If you are a dog lover ready to go after your dream of getting paid to spend all day with dogs or the entrepreneurial type and have noticed an unmet need for dog day care in your area, opening your own daycare or boarding facility might be the right choice for you.

This is an exciting endeavor that you can start working towards right now. While that does not mean you have to be ready to open a full facility next week, it does mean that you could potentially have your first paying client by tomorrow.

Like any business, setting up a day care facility for dogs takes money, planning, and effort. There are several tasks that need to be handled before you start playing with dogs, including finding out how to establish a business in your area, determining your budget, locating a space to lease, and finding customers.

To get you started and help you consider some of the important decisions you will need to make early on, continue reading this step-by-step guide filled with dog daycare ideas and some of the basics you need to know to get your business going.

Dog Daycare Ideas: Step-by-Step Guide to Starting a Dog Day Care

Step 1: Determine Your Budget and Create a Business Plan

The first step in starting any business is to put together a business plan. This will help you stay on track while establishing your business, spells out exactly what you will be offering and how, and helps you determine how much money you need to get the business off the ground.

Since your business plan affects your budget and your budget affects your business plan, it is good to handle these two startup issues at the same time. Start-up costs can vary greatly depending on where you are located and what you plan to offer, so it is important to know whether you will have sufficient start-up funds to lease a space and build a facility or if you might be operating on a shoestring budget as you slowly build your business from the ground up. Either way, you can start working on your business right now.

It is important to figure out the funds you have on hand and how much you will need to start the business you have in mind. If there is a big difference between these two numbers, you will need to decide how best to get the rest of the funds you need. Options to consider would be using your savings, applying for a small business loan, asking you a family member or a friend for a loan, or finding an investor.

Another option is to start small and build your client base while acquiring more start-up money by offering mobile services or services at your home. This could include in-home pet sitting, dog walking, mobile grooming, or providing daycare for a few clients in your home. These services do not require a brick-and-mortar storefront, so this is a great way to bring in money doing what you love while building your client base in preparation for launching your doggie daycare facility.

Offering day care for a few dogs in your home not only provides you with a way to save money for marketing expenses and expanding your business, but it also provides you with the opportunity to gain more experience working with dogs and their people and to experience the type of work you will be doing to make sure this is the right business for you.

Determining your budget and creating a business plan are crucial to the success of your business. Not having a business plan is one of the main reasons new business fail, so make a plan for success by creating at least a basic business plan including how small you will start, how you will expand, and how you will market your business to bring in more clients when you are ready to grow.

Step 2: Learn About Licensing, Liability, and Legal Stuff

Folks starting a small business sometimes think it is okay to forgo getting a business license or liability insurance, since their company is small and they are just starting out. Hoping to save some money while they build their business is understandable, but these folks are putting themselves at risk for fines or for a lawsuit that could put them out of business before they are even established. Do not make this mistake. Look into state and local licensing and purchase liability insurance as soon as you are ready to start taking on clients or employees.

This is also the right time to research laws that govern dog daycares in your area and, if you plan on hiring one or more employees, to learn the basics of employment law, workers’ compensation insurance, payroll, and taxes. While looking into the laws, licensing, and permits related to doggie daycares where you live, check to see if your local governing body requires different permits or licensing for daycares versus facilities that house animals overnight. This may determine the services you can offer or the types of permits you need to apply for.

You will also need to choose a business name and register it. Choose a name that lets your potential clients know what to expect from your daycare facility. For example, if you are focusing on building an eco-friendly daycare facility for dogs, come up with a name that shows your commitment to natural, environmentally responsible products and services. Some examples of words to include are green, natural, earth, or eco.

If you are looking to attract higher-end clients, choose words that appeal to this clientele, such as luxury, pampered, resort, hotel, chateau, spa, or salon. Higher-end clients are also more likely to find non-toxic products and eco-friendly facilities more appealing, so opting for a green business is a good choice if attracting this customer base is part of your goal.

In this stage of your business, you will also need to choose the type of business you are going to have and to establish that entity, if necessary. For example, if you are going to have a sole proprietorship, you may not need to file any special forms for this, but if you decide that a limited liability corporation (LLC) is right for you, you will need to establish the LLC by submitting the appropriate paperwork and paying a fee.

If you plan on finding commercial space for your facility, make sure you have an understanding of zoning and any restrictions or requirements that may affect your search for a location.

Step 3: Find a Location

Once you have a business plan and have acquired any necessary licenses, permits, and insurance, it is time to start providing services. But you cannot provide services until you have a location. This does not mean that you need a commercial facility before you can start growing your business, but it does mean that you need to determine what the location for your business will be for now.

