry or a more involved intake gives you a specific question to resolve before the next quote.

Keep the review respectful and focused on the service. Your aim is enough time and resources to deliver the care you promised. Over time, accurate stay records can help you improve both the booking arrangements and the price supporting a dependable boarding business.