01. Dog Boarding Cost Per Day by Dog Size
Most Australian kennels price by size. A Kelpie takes a bigger run and more food than a Jack Russell, and the rate card says so.
In the August 2026 sample we recorded the full size ladder for 16 kennels. Across them, the biggest size tier cost a median $10 a night more than the smallest. The smallest gap was $5. The biggest was $30, at a kennel that charges a giant dog close to double its small-dog rate.
Weight bands are the kennel's own. One kennel's "small" is under 5kg, another's is under 15kg, so check which tier your dog falls in before you compare two quotes. A handful of kennels skip the ladder and charge one flat rate for every dog.
Per day or per night? "Dog boarding cost per day" and "per night" usually mean the same rate, but not always. See section 03 before you multiply anything.
02. Peak Season, Public Holidays and Minimum Stays
This is where a holiday booking costs more than the rate card suggests.
At least 15 of the 26 kennels published a peak, holiday or public holiday rate. It comes in two shapes:
A flat amount on top, between $4 and $15 a night in the sample, for Christmas, Easter, school holidays or public holidays.
A percentage surcharge, usually 10% to 25% on peak periods or public holidays, and one kennel that charges 50% more on Christmas Day.
Six of the 26 attached a minimum stay or a penalty for short stays. Some charge a one-night stay as two nights. Others ask for five nights over Easter and Christmas, or seven nights to hold a booking through the Christmas school holidays.
If you're travelling over Christmas, book early and ask whether there's a peak rate and a minimum stay before you pay a deposit.
03. How Kennels Count a Stay
Two kennels with the same nightly rate can still charge you different amounts for the same weekend. The difference is what they count.
| How the kennel counts | Friday drop-off, Monday morning pick-up |
|---|
| Per night (midnights crossed) | 3 nights |
| Per calendar day (arrival and departure both charged) | 4 days |
| Per 24-hour block from drop-off | 3 blocks, more if you collect late |
All three show up on Australian kennels' price pages. "Per calendar day" means the day you drop off and the day you collect both count. Under a 24-hour rule, a 4pm pick-up can cost more than a 9am one.
Each rule is fair as long as it's written down, and a good kennel puts it on the booking. If yours doesn't, ask how many nights or days your dates come to before you pay.
04. What Else Can Add to the Bill
The standard nightly rate covers the run and the kennel's normal routine. Food is included at some kennels and not at others. Kennels in the sample also listed:
Extra play or exercise, such as one-on-one play time, charged per day.
Medication or older-dog care, sometimes compulsory once a dog passes a set age.
Your own food, which one kennel in the sample handles for a small daily fee.
Heat lamps in winter, or an upgraded room with more space.
Undesexed dogs, which some kennels charge more for.
A bath on the way out, which several kennels give free on stays of a few nights or more.
Two dogs from the same home often cost less per dog when they share a run. The discount varies a lot, so ask for the shared rate rather than doubling the single one.
None of the 26 sold prepaid night packs. Where kennels discount, it's a long-stay rate once a stay passes a week or so, or a cheaper rate in the quiet season.
05. Cat Boarding Cost and Cattery Prices
The price index measures dogs only, so for cats we ran a separate sample. On 9 October 2026 we read 97 catteries' own price pages across all 8 states and territories, and recorded the cheapest standard rate for one cat for one night.
| Cattery prices, one cat, one night | |
|---|
| Median | $27 |
| Middle half of catteries | $23.50 to $32 |
| Lowest to highest | $16 to $60 |
| Cat-only catteries (56) | median $29 |
| Kennels that also take cats (41) | median $25 |
| Capital cities (35) | median $30 |
| Everywhere else (62) | median $27 |
Every kennel in the cattery sample that published both rates charged less for the cat than for its smallest dog. Dedicated catteries charge a little more than kennels with a cattery attached.
