Running a successful dog daycare or boarding business is equal parts passion, patience, organization, and endurance. It typically starts as a solo operation, personally overseeing every feeding, playtime session, and late-night check-in. But as your reputation grows and your client list expands, so does the weight of daily responsibilities. Packed schedules, rising client expectations, and endless to-do lists can make even the most experienced business owner feel spread thin. At some point, you may find yourself thinking, “I think it’s time to hire additional help.”
But where do you even start? Hiring your first employee (or expanding your existing team) can feel exciting and intimidating all at once. After all, your staff members are not simply clocking in to complete tasks; they're representing your brand, caring for pets that your clients love deeply, and shaping the daily experience of every dog in your facility. A great hire can transform your business for the better, but a poor one can damage the trust you've worked so hard to earn.
The good news is that hiring doesn't have to feel chaotic or stressful. With the right approach, you can attract reliable candidates, evaluate them confidently, onboard them effectively, and build a team that supports your growth. This guide walks you through every stage of the hiring process for a daycare or boarding business, from recognizing when it's time to bring on help to building a workplace culture that keeps great employees around for the long term.
Whether you're hiring your very first assistant or building an entire management team, this guide will help you make smart, confident decisions that will benefit your business, your clients, and every animal in your care.
When Is the Right Time to Hire?
Many daycare and boarding owners try to “push through” overwhelming workloads because they worry about payroll costs or fear nobody will care for the animals the same way they do. While those concerns are valid, delaying hiring for too long can actually hurt your business growth, customer satisfaction, and personal wellbeing.
Here’s a quick checklist of reasons it might be time to hire additional staff:
- You’re turning away clients because you’re too busy
- You want to add more services but don’t have the time/skillset
- Scheduling and client communication are becoming hard to manage
- You’re spending more time working in the business than growing it
- Service quality is starting to suffer
- You’re working long hours just to keep up
- Taking time off feels impossible without things falling behind
If any of these points sound familiar, it's probably time to start building your team.
It's important to consider your own wellbeing. Burnout in the pet care industry is real, and an exhausted business owner is not positioned to provide the consistent, high-quality care that clients expect and pets deserve. The right hire doesn't just help you keep up – they open the door to doing more!
What Should You Look For When Hiring a New Staff Member?
One of the most common hiring mistakes in the pet care industry is focusing only on animal experience. A love for dogs is a wonderful starting point, but not sufficient on its own. The reality of working in a boarding or daycare environment can hit hard. It’s usually much more demanding than most applicants expect, and the qualities that make someone excellent at this type of work go well beyond love for the pets!
So, your ideal employee should be dependable, calm under pressure, safety-focused, communicative, and eager to learn. And remember: skills can be taught. Character usually cannot.
Reliability Above All Else
A daycare and boarding business runs on consistency. Dogs are dropped off on schedules. Feeding and medication routines are like clockwork. Animals rely on routines, and clients trust you to provide dependable care. A single unreliable employee can create enormous stress for both staff and pet owners, unraveling client trust in ways that take a long time to rebuild.
When evaluating candidates, look for people who demonstrate reliability. During the hiring process consider:
- Do they show up on time for their interview?
- Do they communicate promptly and professionally?
- Is their employment history stable?
- How is their ability to follow instructions?
These details tell you a great deal about how someone will show up once the excitement of a new job has worn off and the daily demands of daycare or boarding work become their routine.
Staying Calm Under Pressure
Boarding and daycare environments can become noisy, fast-paced, and unpredictable. There are multiple dogs to watch over and pets may become anxious or get into conflicts. It's an environment that requires great multitasking skills and the ability to shift focus in an instant. You want employees who remain calm and patient during sometimes stressful situations.
Look for candidates who tend to:
- Stay composed under pressure
- Avoid escalating chaotic situations
- Handle conflict professionally
- Think clearly in emergencies
- Maintain a positive energy
Realistic Understanding of the Job
Many people apply for pet care jobs because they adore animals, and while that is a nice sentiment, loving pets does not automatically make someone a great daycare or boarding employee.
It's worth it to be direct with candidates about what working in a daycare and boarding facility actually looks like. During the interview process, be transparent about the physical and emotional demands of the role. This is not to discourage applicants but to ensure that the person you hire enters the position with proper expectations.
The reality of the work includes:
- Cleaning accidents
- Managing difficult behavior
- Administering medications
- Handling anxious or reactive dogs
- Standing for long hours
- Working weekends and holidays
- Monitoring group dynamics
- Following strict safety procedures
- And more
The best candidates understand both the rewarding and demanding aspects of the job.
