General Questions
What are courses in Petboost?
Courses are structured, multi-session training programs that run over a fixed schedule. They allow you to offer group classes like puppy schools, obedience training, and specialized workshops with multiple pets enrolled together.
What's the difference between a course template and a course instance?
Course Template:
Blueprint for your standard programs (e.g., "Puppy School 6-Week Program")
Defines structure, capacity, recurrence, and number of lessons
Reusable for creating multiple courses
Part of your course catalog
Course Instance:
Specific scheduled course with real dates
Created from a template
Has enrolled pets and assigned instructor
Actual class that runs on specific dates
How many pets can I enroll in a course?
Capacity is set in the course template and can be customized when publishing each instance. Typical capacities:
Small classes: 4-6 pets
Medium classes: 8-10 pets
Large classes: 12+ pets
Consider instructor experience, space size, and training complexity when setting capacity.
Creating and Publishing Courses
How do I create a new course?
Go to Courses → New → Publish New Course and follow the 3-step process:
Course Setup: Choose template, instructor, and location
Scheduling: Set start date, time, and review lesson schedule
Review: Confirm details and publish
The course is immediately available for enrollments after publishing.
Can I modify a course after publishing?
Before the course starts (Upcoming):
Yes, you can modify schedule, instructor, and location freely
Changes don't affect enrolled pets yet
After the course starts (In Progress):
Can modify future lessons only
Past lessons cannot be changed
Communicate all changes to enrolled customers
After the course completes:
No modifications possible
Course remains as historical record
What if the instructor isn't available on some dates?
You have several options:
Edit individual lessons - Change dates for conflicting lessons
Choose different start date - Avoid the conflict from the beginning
Assign different instructor - Change to available team member
Skip lessons - Remove conflicting sessions (adjust total lesson count)
Can I run multiple instances of the same course?
Yes! You can publish multiple instances of the same template:
Different days - Monday class and Thursday class
Different times - Morning and evening sessions
Different instructors - Scale capacity with multiple teachers
Different locations - Offer courses at multiple facilities
Example: "Puppy School" template can become 3 separate Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday classes.
Enrollments
How do I enroll pets in a course?
Go to Courses → New → Enrol pet(s), then:
Select Owner & Pets - Search for customer
Choose Course - Pick from available courses
Add Notes - Include any special information
Confirm - Complete enrollment
The pet is enrolled for all lessons in the course.
Why can't I enroll a pet in a course?
Common reasons:
Course at full capacity - No spaces remaining
Pet ineligible - Doesn't meet age/breed/service requirements
Course not available - Already started or completed
Service restrictions - Pet doesn't qualify for associated service
Can pets from the same owner enroll together?
Yes! Multiple pets from the same customer can enroll in the same course if:
All pets meet eligibility requirements
Sufficient capacity remains
Customer can manage multiple pets
Instructor approves (for behavior considerations)
What happens if a pet misses a lesson?
Tracking:
Note the absence in attendance records
Update course notepad with reason if known
Follow up with customer
Make-up options:
Depending on your policy, may offer:
Private catch-up session
Join another course's equivalent lesson
Video/material review
No make-up (included in course terms)
Define your make-up policy clearly when selling courses.
Can I remove a pet from an enrolled course?
Contact support for the current process. Typical considerations:
Refund policy - Full, partial, or no refund
Timing - Before start vs. after start
Course capacity - Opens space for another pet
Communication - Notify customer of changes
Course Management
How do I track attendance?
During each lesson:
Open the course detail view
Navigate to the specific lesson
Mark pets as present or absent
Add notes about the lesson
Attendance tracking helps monitor engagement and follow up on absences.
What is the Course Notepad for?
The Course Notepad is for recording:
Lesson observations - How the class went
Individual pet progress - Milestones and challenges
Group dynamics - How pets interact
Customer feedback - Questions or concerns
Incident notes - Any issues that occurred
Training achievements - Successes to celebrate
These notes help improve future courses and communicate with customers.
What are "Temporarily Reserved Places"?
Temporary holds on course capacity that:
Prevent overbooking during enrollment
Expire after set time if not confirmed
Don't count as enrolled yet
Release automatically when expired
Common scenarios:
Customer considering enrollment
Payment processing in progress
Administrative holds for special cases
How do I know when a course is starting?
Indicators:
Course status changes to "In Progress" on first lesson date
"Next Lesson" highlights the upcoming class
Reminder notifications (if configured)
Calendar shows course lessons
Best practice: Check your courses dashboard regularly, especially before lesson days.
Can I cancel a course?
Yes, though it's better to plan carefully to avoid cancellations:
Before starting:
Less disruptive to customers
Easier to handle refunds
Can notify all enrolled customers
After starting:
More complex with partial refunds
Some lessons already delivered
Customer satisfaction concerns
Always communicate clearly and handle any refunds per your policy.
Capacity and Scheduling
How do I handle waitlists?
