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Dog Day Care Services from Central Bark®
Dog Day Care. Reimagined.
There’s no bond like the one you share with your furry best friend. But our human lifestyles can make it challenging to fulfill all of our dogs’ needs to stay healthy and happy. This can lead to issues at home, from loneliness and boredom to weight gain, anxiety, and undesirable behaviors.
Central Bark’s Enrichment Dog Day Care gives your dog a place to play and learn in a safe and loving environment. With socialization, mental stimulation, and physical exercise, their minds and bodies need to stay healthy and happy for a lifetime.
Our focus on canine enrichment aims to enhance your dog’s overall quality of life. Through fun and rewarding activities that encourage them to use their senses to problem solve, learn new skills, and gain confidence. You can have peace of mind knowing that your dog is having a great day with all of their friends. Enrichment Dog Day Care is our specialty, and nobody does it quite like us.
Services, options, and prices vary by store. Visit your location for details.
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Available Services and Pricing
A Healthy, Balanced Day in Our Dog Day Care Center
Enrichment Dog Day Care provides a healthy balance of play, exercise, socialization, learning, rest, and TLC. We tailor each day to your dog’s individual needs and preferences. To nurture their bodies, minds, and senses so that you can enjoy a healthy, happy, calm, and well-rounded dog at home.
- Play, Exercise, and Socialization – Exercise helps your dog maintain a healthy weight and muscle tone. It helps to improve their mood and provide a healthy outlet for their physical and mental energy. This means they can be more relaxed at home. Positive experiences with new humans, new dogs, and new environments help create happy dogs who are well-rounded and well-socialized. We offer both small and large playgroups in indoor and outdoor play areas where your dog can enjoy the social environment that’s right for their age, personality, and comfort level.
- Rest – When dogs play and socialize, the opportunity to rest, relax, and recharge is vital for their physical, mental, and emotional health. Our daily schedule aims to help dogs avoid unhealthy overstimulation and achieve the right balance of rest, play, and learning.
- Learning – Dogs learn from humans and other dogs – along with our guidance, dogs are always teaching each other what is and isn’t appropriate social behavior. Our highly trained staff use positive training techniques to promote safe play and help your dog practice healthy social behaviors while at day care.
- Love – Your dog will become part of our family and get all the love and attention they need while you’re away. We develop a bond with your dog to help them feel comfortable and confident. With regular attendance, we get to know your dog’s personality, needs, and preferences. We are better able to recognize things that might otherwise go unnoticed, like moods, behavioral changes, or even health issues.
Commitment to Safety
Our #1 priority is the safety and well-being of our guests. As dog parents ourselves, we take great pride in treating every dog as our own. And we are committed to providing a healthy and safe environment for everyone that enters our facility.
Central Bark Dog Day Care Features
Small Group Play
Small and flexible playgroups allow us to match your dog with the social atmosphere and play schedule they can enjoy and benefit from most. This helps give them a healthy balance of play, rest, and learning and creates a safer social environment with a better quality of play. Our lower dog-to-staff ratios offer more individual attention, education, and love.
Group Play Skills
Interactive group activities and positive reinforcement help dogs practice important skills like name recall, and behaviors like group sit and calmly going in and out of doors and gates. These activities are fun and rewarding for your dog and help improve behavior and impulse control, prevent overstimulation, and create a safer social environment.
Rest Period Enrichment
Your dog gets to relax and recharge in their own private space with calming interactive toys and healthy food pairings tailored to their preferences and diet. It promotes physical and mental relaxation which can help them achieve a healthy balance of play, learning, and rest. It can also help them become more comfortable in crates by building positive associations.
One-on-One Enrichment
Personalized One-on-One Enrichment sessions give your dog the extra attention they love and the freedom to use their senses and safely explore their instincts through interactive toys, puzzles, and games. It’s fun and rewarding and exercise their bodies and minds and engage their senses. Add complexity with fitness and agility equipment.