Strong Observation Skills
In daycare and boarding settings, small details matter! Pet parents are trusting your team to watch over their pets for extended periods of time, so they're also trusting you to notice if something is noteworthy to be brought up with the pet parent. Great daycare and boarding employees notice things that are easy to overlook.
Employees should notice:
- Changes in appetite
- Behavioral shifts
- Signs of illness
- Indicators of stress
- Injuries or discomfort
- Changes in bathroom habits
Early observation can prevent injuries, fights, or medical emergencies, and will continue to help build trust with pet parents. When a client hears that a staff member noticed something with their pup was a little off and kept a closer eye on them, they will remember that!
Excellent Communication Skills
Your staff represents your business every time they speak with clients – from drop-off to pick up. They write notes in pet report cards and might even be the first person a pet parent speaks with when they call to check in on their dog. How your team communicates directly reflects on your business, and poor communication can result in poor customer satisfaction.
Look for candidates who express themselves clearly, listen carefully, and are able to handle difficult conversations with professionalism. Ask them how they would explain a health concern to a worried client, or how they would handle a situation where a pet parent is upset. Their answers will show you whether they have the professional standard and communication skills your business requires.
Culture Fit and Team Compatibility
Even highly skilled employees can become poor hires if they clash with your team culture.
Think about the kind of environment you want to create and consider your current staff, if you have any. Do you value structure and efficiency? A warm and relationship-centered one? Do you want your staff members to learn toward calm professionalism or high-energy enthusiasm? Hire people who align with those values. A cohesive team creates a better daily experience for your staff, your clients, and pets alike.
Running a pet care business? See how Time To Pet helps teams save time and grow revenue with a free trial today!
What Should You Include in Your Job Posting?
A well-written job posting does much more than list responsibilities. It attracts the right applicants while filtering out poor fits. Vague or generic job descriptions often lead to unqualified candidates, misunderstandings, and wasted time. And always remember to use spell check!
But what should your job posting include?
An Overview of Your Business
What makes your business different? What kind of environment have you created for the pets in your care? This is your first opportunity to attract candidates who feel a connection to your mission and values.
A Description of the Role
Make this specific by describing the responsibilities in a straightforward way. If a large portion of the job involves cleaning kennels, supervising groups, monitoring dog behavior, and following strict safety protocols, make sure to say that clearly.
List the Role’s Expectations and Responsibilities
Physical demands, background check requirements, part time or full time expectations, prior animal handling experience if required, and any certifications or training that would be helpful can all be mentioned here. If you need someone who is available on weekends or holidays, bring that transparency into this section. You can also include your pay range and any benefits or perks that this position offers. Pro Tip: pay transparency tends to attract more applicants and build immediate trust!
Candidates make decisions about where to apply based on the full picture you present, and the more complete and honest that picture is, the better your pool of applicants will be. Remember: transparency leads to better applicants.
Where Should You Post Your Job Listing?
Even the best job posting will not help if the right people never see it. The good news is that there are many effective channels for finding quality daycare and boarding staff. The key is choosing platforms that align with your hiring goals and understanding the strengths of each option.
If you're using Time To Pet to manage your facility, you already have access to a powerful hiring resource built right into our platform! We’ve integrated a completely free Applicant Tracking System you can use inside of Local Pet Care, a tool designed specifically to connect pet care businesses with qualified candidates who are actively looking for work in the pet care industry. If you're not already using Local Pet Care, it's worth exploring as a great starting point!
Online Job Boards
General job boards are the standard if you want to gather many applications quickly, which is useful for building out your team and hiring in a market where pet care candidates are harder to find.
Popular options include:
- Indeed
- ZipRecruiter
- Glassdoor
However, because they attract large applicant pools, you may need to filter through many unqualified applications. Also, some websites like Indeed or ZipRecruiter require that you pay to have your job listings posted after a certain point. So, while those are great, there are still many other free options you can use, as well.
Social Media
Social media is often underestimated as a hiring channel, but for daycare and boarding businesses, it can be surprisingly effective! Posting on platforms like Facebook and Instagram allows you to showcase your business culture visually through posts or videos of your facility, your team, and your furry clients. That way, when you're ready to send out that “We’re Hiring!” post, you may get more reach and engagement on your social media pages.
