And What You Need to Do to Run a Dog Daycare

If you’re looking into how to start a dog daycare and boarding business, you might be wondering if you should build one from the ground up or open a trustworthy franchise. Either requires a certain level of training and preparation. Jumping into opening your own business without the proper background and knowledge can spell disaster. The last thing you want to do when getting into business on your own is fail. So, preparing yourself before you open the doors is crucial to your success. While everyone might have the ability to own their own business, those that succeed have taken the necessary steps to acquire training, real-life experience, and specific knowledge in the industry they’re choosing to delve into. Starting a dog daycare and boarding business can be an infinitely rewarding experience, but here are some things you should have before you jump in.

Work Experience

Figuring out how to start a dog daycare and boarding business isn’t something that everyone was born knowing how to do. One of the most useful things that you can have in your background as a first-time business owner is work experience. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you need previous experience in the pet care industry, though it certainly helps. But having a general portfolio of work experience can assist you in dealing with the daily operation of your own dog daycare.

Customer Service

One of the first things you must know about how to start a dog daycare and boarding business is that you’ll be dealing with pet parents. While you may be interested in getting into the industry to play with dogs all day, a background in customer service is required if you want to be a successful business owner. Pet parents are putting their faith in you the moment they bring their canine family member through the door. You have to know how to build relationships with them in addition to caring for their animals on a daily basis. If they trust you, they’ll be loyal customers for life.

Accounting

So, you’ll probably end up hiring an accountant to work with your business but having general knowledge of business accounting practices is helpful when you’re opening your own location. Something as simple as being able to complete a transaction on your POS system is key when you’re the owner and operator of a dog daycare and boarding business. Having some work experience should assist with this skill.

Conflict Resolution

Understanding how to manage people is a crucial skill you’ll need when running your own business. Conflicts arise and being able to appropriately handle them and deal with the repercussions is key. At the end of the day, everyone wants the same thing at a dog daycare business – for the pets to have a great time in a safe and comfortable environment. But sometimes opinions can differ among staff leading to issues that you, as the business owner, will have to deal with. Your previous work experience may have helped you understand how to manage people or even provided on-the-job experience in it. Either way, it’s a necessary skill to have when running any business.

Looking for tips on how to run a successful dog daycare? Check out this post:

Tips for Running a Dog Daycare

Training

While there are really no required certifications or training for one to open a dog daycare and boarding business, being proactive in receiving training can set your business apart. Aside from the training you’ll get as a franchise owner of K9 Resorts, there are a variety of courses that you can take to continue your education in pet care. The Professional Animal Care Certification Counsel provides a variety of classes that you can take to further your animal care education. They offer three specific tracks: Certified Professional Animal Care Provider (CPACP), Certified Professional Animal Care Manager (CPACM), Certified Professional Animal Care Operator (CPACO) that you can pursue or give your staff the opportunity to pursue. Having these certifications on record means that your location is a cut above others that have not taken the time to go through additional training.

In addition to training that you seek out on your own, you’ll have ongoing training and support through K9 Resorts as a franchise owner. K9 Resorts has a focus on ensuring that their franchisees remain at the head of the industry and providing unmatched customer service and care to our four-legged friends.

Partnership

Figuring out how to start a dog daycare and boarding business might be a challenge, but partnering with a trusted and experienced partner in the industry gives you the advantage. K9 Resorts is a different kind of pet care franchise. Their focus is on continuing education and franchisee support is unmatched. They know that in order to retain clients, you need a staff that’s engaged on every level. Therefore, K9 Resorts employees must be certified for the function they perform and receive training in order to do so. On par with Disney and Ritz-Carlton, our customer service standards set K9 Resorts apart from the competition.

In addition, K9 Resorts policies and procedures ensure that every pet parent and companion get best-in-class service at every interaction. K9 Resorts offers proprietary technology to keep your systems streamlined and working together so your focus can be on the dogs and their owners. Finding a true partner in business is rare, but when you work with K9 Resorts, that’s exactly what you gain.

Learning how to start a dog daycare and boarding business begins with understanding the amount of training and experience you need. From there, you’ll find the right partner and can plot out your path to successful business ownership!