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Board & Train PART 3: Ready to Take the Plunge?
There are so many nifty perks for me when offering B&T services, as mentioned in Post #1 of this series. Today, I’d like to mention some things to keep in mind if you’re considering offering this service to help you make smart decisions regarding the types of dogs you’ll board and how much you’ll charge.
My B&T clients these days are almost always small-sized puppies. I have my own two small dogs who I want to protect, a small yard that can’t handle too much exercise intensity (especially in wet weather), and some sections of fencing that are reliably secure for the littles but maybe not for a very large dog.
Of course, you need to consider the time you spend actually training. But in-house supervision, potty breaks, grooming, play time, and feeding also require your time and should be factored in. There are other small costs to consider – things like training treats, paper towels, and cleaning products.
Since it’s not realistic for me to set fees that would cover things like damage done around my house (the cost of which can be high), garden damage, or even destroyed dog toys, I pre-screen with these things in mind. For example, a pup already has to calmly accept some form of confinement before staying with me so they’ll be safe and kept out of mischief when I can’t supervise; pet parents bring along their pup’s favorite chews and toys; and I decline keeping dogs who are already committed diggers or talented escape artists.
For those of you who already board clients’ dogs, what expenses do you consider when setting your service fee?
➡ Click here to link to the Part #1 of this series.
➡ And click here for Part #2 of this series.
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7 Replies
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The pre-screening piece… so important in finding a good match and fit for your B&T service! There were definitely clients who wanted me to do B&T but where the dogs were not a good fit for my resident dogs and family.
A colleague of mine runs a boarding and training service and has “dog suites” in a part of her house… one dog just destroyed an entire suite, costing her hundreds of dollars!
If I board & train again, it will be puppies only… not that they also can’t get in to trouble or do lots of damage, but at least I’ll also get the benefit of puppy cuddles.
What about the rest of ya.. who is inspired to do B&T… or who has more questions about it?
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I would love to one day be able to provide board and train services or even a day train program. Right now, my living situation doesn’t allow for that kind of room, though. I am curious about whether you require your clients to provide proof of flea and tick or heartworm/other parasite preventatives since the dog is in your home and potentially around your other pets? Or what vaccines you require them to have ie. bordatella? Thank you for covering this topic!
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Hi Amy — great questions!
I do require flea/tick preventative on any dog who stays with me. I also require a copy of current rabies vaccine (which means a pup can’t stay with me until old enough to receive this vaccine) as well as other vaccine records but am NOT a stickler about the vaccine schedule once the dogs are adults and have had several sets of vaccines. (It would be hypocritical of me, because my adult dogs do not receive boosters every 3 years. I may titer instead.)
One thing I’m a real stickler about is fecal tests within a few months of their stay. Certain worms and parasites, once in the ground, are nearly impossible to get rid of. Giardia, for example. And many of my guests are young pups, so I don’t take any chances with that.
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Ugh Giardia.
Thanks for this reminder! Bringing home a new puppy soon and I’ll be careful about her potty spots until I have a clean fecal.
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You can carry around a bottle of hydrogen peroxide — after meticulously picking up puppy’s poop, dowse the area with it. Or you can use bleach diluted 1:32 in water.
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Thank you for the reply – great info! I’ll bookmark this thread for when I get out of my 1080 sq ft home lol.
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LOL! My house is only 738sf! Thus my reason to stick mostly to the tinies.
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