Poughkeepsie
Dog Training & Enrichment
Help your dog be the best they can be
Support your dog to reach their full potential A dog that knows how to behave well is a joyful dog – and makes for a happier family. At Central Bark® Poughkeepsie, our dog training experts use enjoyable and positive methods, rewarding good behavior, to help dogs of any age learn important life skills and manners.
We provide both one-on-one training sessions and group classes to help reinforce good habits and strengthen the loving connection you share with your dog. Training sets the groundwork for being a good dog citizen and promotes a happy, friendly, and all-around well-behaved dog.
Central Bark
Poughkeepsie
15 Burnett Boulevard,
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603Get Directions
poughkeepsie@centralbarkusa.com
Closed 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM &
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
(Drop off/Pick-up)
(Training By Appointment Only)
Teach your dog:
- Name recall: Train your dog to come to you when you call their name. This is essential for keeping them safe and under control, especially when they’re off-leash.
- Sit: Teach your dog to sit on command. This basic command is useful for controlling your dog’s behavior in various situations, such as when greeting people or waiting for their food.
- Stay: Train your dog to stay in one place until you release them. This command helps keep your dog safe and prevents them from running off or getting into trouble.
- Down: Teach your dog to lie down on command. This command can be useful for calming your dog in stressful situations or when you need them to stay still.
- Wait: Train your dog to wait patiently before proceeding. This command is helpful for preventing your dog from rushing out of doors or jumping up on people.
- Leave-it: Teach your dog to ignore distractions or items that you don’t want them to interact with. This command is crucial for keeping your dog safe and preventing them from picking up harmful objects or bothering other animals.
Additionally, you can teach your dog other useful commands and behaviors based on their individual needs and your preferences. The key is to be patient, consistent, and positive in your training approach.
Dog Training & Enrichment Options:
Training Tutor
Get personalized one-on-one training sessions for your dog during their day care visits. They’ll learn important skills like coming when called, sitting, staying, lying down, waiting, leaving things alone, controlling doors and gates, and walking nicely on a leash. It’s great for your dog and easy for you! Your dog will come home tired and well-socialized, with all the training and skills they need to be a well-behaved part of your family.
One-on-One Enrichment
Give your dog the extra attention they love with personalized one-on-one enrichment sessions. They’ll get to use their senses and explore their instincts with interactive toys, puzzles, and games. It’s fun and rewarding, and it helps exercise their bodies and minds while engaging their senses. You can even add in some fitness and agility equipment to make it more challenging.
Rest Period Enrichment
Let your dog relax and recharge in their own quiet space with calming interactive toys and healthy snacks tailored to their tastes and diet. This helps them unwind both physically and mentally, promoting a good balance of play, learning, and rest. It can also help them feel more comfortable in crates by creating positive associations.
Pricing
Training & Enrichment Add-ons
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Training Tutor One-on-one training session during your dog’s visit to practice important cues and behavior skills. Packages available. | 35 |
| Training Tutor Plus Your dog will receive an hour of personalized learning, enrichment, and play with a Central Bark Certified Enrichment Specialist. Day care enrollment is not required. | 125 |
| One-on-One Enrichment Personalized session during your dog’s visit with interactive toys, puzzles, and games to exercise your dog’s body and mind. | 20 |
| Extra Rest Period Enrichment Private space with calming interactive food toy to help your dog achieve a healthy balance of activity and rest. | 5 |
Group Dog Training Classes
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Puppy Preschool In this class, we’ll help you and your puppy take your relationship and understanding of communication to the next level. With a focus on positive socialization, comfort conditioning, and confidence building, you’ll practice all the skills needed to support your puppy on their journey to the next stage of development! 6-week class *This class is for puppies between 8-16 weeks of age. *Vaccinations required (DHPP and Bordetella). | 225 |
| Basic Life Skills Grow your hands-on training and management skills with your dog, no matter their age! You’ll work on developing strong foundations for important life skills like recall, loose-leash walking, stationary behaviors, and relaxation around distractions. 6-week class *This class is for dogs of all ages. *Vaccinations required (DHPP, Rabies (depending on age), and Bordetella). *This class is not suitable for dogs who are reactive to other dogs or people. | 225 |
| Intermediate Life Skills Continue developing all the important life skills that you laid the foundations for in the Basic Life Skills class. You’ll start to combine your skills to mimic real-life scenarios, with more training challenges in class and at home! 6-week class Prerequisite class: Basic Life Skills *This class is for dogs of all ages. *Vaccinations required (DHPP, Rabies (depending on age), and Bordetella). | 225 |
| Advanced Life Skills Take your life skills to the next level! You’ll compete with your classmates in fun training challenges and continue to strengthen your relationship with your dog as you develop your skill set together. This class is a great steppingstone to begin preparing you and your dog for the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. 6-week class Prerequisite class: Intermediate Life Skills *This class is for dogs of all ages. *Vaccinations required (DHPP, Rabies (depending on age), and Bordetella). | 225 |
| Seminars | 75 |
Group Training Classes Inquiries
Group dog training classes are open to the public. Registration is required. To learn more about classes and availability, please fill out the form below or call 845-456-2275.
Packages available. Prepaid packages are nonrefundable. All sales are final.
If you have any concerns about food sensitivities or toys, please speak to an associate at the front desk to discuss options.
I love it, my dog loves it!
Originally I wasn’t sure if I needed to be a member to utilize their services, but I mustered up the courage to fill out their form online and within minutes someone, a real person, reached out to me. Lovely conversation, I explained that my two dogs need grooming but in the long term will need boarding and we need help training them.
My 2 dogs can be a handful. 80 pound coonhound who thinks he 30 and a pointer mix who is ornery at times. CentralBark did amazing. From dropping them off, to picking them up, my 2 dogs seemed less crazed, and more at ease. The communication was amazing, love that they text!
Just got home from the grooming appointment. The dogs look great and weren’t as shaken as taking them elsewhere. I also left with a training consult later in October. Amazing!
Frequently Asked Questions
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?
When 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.
Potty training a puppy to eliminate outside can take just a few weeks or several months. But it will go more quickly if your training routine is consistent, and you’re consistent about taking your puppy outside every few hours.
Central Bark® offers everything you need to help you train your puppy. We offer expert training and classes so you and your puppy can learn and bond together.
Learn more about our training classes.
Visit our Dog Blog for more helpful tips.
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.
Our trainers can help your dog learn a variety of essential life skills and behaviors during their one-on-one sessions. These include fundamental commands like sit, stay, down, wait, and leave-it, as well as more specific skills such as calm door and gate etiquette and relaxed loose-leash walking. The training is tailored to help your dog become a well-behaved and confident member of the family.
Central Bark® Whole Dog Care
Our approach to whole dog care in Poughkeepsie includes a wide range of fun and personalized products and services. We aim to keep your dog physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy and happy throughout their life.