What changes a cattery bill:
A second cat. At the 33 catteries that published a sharing rate, a second cat in the same suite added a median $15 a night, with the middle half between $13 and $20.
Peak and holiday rates. 16 catteries published one. Most added $3 to $10 a night, and public holidays could add up to $15.
Minimum stays. Four set a minimum over Christmas, Easter or other busy periods, from six to 10 nights where stated. A few more charge at least two days for any stay.
Only 6 of the 97 used "from" pricing, so these are mostly firm prices. One cattery was still showing a rate card dated 2022, and we recorded its price as published.
Why Dog Boarding Prices Vary So Much
If one kennel quotes you more than twice what another does for the same dog, both can be fair.
Size and space. A bigger run, a private room or an indoor suite costs more to build and clean.
Staff time. Walks, play groups, medication rounds and cleaning are hours, and hours are wages.
Location. Boarding needs space and a council approval. Even the Sydney kennels in our sample sat on the city's fringe.
What's included. Food, a departure bath and daily play are built into some rates and extra at others.
The season. Peak and holiday rates, as in section 02.
So compare the whole stay, not the headline number. Ask for the total for your actual dates, your dog's size tier and anything extra your dog needs.
What a Kennel Will Ask Before Your Dog Stays
Expect to show vaccination records. In the ACT this is written into law: the mandatory code for overnight boarding says dogs must have had at least a C5 vaccination within the past 12 months, and cats at least an F3, with a current certificate before admission (ACT code DI2021-190). Outside the ACT, ask the kennel which vaccinations it needs when you book. If you're weighing titre testing against a booster, we cover what a titre test for dogs proves.
The same code has kennels record your vet's details and your dog's medical and feeding needs, so have them ready. If your dog has never boarded, ask whether the kennel offers a trial night before a long stay.
Wondering whether your pet insurance pays the kennel? Usually not, except in narrow emergencies. We explain where the line sits in does pet insurance cover boarding or daycare.
Need daytime care rather than overnight? Our guide to what doggy daycare costs covers the casual day and packs.
For Kennel and Cattery Owners Reading This
The figures above are what pet owners see when they compare you. Setting your own rates from your costs is a separate job, and our guide on how to price dog boarding and daycare walks through it. Every observation behind the dog figures is on the boarding price index.
How Petboost Helps
Petboost is our booking and payments software for Australian pet businesses, so weigh this part with that in mind.
Section 03's question, how many nights a stay came to, is one the software can answer for you. In Petboost, each Stay service has one Pricing Mode, Number of nights, Number of days or Duration-based 24-hour periods, and the stay invoice shows the count, such as 3 nights × your rate. Extended stay discounts work in every mode. Weekend, public holiday and peak rates apply per night and show as their own line in the owner's total when they book, rather than a surprise at pick-up.
You can see how boarding businesses run on Petboost on the pet boarding page, and plans on the pricing page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does dog boarding cost per night in Australia?
The measured median for a small dog in a standard kennel run is in the price index band at the top of this guide, read from 26 kennels' own price pages. Bigger dogs cost more, typically about $10 a night more for the top size tier, and peak dates add more again.
How much do kennels charge per day?
Most kennels quote one rate per day or per night, and for a standard stay it's the same number. The difference is counting: a "per calendar day" kennel charges both your drop-off and pick-up days, so a Friday to Monday stay is four days rather than three nights.
Is cat boarding cheaper than dog boarding?
Yes. Across 97 Australian catteries the median was $27 a night for one cat, and every kennel in that sample that published both rates charged less for the cat.
Why is dog boarding more expensive at Christmas?
Demand. At least 15 of the 26 kennels in our sample publish a peak or holiday rate, and some set a minimum stay of five to seven nights over Christmas and Easter. Book early and ask about both.
Does pet insurance cover dog boarding?
Routine boarding fees aren't a claim. Some policies pay kennel fees in narrow emergencies, such as an unexpected hospital stay. Our insurance guide has the detail.
Sources
