Running a successful dog daycare or kennel business requires not only providing top-notch care for the furry guests, but also offering additional services that set your business apart from the competition. One such service that can bring a multitude of benefits to your business is offering dog training classes.
If you've got a thriving daycare and boarding business, and you're not offering training classes, you're missing out on an enormous potential revenue stream. Dog training is a booming industry, and if you're not making money off these training classes, some other business in your area is. Why can't it be your business instead?
In this blog post, weâll explore the reasons why incorporating training classes into your daycare services is a smart business move.
1. Increased Revenue
Offering dog training classes at your daycare can be a significant source of additional income. As a business owner, you can charge for each training session, as well as offer package deals for a set number of classes. Not only will this increase your revenue, but it also provides an opportunity to expand your services and
offer something unique to your customers. Let's say that you currently have around 50 active daycare and boarding clients. If you can get just 5 of these clients to start coming to training class, you're looking at something like $500 extra per month in revenue (if you're charging $100 for a pack fo classes). That's over $6,000 extra per year in revenue and that doesn't even take into consideration the possibility of your purely training clients starting to use your daycare and boarding services.
2. Increased Customer Loyalty
By offering dog training classes, youâre showing your customers that you care about the well-being of their pets beyond just providing a place for them to stay. By offering a service that helps their dogs become well-behaved and obedient, youâre building a deeper relationship with your customers and increasing their loyalty to your business. You've put lots of time and effort into building your client relationships, and now is the time to leverage those relationships into increased revenue. Your clients already like your business. They're comfortable with bringing their pets to you and they'd be equally comfortable attending training classes as well. They don't want to search out ANOTHER provider for dog training.
They'd rather have a one-stop-shop where they get daycare, boarding and training all in one.
3. Differentiation from Competitors
By offering dog training classes, youâre separating yourself from other dog daycares and kennels that may only offer basic care and playtime. This unique service can
make your business stand out and attract customers who are looking for more than just a place for their dogs to stay. As I mentioned above, your clients will be happy if they don't have to go elsewhere for their dog training needs. They've already established a relationship with your business and offering training services for their pets is only going to make them even happier with your business. Also, by incorporating training into your business, you'll have more content to post on social media and that's always beneficial for increasing clientele.
4. Improved Dog Behavior
Training classes are a great way to improve the behavior of the dogs in your care. A well-trained dog is less likely to cause problems or become aggressive, making for a safer and more enjoyable environment for all dogs and staff. By offering training classes, youâre helping to create a more harmonious and peaceful atmosphere at your daycare. Right now, if you have a client that has a dog that needs attention, you're most likely having to refer them to an outside trainer. If, instead, you had your own trainer, you could simply tell them that their pet needs to take some training classes before they'll be allowed back into the daily daycare pack. Most pet owners are
well-aware of any issues that their pets currently have, so it won't come as a surprise if you tell them that Fido need to work on his aggression issues.
5. Better Relationships between Dogs
Training classes also provide an opportunity for dogs to interact with one another in a structured and controlled environment. This can help build better relationships between dogs, reducing the likelihood of conflict and promoting a more social and playful atmosphere at your daycare.
Having a cohesive pack is one of the most important aspects of any doggie daycare. If you're allowing your pets to play together outside, you're going to need to be sure that the pets all get along well. If some of your pets have already made friends with other dogs during their training classes, they'll help calm down the pack.
6. Better Staff-Dog Relationships
Training classes can also help improve the relationships between your staff and the dogs in their care. By working with the dogs on obedience and behavior training, your staff will
gain a deeper understanding of each dogâs personality, leading to improved communication and a stronger bond. If you don't have a trainer on staff, you might want to think about asking one of your current employees to take a a training class. As I've talked about in previous blog posts, investing in your employees is one of the best ways to create loyal employees. By offering to help pay for your employee's training course, you're showing them that you believe in them as an employee and everyone knows that having a good employer-employee bond is important to the longterm success of any business.
As you can see, offering dog training classes at your daycare can bring a multitude of benefits to your business, from increased revenue and customer loyalty, to improved dog behavior and staff-dog relationships. So, if youâre looking to set your business apart from the competition and offer something unique and valuable to your customers, consider incorporating training classes into your services.
Lastly, if you don't have training-certified employee, you could also reach out to some of the trainer in your area and ask them if they'd be interested in using your facility for their classes. They'd have to pay a fee to your business to use the space, but they'd also be getting access to your entire clientele for new potential clients. You'll be able to offering training, that you previously couldn't offer, and the trainer will have a place to run their business. Win win!