Dog Day Care and Training

¶ … Dog Day Care and Training Center

Millions of people in the United States must go to work and leave their dog at home. Many owners either risk coming home to a destroyed house or messes due to separation anxiety. Other dogs must be housed in cages for long periods of time due to the need to prevent such occurrences. Either way, this solution leaves both the dogs and dog owners unhappy. This problem is the reason for a growing number of dog day care centers in the U.S. The proposed business will differentiate itself from the standard dog day care by providing training services where the dogs will be taught tricks by retired circus performers. This will allow owners and pets to form stronger bonds when they are together.

Background of the Problem

According to statistic compiled by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association between 2009-2010, there are approximately 77.5 million owned dogs in the United States. Nearly 39% of all U.S. households own at least one dog. Of these 67% own only one dog, 24% own two dogs and 9% own three or more dogs (Humane Society of the United States, 2011). According to the same survey, Total expenditures were estimated to be approximately $47.7 billion. Just the amount spent on grooming and boarding in 2009 is close to $3.36 billion (APPA, 2011). According to the same report, this number increased to $3.45 billion in 2010.

The amount that pet owners are spending on grooming and boarding their dogs is on the rise and it can be expected to continue to do so in the long-term. Aside from the special bond that humans feel with their dogs, several reports have found that these bonds have significant health benefits that go beyond the emotional attachment. For instance, petting a dog can help to lower our blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate (Friedman and Thomas, 1995). Several studies indicate that dog owners who play with their dog for at least 1/2-hour per day experience positive biochemical effects that can increase the immune system, mitigate the effects of stress, and help reduce the occurrence of depression (Coren, 2009; Odendaal & Meintjes, 2003; Stribling, 2003).

Pet owners pamper their pets and many consider them to be as much a part of the family as their human counterparts. The average dog owner spends $273 on kennel and boarding and $225 on routine vet care. This does not include the amount spent on food, grooming aids, vitamins, food treats, and toys. These numbers tell the tale of how much Americans love their dogs. Kikusui and associates found that when owners play with their dogs, their levels of oxytocin increase. Oxytocin is the chemical responsible for producing feelings of nurturing and caregiving (Callaway, 2009). Dogs produce loving feelings that have a real physical impact on their owners.

Many dog owners are faced with the decision of what to do with their dogs while they must go to work. For many, the only choice that was available to them was to leave their dog at home. This can create lead to several problems in both the dogs and the humans. Dogs (and humans) are social animals. They crave the attention of their family members and of those who love them. When owners must leave their dogs alone, the dog can experience separation anxiety. This syndrome can manifest in many ways. The most common are digging and scratching at doors, chewing on themselves or other objects such as furniture, howling, barking, and eliminating in the house (Humane Society of the United States, 2009). These behaviors can occur even if the dog is housetrained and mannerly when the owners are home. Some dogs have this condition more than others. It is part of a panic response over being left alone. According to animal behaviorists, this can be a result of a dog who is spoiled with attention by their owners, or who is used as a replacement for other social contact by the human (Paw Rescue, 2011).

As a solution to the problem of separation anxiety, owners will often crate train their dogs to stay in a cage while they are gone. Many dogs feel safe in their cage and respond very well to being crated during the day. However, for some dogs, being crated added to the stress already present from separation anxiety. Separation anxiety might first appear or worsen under certain circumstances. For instance, a move to a new home, change in work routine, a new baby, or time spent in a veterinary clinic can all increase separation anxiety in dogs (Woodward, n.d.).

Empirical evidence supports the claim that dogs feel increased stress while being left alone in a cage with no contact for hours. Experiments with military dogs found that being caged for long periods of time with no contact with humans or exercise produced high levels of stress hormone in these animals. When the dogs were released from the cage and given time to play with their handlers their stress hormones decreased (Lefebvre, Giffry, & Deidrich, 2009). For dogs that adapt well to crating, the answer to the problem is easy, but for dogs that do not adapt well to crating, owners are often desperate to find a solution to the problem that will give both themselves and their dog's peace of mind.

Experts offer many solutions to the problem of separation anxiety. One of the most beneficial solutions to the problem is to engage the services of a doggy daycare (Paw Rescue, 2011). Doggy daycare can provide the dog with human and dog contact, mental stimulation, exercise, and a safe place to run and romp. In addition, doggy daycare can help ease the strain of the busy schedule of the owner by providing grooming services and access to veterinary care. These solutions can be the foundation of a good relationship between owners and their dogs. The demand for doggy daycare is on the rise as more dog owners take advantage of the benefits that dog ownership can provide. This is considered to be a recession proof business as the pet industry does not react economically to recessionary economies. The demand for new dogs and supplies is steady (Doggy Daycare Tips, 2010).

From a managerial standpoint, the benefits of placing a dog in daycare, as opposed to kenneling the dog alone or risking destruction or health problems for the dog are excellent marketing points that could be the key to the marketing campaign. These points could be used to convince new clients to use the business. Research demonstrates that owning a dog has many health benefits for the humans and the dogs. Evidence supports the detrimental effects of kenneling at home. All of these issues could be used as marketing points to help owners solve these problems with their canine counterparts.

Objectives of the Business

The proposed business intends to serve and underserved market segment in an existing market. It will be a for-profit venture and would be a new business set up with its own financing. It will feature direct sale of dog day care to pet owners, who are the end users of the service. The purpose of the business will be to provide a service to dog owners to help prevent the adverse behaviors caused by separation anxiety

The mission of the business is to help provide pet owners who must leave their dogs to go to work for extended times an alternative to crating at home. The vision of the company is to provide doggy daycare services that are full-serve and that provide additional amenities beyond those of competitors. The primary goal of the company will be to provide excellent service that will allow the business to build a steady and growing clientele.

