Peak season at a boarding kennel is both the best and worst time of year. Revenue is maximised — you're full, sometimes turning people away, and every run is earning. But the pressure is relentless: high intake volumes, complex multi-dog family bookings, staff stretched across longer hours, clients anxious about leaving pets over Christmas, and the occasional problem that at any other time of year would be manageable but at full capacity becomes a crisis.
Kennels that handle peak season well are consistently profitable and keep their staff and clients. Those that handle it badly end up with burnt-out teams, scathing reviews from clients who felt their pet wasn't given proper attention, and a harder road to recovery in January. Here's how to prepare properly.
Start booking earlier than feels necessary
Christmas is predictable. Easter is predictable. UK school half-terms, bank holiday weekends, the six-week summer holiday — all predictable. Yet many kennels still find themselves scrambling to fill runs during these periods because clients leave booking too late, or the kennel doesn't open their peak period diary far enough in advance.
Open Christmas bookings in September. Open summer bookings in March. Open Easter bookings in January. This isn't just about filling capacity — it's about giving yourself enough lead time to plan staffing, order supplies and communicate any peak-period policy changes (higher deposits, different drop-off windows, minimum stay requirements) before clients are already committed.
Send a "peak season booking open" email to your entire client base when you open the diary. Regular clients who know you're good will book immediately. New clients will find your slots disappearing quickly, which signals demand and quality. Either way, your planning horizon extends meaningfully.
Set minimum stay requirements for Christmas
A two-night booking over Christmas is not worth the same as a two-night booking in March. The period from around December 22nd to January 2nd is your highest-demand window of the year. A client booking two nights during this period is occupying a run that could be generating revenue for the full twelve days.
Most kennels with high demand implement a minimum stay requirement for peak periods — typically 5–7 nights for Christmas. Enforce it consistently, and communicate it clearly in your booking confirmation. Clients who want two-night boarding over Christmas are the wrong clients for that period; clients who need you for the full holiday are your core market and should have first access to available runs.
Require non-refundable deposits for peak periods
A standard 25–30% deposit is appropriate for off-peak bookings. For Christmas and other peak periods, many kennels move to a non-refundable 50% deposit or even full payment upfront. A run that's cancelled on December 20th cannot realistically be filled — the revenue is gone. A deposit that reflects this reality is not unreasonable, and clients who book premium capacity six months in advance should understand they're committing.
State this clearly at the time of booking. "Christmas bookings require a 50% non-refundable deposit to secure the reservation" is honest and professional. Clients who don't accept this can book elsewhere — and free up the run for clients who value your service enough to commit.
"We introduced a 5-night minimum for Christmas and a 50% non-refundable deposit. Some clients didn't like it. But we've had zero cancelled Christmas runs in three years since, and our December revenue is the most reliable income of the year."
— Kennel owner, Dorset
Increase staffing ahead of time, not reactively
The most common staffing mistake at peak season is bringing in extra staff too late — adding someone the week before Christmas when they need to be properly inducted, know the dogs, know the routines and know where everything is. Extra staff should ideally start at least three weeks before peak period begins. They need time to learn your protocols, get to know the regulars and understand your standards before they're managing a full house alone.
If you use temporary or seasonal staff, build a pool of trained people you can call on. Former employees who left to study, parents who work school-term hours, local dog lovers with pet care experience — people you can call with three weeks' notice and who already know how your facility works. Building this network in summer prepares you for Christmas.
Streamline intake and discharge
Peak season check-in is when your pre-arrival process either pays off or doesn't. If every client arriving on December 22nd has completed their PawCheck, their vaccination records are on file, and you have all their details, the morning becomes manageable. If you're collecting information at the desk for every family that arrives, you'll have a queue stretching to the car park.
Make pre-arrival completion mandatory for peak period bookings. Send a reminder specifically saying: "Your booking is for our peak Christmas period. To ensure we're ready for [dog's name] on arrival, please complete your PawCheck by [date] — this is essential for a smooth check-in during our busiest period." The specific date and the framing ("our busiest period") prompt action better than a generic reminder.
Manage client expectations about communication
One of the biggest sources of client anxiety during peak boarding periods is not knowing how their pet is getting on. A client who's dropped their dog off on December 23rd and is now on a long-haul flight with limited connectivity is managing significant guilt and worry. A quick photo update sent proactively — not in response to an anxious message — reassures them and differentiates your service.
Decide in advance what your communication policy during peak periods will be. "We send a brief daily update for stays of 5 nights or more" sets expectations. "We're happy to receive messages and will respond when we have time" does not. The clearer you are about how you communicate during a period when you're genuinely stretched, the fewer anxious messages you'll receive.
Protect your team
Kennel staff who work through Christmas — particularly those covering Christmas Day and Boxing Day — are doing something that most workers don't have to do. Recognise this explicitly. Holiday pay uplift, bonus compensation, time off in lieu, a team thank-you event in January — whatever fits your business. Staff who feel valued through the hardest period of the year will come back next year. Staff who feel used will leave in February and take their training investment with them.
Build in mandatory rest periods even during peak season. No one can perform well caring for large numbers of animals while working 12-hour shifts without breaks for a fortnight. A kennel run by an exhausted team is a welfare risk as much as an operational one.
Use January to review and improve
January is quieter, which makes it the right time to review how peak season actually went. What caused the most friction? Which processes broke down? Where were staff uncertain about what to do? Which clients were most difficult, and was there something in the booking process that could have filtered or prepared better?
The improvements you make in January — to your booking confirmation process, your intake forms, your staffing rota, your peak-period policies — are what make next December better. Peak season is too hectic to fix things during; prepare in the quiet months that follow it.