Canine Cab Shuttle Service
Our Canine Cab shuttle service offers safe and convenient pick-up and drop-off services to help you get your dog to and from their day at day care. Also, we can make deliveries for market purchases. This service can be scheduled as part of your package or arranged on an as-needed basis.
*Available at participating locations.
Photo Gallery
Kristy M Super friendly and professional. Highly recommended. Our pup had a fabulous first day!
Lynn. A Ellie's recent stayover was the longest thus far, and I felt such a peace knowing that Ellie was in the best of hands!! I was comfortable mostly because I know how much she enjoys her daycare days. She loves it!! I'm so happy that Central Bark West Columbia is in [...]
Katie M. Our sweet Leo absolutely loves his daycare days. The staff is always friendly and have been helpful with any questions I’ve had. We are so happy we found a place that’s safe for our pup when we can’t be with him.
Megan J. Rosie had her first ever Spa Day! She smelled so good and she felt so soft after her bath! I can’t wait for her to go again. Elizabeth did a wonderful job!
Rachel I. Central Bark is by far the best place to take your fur baby. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and love all the pets as their own. Thank you Central Bark!!!!
Alicia L This is the only place we will leave our furbaby when traveling. It is very clean and our furbaby gets so excited when we pull up!
Sheila T. The staff is amazing, and Otto has a good time...he's always smiling in the pictures!
Lynn R. Central Bark staff work with your dog's personality to acclimate them to the environment. Our Maggie is very timid, and they worked with her so that now she plays with the other dogs. She is worn out for the evening and the next day. Thank you, Central Bark!
Jennifer F. This is an amazing place to send your furry friends! Our pup Mahogany (Huggy) gets so excited every time we pull in to the parking lot. He always comes home happy & pooped out! The staff is friendly and just as excited to see Huggy as he is to see [...]
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s a Behavior Assessment and why is it important?
As part of joining the Central Bark® family, our expert staff conducts a thorough behavior assessment at your local Central Bark store. These assessments help ensure that your dog is placed with a playgroup they’re comfortable with so they can play safely every day they’re with us.
This four-day evaluation, while your dog participates in our Enrichment Day Care, assesses your dog’s:
- Comfort and social skills with people
- Social skills and playstyle with other dogs to help determine the playgroup and play schedule they can benefit from the most
- Comfort in both indoor and outdoor play spaces
- Comfort in rest areas and a crate
- Ability to share resources like water and toys in social settings
- Level of comfort taking treats in social settings
This process gives us a chance to get to know you and your dog while your dog gets acquainted with their new favorite place away from home. Through the entire four days, your dog’s comfort and safety is our top priority.
Once your pup passes all the behavior assessment elements, you are welcome to sign up for any of our daycare services or a sleepover!
To schedule a Behavior Assessment for your dog, please contact your local store.
NOTE: Please bring all required signed forms, vaccination proof, and a collar and leash for your behavior assessment.
How to choose the best day care for your dog
Selecting the right doggy day care is an important decision for you and your family. You want to make sure you find the right fit for your dog and your family’s needs. Follow these tips to find the perfect place for your pup!
Tour the day care center before leaving your dog there. We recommend visiting several centers in your area before making a final decision.
While you’re there, ask yourself:
- Is the play space clean, odor-free, comfortable, and safe for the center’s stated capacity?
- Pay attention to how the management and staff treat you, your dog, and the dogs in their care. Are they mature, knowledgeable, courteous, professional, and patient at all times?
- Note how the dogs respond to the staff – do they seem happy, relaxed, and excited? How do staff members greet and treat each dog?
- How do other dogs act during your visit – relaxed, happy, stressed, scared, or out of control?
- Is there a great deal of noise?
- Does the facility seem well organized and equipped with essential tools and supplies? Look for access to fresh, clean water, sanitation tools, ready access to treats to reinforce good behavior in playgroups, toys, secure fencing, rubber flooring in the inside play spaces, and access to outdoor play spaces.