If you are starting off small in your home, check local ordinances governing home-based businesses to make sure they are allowed at all and to find any restrictions or requirements. If you live in a community with a homeowners association, you will also want to check with them to make sure this type of business is allowed in your community.

Alternatively, you can start off by offering mobile services or in-home services, which means that your home office might act as your base of operations, but all services will be provided off-site.

If you plan on opening a facility in a commercial space, finding a space to meet your needs could be challenging. You will need to look into zoning regulations, find a space that is either set up for or could be customized to offer the services you plan to provide, and, of course, find a space that you can afford.

Unlike most businesses, you will not rely on walk-in traffic and, therefore, do not need to find a storefront in a prime location. It is more important that the location is convenient for your clients and that there is enough space for kennels, play areas, and, if part of your plan, a grooming area or retail space.

When you were coming up with doggie day care ideas, you surely had a vision of how your facility would look. When you are looking at commercial spaces, keep this vision in mind and seek out a space that can be transformed to fit a workable version of your vision. Keep in mind that an industrial space or warehouse might better suit your needs than a retail storefront. You may also find that these options come with fewer complaints from neighbors and are easier to customize for your facility.

Step 4: Set Up for Safety

The safety of the dogs, their people, and your employees is paramount to the success of your business. If a dog is injured while in your care, word will spread quickly. This could make it difficult to retain the clients you have and to find new ones who may look online for reviews from folks who have used your services. Plus, you may be sued. If an employee or client is injured, the likelihood of a lawsuit increases even more.

To reduce the risk of injury, it is important to establish policies and set up the facility in a manner that keeps your two- and four-legged guests as safe as possible. In the same way that you would childproof a home, this starts with dog proofing your dog boarding facility or day care to create safe play spaces and rest areas that your furry clients will find appealing and can use safely and comfortably.

This includes installing non-slip surfaces, removing choking hazards, removing sharp or breakable objects, and making sure there are no extension cords or other tripping hazards in the area.

If your facility has an outdoor space, make sure the fence is tall enough and strong enough to keep your client dogs inside and to keep other dogs and people out. Make sure dogs cannot dig underneath the fence and, if there are gates, include safety measures to ensure the gates are never left open.

If there is existing landscaping in outdoor spaces that will be occupied by dogs, make sure any plants in the area are not toxic to dogs and do not have sharp points that could cause injuries. Also, make sure there are no fruiting plants that produce fruits or seed pods that could be a choking hazard and check for exposed sprinkler heads that dogs could chew or remove. If there is natural grass, you should also be concerned about toxins being introduced into the area through the use of fertilizers and pesticides.

Many dogs enjoy playing in water, which is why we see wading pools or other shallow water features for dogs to play in at some boarding or daycare facilities. In the hotter months of summer, this is particularly appealing to some dogs and can help them stay cool. If you choose to include water features at your facility, make sure dogs can only access these features while being supervised. Water features should be fenced or located so that older dogs or disabled dogs that do not do well in water cannot access them.

If you have employees, make sure they are trained to provide at least basic first aid to dogs and people and that they have experience working with animals and managing situations that may arise. These are also good things to add to your facility’s policies and procedures manual, which you should create anyway to help train staff and keep your business running smoothly.

While creating your policies and procedures manual, make sure you include a section on disaster response. For example, how would you evacuate the dogs in the event of a fire or a natural disaster? Where would the owners meet you to pick up their dogs? Do you have enough supplies on hand if you needed to shelter in place with the dogs for a few days?

Step 5: Hire Staff

You may be starting off small and providing all of the services on your own but, as you grow, you will likely need to begin hiring employees. Look for dog lovers with the skills, experience, patience, responsibility, and compassion to work well with dogs and their people. You may want to require certification in canine CPR and first aid, or you may want to offer this as part of their training.

Step 6: Stock Up on Supplies

You will need water and food bowls, leashes, pooper scoopers, and first aid supplies. Depending on the extent of services you offer, you may also need kennels, dog beds, toys, food, shampoo, nail clippers, and waste disposal bags. You are also going to need good, non-toxic cleaning supplies for your offices, bathroom, play spaces, and dog restroom areas. For example, you will want a product like Urine Zero on hand as a non-toxic option for removing urine odor safely and effectively.

Dog Daycare Ideas: Hardscape Options

Many dog daycare facilities and boarding facilities choose concrete as their primary hardscape. Patios, walkways, and outdoor kennels are often concrete, and some facilities choose concrete for their interior floors as well. This hardscape option is often chosen for its relatively low installation cost and the ease of rinsing down surfaces with a hose to quickly remove pet waste and dirt.

