Every pet-care pro knows this moment: the lobby is quiet, everything's on schedule—and then the 9:00 a.m. crowd hits like a tidal wave of paws, leashes, and pet-parent questions.
That 45th golden retriever on a maxed-out 40-dog day arrives as sweet as pie. But once he trots through the door, your staff scrambles for space—and patience.
Days like these remind us why capacity limits matter. Gingr's capacity tools are part of our approach to help pet-care businesses optimize operations, plan smarter, and book more confidently.
Avoiding overbooking doesn't always have to mean turning pets away. With Gingr's automated capacity management, you can set limits that protect your team, clients, and business without sacrificing flexibility.
This beginner guide is perfect for Admins ready to prevent overwhelm and design a workflow that works. Because the best care happens when your team has room to breathe and time to devote to each pet's needs.
If you're getting started with Gingr's pet-care business software, this guide is your go-to for setting up capacity correctly—from daily limits to smart overrides. Gingr's tools help you stay in that sweet spot: maximized bookings without maxed-out stress.
Before you begin: You'll need to be in the Admin user group to access capacity management tools. We also recommend setting limits slightly above your actual physical max to allow flexibility for cancellations or last-minute adds.
Think of this as your facility's overall "headcount" for pets. It's the max number of animals you allow on-site at one time. Once you hit this number, Gingr automatically stops allowing reservations from the customer portal.
Pro Tip: If your real maximum is 100 pets, consider setting your limit to 110 to allow for flexibility.
Not all lodgings are created equal. Your small-dog room probably shouldn't hold the same number of guests as your large-dog suites. Lodging capacity settings let you define how many animals (or how much weight) each lodging can accommodate.
Heads-Up! Staff can override Lodging limits, so they act more like guidelines than hard stops.
Sometimes, holidays, school breaks, and seasonal surges require more wiggle room than your default settings allow. With Gingr, you can temporarily override your location's standard capacity for a specific day.
After the date passes, Gingr resets to your usual limits. No cleanup required.
Need to adjust a previously set capacity for an upcoming busy day? No problem.
Easy peasy! No rebooking or canceling required.
Capacity Groups give you granular control by setting shared limits across multiple reservation types or services. For example, if you offer daycare as a standalone reservation and add-on, you can group them together to prevent overbooking.
Note: Avoid using Capacity Groups for reservation types that already use lodging-based capacity.
Do you need to limit the number of dogs with behavioral flags or special needs booked each day? You can assign capacity limits to specific Animal Icons, giving you even more control.
This feature is a favorite for teams who want to manage reactive pets or tailor staffing levels.
Seeing is believing—and managing capacity is easier when you can see your availability at a glance. The Availability Calendar shows daily reservation capacity, with visual indicators for open and full dates.
Whether you show it to your team or your customers (or both), the calendar helps everyone stay informed.
Permissions give you control over who can override limits and how overbook requests are handled.
Key Permissions:
System-Wide Setting:
Use these settings to tailor your team's workflow while protecting your limits.
Ready to take action? Gingr makes configuring your capacity settings easy and getting your whole team on the same page.
Here's how to start:
With the right settings in place, you'll boost operational efficiency, prevent overbooking chaos, and provide better care—one reservation at a time.
Capacity management in Gingr isn't just about saying no. It's about saying YES to better planning, safer pet care, and smoother operations. Whether you're managing one busy facility or several, these tools help you:
Your pet-care management software should make your day easier. That's why our capacity tools are intuitive, customizable, and built to grow with your business. Ready to optimize operations? Book your demo today!