The objectives of the doggy daycare facility will be:

To provide a local day care center for dogs focusing on:

To provide a safe temporary haven for dogs during the day.

To provide a long-term haven for dogs whilst their owners are on holiday or, for other reasons are unable to care for them over an interval of time.

To provide an option to teach dogs etiquette skills,

To care for them, and to entertain them whilst their owners are at work or otherwise occupied.

To provide a professional groomer for grooming needs

To Link up with a vet to provide emergency medical services

To provide optional training of performance tricks on the level of circus performance

To provide an atmosphere that helps owners and dogs bond on a deeper level.

Competitive Environment

The new business will be in direct competition with any other doggy daycare provider in the area. Competition will include both those that offer doggy daycare in the dog's home, or those that provide centers offering similar service. Kennels will be other sources of competition. Of these competitors, those that offer similar amenities such as grooming and vet care will pose the greatest competitive concerns.

A survey of local doggy daycare services finds that an average price of $16 per day and $11 for each additional dog is the average rate. An average of $11 is the half-day rate. This is the rate for simple services and does not include additional services such as grooming, vet care, or training. The pricing landscape of the competition is largely homogeneous and is relatively price sensitive. Differentiation in the market will not be likely to be achieved through price differentiation. There Product Differentiation

Many doggy daycare centers in the area offer grooming and access to veterinary care services. These services have become standard in the industry. A few provide doggy gymnastics and some provide basic training and obedience. The dog etiquette and trick training being offered by the proposed doggy daycare center will differentiate the services offered from those of competitors. The training services being offered by this facility are unlike those of the competition as they go beyond the basic training offered by other doggy daycare services.

The doggy daycare facility will make a special effort to make the dogs and their owners feel comfortable and welcome. It will provide a homelike atmosphere, rather than a stark, cage-like kennel atmosphere. Working to provide a homelike, rather than an institutional atmosphere will also help to differentiate the facility from its competitors. It is expected that the atmosphere alone will allow the facility to charge slightly higher prices than its competitors. However, it is not expected that the rise in price can be significant, as the market is price sensitive. Pricing slightly higher than the competition will also add to the "feeling" that the new facility is more upscale than its competition. Using this strategy will allow the facility to attract a clientele that is less price sensitive than pricing the facility as the "bargain basement" center.

From a management standpoint, pricing is part of building the company's brand image. Consumers expect to pay a certain price for a specific good or service. This is the base price and is often a result of competition that is already established in the area. For doggy daycare centers, this is around $16 per day. The base price is the expected price. However, slightly higher pricing will give the customer a sense of value. They will expect that a slightly higher priced service will provide better care for their beloved pet. It is a common mistake to think that a lower price will naturally result in more sales. In fact, the opposite is often true. A slightly higher price is part of the high-end brand image that the center wishes to convey (Gilkey, 2011).

The new doggy daycare center will differentiate itself from its competitors by offering a home-like atmosphere and pricing that suggests to the customer that their services are higher quality than those of their competitors. In addition to these features, the new doggy daycare center will offer training services that go beyond those offered by the competition. Most facilities only offer serves that teach the dog basic commands and manners, such as sit, down, come, stay, and perhaps heel. A few offer help with problem behaviors such as snapping when taking treats, jumping up, and hand mouthing. Most only stick to the basic commands, leaving the owner to deal with problem behaviors when they get home.

Many owners do not have the knowledge, time, resources, or patience to teach there dog commands, or to deal with problem behaviors. They just want to relax with their dog and enjoy them. These is where the propose facility will come into play. The facility will also offer training in the basic five obedience commands and it will offer etiquette training so that the dog is a pleasure to be around for the owner, their family and guests. However, in keeping with the objective of strengthening the bond between the dog and their owner, trick and performance training will also be offered. This will give owner and their dogs a way to have fun and bond in the few hours that they have together. Tricks will include, dancing, jumping through hoops, play dead, roll over, and others. No other facility ha been located that offers this level of training.

Resources

The first and foremost resource that needs to be obtained will be a building that has adequate resources to house the program. The building will have to have at minimum enough space for play, runs, gymnastic items, and rest kennels. It will have to have proper ventilation, flooring and outdoor exercise areas. It will have to have adequate waste handling considerations as well. The most likely building for this purpose will be a large warehouse facility. Other miscellaneous resources that will be needed are toys, food, bedding, a grooming table and supplies, clickers, and all other items needed for specific training.

Staff that goes beyond basic knowledge of dog training is another resource that will have to be considered. There are plenty of staff available to carry out standard activities such as cleaning, walking, grooming, feeding and other standard care of the dogs. However, to find trainers that have the experience to conduct the advanced training required by this facility might prove to be a challenge. The most likely source for personnel with this level of experience may be retired circus trainers. However, persons who train for agility, film, stage, and canine freestyle might also be possibilities. Once a few persons of these capabilities are on-board, they can assist other employees to learn the advanced techniques requires.

Target Market

The target market for the new facility will be dog owners who must leave their home to attend work, vacations, out of town events, or otherwise leave their dogs at home unattended for various times. The market will include those that have jobs placing them in the mid to upper income ranges. The most likely target market will be those who already use grooming, training, or other services for their dogs. There is also a market segment in new dog owners and those who work with rescues and adoption agencies. New and existing dog owners need to be educated about the need for the services that the new business has to offer. The target market will include dog owner of any age group, whether they have one dog, or many dogs. It will include owners who pamper their pets and who are willing to spend extra money to make certain that they are well-cared for.