Beyond your business page, if it's allowed, you can also post in:
- Local community groups
- Pet owner groups
- Neighborhood pages
Word of Mouth
Sometimes your best future employees are already connected to your current team. Word of mouth referrals from your existing team and your client base are consistently among the most reliable sources of top-quality hires. Encourage staff members and clients to refer candidates they trust.
Word of mouth referrals often lead to:
- Better cultural fit
- Faster training
- Higher retention
- More accountability
For more traction, consider offering referral credits to your clients or a bonus for your staff for any successful hires they send your way.
Community Posting
Don't overlook the power of flyers! This is a great way to spread the word in your community for not a lot of money. Anywhere that you are free to post your flyer, don’t be afraid to give it a shot! Especially if the place is somewhere that animal lovers might frequent, you don’t want to miss out on any potential candidates that might fit the bill. Just remember to ask permission before posting and always include the link to apply and your contact info (phone number or email) where they can reach you for more information.
Some examples of this would include:
- Vet clinics
- Grooming salons
- Training facilities
- Pet supply stores
- Rescue organizations
- Coffee shops
- Campus bulletin boards
Building pet care business relationships and connecting with your local community can create excellent hiring pipelines because you are a brand they recognize and trust.
Your Own Website
A dedicated Careers page shows that your business is growing, professional, and invested in its team. A website helps candidates find more information about your business, understand your values and services, and encourages them to apply. This is a simple addition that helps support your business find more applicants over time.
The Hiring Process: A Step-By-Step Approach
A strong hiring process protects your business from costly mistakes. Hiring too quickly can lead to high turnover, poor client experiences, safety concerns, financial loss, and more. Taking the time to build a thoughtful, repeatable process is one of the most valuable investments you can make for your business. And once the process is in place, every subsequent hire becomes easier!
Next, we'll walk through the ideal hiring process to help you keep your cool during the many different phases including:
- Applications
- Interviews
- Background Checks
Creating a structured hiring system improves consistency and decision-making, helping you build your team with confidence. So, let’s break down each part of the process to make sure yours is as smooth as it can be.
Managing Applications
Now that your job posting is up, the applications will start rolling in! Your first task is to organize and evaluate the applications. To help stay on top of this, utilize your Applicant Tracking System, whether through Time To Pet’s Local Pet Care platform or another tool. It will help you keep applications organized and make sure that no candidates slip through the cracks during a busy period.
Next, you'll begin narrowing down the prospective candidates you would like to interview and weeding out those who don’t make the cut. Their initial application can tell you a lot about whether or not you would like to move forward with this candidate. Consider:
- How did they describe their experience?
- Did they follow any instructions you included in your posting, such as a specific subject line or to answer a particular question?
- Did they take the time to write a thoughtful cover letter?
These early signals can often predict how someone will perform when the details of the job actually matter.
As you sort through submissions, you can easily remove applications that do not meet your basic requirements. Insufficient availability, lack of requested information, or missing other requirements are all reasonable grounds to move on. Whatever your reason may be, you can expect to eliminate some during the application process and focus on the ones you’re interested in interviewing to learn more about them and see if they’re a good fit for the team.
At the end of the day, applications are not just about checking boxes. They are about beginning to understand who someone is, how they communicate, and whether they may fit the culture and expectations of your daycare or boarding business.
Time To Pet makes managing a team easy. Start your free trial today!
Interviews
Once you’ve narrowed down your applicants, the interview stage is where you really begin to understand who someone is beyond their resume. For daycare and boarding positions, this is a particularly important step because so much of what makes someone great at this job is not visible on paper:
- How they communicate
- How they think through problems
- How they carry themselves in a professional setting
- Whether they demonstrate the calm, attentive disposition your environment requires
A brief phone screening can be a valuable first step before diving into a full interview. With a 10-15 minute call you can quickly learn of any scheduling conflicts, clarify questions about experience, and give you a basic sense of whether a candidate communicates professionally. If someone is difficult to reach for scheduling, responds to your messages carelessly, or arrives at the phone screen unprepared, then that may be an early sign that they’re not the right fit. The interview process itself is a kind of audition, and how a candidate navigates it tells you a great deal about how they will show up once they are on your payroll.
For candidates who make a strong impression during a phone screen, the in-person interview is where the real evaluation begins. We recommend starting with a bit of small talk before diving into the formal questions to help make everyone feel at ease. Candidates who are nervous but engaged are often exactly the kind of people who will care deeply about doing the job well. Creating a comfortable atmosphere tends to produce more honest, revealing conversations rather than a rigid, formal approach.
