How often in a one year period do you increase your Rover Rates for Boarding/Daycare?

When you consider rates, it's important to note the value of what you're offering. Your profile shows a lot of unique & premium level benefits above that of many other sitters and boarding facilities - they just don't offer that, which is why some prices are dirt cheap.

(You're only taking care of one client at a time/not subjecting them to possible illnesses & injuries due to others, You don't have a pet or children competing for your time & attention, You're home full time/not working a job elsewhere, Dogs can relieve themselves whenever needed, You have a non-smoking home, Dogs allowed on furniture, Your husband cares for dogs too-there's 2 of you providing more care than the sitter to dog ratio of many other places, You'll cook chicken&rice for them ...)

Yes, it's a business decision to decide when to raise and how much. You also need to be fairly compensated. I'd suggest you may consider the perspective of what would you be willing to pay someone to care for one of your previous dogs like you care for others now.

I think increases go over better when they're not frequent, even if the hike is higher (i.e. about $9-10 every 2-3 years rather than smaller increments more regularly). You may choose to book some pups who you've known for a long time at a lower than published rate, but if I researched the cost of having someone in your area who offers the same level of service you provide, I'd bet it costs significantly more than your current rates, including your add-on rates (i.e. just $3/$4 additional for a large breed dog, or puppy, or holiday, or one night stay - guessing that would be much more; so you may consider raising those).

I've raised rates 1 time in the past 4 years for existing clients but raised them on Rover for new clients several times.

Raising rates for any services can be done at any time once you feel you deserve an increase in income. However, your dilemma is with your current client base, do I raise rates across the board or do I grandfather them at their current rates? If you raise rates frequently or even occasionally you may lose some of your current clients if their rates are raised, so it comes down to a business decision. Looking at your profile you have been a successful sitter with lots of great reviews so a few dollar bump probably will have little impact, but it's never easy to raise rates so best of luck in what you decide to do.

I've only raised my rates twice in all the years I've been on Rover. Right now, I'm at the higher end of the spectrum for my area, but certainly not the highest, and I hardly get any requests because there are so many people providing boarding in my area at dirt cheap rates. However, I don't do this for a living, only as a side thing, and really don't care if I am booked all the time. I do have clients from my own neighborhood, like you, that I sit for regularly off-Rover.

It is never a good idea to raise your rates on existing clients. I've kept my neighbors at a lower rate. But you may want to reevaluate your other rates, like holidays, for example, and puppies (only one dollar more for puppies?). Check around to boarding and daycare facilities in your area and see how they structure things.

I've raised my raise a couple times and having only been doing Rover for about 6 months. If you're just getting started, I would look at what others in your area are charging and come in a little under the average. This will help you begin to build a clientele and get some positive reviews. After some great reviews, you can raise them just a little bit, and continue doing so until you're where you'd like to be.

One thing to keep in mind, is your rates can go up, but you may get fewer new customers, it's important to let your current clients you're available to them.