Things You'll Need
- Guidance
- Information
- A solid business plan
- Organization
- A love for animals
Instructions
Running a Successful Doggie Day Care
Have a genuine love for animals. The doggie day care industry is for those who sincerely enjoy working with dogs. Since you are going to be seeing a lot of them on a regular basis, make sure you truly want to involve your time and effort into a business that entails your being around dogs for long periods of time.
Come up with a cute, catchy name for your doggie day care center that will make it stand out. This will draw more potential customers to your business and make you stand out from your competitors.
Make certain that you find out about all pertinent zoning laws, safety codes, health codes and other regulations prior to setting up your business. You need to have an approved business license, insurance and meet other necessary business and legal requirements before launching your doggie day care.
Familiarize yourself with the mechanics of running a business. If you have not had previous experience, you need to educate yourself on how to be properly organized, how to do accurate accounting and other things relevant to running a successful business. Set a budget that is realistic for you to deal with.
Start out small. Avoid taking on too many clients before you are ready for them. As you get more used to running your doggie day care and establish a good reputation, then you can gradually take on more dogs.
Hire people to help you who love animals and have experience working with them. Individuals who apply to work at your doggie day care need to be screened, so you will not be letting anyone into your place of business who is abusive to dogs or who poses a threat to you.
Be careful of which dogs you let into your doggie day care. For instance, you don't want animals who have a reputation for biting or being aggressive coming into your place of business. They could be a danger to other dogs, as well as to human beings.
Make certain that any owner who applies to get his or her pet into your doggie day care center brings a signed letter from their dog's vet saying that the animal has no disease or medical condition that could be spread to other dogs. The owner should also provide records that prove that their dog has gotten all necessary shots.
Set rates you can live with. See what your competitors are charging and try to make your rates lower. However, don't charge too little or you won't have enough to sustain your business.
Have plenty of things to keep dogs from being bored. Set a time for feeding or walking dogs. Have toys and playtime with them. Interact with them regularly and never leave them alone for too long.
Develop a good rapport with the dog owners who are leaving their pets in your care. Be friendly, ask them if they have any questions or concerns and assure them that your goal is to make sure their dogs are given top care.
Promote your doggie day care business. Place ads, create a website, get a Yellow Pages ad that has your business address and business telephone number on it. Call pet stores and veterinarians and ask them to refer people that might be interested in your service.