Enrichment Dog Day Care
Your Local Central Bark
Central Bark®
Madison Southeast
2530 Advance Rd,
Madison, WI 53718Get Directions
Open Today 6:30 AM – 6:30 PM
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There’s no bond like the one we share with our furry best friends. We love our dogs and want to give them the best life. But it can be challenging to fulfill all their needs.
That’s why families trust Central Bark®, where dogs get the love and care to help them be healthy, happy, and well-rounded. When you bring your dog to Central Bark Madison Southeast, you’ll have peace of mind knowing they’re having a great day with their friends in a safe and loving environment.
Our Whole Dog Care approach aims to nurture and enrich your dog’s whole health and well-being – throughout their entire life. The heart of this approach is our Enrichment Dog Day Care program. We also offer dog boarding, baths, grooming, market, training, and more. All with the mission to help you and your dog share the best life.
We know that dogs aren’t just LIKE family – they ARE family. As dog parents ourselves, we take great pride in treating each and every dog like they’re our own.
Grooming
Boarding
Training
FREE Puppy Hour
There’s no bond like the one we share with our furry best friends. We love our dogs and want to give them the best life. But it can be challenging to fulfill all their needs.
That’s why families trust Central Bark®, where dogs get the love and care to help them be healthy, happy, and well-rounded. When you bring your dog to Central Bark Madison Southeast, you’ll have peace of mind knowing they’re having a great day with their friends in a safe and loving environment.
Our Whole Dog Care approach aims to nurture and enrich your dog’s whole health and well-being – throughout their entire life. The heart of this approach is our Enrichment Dog Day Care program. We also offer dog boarding, baths, grooming, market, training, and more. All with the mission to help you and your dog share the best life.
We know that dogs aren’t just LIKE family – they ARE family. As dog parents ourselves, we take great pride in treating each and every dog like they’re our own.
Local News
January Dogs of the Month, June & Cash!
Our Dogs of the Month for January June (full name June Carter) and Cash (full name Johnny Cash) are two…
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December Dog of the Month is Mudge!
Mudge, our sweet and steady terrier mix, has been part of the Central Bark Madison Southeast crew since 2022, and…
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November Dog of the Month is Jager!
Jager, a handsome and spirited German Shorthaired Pointer, has been a beloved member of our Central Bark Madison Southeast family…
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October Dog of the Month: Fiona
Congratulations to our October Dog of the Month, Fiona! Fiona, a bold and beautiful American Pill Bull Terrier, has been…
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Alyssa joined Central Bark Madison in 2023 as a dog handler and quickly advanced to management. With a lifelong love…
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Get ready to meet out August dog of the Month: Flick! This charming four-year-old Australian Cattle Dog has been a…
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My dog Beau has been going to Central Bark Madison for four years now: two days of daycare a week, plenty of sleepovers, nail trims, and even the occasional bath. They are THE BEST! The staff are incredible: they know their stuff, they truly love the animals, and most importantly, they know each dog and what they need to thrive. Beau is a wonderful boy with a big personality, but he does need some management to be his best self, and the team has always taken amazing care of him while balancing the needs of the group. I love that they keep their playgroups small and consistent, which makes for such a positive experience. Over the summer I had to leave Beau for 15 days while I traveled internationally, and even though I was nervous, the staff answered all my questions and helped me feel comfortable. Beau came home happy, healthy, and clearly well cared for. From daycare to boarding to grooming, every single service has been excellent. Alyssa, Allison, and the rest of the crew are professional, kind, and always a joy to see at drop-off. If you’re looking for a place where your dog will be safe, happy, and truly known, I can’t recommend Central Bark Madison enough ❤️
My boy LeeRoy has been going to Central Bark Madison for 4 years now. He loves it so much I can’t roll the window down more than 1/3 of the way because when we turn into the parking lot he dives out of the car to get there faster. We use it for doggy days with friends and for overnight stays when we travel. He is always happy, well cared for and pampered there. They do a great job at understanding your pup’s individual personality and making sure that he/she is in the best environment for their needs and quirks (for instance – my large dog’s need to be around smaller ones…lol). 100% recommend.
Our dog Odin loves going to Central Bark Madison. All the staff are very caring and really seem to love the dogs who are in their care. I see them give extra love and pets as the dogs arrive and/or get picked up. And the staff often give the dogs nicknames out of their fondness of the dogs. He was even included in dressing up for pictures the week of Halloween. 👻
Odin hates having his nails done at home but Central Bark groomers have no issue, it’s such a relief and very convenient to have this service available to us.
Odin hates having his nails done at home but Central Bark groomers have no issue, it’s such a relief and very convenient to have this service available to us.