- Are there enough crates for every dog on-site in case of an emergency?
- Are the dogs ever left alone together without a staff member present?
- Are the handlers engaged with the dogs in their care and actively working with them? Or are they sitting on the sidelines?
Questions to ask the doggy day care provider:
- Will my dog get individual attention time with staff?
Ask if staff will have time to work individually with your dog on behaviors, play with them, and give them support and love while at day care. - Are there small group play options?
Small playgroup options help ensure your dog will have a social environment that allows them the freedom and comfort to thrive based on their unique needs, preferences, and play styles. - What’s the daily schedule? Is this tailored to my dog’s unique needs and preferences?
Dogs thrive on routine, so the center should have a clear schedule for how things run every day. A consistent program tailored to your dog’s individual needs and style will promote a healthy and happy dog. - Are there regularly scheduled playtimes and nap times throughout the day?
Day care should offer your dog a safe and balanced day of play, learning, rest, and love so you can look forward to a happy, well-balanced dog at the end of every day. - How and where are the dogs’ given downtime to wind down from the day’s activities to help prevent exhaustion and overstimulation?
Maintaining a healthy balance of rest and play is important for the physical, mental, and social health of dogs. Just like human athletes, rest helps dogs avoid bodily injury and provides a space for them to unwind, so they do not become over-stimulated or over-aroused during play. This creates a much safer social environment for dogs. - Are there fenced and secure outdoor play areas?
Safe outdoor areas are important for a healthy, fun playtime. Whether it is romping in the snow or playing in swimming pools, everyone loves recess outside! - How are new dog introductions handled?
The center should clearly outline their procedures around new dog introductions, with effective policies that encourage happy, healthy, and lasting relationships and experiences. - What training does the staff receive?
Doggy day care staff should be professionally trained and educated in animal behavior, socialization, and obedience training to ensure every dog’s well-being. - Are the dogs supervised at all times?
A trained staff member should ALWAYS supervise dogs. - Ask about behavior management tools used at the facility while caring for the dogs. What happens if your dog does something right? What happens if your dog does something wrong?
Staff should use positive reinforcement and reward-based techniques to develop and reinforce behaviors that will enrich dogs’ lives at home and day care. Avoid centers that use punishment or correction to manage dog’s behavior as those techniques can create negative associations and fear. Utilizing reward-based techniques and positive reinforcement, on the other hand, can help build healthy relationships and happy experiences. - What provisions are there for avoiding dog scuffles?
Ask staff how they manage the dogs in their care. What do they look for in dog-dog interactions? How do they deal with emergencies and scuffles? How do they interrupt and redirect dogs? How do they build useful playgroup skills to keep the dogs safe proactively? Pay attention to how staff redirects dogs who need additional support to stay safe and whether they respond promptly and use effective strategies in these situations. - Is there an in-depth interview to determine relevant background, behavioral, and health information including confirmation of spay/neuter, proof of vaccinations, flea and tick prevention, etc.? How is this information kept up to date?
Find out what kind of assessments and evaluations the center uses before they accept a new dog. Also, every dog’s information should be regularly updated and kept on file to prevent illness and injuries. - Do they have safety, cleaning, and disinfecting policies and procedures? What are they?
Do I need to bring bedding, toys, or treats for my dog?
Nope! We got you covered! Most dogs will not need any bedding for a single day of day care. If your dog is boarding with us, see our Sleepover Guidelines. As far as treats and toys, we have plenty! Please ask about which toy and treat products are available.
Are there outdoor play areas?
Central Bark® has outdoor facilities complete with swimming pools and cooling systems for the summer.
Central Bark Whole Dog Care
Our Whole Dog Care approach offers a full range of fun and personalized products and services to promote your dog’s physical, mental, and emotional health and happiness throughout their entire life.