While there isn't a built-in waitlist feature yet:
Note interested customers - Keep manual records
Publish additional session - If demand is high
Contact when space opens - If a pet cancels
Plan future courses - Based on waitlist demand
What if I need to change the schedule?
For upcoming courses:
Edit lesson dates in the scheduling view
Communicate changes to enrolled customers
Verify instructor and resource availability
Update promotional materials
For in-progress courses:
Only modify future lessons
Communicate changes immediately
Consider customer commitments
Document reason for change
How do I manage holidays and closures?
During course creation:
Review lesson schedule for holidays
Skip or reschedule conflicting dates
Adjust individual lesson dates as needed
For existing courses:
Modify future lessons to avoid closure
Notify enrolled customers early
Extend course end date if needed
Integration Questions
How do courses work with services?
Courses are built on service foundations:
Associated service - Defines eligibility requirements
Age restrictions - Inherited from service configuration
Breed restrictions - Based on service settings
Pricing - Course pricing overrides per-session pricing
Pets must be eligible for the underlying service to enroll in the course.
How do team members work with courses?
Instructors:
Must be team members with service permissions
Checked for availability when creating courses
Can be assigned to multiple courses if capacity allows
Have access based on their role permissions
How do resources work with courses?
Locations:
Can be pre-saved resources or manual addresses
Pre-saved locations check availability automatically
Must have adequate capacity for course
Working hours affect scheduling options
Pricing and Payment
How is course pricing handled?
Course pricing is:
Set in the course template
Typically one price for entire course (not per lesson)
Customer pays full course fee upon enrollment
More economical than individual sessions
Example: 6-week course at $300 vs. $60/lesson = $360 (saves customers $60)
Can I offer discounts on courses?
Pricing and discount management:
Set base price in course template
Apply manual discounts during enrollment (contact support for current process)
Consider early-bird pricing for advance enrollments
Offer multi-pet discounts for same-owner enrollments
Troubleshooting
"Course not appearing in list"
Check:
Course status (Upcoming/In Progress/Completed)
Filter settings on courses page
Course hasn't been archived
You have permission to view courses
"Can't publish new course"
Verify:
Template exists and is configured
Team member has availability
Location/resource is available
You have permission to create courses
"Enrollment failing"
Common causes:
Course at full capacity
Pet doesn't meet eligibility requirements
Course already started or completed
System permissions issue
"Lesson dates not generating correctly"
Review:
Recurrence pattern in template
Start date selection
Number of lessons configured
Holiday/closure settings
Best Practices
How often should I run courses?
Depends on demand and capacity:
High demand - Run continuously with multiple sessions
Moderate demand - Quarterly or seasonal offerings
Specialized programs - As needed based on interest
Monitor enrollment rates to optimize frequency.
How far in advance should I publish courses?
Recommended timeline:
Publish: 3-4 weeks before start date
Marketing: Begin 4-6 weeks ahead
Enrollments: Open 2-4 weeks ahead
Preparation: 1 week final prep
This gives customers time to plan and commit while maintaining momentum.
What size class works best?
Factors to consider:
Instructor experience: New instructors start with smaller classes
Training complexity: Advanced skills need smaller groups
Space constraints: Physical room limitations
Safety: More control with fewer pets
Profitability: Balance quality with revenue
Start conservative and adjust based on success.
Still Have Questions?
If you can't find the answer to your question here, contact support or click the "Get Help" button in your dashboard to chat with our team.
Next Steps
Course Management
Getting Started with Courses - Understand course structure and templates
Publishing Courses - Create new course instances
Managing Enrollments - Enroll pets and manage class capacity
Course Lifecycle - Track progress and manage active courses
Service and Team Setup
Services - Configure course templates and eligibility
Team Members - Assign instructors and manage capacity
Resources - Set up course locations and facilities
Customer Management
Customer Profiles - Manage enrolled pet owners
Pet Profiles - Track individual pet progress
Appointments - View course lessons as appointments
Settings and Configuration
Settings - Account configuration
Booking Settings - Course booking rules
Notifications - Course communication settings
Pro Automations - Automated course workflows
Troubleshooting Navigation
Common Issues and Solutions
"Course not appearing in list"
Check Courses for course status
Verify filter settings and permissions
Review Course Management for configuration
"Can't publish new course"
Check Services for template configuration
Verify Team Members for availability
Review Resources for location setup
"Enrollment failing"
Check Courses for course capacity
Verify Pet Profiles for eligibility
Review Service Configuration for requirements
"Lesson dates not generating correctly"
Check Services for recurrence patterns
Verify Course Management for scheduling
Review Team Member Availability for availability
Documentation Sections
Getting Started with Courses - Understand course structure and templates
Publishing Courses - Create new course instances
Managing Enrollments - Enroll pets and manage class capacity
Course Lifecycle - Track progress and manage active courses
Need help? Contact support or click the "Get Help" button in your dashboard to chat with our team.