Happy.
Whole.
Welcome to Central Bark® Fort Lauderdale
Your bond with your furry best friend is special. You want the best for them, but it’s not always easy. That’s where Central Bark comes in. Trust us to take care of your dog, so they stay healthy, happy, and well-rounded.
When you bring your dog to Central Bark Fort Lauderdale, you’ll feel at ease. They’ll have a blast with their buddies in a safe, loving place. We proudly serve our local communities: Fort Lauderdale, Oakland Park, and Wilton Manors.
Furthermore, our whole dog care approach looks out for your dog’s overall health and happiness. We call this approach Enrichment Dog Day Care. We also offer dog boarding, grooming, training, and more. It’s all about you and your dog living your best lives.
We know your dog is family. We’re dog parents too, so we treat each dog like our own. That’s why your pup will be in great hands here!
Central Bark
Fort Lauderdale
3699 N Dixie Hwy,
Oakland Park, FL 33334Get Directions
ftlauderdale@centralbarkusa.com
Open Today 7:00 AM – 6:30 PM
Enroll NowTour Our Facility!
Central Bark Fort Lauderdale Whole Dog Care
Central Bark Fort Lauderdale is all about giving your dog the best care. Our Whole Dog Care covers everything to keep your furry friend healthy and happy – physically, mentally, and emotionally, for their whole life. You’ll find tailored products and services that your dog will love!
Our mission is to enrich your dog’s existence with tailor-made activities, injecting each day with heightened excitement.
Pamper your furry friend with grooming and delightful encounters meticulously designed to evoke their happiness.
Offer your dog a tranquil, snug haven via our Dog Boarding service, ensuring their reposeful stay.
Discover a premium array of dog essentials such as food, treats, toys, and more, thoughtfully chosen to ensure their contentment and well-being.
Forge a deeper connection with your dog through constructive training and captivating activities, imparting vital skills and positive behavior.
How to get started
- Click Request Appointment
- Register Online
- We’ll contact you to help
schedule your first visit
Why do dogs adore Central Bark?
- Tailored Experiences: Each dog receives special treatment with days customized to their individual needs and preferences.
- Complete Well-Being: Dogs enjoy personalized care, activity, and rest, promoting health, happiness, and good behavior at home and in their community.
- Canine Communication: Our team comprises dog experts trained in a science-based, positive reinforcement approach that understands and communicates with dogs effectively.
- Safety and Cleanliness: Ensuring the utmost safety and health of our guests is our top priority. Stringent safety protocols and thorough cleaning routines are in place for your dog’s daily well-being.
- Trusted Affectionate Care: For over two decades, families have relied on Central Bark to enhance their dogs’ lives. We offer a well-balanced blend of attention, play, exercise, socialization, training, rest, and affection.
- Lasting Bonds: Witness the remarkable closeness that a day spent apart can foster! Your dog will return home content and in good health, alleviating any concerns about leaving them alone.
Elevating Dog Day Care
Enrichment Dog Day Care is a concept that transcends traditional dog day care by integrating our latest insights from dog behavior science and positive training methods. Your furry companion can revel in a day of personalized enjoyment and well-being, featuring a balanced mix of play, cognitive and physical stimulation, social interaction, training, relaxation, and affection. This formula ensures your dog’s holistic health, happiness, and overall development.
Flexible Playgroups
Small and large playgroup options allow us to match better your dog’s personality, needs, and preferences with the social atmosphere and amount of play they can enjoy and benefit from most.
Group Play Skills
Group Play Skills are a fun and rewarding way for dogs to practice important skills like name recall and behaviors like group sit and calmly going in and out of doors and gates.
Rest Period Enrichment
Rest Period Enrichment sessions help dogs achieve a healthy balance. They can relax and recharge in their own private space with calming enrichment toys and healthy foods tailored to their preferences and diet.
Enrichment Sessions
Personalized One-on-One Enrichment sessions give the extra attention dogs love and the freedom to use their senses and safely explore their instincts through interactive toys, puzzles, and games.
Frequently Asked Questions
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. And our lower dog-to-staff ratios offer more individual attention, education, and love.
It’s easy! Just find your local store and click Enroll Now to create your online account and complete our online registration form or call the location to speak with an associate.
To speed up the registration process, please have available: veterinarian contact information, an emergency contact (other than yourself or your partner), pet information & medical history, and credit card information (optional). We will ask you a series of questions about your dog’s training and social history. These questions help us get to know them and provide the best care possible.
There’s no bond like the one between our furry best friends and us. We love our dogs and want to give them the best life possible. But it can be challenging to fulfill all their needs to stay healthy and happy for a lifetime. Doggy day care gives pups a place to play and learn in a safe environment, with the socialization, mental stimulation, and physical exercise their minds and bodies need to stay healthy for a lifetime.
- Dogs get to socialize. Dogs are social creatures. Positive experiences with new humans, new dogs, and new environments are essential to a well-rounded pup.
- Dogs learn social skills. Dogs learn from other dogs – they’re always teaching each other what is (and isn’t) appropriate social behavior. Doggy day care staff can also help support safe play and practice healthy social behaviors.
- Dogs get more exercise. Exercise helps your dog maintain a healthy weight and muscle tone while improving their mood and providing a healthy outlet for their physical and mental energy, meaning they can be more relaxed at home.
- Dogs get human attention. Your dog will get the care and love they need while you’re at work or school.
- Parents get a break. Doggy day care can give you a day off from responsibilities, while your dog gets what they need to be a healthier, more well-adjusted pet.
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?