I would rate Central Bark >5 stars if I could! We had such a hard time getting our anxious doggy even through the door at other daycares, but the vibes at CB must be awesome. There is nothing she gets more excited about than daycare at CB – not walks, not treats, not dinner. What we appreciate most is the crate training that CB does. Now, at home, our doggy loves her crate. It’s her resting spot, and she goes in without any hesitation. That’s a huge improvement from the ~6 months of crate training we did on our own. The switching off of play time and rest time is also great for our doggy, and is much more in tune with what dogs need vs the 100% play 100% of the time that other daycares do. Plus, we can easily schedule grooming or a nail trim same week while she’s already there. They’ve got it all! I recommend CB to all our doggy friends. 11/10!!
I’d like to start out with saying, I found Central Bark by accident, and it’s one of the best things that’s happened for me and my pup!
Central Bark is easily the best daycare/boarding facility in Madison. They have been attentive and very hands on through my dog’s entire life!! He has been going for 4+ years on a variety of schedules and I have never had a single instance where I couldn’t book a day of daycare or boarding.
Flick is particular, to say the least. To start, he’s very suspicious of strangers and every single employee over the years has taken the time to get familiar with him instead of forcing him along on a leash.
He’s also a reactive dog and has a hard time on lead around strangers and other dogs. This can get difficult dropping off and picking up. However, the team knows him and knows he needs space, so every time multiple people come in behind me, they confirm with me that they’re going to help other pet parents and bring Flick out when it’s cleared out. It sounds simple, but that consideration is such a huge stress relief for me and for him.
When Flick first started daycare, he was rubbing his nose raw on the top of his crate during downtime. Once I noticed it, I called the same day. Ever since then, they’ve put Flick in one of the boarding areas so he doesn’t do it again. A quick fix was much appreciated.
Speaking of boarding, every boarding experience we’ve had at Central Bark has been wonderful. I’m always able to get in, even on short notice. Most times, we’ll even get a Report Card!
Flick has a chicken allergy, lactose intolerance, and IBS. This lead to a lot of diet trialing, medications, and supplements. Central Bark offers an enrichment toy for your pup during downtime, but they have yogurt in them, so Flick could not partake. I make our own frozen Kong’s at home and bring one in each week. Flick has it and CB is nice enough to even clean the Kong. Flick is on a medication where he can’t eat anything, even treats, after 4pm. I called CB and they had no issue accommodating. When we board, I send pre-measured food baggies with his supplements, his medications, and sticky note with his schedule. They’re able to get him taken care of without a problem! He also has separate treats for group because at the time they were using cheese based treats (not sure if that is still the case), so I bring a Tupperware full of ours and they let me know when they need a refill.
The staff are absolutely amazing. I have yet to come across someone who isn’t thrilled each Wednesday when we walk in the door. I don’t know a lot of staff names (unfortunately) but they all deserve recognition! He drags me to the door each Wednesday morning and gets the wiggles no matter who he sees!
Flick is signed up on a monthly package to get his nails done. It’s definitely worth it to me, and much easier than trying to do them ourselves.
However, I have to speak specifically of Alyssa. She LOVES Flick truly beyond measure. She spends so much time with him, shows me extra pics, and always makes sure he’s having a good day. I want to preface with saying Flick is not a cuddler. I picked him up from boarding one day and Alyssa told me she went into his boarding suite and he crawled into her lap!!!!! He has never done that with me or my partner, and I am truly jealous. He loves her just as much as she loves him.
Lastly, I want to talk about the play groups. Flick has gone through at least 2 groups over the last few years. When he was younger, he was always playing so hard that he would come home tired for 2+ days after. Over the last year or so, that has evolved. He’s an Australian Cattle Dog and has definitely grown into the “herding/supervising” role that the breed is known for. He might even look a little grouchy. I believe he now spends his days with the puppies or the older crowd, keeping his eye on them. He’s more into panhandling for his treats and getting some pets than he is into playing these days. He’ll hang out with the other dogs a bit for a photo op, but you’ll probably catch him on a bed in the sun!!
Central Bark is easily the best daycare/boarding facility in Madison. They have been attentive and very hands on through my dog’s entire life!! He has been going for 4+ years on a variety of schedules and I have never had a single instance where I couldn’t book a day of daycare or boarding.
Flick is particular, to say the least. To start, he’s very suspicious of strangers and every single employee over the years has taken the time to get familiar with him instead of forcing him along on a leash.
He’s also a reactive dog and has a hard time on lead around strangers and other dogs. This can get difficult dropping off and picking up. However, the team knows him and knows he needs space, so every time multiple people come in behind me, they confirm with me that they’re going to help other pet parents and bring Flick out when it’s cleared out. It sounds simple, but that consideration is such a huge stress relief for me and for him.
When Flick first started daycare, he was rubbing his nose raw on the top of his crate during downtime. Once I noticed it, I called the same day. Ever since then, they’ve put Flick in one of the boarding areas so he doesn’t do it again. A quick fix was much appreciated.
