Join us to Help Find a Cure for Cancer
Central Bark is proud to support the Animal Cancer Foundation (acfoundation.org) to spread public awareness and raise funding for life-saving cancer research for both pets and people!
Start Your Pup
on the Right Paw
Puppy Hour is a FREE supervised puppy playtime and social hour at Central Bark®. Puppy Hour is a ton of fun, and it also provides a critical opportunity for puppies to get socialization during their “sensitive period.” That is generally between 8 and 16 weeks of age. Socialization is a process of preparing your dog to enjoy interactions with other animals, people, places, and activities.
We invite you and your puppy to attend as many sessions as you would like until your pup reaches the age limit. Meet our staff, speak with our trainer and groomer, and check out our facility. At Central Bark, our mission is to nurture and enrich your dog’s life. A great way to start your pup on the right paw is through puppy socialization!
During this puppy hour program, your pup will:
- Enjoy off-leash age-appropriate play with vaccinated puppies of similar ages
- Be supervised by an experienced caregiver to ensure all play is safe and appropriate
- Meet new dogs, humans, toys, environments, and obstacles
- Be exposed to new and interesting obstacles to encourage age-appropriate socialization and exposure
Benefits of Puppy Hour & Training:
- Long-Term Emotional Development: Puppy Hour provides your puppy with interactions with other dogs and people. This will help them develop confidence and social skills that can positively impact their emotional development throughout their lives.
- Learn Important Group Play and Social Skills: During Puppy Hour, our staff will help guide your puppy through important group play and socialization skills. These including proper play behavior, impulse control, bite inhibition, and more. These skills are essential for your dog to develop healthy and appropriate social behavior.
- Comfort and Confidence: During the sensitive period of 8 to 16 weeks, puppies are more likely to feel scared or uncomfortable in unfamiliar situations. By attending Puppy Hour, your pup can get exposure to new sights, smells, sounds, and experiences in a controlled environment, which can help them become more comfortable and confident in unfamiliar settings.
- Expend Excess Energy: Puppies have a lot of energy to burn, and attending Puppy Hour can give them an outlet for that energy. Through supervised playtime and interactions with other puppies, your dog can get the physical exercise they need to stay healthy and happy.
- Establish a Strong Foundation: Puppy Hour is an excellent way to establish a strong foundation for your puppy’s future training and development. Our program can help your pup develop essential skills and behaviors that will make them easier to train and manage as they grow older.
Rules & Requirements:
- Puppies aged 8–16 weeks
- Space is limited
- Preregistration is a must
- Proof of up-to-date Bordetella and DHPP vaccines
- Children with a dedicated adult are welcome to participate* There will be learning opportunities for children too!
- Observe CDC guidelines, including social distancing and wearing masks
- Regular 6-foot flat leash (no retractable or flexi-leads in the lobby) and a quick-release collar. If your dog usually wears a harness, you’re welcome to bring one.
Find Your Nearest Central Bark Location To Reserve Your Spot
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is dog boarding?
Dog boarding gives your dog a safe and comfortable place to spend the night when they can’t be home overnight. It can last for just one night or for a week or more at a time.
At Central Bark®, we offer Sleepovers to dogs enrolled in our Enrichment Day Care Program. Sleepovers at Central Bark® provide your dog a calm, relaxing sleepover in a place they can feel comfortable and loved. Because they’re in a familiar place, they can feel less stressed about being away from home (and so will you). A full day of Doggy Day Care is included with your sleepover stay.
Our Stay-n-Play program (available at participating locations) offers boarding for dogs that have not enrolled in our day care program. Each overnight guest gets a restful night’s sleep, followed by a day of play, exercise, and plenty of TLC from our staff. Stay-n-Play guests sleep and play in their own designated areas.
How do I Request a Reservation for a Day Care or Sleepover service in my online account?
Step 1: Login
- Click the “Client Login” option found at the bottom of all pages on our website.
- Enter either your email address or phone number that you signed up with
- Click “continue logging in”
- Then enter your password and click “Sign In”
Step 2: Request Services
You will now see the page below. From this page you can do a number of things along with requesting a reservation from the drop downs including editing your information, editing your pet’s info, adding/removing pets, checking your package credits, purchasing package credits, and adding/editing/changing photos.
- Click the blue “request services” button
- In the popup window, click the “Book Day Care or Sleepover Now!” button
Step 3: Select a Service Type
- Scroll down past the notes (after you have read them) until you get to the “Details” section.
- Click on the drop-down in the “Type” row and choose your reservation type.
- Note: Grooming requests cannot be made through the customer portal. Please call to schedule an appointment.
Step 4: Make Your Reservation Request
- Choose the pet or pets you would like to add to this reservation
- Choose the date you are looking for
- You may edit the drop-off and pick-up time from within our open hours, if you know those approximations
- You can set up “recurring dates” for the same day/days each week for a timeframe
- You can add additional reservations for other days at the same time.
Step 5: Add-on Services and Notes
- You may add any additional services (such as enrichment training, training tutor, special meals (outside of lunch), salon and spa services, etc, to their reservation.
- You may add any notes that you would like us to see in the notes box
- You may run an estimate for the total cost of your reservation request (please note that the charges for “additional services” such as salon and spa, may vary from the default that shows in the estimate)
- Once you have added everything you want, click “Save” in the lower right corner
Your Done!
You should see the page below if everything went through correctly. You will get an email confirmation when your reservation has been accepted and confirmed, if you are added to a waitlist, or if it is denied.
What does dog grooming include?
Your dog deserves to be pampered. Our full-service dog grooming salon is fully equipped to include anything from a simple brush-out or bath to a full spa day, a grooming session.
All dogs are unique. Just like humans, your dog deserves personalized grooming for their size, breed, coat type, and condition. Please ask an associate for details.
Make a reservation for your dog’s grooming session
Is it ok to board your dog?
Yes! When your dog spends the night with us, we do everything we can to ensure your dog has a safe place where they can feel well-rested.
Sleepovers at Central Bark® offer your dog a calm, relaxing sleepover in a place they can feel comfortable and loved. Because they’re in a familiar place, they can feel less stressed about being away from home (and so will you). A full day of Doggy Day Care is included with your sleepover stay.
*The safety of guests and puppies in attendance at Puppy Hour is of the upmost importance. Upon arrival, a Central Bark team member will instruct you and your children of the rules and requirements to ensure safety, fun and learning for all involved.