While the lower cost of installation for concrete might appeal to start-ups working with a tight budget, this choice can lead to additional costs and headaches down the line. For example, concrete is prone to cracking as it ages, and even minor repairs generally result in mismatched surfaces where the new concrete does not match the concrete that was originally poured. This takes away from the overall look of your facility and will not be visually appealing to the higher-end clients who are more likely to choose day care or boarding for their pets.

Concrete can also become slippery when wet, which will likely be a common occurrence in a facility where liquid pet waste is the norm and regular spraying down is required to keep the floors clean.

In order to better ensure safety, limit long-term repair and maintenance costs, and increase the aesthetic appeal of your facility, a slip-resistant hardscape option – like paving stones – is a better choice. Pavers can be used to create walkways and patios that are just as easy to clean, but will have far greater visual appeal.

As an added benefit, durable paving stones are difficult to damage, but if damage does occur, you can replace just one or a few pavers and have your hardscape looking as good as new without the higher costs of having to replace an entire section of concrete.

Dog Daycare Ideas: Natural Grass Versus Artificial Grass

If it is possible to include an outdoor play area, this is sure to appeal to your clients. If this is not an option, you can create an enticing, indoor play area with features usually found in outdoor spaces, such as walking paths, grass, and trees.

Since an indoor space will not receive the sunlight required to sustain a living grass lawn, any indoor lawns will need to be made from artificial turf. When considering outdoor lawn options for doggie daycares, you could use either natural grass or artificial turf.

If you choose a natural grass lawn, it is important to avoid potentially toxic, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides and to, instead, opt for all-natural, non-toxic products to care for your lawn. If you are establishing an eco-friendly dog day care facility, you will also need to consider the excessive amount of water required to keep natural grass green and healthy.

Dogs love to run, roll and play on grass, and most dogs are accustomed to using grass areas as their primary place to relieve themselves. Because of this, you will need to keep in mind that repeated instances of dog urine – which are essentially guaranteed in your line of work – can cause unsightly brown spots in natural grass. These brown spots will be essentially unavoidable at a facility where multiple dogs are using the lawn as a restroom. It will also be virtually impossible to avoid urine smells and to avoid the bacteria buildup in the grass and soil that remains when urine is rinsed away in spots frequently used as a relief area.

This is why more dog boarding facilities choose artificial grass for both indoor and outdoor play areas. Synthetic turf always looks lush and green, and you will never have to worry about brown spots from dog urine. Solid and liquid waste can be easily removed, popular cleaning products like Urine Zero easily ward off urine odor, artificial lawns never need irrigation, and you can save time and money with this low-maintenance option that requires no mowing, edging, aerating, or fertilizing. There is no need for chemical-laden pesticides or herbicides, and artificial grass is a great choice for eco-friendly day care facilities. Plus, dogs love it, which takes it to the top of the list of grass alternatives for dogs.

Dog Daycare Ideas: Adding Services and Products

It makes sense to focus on providing basic daycare services when you first start your business and as you begin to grow your client base. As your business grows, consider expanding your offerings to provide products and services that may be of interest to your current clients or may bring in new clients. This can increase your income, build your brand, and promote customer loyalty.

Additional services you might want to consider include hosting social events for dogs and their people. This could be as simple as renting out a space for events or more involved with different packages available with complete dog birthday party planning offered by you or your staff.

Another option for additional services for your doggy day care is to provide classes for dogs or their people, such as obedience training, basic first aid for dogs, dog grooming basics, or dog massage classes. Advertising these classes to the community is a great way to market your business and bring in new clients.

You could expand your services to offer in-home pet sitting, dog walking, mobile grooming, and transportation for grooming or veterinary appointments. You could also work with a local veterinarian to offer vaccine and vet care clinics.

One service that is sure to entice clients is on-site dog grooming. If your clients can have their dogs groomed while they are already there participating in your daycare program, that is sure to be a convenience they will not want to pass up. If you are not a groomer and not interested in learning about grooming, you can either hire a dog groomer or you can rent space to a dog groomer that would come in as a separate contractor and offer services on site.

You could also rent space to other service providers or schedule specific days when your clients can sign their dogs up for massages, acupuncture, or other complementary therapies offered on-site by wellness professionals.

Finally, if space allows, you might also consider selling products at your location, such as collars and leashes, brushes and toys, food and treats, or dog beds and waste bags. If you are focusing on creating a green dog daycare facility, you will want to focus on products that go with that, such as organic treats and eco-friendly toys and beds.