I started off my dog business journey 14 years ago and back then doggy daycare wasn't really a thing. I spent weeks trying to research what I needed to do to start my dog daycare from home, and back then there was no information available.
I decided that if this idea worked, and I was able to start and grow my own dog daycare from my house, I would one day share everything I have learned along the way.
We'll that day has come! I now run a very successful doggy daycare from my cottage on the the outskirts of Glasgow.
So let's get right to the first things you need to think about BEFORE you set up your own dog daycare business from your home.
Do you have any experience working with dogs? Bringing together dogs from different families is totally different to having 1 dog stay with you. You are going to need to get experience so that you can safely introduce new dogs to each other.
Do you have space in your home and garden to care for 4-6 dogs a day?
Can you make your garden secure so no dogs can escape?
Do you have a spare room in your house that a sick dog can be held safely and comfortably until their owner comes to collect them?
Do you have space for client's to drop off and collect their dogs each day?
Can you be available for dogs to arrive before people need to be at work until they finish work?
Now that you've thought about these things and can make them happen, let's get down to the first 10 things you need to do to start your business.
Contact your local council and find out what their licensing requirements are for dog daycare services in your area. Call and ask to speak to the Licencing Department or the Environmental Health Department. They will give you a list of requirements and book a licence inspection at your home.
Start getting group dog experience. There is so much more involved in caring for other people's dogs than just cuddles and throwing balls. Every dog is different and you will need to learn skills on how to introduce new dogs, how to observe different body language and behaviours to allow you to make sure all dogs are safe and content in a situation.
Set up a business bank account and business savings account. It is really important that you keep all of your business finances totally separate to your personal ones. Most banks offer free business banking for a year.
Get your insurance in place. We use Cliverton for our business and home insurance. You will need a specialised home insurance if you are running a dog business from your home, your current policy will probably not cover you if you change to run a business. Our business insurance covers us for Care, Custody and Control of a certain amount of dogs, public liability insurance, and employee liability. You will not be able to get a licence without proof of your insurance.
Contact a local vet and ask them to be your registered vet. Having a local vet you can take any of the dogs in your care to in an emergency is really important. You want to know that you can take any dog to them quickly and they will have agreed to treat them before hand.
Book yourself onto a dog 1st Aid course.
Write a list of all the things you are going to need to have to be ready for your first clients. Bowls, treats, poo bags, leads, collars are just some of the very basic things you will need.
Decide on what you are going to do with the dogs all day. Some of them may be with you for 11 hours, so think of a daily structure so you and the dogs know what you'll be doing each day.
Set up a website - it doesn't need to be anything fancy, just 3 pages. What you offer, who you are and how people can contact you.
Set up business social media pages. This is a great way to market your new business and also share with clients what their dogs have been doing all day.
Want to know more about what you'll need to do to set up your own dog daycare from home?
Book a Bark & Brainstorm Session with me and I can help you through the whole process.
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