Speaking of boarding, every boarding experience we’ve had at Central Bark has been wonderful. I’m always able to get in, even on short notice. Most times, we’ll even get a Report Card!
Flick has a chicken allergy, lactose intolerance, and IBS. This lead to a lot of diet trialing, medications, and supplements. Central Bark offers an enrichment toy for your pup during downtime, but they have yogurt in them, so Flick could not partake. I make our own frozen Kong’s at home and bring one in each week. Flick has it and CB is nice enough to even clean the Kong. Flick is on a medication where he can’t eat anything, even treats, after 4pm. I called CB and they had no issue accommodating. When we board, I send pre-measured food baggies with his supplements, his medications, and sticky note with his schedule. They’re able to get him taken care of without a problem! He also has separate treats for group because at the time they were using cheese based treats (not sure if that is still the case), so I bring a Tupperware full of ours and they let me know when they need a refill.
The staff are absolutely amazing. I have yet to come across someone who isn’t thrilled each Wednesday when we walk in the door. I don’t know a lot of staff names (unfortunately) but they all deserve recognition! He drags me to the door each Wednesday morning and gets the wiggles no matter who he sees!
Flick is signed up on a monthly package to get his nails done. It’s definitely worth it to me, and much easier than trying to do them ourselves.
However, I have to speak specifically of Alyssa. She LOVES Flick truly beyond measure. She spends so much time with him, shows me extra pics, and always makes sure he’s having a good day. I want to preface with saying Flick is not a cuddler. I picked him up from boarding one day and Alyssa told me she went into his boarding suite and he crawled into her lap!!!!! He has never done that with me or my partner, and I am truly jealous. He loves her just as much as she loves him.
Lastly, I want to talk about the play groups. Flick has gone through at least 2 groups over the last few years. When he was younger, he was always playing so hard that he would come home tired for 2+ days after. Over the last year or so, that has evolved. He’s an Australian Cattle Dog and has definitely grown into the “herding/supervising” role that the breed is known for. He might even look a little grouchy. I believe he now spends his days with the puppies or the older crowd, keeping his eye on them. He’s more into panhandling for his treats and getting some pets than he is into playing these days. He’ll hang out with the other dogs a bit for a photo op, but you’ll probably catch him on a bed in the sun!!
Central Bark staff is the best, they are great with all the dogs, they make all the dogs feel special
Frequently Asked Questions
How Does Central Bark Handle Feeding for My Dog During the Day?
We are happy to accommodate your dog’s feeding schedule as part of their “Rest Period Enrichments.” Simply bring their food in pre-portioned containers with clear instructions. Our trained staff will ensure your dog receives their meal in a private, quiet space. We are also experienced in handling a variety of specific needs, including day care for dogs with allergies and medication administration, though additional fees may apply.
What do you do in the event of a scuffle between dogs?
Even with such a proactive approach to safety as described above, scuffles between dogs can and do happen from time to time. Although this is a rare occurrence, dogs are animals and don’t always talk about whose tennis ball it is. If a scuffle does occur, staff are trained to intervene immediately by making a loud noise and separating the dogs involved as quickly as possible. For most dogs enrolled in our program, this is enough to stop the situation. If needed, we are also equipped with squirt bottles and a hose. Any dog involved in a scuffle will receive a cursory body check and play break to calm down.
What is dog day care?
Dog day care gives dogs a fun place to play with their friends while their owners are busy at home and work.
At Central Bark®, doggy daycare is our specialty, and nobody does it quite like us. We don’t just give dogs a place to play. We create a personalized program of activities that optimize your dog’s whole health – their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Central Bark goes beyond a traditional doggy day care with our unique Whole Dog Care philosophy. Our personalized approach helps enrich your dog’s whole health and well-being throughout their entire life so you can enjoy a healthy, happy, and loving life together.
The heart of our whole dog care approach is our Enrichment Doggy Day Care program. We combine Central Bark’s industry-leading doggy day care expertise with the latest dog behavior science. Our mission is to give dogs a balanced blend of exercise, social group play, learning, rest, and TLC. To help your dog be a healthy, happy, calm, and well-rounded member of your family.
How are staff trained and what behavior management tools do they use in a playgroup?
Our staff is trained in dog body language and positive playgroup management techniques so they can respond proactively to help avoid issues between dogs. These tools include praise, treats, and work on important Group Play Skills daily like name recall, group sits, and going calmly in and out of doorways and gates. If a dog ever becomes overstimulated during play (just like kids do on the playground sometimes) we use these practiced skills to help redirect dogs into more desired behaviors (like coming to us and offering a sit for a treat) which gives the dog a chance to reset and calm down. When needed, we also utilize play breaks (a short rest in an individual crate) or in-group leash walks if a dog needs a little more help to bring their energy levels back down.