Cage count

[staffybullmom]

Had a really simple question for ya all, if you own or work in any sort of shop setting.
How many cages/pens/ holding areas total do you have for dogs? And how many dogs do you average a day?
My resolution this year is to unclutter my shop. I find cages to be my biggest stumbling block. We do around 30 dogs a day, on a staggered schedule.We have 18 cages/2 x-pens/and a boarding room.(and of course a bathroom that we have utilized in a doggy overflow situation.....Christmas Eve. ring a bell) We try not to have more than 10 or 12 dogs in the shop at one time, but every now and then....no one picks up on time... apparently they are all at the same soccer game. So if I cut too many cages out what do I do? Just checking to see how others handle they're crating, customer pick-up balance?

[edderland]

We always used the uniform cage b anks; matching looks much better and is easier to deal with. Where I groom now we have ss ones; the previous shop we had the black wire and the other shop the chrome wire. What is most important is uniformity; you want them all the same depth and width with smaller ones on top of the bigger ones. We also had 3 of the big dane crates lined up on another wall.
It is important to not let them become catchalls for stuff; Keep the tops empty and clutter free. I like having a cage for every dog that might come in plus a couple of extras. On lucky days we have some pairs from the same household that can go together, but even then I prefer to put them side by side; much easier to get a dog in and out if another isn't trying to scramble past, or bite to defend it's sibling.
Deidre

[Moonpiepoodlz]

I have about 12 kennels and during holiday season spend most days playing musical cages since we usually have more dogs the kennels in the salon.
My dream would be to have a kennel bank so they're all the same shape and all that. Right now, I use the wire kennels.

[4Sibes]

Maybe I should unclutter, lol?

I groom 8 to 15 a day. Lots of "pairs", lg and small.

I have 11 (5 Ex.Lg. and 6 Medium) on my sunroom where I do most of my styling.
I have 11 (8 Ex. Lg and 3 Medium) in my "doggy bedroom". (of which my pups occupy 5)
And 11 (3 Ex. Lg and 8 medium) in my bathing area downstairs.

I'd rather have too many than not enough. Apparently.

[fiveoclockdog]

3 xlarge
3 large
3 med
3 small

[odette]

Crate hoarder here, 4 fiberglass bank 1 6 hole wire bank 3 xlrgs vari, here. 1 in van, 1 at kennel 5 lrg wire 1 giant vari kennel, oh and 2 xlg at home! people gave me the wire ones,have to keep them as long as they are clients.

[dogspaw]

I have 3 fiberglass cage banks, total of 18 spaces plus 6 extra large vari kennels. If i get close to those numbers for dogs, I always go threw and double check how many are families that usually "room" together, but always try to keep it to where everyone has their own space reserved for the day.

[Particentral]

I have two petlift cage banks, one in the bathig room with 8 small and 2 Xlarge kennels. Out front I have 3 medium and 2 xl in that bank. I have 4 200 size VariKennels across the top of the cage bank and 3 down the side of the bank in the front room that we use as overflow when BUSY, like Holidays. The back room has 4 x-large black wire crates, and a 6 pack wire bank. I want to redo that room with the black wire grates from PetEdge. 2 of them, but currently that is what is there. That room is where we do our cage draying when we need to as everything is wide open and we use HV fans, no heaters.

SO if you count my boarding room and varikennels I have 36 cages or kennels AVAILABLE at any time.....maybe I have too many, but we had days last week when there was no vacancy and I was pulling out the airline carriers that we use on planes. I have 5 of those. LOL Call me the queen of holding areas!

[petgroomaustralia]

I LOVE lots of cages...lolol. At 2 vet clinics I share with the hospital pets so sometimes space is limited but I send the dogs home as I finish them so its usually fine. At the other clinic I have 4 of my own in my grooming area but send them inside to the hospital cages when they are finished ready to be sent home. At home I have 2 6ft x 6ft dog enclosures plus the backyard. The regulars who board with us usually just play in the yard or go inside to say hello when they are done since they are used to being here.

[gottalovegracie]

In the grooming area of my boarding facility that I used to own, we had the fiberglass Snyder bank kennels consisting of 2 banks with 6 small cages above and 2 xl on bottom of each bank. (So I guess that was 16 kennels total)...I only groomed about 7-10 dogs normally...some days had some baths come out of the boarding side so needed a few extra for that. During the holidays, these kennels were used at night for the small dogs since they were in a separate building from the regular kennel and we could give the small dogs run of the room basically during the daytime. I wouldn't use anything else! These bank cages are awesome. They were about 30 years old and (besides the light green color) they were still in awesome shape! Easy to clean/sanitize, very secure and looks neater than a bunch of misc kennels sitting around. jmho...

[Moonpiepoodlz]

OH! Like others I would like to unclutter a little bit and actually order at least one bank of kennels so it's more uniform in the shop. It doesn't look too bad now since they're all wire but with them being different lengths, it does look kinda messy.

[Chuck]

You can never have to many cages IMHumbleO

Dear staffybullmom,

We can hold 50 pets hands free. Capacity is the cornerstone of production. We have three full size tubs and three bathers, Eight Grooming tables and two groomers, two preppers, three bathers who become dryers and brushers. The extra table is for staging the next prepped dog to go to the next finish groomer.

It is winter (snowbirds are gone) and we are down to 60% of our capacity and always shooting to increase to capacity in the summer when they are back. Even though we are not cluttered and have a dedicated kennel area. I understand your dilemma however, if you have the room just in case business turns around you want to be prepared for it.

When I respond to posts it is the universal you I am speaking to also, so please do not take offence if it sounds like the post does not adress or pretrain to you personally as I try and make my replys for all readers.

Chuck

[TawnyKitty]

I have 9 cages and 1 tie up. I have had up to 24 dogs in 1 day come through my shop. My shop is 500 sq ft. I justed signed a lease to my new shop and will be purchasing more cages.

[alabamagroomer]

We cheat...

we also board, so we have 24 60sq ft suites if we need them plus 12 4X4ft playpens in addition to the 5 cage SS wall unit and 10 wire crates and 6 vari-kennels. We have a dedicated "holding" room which is where our tub is. All bathing and towel drying and housing goes on there. No kennels or crates are visible where the client sees them. Our salon area remains clutter free and clean on the surface! The holding room is a little cluttered, but it works for us.

We average 22 grooms per day.

[onions]

I work in a 'salon' that does not use cages.
We have 4 "suites".
I average 7-10 dogs/day.
I am the only groomer, doing dogs start to finish & most of my clients pick up within 15 minutes of a "Fluffy's Ready Call"