Advanced options
Both kennels and home boarders must be council-licensed in England (ask to see it) and require up-to-date vaccinations including kennel cough, often 2 weeks in advance. Peak weeks (school holidays, Christmas) book out months ahead and price higher. Second dogs from the same home usually board at a discount.
What The Dog Boarding Cost Calculator Works Out
- Kennels total: nights away multiplied by the nightly kennel rate. Traditional kennels charge GBP 18 to GBP 30 a night in most of the UK, more in London and the South East.
- Home boarding total: nights multiplied by the home boarder or sitter rate. A licensed home boarder (the dog moves into their house) is typically GBP 30 to GBP 45 a night, so a ten-night holiday adds GBP 200 to GBP 450 to its own price.
- Difference: the gap between the two totals. The premium buys a sofa, company and a routine, which anxious, elderly and velcro-breed dogs visibly do better on; confident, sociable dogs often treat good kennels as camp. A trial night before the big trip is the best tenner the sector offers.
- Number of dogs and multi-dog discounts (advanced): the first dog pays the full rate and each extra dog from the same home pays the rate less the discount. Kennels commonly knock 30% to 50% off a second dog sharing a run; home boarders discount less, so the winner can flip as the pack grows.
- Peak season surcharge (advanced): adds a percentage to every nightly rate. School holidays, bank holidays and Christmas routinely carry 10% to 25% uplifts and book out months ahead, which is why veterans book the boarder before the flights.
- In-your-home sitter (advanced): a third option where someone stays in your house. It is priced per night for the household rather than per dog (GBP 40 to GBP 60 is typical) and keeps the house occupied, so it often wins for multi-dog homes.
- Cheapest option and per dog per night (advanced): names the lowest-cost route for this trip and shows the effective kennel price per dog once discounts and surcharges are applied.
- Holiday care per year (advanced): the cheapest trip cost multiplied by the trips you take in a year. Two or three trips a year makes holiday care one of the larger lines in a dog's annual budget, alongside food and insurance. The table lists all three options per night, per trip and per year.
- Licensing and vaccinations: kennels and home boarders in England need a council licence with a star rating (Scotland and Wales run parallel schemes). Core vaccines plus kennel cough are required, and the kennel cough dose needs about two weeks' lead time.