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Start a Home Dog Boarding business
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Start a Home Dog Boarding business
There is no doubt about it: getting dogs into kennels at short notice is almost impossible. In the summer there is a great demand but very little supply. This is one reason for the growth of the Home Dog Boarding business. In fact it has been referred to as a “burgeoning cottage industry". This is not surprising given the number of dog lovers and the demand for places referred to above.
Could you be a Home Dog Boarder? We have listed below a few ideas about setting up (or expanding) your own business.
1. Before you do anything else check with your local authority. There may be regulations which you have to comply with in your area. (Don’t just rely on information from a friend in a different area; the regulations can vary considerably.)
2. Another essential is insurance. You will need public liability insurance which covers accidents or damage caused by a dog in your care. You will also need Care Custody and Control cover in case anything should happen to one of the dogs. Finding these types of insurance is not always easy but Cliverton Ltd is one company which offers these policies.
3. There are no official qualifications required to be a Dog Boarder. However you will need to think seriously about your own suitability for the job. More details below.
4. Safety issues: Are the dogs in your care likely to be a problem to other people or their dogs when out walking? Make sure you get all the details from the owner.
5. Neutered or entire dogs? If entire dogs do not cause a problem with other dogs then there is no reason not to take them. Of course a bitch in season and an entire male would not be a good combination! The most common problem with entire dogs is that they may have a greater tendency to mark (wee on walls, plants etc.) to leave their scent although this can happen with neutered dogs too.
6. Dogs with special needs. Dogs with illnesses, diabetic dogs, dogs that cannot be walked off the lead etc. all can cause problems. You will know how confident you feel about these and other special cases and if you are not confident you obviously will not take such dogs. However you can build up your experience gradually and observe or help at dog training classes or shadow other dog walkers and pet sitters before you start.
7. Number and breed of dogs. This, like some other aspects of Home Dog Boarding, is a personal preference. Some people have a maximum of 3 dogs others go up to 5 or even more. However you may find that just one dog is right for you, indeed some of your customers may be looking for that kind of individual service. Obviously, if you have a difficult dog at any time, then you will need to reduce the number of other dogs present at the same time. As far as the breed is concerned it really is personal preference. Of course if you are familiar with particular breeds then you may wish to stay with them.
8. Vaccinations etc. Dog kennels almost always require full vaccination and this would seem to be the best policy for Home Dog Boarding too. However, you may decide to accept dogs with Homeopathic alternatives, especially if you have only a small number of dogs in your care at any one time.
9. Advertising.
Local paper – not usually very successful.
Pet shop windows may work and are usually cheap.
Websites- there are many pet websites out there and the vast majority work by advertising pet businesses by geographical region. Many of these sites seem to have only a few businesses advertising with them which means that, as a potential customer, you are unlikely to find a business near you. Of course if someone finds your business by this method there is no guarantee that you will be able to offer your services at the time they need it. Our site gets over this problem (and others too).
Ratedpetnet is a completely new way of advertising your pet services. It is extremely easy for the user because s/he just posts his/her requirements on the site. We check their request and then send emails to businesses which have registered with us, are in the right area of the country and offer the service needed by the customer. Clicking on a link in the email takes you to a description of the service needed and there you can also decide to offer your services to the customer.
If you decide to go ahead a description of your services is sent to the user and contact details (including telephone number) become available to you and to them. Only at this moment do we charge for this service (maximum £1.50 per contact at present). There are no other fees of any kind.
Each time you carry out a service the customer has the opportunity to rate your business and then future users of the site will see your previous ratings. In this way you can build up a reputation which will further increase your business.
We think the site will really take off; it combines a mixture of convenience for today’s busy pet owners and very cheap and effective advertising for modern pet businesses wishing to use the power of the web to grow their business. At the time of writing we have been running for just over 2 months and we are amazed at the number of requests which are posted on the site. Register now and take advantage of the early days on this site to grow your business.
Got a question? Read our faq’s.
If you decide to go ahead we wish you every success with your business. As an animal lover it will be a real pleasure to earn money this way.
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FAQs
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Got a question? We've answered most of the commonly asked questions in our FAQ section.
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go to FAQs
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