How to price a dog boarding stay
Most pricing arguments in a kennel are not about the amount. They happen because the client understood one thing and the kennel meant another. A clear price, written down before the dog arrives, prevents most of them.
This guide covers the choices a boarding business makes when it sets its prices, and how to explain them so a client can check the bill themselves.
Nightly or monthly
A nightly rate suits short stays and is easy to explain. A monthly rate suits long stays and gives the client a predictable figure. Decide in advance what happens when a monthly stay ends part way through a month, and whether a stay is counted in nights or in days, then use the same rule for everyone.
Add-ons and transport
List each extra service with its own price: grooming, training, special food, medication. If you collect and return dogs, say whether the fare is for each trip or each dog, and how it is shared when one trip carries several dogs from the same family.
Deposits, discounts and holds
If you take a deposit, write down how much it is and when it is refunded. Agree discounts before the stay rather than at the door, and record them as discounts so the full price stays visible. Decide what you charge if a dog leaves for a few days and comes back while its kennel is held.
Write it down
Send the client the dates, the rate, the add-ons and the total before the stay, and give a statement at the end that shows the same lines plus what has been paid. Kennelio calculates these with one billing engine and prints the statement in English or Arabic, but a clear written price list helps whichever tool you use.
Questions, answered
Should a monthly rate be cheaper than paying by the night?
Many kennels price it that way to reward long stays, but it is your decision. What matters is that the client knows which rate applies.
How do I handle a dog that leaves early?
Decide your rule in advance and write it in your terms, for example charging only the nights the dog stayed.
Should prices include add-ons?
Keeping add-ons as separate lines makes the bill easier to check and to discuss.