About Central Bark Fort Lauderdale
Chris Gaba is Co-Founder of Central Bark and owner of Central Bark Fort Lauderdale. Chris has owned and trained dogs since age nine, starting with the family dog Ringo, a liver-spotted Dalmatian. He is a true dog lover and has developed a deep affinity with dogs of every breed. As pioneers in dog day care that passion for dogs has translated into a successful business model. Our commitment to nurturing, enriching and inspiring the lives of both our 4 legged and 2 legged customers through our unique approach of Whole Dog Care continues to position us as a leader in the Pet Services space.
Chris earned a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Georgia where he owned and trained an English Springer Spaniel named Tess. Professionally, he worked in Advertising and Marketing for over 12 years for international communications companies such as Aydlotte & Cartwright, Austin Knight and J. Walter Thompson Specialized Communications.
In that time, he opened and operated many successful branch offices and was responsible for managing national brands, including Humana Healthcare, Sundance Rehabilitation Corp., as well as the $12 million Tenet Healthcare account.
In 1999, Chris decided it was time to hang up the suit and follow his passion. He opened Central Bark Dog Day Care and Training Center, Inc. in Oakland Park, FL and in less than three years the business had grown into one of the most successful new business ventures in Broward County.
In 2003 Chris merged his Company with Jackie Jordan to form Central Bark Doggy Day Care. Today, Central Bark is a nationally recognized Franchise System with 30 stores in 12 States. Currently, we have 5 stores in development to open in 2020.
“Every dog that walks into our facility is instantly a part of our family.”
Chris Gaba, Central Bark Fort Lauderdale Franchise Owner
Awards & Achievements
Central Bark® Certified Enrichment Dog Day Care
Pet CPR Certified
Our Family Photo Album
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Frequently Asked Questions
Central Bark® Enrichment Doggy Day Care combines our industry-leading doggy day care expertise with the latest science-based activities and techniques. We personalize your dog’s day with fun, healthy, and well-balanced activities that appeal to their instincts and enrich their bodies, minds, and senses.
Each day at Central Bark includes exclusive options like:
- Flexible play groups allow us to match your dog each day 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.
- Group play skills help dogs practice important behaviors and life skills like name recall, 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 creates a safer social environment.
- Rest Period Enrichments help dogs 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 and can help them become more comfortable in crates by building positive associations.
- One-on-One Enrichment add-on sessions give your dog the personal attention they love, supplemented with interactive toys, puzzles, and games. Sessions are fun and rewarding, exercise their body and mind, and engage their senses. Add complexity with fitness and agility equipment.
- Training sessions during day care visits help your dog develop essential skills and behaviors like name recall, sit, stay, down, wait, leave-it, door and gate control, and loose-leash walking. Excellent for your dog and easy for you! Your dog will come home tired and well-socialized, with the training and skills they need to be a well-behaved member of your family.
The timeline for learning new behaviors and skills is as unique as every dog! Because each dog is an individual, with different learning histories, breed genetics, and preferences in reinforcers like treats and toys, there is no way to say for sure how long training will take. It’s also important to consider how much time each family has for daily training practice.
Whether you’re crate training, leash walking, or potty training your pup, consistency is key. It’s crucial to establish a routine, practice positive reinforcement, supervise your puppy (especially when potty training), and avoid punishing your puppy when mistakes happen.
Central Bark® offers everything you need to help you train your dog, with expert training and classes so you and your pup can learn and bond together.
Learn more about our training classes.
Visit our Dog Blog for more helpful tips.
You do not need to stay with your dog during their grooming appointment. Our expert groomers always aim to help your dog feel as calm and relaxed as possible during their bathing and grooming experience. If your pup is feeling a little unsure, ask our training team about ways to enrich their experience and help create positive associations by using positive reward-based training methods.
Make a reservation for your grooming session today.
All dogs are different, and like humans, your dog deserves grooming customized to their size, breed, and level of attention. For this reason, prices may vary by service and location.
Central Bark Whole Dog Care
Our whole dog care approach in Fort Lauderdale 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.
