Page 7 | To wonder how much you’d pay for dog home boarding?

Deargentlereader12 · 2025-02-15T11:00:53+00:00

Hello 👋🏻 Wondering how much you would expect to pay for this service Cage free / kennel free home boarding Council licensed Insured Large secure garden 24/7 cctv 2 acres private woodland suitable for dogs that can go off lead 2 walks a day 20 minutes each first aid trained CPD course in canine communication 8 years experience *USP - We only board one families dog at a time!* I just got my license yesterday now I’m trying to figure out a price per day. What are people’s thoughts?

Original poster

Deargentlereader12 · 16/02/2025 12:11

biscuitsandbooks · 16/02/2025 12:05

I assume all your boarding dogs will meet everyone in the family before you accept them for boarding?

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Of course, they are invited to my house before hand where they will
meet anyone who may be in my home whilst they are

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ComtesseDeSpair · 16/02/2025 12:12

Deargentlereader12 · 16/02/2025 12:09

clients will be aware so of course if they don’t like this set up then will choose someone else. Many home boarders have staff it’s no different

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I suspect this will be the problem for you: you aren’t actually offering anything niche with this so you aren’t going to get the sort of custom that a niche model commands, and nor will people be willing to pay top prices for having their dog boarded in a home with several other dogs and being cared for by whoever in the wider family has time to do it. I wish you luck, and you can only give it a go, but I’d be realistic about expectations before sinking in a load of set up cost.

Original poster

Deargentlereader12 · 16/02/2025 12:12

ComtesseDeSpair · 16/02/2025 12:05

Ditching the USP which actually isn’t: it gives the impression that you might be well-meaning, but don’t really understand what it is your clients want and that you may have misconstrued other things. And having realistic logistics: the logistics of suggesting you’re going to be doing up to six separate dog walks a day (a walk each morning and evening for your own dogs and then for the boarded dog/s, plus the one or two walks you take the dog walking dogs on) and never mixing any dogs just don’t appear feasible or sustainable - you’re suggesting you’re going to be out on walks for most of the day. From the outside, it just seems to me like there are going to be times you’re busy or have other plans or timings go awry etc and you just say “fuck it” and end up taking your dogs, boarded dogs, and walking dogs all out at once for ease.

Edited

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Not sure what makes you think I’m doing 6 walks a day? I’ll be doing 4 max. 2 Friday. 3 Tuesday..?

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Original poster

Deargentlereader12 · 16/02/2025 12:13

ComtesseDeSpair · 16/02/2025 12:12

I suspect this will be the problem for you: you aren’t actually offering anything niche with this so you aren’t going to get the sort of custom that a niche model commands, and nor will people be willing to pay top prices for having their dog boarded in a home with several other dogs and being cared for by whoever in the wider family has time to do it. I wish you luck, and you can only give it a go, but I’d be realistic about expectations before sinking in a load of set up cost.

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Thank you 🙏🏻

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biscuitsandbooks · 16/02/2025 12:14

Deargentlereader12 · 16/02/2025 12:12

Not sure what makes you think I’m doing 6 walks a day? I’ll be doing 4 max. 2 Friday. 3 Tuesday..?

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Two walks for your own dogs.
Two for your boarding dogs.
Then your paid dog walks?

That's six walks a day.

Original poster

Deargentlereader12 · 16/02/2025 12:14

biscuitsandbooks · 16/02/2025 12:10

Having trained staff is very different to just randomly using family members. Does the person who issued your license know you're planning to rope in your in-laws to help?

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Yep and they are canine first aid trained too and on my insurance

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Original poster

Deargentlereader12 · 16/02/2025 12:14

biscuitsandbooks · 16/02/2025 12:14

Two walks for your own dogs.
Two for your boarding dogs.
Then your paid dog walks?

That's six walks a day.

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I’ve already said my boarding dogs and own dogs are walked together? I said my boarding dogs and dogs I walk during the day won’t be on the walks together

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Original poster

Deargentlereader12 · 16/02/2025 12:15

biscuitsandbooks · 16/02/2025 12:09

This is kind of what I'm getting at too.

If you can't leave your boarding dogs for longer than three hours, but you have to walk your own dogs separately (twice a day) and walk two lots of "walking" dogs a day, and then walk the boarding dogs twice a day, then realistically the boarding dogs are going to spend a lot of time in your home without you present.

And if that's the case, are they actually going to be in a "home from home" environment or are they going to be separated from your own dogs in the interests of safety?

Every single boarder I know takes their "boarding" dogs out on their group walks during the day, or offers a daycare service where the dogs are at home with them all day (and charges appropriately). The logistics of trying to do both walking and boarding without combining the two groups of dogs doesn't seem feasible to me long-term.

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Sorry not sure where you got it from that I’m walking my dogs separately! I’m not

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biscuitsandbooks · 16/02/2025 12:19

Deargentlereader12 · 16/02/2025 12:14

I’ve already said my boarding dogs and own dogs are walked together? I said my boarding dogs and dogs I walk during the day won’t be on the walks together

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Yet earlier on you were planning on doing 2 x 20 minute walks for your boarding dogs and taking your own dogs out for longer?

In the nicest way, you don't really seem to have thought this through. What you're saying you're offering and what you're actually offering are two very different things. You're basically planning to leave your boarding dogs with random members of your family while you're out walking.

Original poster

Deargentlereader12 · 16/02/2025 12:19

biscuitsandbooks · 16/02/2025 12:19

Yet earlier on you were planning on doing 2 x 20 minute walks for your boarding dogs and taking your own dogs out for longer?

In the nicest way, you don't really seem to have thought this through. What you're saying you're offering and what you're actually offering are two very different things. You're basically planning to leave your boarding dogs with random members of your family while you're out walking.

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Yes and said this has changed an I’m doing an hour and also a 20 min walk 😀

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biscuitsandbooks · 16/02/2025 12:22

Deargentlereader12 · 16/02/2025 12:19

Yes and said this has changed an I’m doing an hour and also a 20 min walk 😀

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I think you need to sit down and actually think about the logistics of what you're wanting to offer and how it's going to work.

If I was going to be paying for a home boarder, I would expect all the staff on-site to be appropriately trained in canine first aid and body language. There is no way I would leave my dog with someone's in-laws

Original poster

Deargentlereader12 · 16/02/2025 12:26

biscuitsandbooks · 16/02/2025 12:22

I think you need to sit down and actually think about the logistics of what you're wanting to offer and how it's going to work.

If I was going to be paying for a home boarder, I would expect all the staff on-site to be appropriately trained in canine first aid and body language. There is no way I would leave my dog with someone's in-laws

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Thank you 🙏🏻

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AnnieMay55 · 16/02/2025 14:29

So if you are needing to give a personalised service, if e.g you board an older dog they may only want a 15 minutes walk and your own dogs will probably need much more. I am not sure if you need to drive the dogs to their walk destination and if so have a suitable vehicle where they are all safely contained. Another reason I chose my boarders was because my dog hates cars and needs lifting in and shakes the whole time. Some walkers/ boarders have cages in their vehicles which my dog would have been petrified of and 40kg of dead uncooperative weight is not so easy especially when want to escape. All the boarders I have used just walked from their home. Just something else to consider.