Is owning a dog day care a good idea?
I am planning on becoming a dog trainer/groomer. I want to own a business in doggy day care, as well as a grooming saloon. Is this a good idea to major in these things and put them together? Im also taking managment…and also…would it benifit me to have a day care right next to an animal hospital?
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Putting a business like that next to the vet is a good idea, as long as the vet clinic does not do grooming themselves. You will need help with the daycare when you are grooming as the dogs running loose should not be unsupervised. Because grooming is seasonal the daycare will provide you with extra income and ready made grooming clientele. Good luck.
30 yrs grooming
Only if you know your going to do the job right and have fun with it.
Well, all of those professions are great choices, but all of them together would be a bit much. Overwhelming yourself wouldn’t be fair to you or to the animals you would be responsible for. If you were always running around between all of those things then you wouldn’t have the time to properly take care of the dogs that were in your grooming place/day care. However, if you figured out a good balance between these, then having it all next an animal hospital would be a great idea.
This economic climate makes these businesses less successful than they were during the last 15 years; however, planned and managed properly, they might still be profitable. Close proximity to animal professionals might help walk-in’s, but it’s better to have a solid reputation with those animal professionals who will refer clients to you. I think it’s also more important to have outdoor space for them (few day care facilities provide this) because I’ve had to work with far too many dogs that become too lax in house-breaking due to being permitted to eliminate indoors at day care…don’t forget the NEEDS of your clients, it can’t just be about making money, and a reputable facility will cater to their client’s needs…your clients are the dogs as well as their owners.
It may be a good idea IF there are not an over abundance of doggy day care places in your area. Keep the prices reasonable, as not many people have extra money to spend for their dog to play.
Camp Bow Wow has a great business model. Check out their website. It is pretty much what you described – Day Care/Boarding/Grooming. The one my dog goes to is also affiliated with a dog walking service as well as trainers and food suppliers. He’s only been in business for 3 years and despite the economy is doing great. I’ve even thought about doing it myself when I retire. Good luck.
What a good idea ! You would have to keep the dogs separated during training and during grooming. Sounds like you might need to crate the dogs at times if you are to do this alone. I would be hiring lots of dog walkers as assistants. If I could afford for my dogs to go there once a week and occasionally get groomed as well, I would be a return customer. If money was falling out of my pockets and I worked long hours and felt guilty for being too exhausted to exercise my dogs < I would be looking for you to help me all week.