A vendor-neutral guide for dog daycares, boarding kennels and grooming businesses: online booking and packages, vaccination records and waivers, check-in and check-out, playgroup and incident tracking, pet parent updates, staff scheduling and ratios and a buyer’s checklist.
Dog daycares, boarding kennels, grooming salons and combined pet resorts all use similar software, with different emphasis. Daycares need fast daily check-ins, packages and playgroup management. Boarding needs reservations by run or suite, feeding and medication schedules and longer stays. Grooming needs appointment booking by groomer and service. Many businesses offer all three, so look for a tool that handles them together.
To record clock-ins, breaks and overtime automatically, see EZTime time and attendance software.
Safety starts with records. Each pet profile should include breed, size, age, temperament evaluation results, feeding and medication instructions, emergency contacts, veterinarian details and vaccination records with expiry dates. Most facilities require proof of certain vaccines, typically based on local requirements and veterinary advice. The software should flag expiring vaccines, block booking when required vaccines have lapsed and store signed waivers and service agreements digitally. Temperament evaluations for new dogs should be recorded before they join playgroups.
Mornings are chaotic: many dogs arriving in a short window, owners in a hurry and staff trying to watch the lobby. Check-in should take seconds: search by owner or pet, confirm vaccines are current, note anything new such as a medication, and print or display a tag or kennel card. Some tools support self check-in or QR codes. Test the check-in flow during a demo with a realistic queue of arrivals. Check-out matters too: the system should show any notes from the day, outstanding balances and items to return, such as leashes or medications, so owners leave quickly and nothing is forgotten.
Pet care software checklist complete.
Incident records protect dogs, staff and the business. Make reporting quick, require it every time and review incidents regularly to spot patterns in groups, times of day or staffing levels.
Safe playgroups depend on enough trained handlers for the number and type of dogs. Many facilities set internal ratios, and some states or cities have rules for animal care facilities. Software should help you schedule staff against expected attendance, especially on busy days such as Mondays and before holidays. Track staff training and certifications in pet first aid or behavior where you require them. Time tracking matters too: early openings, late pickups and overnight boarding checks create long or split days that must be recorded and paid correctly.
Owners love photos and short updates, and these build loyalty and reviews. Look for easy photo sharing, report cards and messaging that staff can use quickly from a phone or tablet. Set boundaries: who answers messages, response times and what is shared about incidents, which should go through a manager. Automated reminders for vaccine expiry and package renewals reduce front desk work.
Dog facilities depend on strict cleaning routines to limit the spread of illness and keep the environment safe. Turn routines into recurring checklists: kennel cleaning after each stay, play yard disinfection during the day, laundry, water bowls, food storage and a closing walkthrough. Record who completed each task and when, ideally with a photo for key areas. When a dog shows signs of illness, isolation procedures and owner notification should be documented too.
Staff safety matters as well. Handlers face bites, scratches, slips on wet floors and lifting injuries. Train staff on dog body language, safe intervention in scuffles and proper lifting, and record any staff injury with an incident report. A safe workplace is easier to staff, and experienced handlers are the best protection for the dogs in your care.
Pet care software is usually priced per location, sometimes with tiers based on the number of pets or staff users, plus payment processing fees. Some charge extra for features such as online booking, text messaging or report cards. Compare total yearly cost on your real volume, including processing on deposits and packages, and check contract terms and data export before signing.
Holidays bring the highest boarding demand and the hardest staffing. Software should open holiday bookings at a set time, enforce deposits and minimum stays if you use them and show staffing needs per day. Plan staff schedules weeks ahead, publish them early and offer incentives for holiday shifts. Track overtime carefully during peaks, since long boarding days with early and late checks can push staff past 40 hours quickly.
A daycare with about 60 dogs on busy days and 20 boarding runs used paper vaccine files and a spreadsheet for boarding. Expired vaccines were sometimes missed, holiday boarding was double-booked once and staff schedules did not match attendance, so Mondays were short-handed. After moving to software with vaccine alerts, online reservations with capacity limits and staff scheduling based on booked attendance, the front desk caught expiring vaccines days ahead, holiday boarding filled without overbooking and handler coverage matched the busiest days.
Most of these mistakes come from treating software as a booking tool only. The real value comes when bookings, pet records, care notes and staffing work together, so the team on the floor knows exactly which dogs are coming, what each one needs and who is responsible. Start with vaccines, capacity and check-in, then add playgroups, incidents and staff scheduling once the basics are reliable.
| Question | Yes / No |
|---|---|
| Online booking for daycare, boarding and grooming | ☐ |
| Packages, memberships and capacity limits | ☐ |
| Vaccine tracking with expiry alerts and booking blocks | ☐ |
| Digital waivers and evaluations | ☐ |
| Fast check-in and check-out | ☐ |
| Playgroup, care notes and incident reports | ☐ |
| Photo updates for pet parents | ☐ |
| Staff scheduling and accurate time records | ☐ |
EZTime is not a pet booking system, but pet care businesses use it for their team: schedules built around busy days, shift swaps and time off in the app, a time clock by tablet kiosk, NFC tag or phone, break tracking and overtime alerts. Recurring tasks with photo proof cover kennel cleaning and safety checks, announcements keep every shift informed and the digital employee file tracks training certificates with expiry reminders.
Drop-off is where daycare software is tested hardest. Simulate a busy morning in the trial:
Have the staff member who usually runs the front desk do the test, not the owner. Their speed and frustration level are the real verdict.
Software for dog daycares, boarding and grooming businesses that handles booking, packages, pet and vaccine records, waivers, check-in, care notes, incidents, pet parent updates and payments.
To make sure every dog meets your health requirements, flag expiring records early and block bookings when required vaccines have lapsed.
It depends on the number, size and temperament of dogs and on any local rules. Many facilities set internal ratios and schedule staff against booked attendance.
Yes. Consistent incident records with photos and owner notification protect dogs, staff and the business and help spot patterns.
Many pet care platforms handle all three. Check how capacity, reservations and appointments work together before choosing.
Most set a maximum number of dogs per room or yard and per handler, then group dogs by size, temperament and play style. Software helps by showing bookings against capacity and flagging when a group would exceed your ratio.
Collect records at registration, store expiry dates for each vaccine and set the system to warn or block check-in when one has expired. Ask owners to upload updated records through a client portal.
EZTime schedules handlers and tracks their hours, while your pet care system handles bookings and records.