Pet services
Dog Daycare Cost Calculator
Works daycare cost, where the staff-to-dog ratio sets the floor.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Staff hours required for the dog count at the ratio the facility operates, plus facility overhead, food and cleaning, giving cost per dog day. The ratio is the binding cost, since supervision cannot be reduced without changing what the service is.
What moves the number
- Staff-to-dog ratio the facility operates.
- Dogs per day against capacity.
- Facility overhead including rent and utilities.
- Cleaning and consumables.
Where this one goes wrong
The staff ratio is the cost that cannot be squeezed, because supervision is what makes group daycare safe and a facility running thin on staff is accumulating incident risk rather than saving money. Hold the ratio. Capacity is also limited by space and by what the group can tolerate rather than by the ratio alone, which means a facility's practical capacity is below its licensed or theoretical one.
Before you quote
- Hold the supervision ratio rather than treating it as flexible.
- Use practical capacity, not theoretical capacity.
- Include cleaning, which is substantial in group daycare.
Questions
About this calculator
What is the main cost in dog daycare?
Staff, at the supervision ratio the facility operates. It is the cost that cannot be squeezed, because supervision is what makes group daycare safe and running thin accumulates incident risk rather than saving money.
What limits daycare capacity?
Space, the staff ratio, and what the group can actually tolerate, which puts practical capacity below any theoretical or licensed figure. A facility filled to its paper limit tends to produce the incidents that cost it clients.
Is cleaning a significant cost?
Yes, in group daycare it is substantial: the space needs cleaning continuously through the day and thoroughly afterwards, and the products and labour for that are a real line rather than a rounding item.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours per appointment (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.2 h.
- Groomers needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Hourly rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $65.
- Shampoo, product and consumables ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $6.
- Intake or assessment fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours per appointment | 1.2 h |
| Groomers needed | 1 |
| Hourly rate charged | $65 |
| Shampoo, product and consumables | $6 |
| Intake or assessment fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $179 |
| Labour | $78 |
| Before tax | $179 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $179: $78 of labour, $6 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only hourly rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Hourly rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $33 | $140.60 |
| $49 | $159.80 |
| $65 example above | $179 |
| $98 | $218.60 |
| $130 | $257 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours per appointment (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 1.2 h.
- Groomers needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Hourly rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $65.
- Shampoo, product and consumables ($)
- A money amount, starting at $6.
- Intake or assessment fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.