For many people, summertime means vacations and lots of travel. While you’re probably used to your regulars, each summer brings in new pets who may be totally new to the idea of a pet boarding facility. With these first-time paw-rents you want to make sure that they feel confident and safe leaving their trusted family member with you.

These tips can help you ease first-timers and let them know that their pet will be well cared for during their stay.

Run Through the Schedule

First-timers may not totally understand what goes on during their pet’s stay at your facility and will likely ask lots of questions. Run through the schedule with them to help alleviate any stress they might have about their pet’s stay. Some things to highlight while going through the schedule are:

• Feeding times
• Play times
• Walks
• Additional play or walk times
• Grooming options available
• Bathroom breaks

Reviewing the set schedule with them allows them to let you know if their pet needs any additional walks, special medical attention throughout the day or additional play time on top of the regular facility schedule.

 

Offer Referrals

You know that your facility is great and you have tons of happy clients who consistently choose your facility. But, prospective first-timers might not! Give first-timers some peace of mind by offering up past reviews and referrals. We suggest offering up Yelp reviews or client testimonials.

Be sure to get permission from clients before sharing any information with a stranger or testimonials on to your website.

 

Remind them of Important Vaccines and Documents

If it seems like it’s going to be a good fit, remind them that they need to make sure their pet is up to date on the latest vaccinations. Make sure that they understand that they will need to bring a copy of their pet’s health records in order to stay. Pets will need to be vaccinated at least a week before it’s time to board to keep everyone safe, happy, and healthy.

 

Offer a Brief Trial Run

If this is their first time boarding their dog overnight that may mean that this is their pet’s first time in any type of boarding facility. Offer prospective paw-rents a day trial to see if their pet is a good fit for your facility. Day-boarding can help ease their pet into the idea of staying there overnight for multiple days.

 

Boarding a Dog for the First Time

Understand that this is a very big decision for first-time paw-rents and they are trying to weigh all their options before deciding on a facility. Never pressure or guilt them into staying at your facility. Simply help them understand the benefits and requirements of boarding and let them decide on their own time.