Pet services
Books and taxes for dog agility and sport training facilities.
Class series packs, drop-in ring rental, weekend trial entry fees, and weave poles and contact equipment that take a real beating. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
October came in at $9,600. You hosted a weekend trial this month, so I kept entry fees and judge and worker pay apart from your regular class income.
- Class series pack, SquareClass packs
- Trial entry feesHosted trial revenue
- Clean Run equipment orderAgility equipment
- Judge and trial worker payTrial event costs
- Coaching staff payrollStaff wages
Why your books are different
Dog agility facility books go wrong in the same four places.
A generalist sees class fees and an equipment order. Your business is class packs sold ahead of the sessions, occasional trials that bring in entry fees and real event costs, and equipment that wears out fast under real use. The books need to track all of it.
-
1
Class packs get counted the day they sell
A student buys a six-week class series up front, and if the whole payment counts as this month's income, the weeks the classes actually run look weaker than they are.
What we doCounts class sessions as they happen, so income lines up with the weeks of instruction actually delivered. -
2
Hosted trials get mixed into regular class income
A weekend trial brings in entry fees, judge pay, and worker costs all at once, and if that gets blended with your weekly class revenue, you cannot tell whether hosting trials is actually worth the extra work.
What we doKeeps trial entry fees and event costs in their own category, separate from class income, so you know if hosting trials pays off. -
3
Equipment replacement gets treated as a routine expense
Weave poles, contact equipment, and tunnels take real wear from daily use, and if a full equipment replacement gets filed the same as buying treats, that purchase distorts a month and hides how equipment should really be written off.
What we doFlags agility equipment purchases separately from consumables, so replacements get logged and written off the way they should be. -
4
Drop-in ring rental blurs into class enrollment
Members who rent ring time to practice on their own pay differently than students enrolled in a class series, but if both land in one category, you cannot see which part of the business is actually driving revenue.
What we doKeeps drop-in ring rental separate from class pack enrollment, so you can see what each part of the business earns.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a dog agility and sport training facility.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Class packsMulti-week series enrollment, counted as sessions run.
- Drop-in ring rentalMembers practicing on their own time, paid by the hour.
- Hosted trial revenueEntry fees from weekend trials run at your facility.
- Private coachingOne-on-one sessions booked outside group classes.
Money out
- Agility equipmentWeave poles, contact equipment, and tunnels, tracked apart from consumables.
- Trial event costsJudge pay, trial workers, and event supplies for hosted trials.
- Staff wagesInstructors paid through payroll for classes and coaching.
- Facility rent and utilitiesTraining building, turf or matting, and climate control.
- InsuranceLiability coverage for dogs and handlers on the equipment.
- MarketingLocal ads, sport club outreach, and social content.
What we watch for you
- Pack balance
Class sessions clients paid for but have not yet attended, so you know what instruction is still owed.
- Trial profitability
Entry fees against judge and worker costs, to see if hosting trials is actually worth it.
- Ring rental share
How much revenue comes from drop-in practice time versus enrolled classes.
- Equipment replacement cost
What keeping the course in good repair costs each year, tracked apart from routine supplies.
Ask Gus
Things dog agility facility owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
No, I keep trial entry fees and the judge and worker pay that goes with it in their own category, so you can see if hosting trials is actually worth the extra work.
I logged it as agility equipment, kept apart from routine supplies, so it is flagged for the accountant to look at how it gets written off.
Bring the accountant in on that one. A second building changes your rent, equipment, and staffing costs enough that it is worth planning ahead of time.
The tax side
The tax side of a dog agility and sport training facility.
Equipment and hosted trials are the two things that matter most for a business built around a training course.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Agility equipment as a real assetContact equipment, tunnels, and weave poles can often be written off in the year you buy them, with Section 179 expensing available up to $2,560,000.
- Class pack income counted as deliveredA prepaid class series is not fully earned the day it sells. Gus tracks the balance so income reflects sessions actually taught.
- Hosted trials and worker payJudges and trial workers paid for a weekend event are generally treated as independent contractors for that one-time engagement, though the details depend on how the arrangement is structured.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when class, rental, and trial revenue are tracked accurately all year.
Deductions dog agility and sport training facilities miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Weave poles and contact equipment
- Tunnels and jump bars
- Ring matting and flooring
- Facility rent and utilities
- Liability insurance
- Trial judge and worker pay
- Booking software subscription
- Instructor certifications
- Local advertising
- Sport club membership fees
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A dog agility facility year, kept every month.
Trial season and class enrollment shift with the calendar, and your taxes come on a schedule of their own. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, and a monthly set-aside is planned around your class and trial calendar.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Midyear check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer trial season changed the number.
- October
Before winter classes
Indoor class enrollment often picks up as outdoor training gets harder. Gus looks at equipment worth buying before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for dog agility and sport training facilities. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions dog agility facility owners ask first.
Does hosting a trial get counted the same as regular class revenue?
No. Entry fees and the judge and worker costs that come with a trial stay in their own category, so you can see clearly whether hosting trials is actually worth the extra effort compared to your regular classes.
Can I write off a full replacement of the weave poles or contact equipment?
Usually yes, often in the year you buy it. Gus logs agility equipment separately from routine supplies so the accountant can decide how it gets written off.
When does a class pack actually count as income?
As the sessions get taught, not the day the pack is purchased. That keeps a strong enrollment week from making your books look better than the instruction you have actually delivered.
We rent ring time to members who train on their own. Does that need its own category?
Yes, Gus keeps drop-in ring rental separate from class pack revenue, so you can see how much each part of the business actually contributes.
My books have never separated trials from regular classes. Can that change?
Yes. Send your bank statements and Gus starts sorting trial revenue and event costs apart from class income going forward. Most owners get a clear picture within a season or two.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in pet services
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Canine fitness & dog swimming pools
- Canine massage & rehab
- Cat groomers
- Dog behaviorists
- Invisible & electric dog fence installers
- Off-leash dog parks with bars
- Pet cremation & aftercare
- Pet photographers
- Pet relocation services (international)
- Pet taxi & pet transport
- Protection dog trainers
- Service dog trainers
- Board-and-train programs
- Dog trainers
- Dog walkers
- Luxury pet resorts
- Pet sitters
- Pet waste removal
- Dog boarding kennels
- Dog daycares
- Dog grooming salons
- Mobile dog groomers
- Aquarium & tropical fish stores
- Bird shops & aviaries
- Cat breeders
- Freeze-dried pet treat makers
- Licensed dog breeders
- Pet treat bakeries
- Raw pet food brands & stores
- Reptile shops & breeders
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever