How much would you pay for home boarding?

[Deargentlereader12]

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?

Is the woodland fenced and would you be supervising the dog when you’re out? It sounds like a nice set up but 2*20 minute walks wouldn’t be enough for many dogs.

I pay £40 per 24 hours in outer London. Do you have your own dog? If so that might not appeal to those who are looking for a sole dog placement as it will usually be because dog is reactive or tricky. If no own dog, then maybe you should charge more than £40 as you won’t cover your expenses otherwise I’d imagine?

The woodland is fenced but it is not 100% secure so is only suitable for dogs that can go off lead.

2 x 20 minute walks is what’s required by the council but clients can add more / longer walks at an extra cost

we have two dogs of our own

thanks for replying!

My boarder has a similar set up and is £20 per 24 hrs. I imagine you will want to charge far more than that because of your 1 dog usp however that would put me off using you rather than be a plus point. Part of the reason my dog loves going to the boarder is the interaction with other dogs while he's there. I always feel a bit sorry for him when I take him and he's the only one there as he loves running round with the other dogs so that's not something I'd pay extra for.

Thanks! We have two resident dogs but will only be boarding 1 clients dog at a time, well max of 2 if from same family

If you have 2 dogs of your own is it really a usp that you only board 1 families dog at a time? To me that's the same as taking my dog to a boarder that is already boarding 2 other dogs. It would make no difference to me whether they were yours or another families

Hello, I think so yes as other boarders around here will often be boarding 5-6 some I know even 12 other dogs at a time plus their own but I will take that on board thank you!

My dog will come! Whereabouts are you?!

My dog goes to three home boarders (depends on who is free) and a resident dog is fine - it’s company!

I pay (in south east) £30 per 24 hours, but one has just increased to £35 owing to increased council licence fee and insurance.

My £40 includes a walk of 1.15 or 1h 30. I wouldn’t expect to pay additionally for walks. I agree with the above poster about your own two dogs undermining your USP. Sorry!

But also there is no way I would send my dog to boarding with 5 other unknown dogs and only one cared. That’s madness.

I have paid £40 a night recently but that was for him to be the sole dog. I know you said you only take one family at a time but I would only send my dog if he was the only dog so the fact there are 2 resident dogs would put me off.

Meet and greets are very important to check that a guest isn’t aggressive with other inmates etc etc.

Aww you’re a bit far in in Cheshire!

Yes meet and greet required before doing anything further and then if they pass the meet and greet they are invited for a trial night if they pass this then they can come for their holiday

I am a licensed dog boarder in East Anglia. I charge £30 for one dog per 24 hours and £40 for 2 dogs. I have one resident dog. All the various breeds I look after would need more than 2 x 20 minutes and I think it's a bit cheeky to charge more for longer walks tbh. I wouldn't use a dog boarder myself who did this as whole point of home boarding is you can offer to keep the dogs routine as much as possible.

£28 here also in the north includes 2x 45 min to 1hr walks. It’s not only one dog, sometimes up to 3, the same as yours. If affluent area you could charge a bit more, depends on competition. Sadly I don’t think you can charge more for only one dog as that implies dog would be only dog in home. Good luck

Cheshire - boooo!!

Ignore the fusspots on here: the local dog chats online are bursting with people desperate to find home boarders, especially in school holidays. Good boarders book up months and months in advance.

That walk time is surely no use once a dogs past the puppy stage though? I would be put off to have to pay more for longer than that

For home boarding, I’ve paid £20 per night for the first dog then £10 per night for each additional dog (I have 4 dogs).

This included an hour’s walk. Dogs slept in the kitchen, no kennels, and access to outdoor space during the day. They did have other dogs for boarding and daycare.

The fact that you have your own dogs would mean I couldn’t use you as one of the dogs I have now is reactive.

I’ve paid £50 a night for a house sitter who cares for the dogs in my home, with an hour’s walk included. So I guess somewhere in between £20 and £50 would be a fair price? I’d consider including a longer walk though as the minimum requirement isn’t very much or adequate for most dogs.

Hi! 2 x 20 minute walks is standard around here as it’s the requirements of DEFRA to meet a 5* rating

I’m not far from Cheshire and I’ve never come across this

Honestly I think you need to see what other licensed boarders in your area are charging and set your price in a similar range.

If you have resident dogs then, for me you wouldn't have the usp you describe. All you are saying imo is that you will have a maximum of four dogs at any one time.

If others nearby are home boarding 12 dogs at a time then are they actually council licenced? If not I'd ignore their prices in your calculation.

Our home boarder is £40 a night (Midlands) and this includes drop off and pick up ( about six miles) and lots of long walks.
She has a maximum of four dogs at a time and lives in an area with beautiful open countryside and miles of footpaths on her doorstep.
She is completely dog- centred, very smiley and kind, she sends us photos of Ddogs adventures and also lets Ddog sleep on her couch - her choice not our request.

The extra for more/longer walks is a new one to me and would put me off, I expect daily long walks to be included.

Yes, but 20 lots of 20 minutes is a minimum, not a goal for all dogs.

Thanks everyone! Seems everyone is in agreement 2 20 minute walks is not enough so I will reflect longer walks in my pricing. Ideally I’d do one long walk with my own dogs but we are not allowed to do that

@TheActualDuck
It isn't East Midlands by any chance is it?

I completely agree re seeing what others are charging in your area for what levels and base it on that. I think it'll vary geographically quite a lot.