When you get into your interview questions, focus on behavioral and situational questions rather than simple yes-or-no prompts. Instead of asking whether someone is comfortable with large dog groups, describe a realistic scenario and ask how they would handle it. Here are some examples:
- What would they do if they noticed two dogs at your daycare were showing early signs of tension?
- How would they respond if a dog in their care started showing signs of illness midway through the day?
- What would they say to a client who arrived at pickup visibly upset about something that happened during their pet’s stay?
These questions reveal how candidates think in real time, and their answers will tell you far more about their instincts and maturity than any question about their resume.
Use the interview to be honest about the realities of the role. Walk candidates through what a typical day actually looks like, including the cleaning, the physical demands, the weekend and holiday availability requirements, and the reality of caring for animals that may be stressed or unwell. The right candidate will hear all of that and remain interested. Someone who seems surprised or hesitant at this point is worth noting that they may not be the right fit.
Availability and scheduling expectations should be addressed directly during the interview as well. It's far better to discover a scheduling conflict during a conversation than on someone's first scheduled shift. Be clear about the minimum time commitment you require, especially around holidays and weekends, if necessary. If a candidate has constraints that do not align with the position’s needs, it's better for both of you to know that now.
Ask about the specific animals they have cared for and in what capacity. An applicant who has worked in a professional kennel environment, volunteered at a shelter, or has experience handling dogs of varying sizes and temperaments would be noteworthy. Even if they do not have a background in pet care, that may not automatically disqualify them, but understanding where a candidate actually is in their hands-on experience helps you plan for the training they will need.
When the interview wraps up, be clear about your timeline. If you need more time to make a decision or have other candidates to meet with, say so! Give the candidate an idea of when they can expect to hear from you and follow through on that timeline. How you treat candidates during the hiring process is a direct reflection of how you treat your team. But if the candidate is everything you have been looking for, don’t be afraid to extend them the job offer!
If a candidate stands out as an exceptional fit, consider arranging a trial shift with you or one of your other employees before making a final offer. Watching someone interact with dogs in a real daycare or boarding environment reveals things that no conversation can. You will quickly see how they read a room, whether they respond appropriately to animal behavior, how they take direction, and whether they can maintain focus and composure when things get busy. Having them shadow a trusted team member adds an additional perspective and helps your existing staff feel included in building the team around them.
Background Checks
Running a thorough background check on every candidate before extending a formal offer is one of the most important steps in the daycare and boarding hiring process, so it should never be skipped or rushed. Your clients are entrusting their pets to your facility based on the belief that every person on your team is someone you have carefully evaluated and cleared. You are ultimately accountable for the actions of the people you employ, and a background check is one of the most direct ways to fulfill that responsibility.
The specific components of a background check can vary depending on the provider you use, but at a minimum, you should be running an identity verification, a country and national criminal records check, and a sex offender registry check. For more information about what information comes up in background checks, how you can conduct a background check, and what information you cannot collect, check out this article from The Balance!
There are many online services that provide background check capabilities for small businesses, and pricing varies significantly. Take the time to compare options as this is not an area to cut corners. A below-par background check that misses important information is not much better than no check at all, and the cost of a thorough check is minor compared to the risk of a poor hire in a position of animal care responsibility.
If you required references in the application portion, treat them as part of your broader verification process rather than a formality. Call the references your candidates provide and ask specific questions rather than simply confirming employment dates. Ask how the candidate performed under pressure, how they handled feedback, and whether the reference would hire them again without hesitation. Pay attention to the enthusiasm, or lack of it, in the responses you receive.
Hiring Your New Worker!
Once you’ve chosen the right candidate, the next step is onboarding and training – and this is where many businesses either set employees up for success or unintentionally overwhelm them.
First, you need to make sure everything is covered on the business side of things. It’s important to understand the employer-related paperwork and compliance requirements that apply in your area. These obligations can vary depending on your location and how your team members are classified. The IRS website offers detailed guidance on federal employer responsibilities, but state and local regulations may differ. To ensure your daycare or boarding facility stays compliant, it’s a good idea to consult with a local CPA, payroll provider, or tax professional who can help you navigate current city and state requirements.
