Dog Boarding for the Holidays — How Far in Advance to Book

Traveling for the holidays? Skip to the booking timeline below, or use our facility finder to check availability in your area now.

Every year it's the same pattern: people start planning their Thanksgiving or Christmas trip in October, get the flights and the family plans sorted out, and only then think about the dog — right around the same time every other dog owner in town had the exact same idea. By the time they start calling boarding facilities, the good ones are already full.

Holiday boarding isn't like booking a random Tuesday in March. Demand spikes hard around a handful of specific weeks, and facilities that have plenty of open spots in September can be completely booked by Thanksgiving. Here's the actual timeline to work with.

The Holiday Booking Timeline

Thanksgiving — Book 4 to 6 Weeks Ahead

📅 Book by: mid-to-late October

Thanksgiving is a shorter travel window than Christmas, but it's the first major holiday of the season — and a lot of people underestimate how fast it fills. Facilities in college towns and near airports fill especially fast due to student and family travel overlapping the same week.

Christmas & New Year's — Book 6 to 8 Weeks Ahead

📅 Book by: early-to-mid November

The week spanning Christmas through New Year's is the single busiest boarding period of the entire year, every year, everywhere. Many well-reviewed facilities are completely full by Thanksgiving itself. If you only remember one date from this article, remember this one.

Spring Break & Summer Travel — Book 3 to 4 Weeks Ahead

📅 Book by: 3-4 weeks out

Spring break and peak summer weeks see a smaller but real spike in demand. Not quite as brutal as the winter holidays, but still worth booking earlier than you'd book a normal weekend.

Why Holiday Boarding Fills Up So Much Faster

A few things stack on top of each other during the holidays that don't happen the rest of the year:

Everyone travels the same specific days. Unlike vacations spread across the year, holiday travel clusters into the same handful of weeks for almost everyone.
Facilities often reduce capacity, not increase it. Staff want time off too, so some facilities run with fewer staff and fewer open kennels right when demand is highest.
Return clients book first. Many facilities let existing, regular clients reserve their spot for the holidays before opening booking to new customers — so if it's your first time with a facility, you're already behind returning clients.

Pro tip: If you know you travel for the holidays every year, ask your boarding facility in September or October whether they offer priority holiday booking for returning clients. Building that relationship before you need it is the easiest way to never worry about this again.

What Happens If You Wait Too Long

If you're reading this in November and haven't booked yet, you're not out of options — but your options change:

✓Call anyway and ask for the waitlist. Holiday cancellations happen — travel plans change for other families too.
✓Widen your search radius. A facility 30-40 minutes away may still have holiday openings when everything closer is full.
✓Check in-home pet sitters. Rover and Wag sitters often have more last-minute holiday flexibility than traditional kennels.
✓Ask your vet's office. Some veterinary clinics board for existing clients over the holidays, even at limited capacity.
✓Expect a holiday surcharge. Whatever you find, budget for a holiday rate — usually $5 to $20 more per night than standard pricing.

What to Confirm When You Book Holiday Boarding

Holiday drop-off and pickup hours — many facilities have shortened hours on the holiday itself, so confirm your exact drop-off/pickup window before you finalize travel plans.
Holiday pricing — ask upfront whether a surcharge applies, and for which specific dates, so there's no surprise at pickup.
Deposit and cancellation policy — most facilities require a deposit to hold a holiday spot, and cancellation windows are often stricter during peak season.
Vaccination records — confirm rabies, DHPP, and Bordetella are current well before your trip, not the week of.

Browse Dog Boarding by City

BestDogCareIn is a new directory of dog boarding facilities, launching city by city — check availability for your holiday dates before spots run out.

Find Boarding Near You →

Frequently Asked Questions

How far in advance should I book dog boarding for Thanksgiving?

4 to 6 weeks in advance for Thanksgiving, so by mid-to-late October. Thanksgiving is a shorter travel window than Christmas, but it's also the first major holiday of the season, so it fills up faster than most people expect.

How far in advance should I book dog boarding for Christmas and New Year's?

6 to 8 weeks in advance, meaning early-to-mid November at the latest. The week between Christmas and New Year's is the single busiest boarding period of the entire year — many facilities are fully booked by Thanksgiving itself.

What if I waited too long to book holiday dog boarding?

Call anyway and ask to be added to a cancellation waitlist — holiday cancellations do happen. Expand your search radius, check in-home pet sitters on Rover or Wag (they often have more last-minute flexibility), and ask your vet's office if they board over the holidays.

Do boarding facilities charge more during the holidays?

Many do — a holiday surcharge of $5 to $20 per night on top of standard rates is common, especially for the week spanning Christmas through New Year's. Ask about holiday pricing when you book, not at pickup.