What Pet Owners Are Searching For Online: Google Trends Insights on Pet Resort Services (2023–2025)

Ever wondered what pet parents are Googling before they walk through your doors? We analyzed Google Trends data from January 2023 to May 2025 for dog boarding, daycare, training and grooming, and the results are eye-opening. Some services dominate interest month after month, while others spike only during certain seasons. For a pet resort business like yours, this isn’t just fun trivia, it’s a roadmap to understanding customer demand, spotting trends, and turning those insights into more bookings and revenue. 

Let’s dive into the patterns of when and where interest is highest:

Search Behavior Trends

Across all pet resort services, we found three big takeaways:

• Seasonal Fluctuations: Searches spike around school holidays, summer travel, and pet adoption cycles.
• Local & Convenient: Pet parents lean heavily on “near me” searches and modifiers like “mobile” and “best.”
• High Buyer Intent: Transactional queries (“find,” “near me,” “best”) far outpace informational ones, showing that most searchers are ready to buy, book, or call.

Seasonal & Keyword Trends

Seasonality plays a major role across these services. For example, dog training sees seasonal highs in January (New Year’s resolutions), March (springtime behavior issues), and September (back-to-school schedule changes). Dog grooming peaks in spring and December, when families want pets looking their best. Boarding surges in summer and winter, tied to vacation travel. Daycare, by contrast, remains steady year-round with modest increases in spring and fall, suggesting it's less seasonal and more tied to consistent urban routines like commuting or hybrid work schedules. Despite having low volume, dog daycare shows stable demand, particularly in metro areas.

Another trend we noticed is the rise of “near me” searches. Pet owners aren’t just curious about services—they’re actively looking for providers nearby. In fact, across every category, transactional searches like “dog boarding near me” or “best dog groomer” far outweigh informational searches like “how often to groom a dog.” This highlights strong buyer intent: people aren’t just browsing, they’re ready to book.

We also observed growth in convenience-first searches like “mobile dog grooming” and bundled-service interest such as “board and train.” This reflects a growing demand for easy, all-in-one solutions.

Service-by-Service Insights

Dog Boarding: Highly seasonal, with demand tied to travel periods. Nearly all queries are transactional (“boarding kennels near me,” “best dog boarding”), which makes this one of the highest-intent terms for conversions.

Dog Daycare: Smallest search volume, but steady in cities. Search intent is mixed, with transactional (“dog daycare near me”) and informational/job-seeking queries. For metro businesses, daycare remains a niche but steady opportunity.

Dog Training: The most resilient of all services, Dog Training always ranks higher than the others, even during lulls. With its mix of transactional queries (“puppy training near me”) and informational searches (“how to stop barking”), training offers both direct conversion opportunities and content marketing potential.

Dog Grooming: Steady and seasonal, making it perfect for timed promotions around shedding season and holidays. Most searches are local and transactional, though there’s room for how-to content too.

Regional Patterns

Regional data reveals clear patterns in where each pet service shines. Dog training is strongest in states like Colorado, Montana, and Alaska, indicating broad interest in obedience and behavior support, possibly driven by active lifestyles and a high value placed on well-behaved pets. Dog grooming shows high demand in Wyoming, Iowa, and Alaska, where routine upkeep and the appeal of mobile grooming services likely play a role. Dog boarding stands out in Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota, regions where rural geography and frequent travel make longer-term care essential.

Dog daycare, on the other hand, doesn’t spike by state but appears to thrive in urban and metro areas where busy schedules and smaller living spaces drive daily care needs. Its consistency suggests a dependable baseline of demand, particularly in cities where pet owners rely on daycare as part of their everyday routine.

Across all categories, one insight stands out: search intent is overwhelmingly transactional. Pet parents aren’t just searching out of curiosity; they’re looking for services to book now. For a pet business like yours,  this means visibility in local organic search results and map listings is more valuable than ever - showing up in local search results, highlighting convenience, and running seasonal promotions can make the difference between being found or being overlooked.

Don’t worry, we’ve translated the trends into easy-to-follow tips that pet resort owners can put to work right away to drive bookings and boost revenue.

Time Your Marketing Around Seasonal Spikes

• Dog Boarding: Run early-bird booking campaigns in May–June and November–December when search interest spikes (vacations and holidays).
• Dog Daycare: Focus on spring and fall campaigns (March–April and September) when slight upticks suggest renewed routines and schedule shifts. Keep messaging consistent year-round to reflect its steady, everyday role for urban pet parents.
• Dog Training: Leverage New Year’s resolutions in January (“new year, better behavior”) and back-to-school routines in September.
• Dog Grooming: Promote spring cleaning packages in April/May and holiday grooming specials in November/December.

Why it works: You’re matching your Google ads, social posts, and offers to the exact times pet owners are actively searching.

Own the “Near Me” Search

Searches with “near me” are exploding across all pet care services. If you’re not optimized for local SEO, you’re leaving money on the table.

• Claim & update your Google Business Profile with accurate hours, services, and high-quality photos.
• Focus your service page content on local relevance - mention neighborhoods, landmarks, or cities you serve.
• Encourage reviews and testimonials, as they directly impact your visibility in local search results.

Why it works: Over 80% of grooming and boarding searches show immediate buyer intent like pet parents who are ready to book nearby providers. Training also carries strong local intent with terms like “puppy training near me” and “service dog training near me,” making it ideal for geo-targeted campaigns. Daycare, while slightly lower in national volume, shows consistent “near me” behavior in metro areas where convenience and commute-friendly care matter most.

Tap Into the “Convenience Economy”

Rising searches for “mobile dog grooming” and bundled services (boarding + training) show that pet parents want easy, one-stop solutions.

• Test add-on bundles (e.g., “Board & Train”, “daycare and training” packages).
• Explore mobile or pick-up/drop-off services if feasible.
• Highlight convenience features in your marketing (flexible hours, easy booking, online payment).

Use Content to Convert (Especially for Training)

Dog Training searches split evenly between transactional (“classes near me”) and informational (“how to stop barking”). That’s a golden opportunity.

• Publish blogs and how-to videos targeting common questions.
• Gate some content with email signups to nurture leads.
• Always pair tips with a clear call-to-action (book a session, join a class).

Why it works: You’re catching pet owners when they have a problem to solve  AND when they’re ready to buy.

Go Hyperlocal With Daycare

Dog Daycare searches are low nationally, but steady in urban/metro areas. That means opportunity if you’re in the right market.

• Run geo-targeted ads in your city or zip code on SEO + local Facebook/Google Ads
• Partner with local apartment complexes, dog parks, and vet clinics.
• Create “day in the life” social reels to show busy pet parents the value.

At the end of the day, the search behaviour couldn’t be clearer: Pet owners are telling us exactly what they want through search trends: local, trusted, and convenient pet care. Businesses that meet those needs will have the edge in this competitive market. 

If you’re ready to put these insights into action, we can help. Our team specializes in pet resort marketing and has helped hundreds of pet resorts across the U.S. turn search trends into more bookings, stronger visibility, and higher revenue. 

Ready to get started? Book a free consultation today and let’s make sure your business is the one pet parents find first.

A digital marketing strategist and lifelong entrepreneur, Mark Sherman is also the Founder & President of Nehmedia, Inc. | Pet Resort Marketing and My Pets Text™.