There are also several key documents you’ll likely need to complete during the onboarding process. New hires typically must fill out the proper tax forms (like a W-4 and an I-9) before beginning work. In addition, you should prepare an employee agreement outlining the terms of employment. Unlike the client contracts you use for boarding reservations or daycare services, this agreement is designed specifically for team members. It should clearly explain details such as pay structure, job responsibilities, scheduling expectations, benefits, confidentiality policies, and grounds for termination. To make it easy, many business owners choose to start with employment agreement templates they find online and customize them to fit the needs of their facility and staff, like this sample from legaltemplates.net.
Now that the paperwork is handled, it's time for training!
First, resist the urge to teach everything at once. A daycare and boarding facility is a very busy environment, and new staff members process so much new information during their first week. Trying to cover every procedure, every protocol, and every piece of knowledge in the first few days is a recipe to overwhelm them. Instead, try breaking training down into stages. Start with the foundational tasks that new employees need to handle independently and safely, including cleaning protocols, basic safety procedures, and an understanding of your facility's layout and supervision zones. Shadow time with experienced team members is priceless at this stage. Watching how a seasoned staff member reads the room, manages transitions, or handles an anxious dog can teach things that no manual can fully convey!
Written systems make training faster, more consistent, and less dependent on memory that lives only in your head. Simple, clearly written checklists for daily cleaning procedures, feeding routines, medication administration, emergency protocols, and end-of-day tasks reduce the number of questions a new employee needs to ask and give them a reliable reference when they are working independently. As your team grows, these documents become even more valuable because they ensure that every employee is following the same standard regardless of who trained them.
Most importantly, be patient. Even great employees need time to learn your systems and build confidence. Offering encouragement, answering questions, and recognizing progress early on can make a huge difference in how new hires feel about your business.
Onboarding Staff with Time To Pet
If you use Time To Pet to manage your daycare or boarding operation, you already have an advantage when it comes to onboarding new team members. Adding a staff member to your Time To Pet account is straightforward, and once their profile is created, they can immediately download the Staff Mobile App and begin accessing everything they need! Through the app, new employees can view their schedule, access client information and pet notes, complete their assigned tasks, and send report card updates to clients. Having that structure available from day one gives new hires a clear framework to operate within, which reduces confusion and gets them contributing in a meaningful way more quickly.
Note: Managing a dog daycare and boarding business is much easier with the right software. From staff scheduling and reservation management to pet profiles and payroll, Time To Pet helps keep your operation organized and running smoothly—so you can spend less time on admin work and more time caring for pets. Start your free trial today!
Keeping Your Team Happy
The pet care industry is known for high turnover, so retaining great employees is just as important as hiring them. Running a dog daycare or boarding business can be physically demanding and fast-paced, so creating a supportive and positive work environment goes a long way toward keeping your team engaged long-term. Employees who feel respected, appreciated, and included are far more likely to stay invested in your business and the care they provide.
Simple things like recognizing hard work, maintaining open communication, offering opportunities for growth, and encouraging a healthy work-life balance can make a major impact on staff satisfaction. Team members are also more likely to stick around when they feel connected to your company culture and share your approach to dog care and customer service.
While some turnover is inevitable, focusing on employee support and workplace culture can help you build a reliable, motivated team that grows alongside your business.
Here are a few ways to improve retention and strengthen your team:
- Make employees feel respected and appreciated
- Create a positive, team-oriented work environment
- Provide opportunities for training and advancement
- Prioritize communication and transparency
- Support work-life balance and prevent burnout
- Offer competitive pay, perks, or incentives when possible
- Lead by example and maintain consistent standards
Welcome to the Team!
Building a daycare or boarding team is about much more than filling positions. It's about creating a business that can grow sustainably while continuing to provide excellent care for animals and exceptional service for clients.
Hiring can feel intimidating at first, especially if you’ve spent years doing everything yourself. But the right team can completely change your business—and your quality of life as an owner. When you hire thoughtfully, train carefully, and create a supportive workplace culture, you build a business that no longer depends entirely on one person to keep everything running.
The best daycare and boarding businesses are built by teams of compassionate, dependable people who genuinely care about animals, clients, and each other. And when your team feels supported and valued, clients will notice the difference. At the end of the day, hiring is not just about growing your staff. It's about building a stronger business, creating a better experience for your clients, and giving yourself the ability to grow without burning out.
As your team grows, having the right tools in place can make all the difference. Time To Pet helps daycare and boarding businesses simplify scheduling, staff management, client communication, payments, and more, all in one place. Start your 14-day free trial today and see how Time To Pet can help support your team as your business grows.
