An owner asks whether their dog can have an additional individual activity during daycare. You could offer it, but someone needs to prepare the space, deliver the session, clean up and record what happened. Meanwhile, the rest of the dogs still need their usual care.
Assess extras alongside your daycare break-even occupancy, then review how service add-ons appear in the booking journey. Costing the activity and configuring its booking are separate steps.
Dog enrichment add-ons can create additional income when they are suitable, clearly described and properly costed. A higher booking total alone does not tell you whether an extra is worthwhile.
This guide helps UK daycare and boarding businesses choose a manageable offer, calculate its contribution and use TailPro to organise the booking and payment details.
Define what your standard care already includes
Start by writing down the activity, interaction, rest and individual attention included in your normal service. Owners should understand what their dog receives without purchasing an extra.
For daycare in England, the statutory licensing guidance includes environmental enrichment and a written enrichment programme agreed with the owner. Required care must not depend on buying an upgrade. Check the requirements for your location, service and licence rather than treating England’s daycare guidance as UK-wide.
An optional extra needs to be a clearly defined addition to suitable routine care. If a dog needs an adjustment to have its welfare needs met, address that through its care arrangements.
Choose one extra you can explain and deliver
Begin with one service, rather than a long menu. Possible offers to assess include:
| Optional service | What you would need to define |
|---|---|
| Additional individual scent-search session | Staff time, suitable space, equipment and how the activity is adapted |
| Additional individual play session | Duration, appropriate toys, supervision and the dog’s preferences |
| Additional supervised exploration session | Location, access, travel if needed and how other dogs remain supervised |
These are ideas to evaluate, not activities that suit every dog or premises. An activity already included in your standard care should not quietly become a separate charge.
Check the dog’s current care information, relevant dietary restrictions and owner preferences before agreeing the service. Staff need to know when to adapt or stop an activity, not simply complete a purchased time slot.
Avoid promising that an extra will treat anxiety, improve behaviour or make a dog sleep better. Describe the service you can deliver and report what you observe.
Count the whole job when setting a price
Include preparation, delivery, cleaning and the customer update. Staff time has a cost even when someone is already on the rota.
Also allow for consumables, equipment wear, payment charges and any additional space or staffing needed. If the extra removes someone from group supervision, check how that work will be covered before offering it.
Use this calculation:
Income from the extra − direct delivery costs = contribution towards overheads and profit.
That contribution is not the same as net profit. Rent, insurance, administration and other business costs still need to be covered.
Worked example: what remains from an £8 extra?
Illustrative planning example only. These figures are fictional, not market rates, wage guidance or TailPro transaction fees.
Suppose an additional individual session produces £8 of income, excluding VAT where applicable. You allow 10 minutes for delivery and five minutes in total for preparation, cleaning and recording.
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Income per session | Assumed income after any applicable VAT | £8.00 |
| Staff time | 15 minutes at an assumed total employment cost of £18 an hour | £4.50 |
| Consumables and equipment allowance | Illustrative allocation | £0.70 |
| Payment charges | Illustrative allocation; replace with actual costs | £0.30 |
| Direct cost | £4.50 + £0.70 + £0.30 | £5.50 |
| Contribution | £8.00 − £5.50 | £2.50 |
Twenty delivered sessions would produce £160 income, use five staff hours and leave £50 contribution before overheads and other costs.
Now suppose the whole job takes 20 minutes. Staff time rises to £6 per session, bringing direct cost to £7 and leaving only £1 contribution. Across twenty sessions, that is £20.
Measure actual delivery time before expanding the offer. Keep VAT treatment consistent across income and costs, and do not mistake a full order list for a profitable service.
Set a separate limit for extras
Daycare places and additional activity places are different constraints. Having room for another dog does not necessarily mean having time for another individual session.
Decide how many extras your team can deliver during each part of the day, with sufficient cover for routine care. Include cleaning and handovers in that allowance.
TailPro supports custom services and add-ons. Before launch, test whether your chosen setup limits the extra itself and reserves any required staff time. A main-service capacity limit does not establish that every extra has its own availability controls.
If the booking setup cannot enforce the limit you need, use a clear approval process until it is resolved. Do not leave customers expecting an extra that nobody has capacity to deliver.
Write an offer owners can understand
Show what is included, how long it lasts, the total customer price and when it is available. State whether the charge is per dog, per session or per stay.
For a boarding booking, make the quantity explicit: one activity during the stay is different from one every day.
A description could read:
Additional individual scent-search session
An extra 10-minute session with a member of staff, adapted to your dog’s interests and agreed care needs. Your dog’s usual enrichment remains included in their care. Available by agreement, subject to suitability and staffing.
Add your actual customer price and explain what happens if the activity cannot go ahead. Make the choice optional and confirm it before charging.
Connect the booking to the work and the bill
For each accepted extra, staff should be able to identify the dog, date, service, quantity, relevant instructions and person responsible.
TailPro’s daycare tools include pet care notes, staff assignments, invoicing and card payments. Test how an add-on appears in the staff view and customer confirmation, as well as on the invoice.
Afterwards, record what was delivered. If the session was shortened, changed or not delivered, follow the agreed process for contacting the owner and adjusting the charge. Do not mark an activity complete simply because it was paid for.
Explore TailPro’s daycare tools to see how bookings, pet information and payments connect.
Run a small pilot before expanding
A simple booking record may work for a small number of extras. Software becomes more useful when several staff, repeated bookings and changing quantities make coordination harder.
Test one extra with a limited number of suitable bookings. Review:
- Actual preparation and delivery time.
- Whether routine care remained properly covered.
- Completed, changed and cancelled extras.
- Customer feedback and each dog’s recorded response.
- Income, direct costs and remaining contribution.
Keep the offer, adjust it or withdraw it based on those findings. More choices are only useful when you can deliver them consistently.
Questions before introducing add-ons
How much should I charge?
Start with your delivery costs and required contribution, then assess whether customers value the offer at that price. An unattributed “typical UK price” is not a sound basis for your margin.
Should every dog receive the same activity?
No. Choose and adapt activities around individual needs and preferences. An owner selecting an option does not replace your suitability assessment.
Can I bundle extras into a package?
You can design a package, but define the number of extras, applicable dates and what happens to unused sessions. Test the booking and billing setup before promoting it; do not assume package features support every combination.
What does TailPro cost?
TailPro offers an ongoing Free plan without a monthly software subscription. Online payment processing charges apply, and off-app fees are listed too. Check the current plans and fees against your staff access, payment methods and communication needs.
Start with one clearly costed extra
Define the service, set a delivery limit and test a booking through to the final charge. Use TailPro to assess whether customers and staff can see exactly what has been agreed.
