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Why Choose Central Bark®?
Our best friends deserve the best care
There’s no bond like the one we share with our furry best friends. We love our dogs and want to enrich their lives as much as they enrich ours. 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, you’ll have peace of mind knowing they’re having a great day with their friends in a safe and loving environment.
Central Bark welcomes all. We’re fully committed to providing an environment where all people and dogs feel safe, valued, respected, accepted, and loved. We will never waiver from this stance and always promote unconditional love and acceptance. We embrace every person and every dog that comes through our door, regardless of race, religion, country of origin, sexual orientation, gender, or breed. We will stand behind our promise to “Forever nurture, enrich, and inspire lives.”
The safety and well-being of our guests are our #1 priority. As dog parents ourselves, we take great pride in treating every dog as our own. And we are committed to providing a healthy and safe environment for everyone that enters our facility. Read more about our dog day care guidelines
Dog Day Care pioneer and over 20 years of dog care experience
Central Bark, founded by Jackie Jordan and Chris Gaba, pioneered the concept of doggy day care. After more than 20 years as a leader in doggy day care, we continue to evolve. Still, our mission remains the same: To nurture, enrich, and inspire whole health, happiness, and unconditional love for each dog, family, and community we serve. We strive to give every dog and family the Central Bark experience. An experience that mirrors dogs’ unconditional love within our families and communities to create a happier, healthier, and more loving and peaceful world.
As dog parents ourselves, we know you want to give your dog the best life possible. Our whole dog care approach combines our decades of dog experience with the latest dog behavior science, so you can feel confident your dog is getting the very best care.
Whole Dog Care Mission & Philosophy
At Central Bark, we’re dog experts. Doggy day care is our specialty and nobody does it quite like us. Central Bark goes beyond a traditional doggy day care with our unique Whole Dog Care philosophy and enrichment focus. This 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 Dog Day Care program. We combine Central Bark’s industry-leading doggy day care expertise with the latest dog behavior science and positive training principles. Our mission is to enrich the lives of dogs and families in our communities. We give dogs fun, balanced days of play, exercise, socialization, learning, rest, and love. To help your dog be a healthy, happy, and well-rounded member of your family.
Central Bark offers exclusive options like:
- 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.
- Group Play Skills help dogs practice important life skills like name recall, and behaviors like 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 which can help them achieve a healthy balance of play, learning, and rest. It can also help them become more comfortable in crates by building positive associations.
- One-on-One Enrichment Sessions give dogs the extra attention they love and the freedom to use their senses and safely explore their instincts through interactive toys, puzzles, and games. It’s fun and rewarding and exercise their bodies and minds and engage their senses. Add complexity with fitness and agility equipment.
- Training Tutor gives dogs personalized one-on-one training during day care visits to help your dog develop important 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.
Kristy M Super friendly and professional. Highly recommended. Our pup had a fabulous first day!
Lynn. A Ellie's recent stayover was the longest thus far, and I felt such a peace knowing that Ellie was in the best of hands!! I was comfortable mostly because I know how much she enjoys her daycare days. She loves it!! I'm so happy that Central Bark West Columbia is in [...]
Katie M. Our sweet Leo absolutely loves his daycare days. The staff is always friendly and have been helpful with any questions I’ve had. We are so happy we found a place that’s safe for our pup when we can’t be with him.
Megan J. Rosie had her first ever Spa Day! She smelled so good and she felt so soft after her bath! I can’t wait for her to go again. Elizabeth did a wonderful job!
Rachel I. Central Bark is by far the best place to take your fur baby. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and love all the pets as their own. Thank you Central Bark!!!!
Alicia L This is the only place we will leave our furbaby when traveling. It is very clean and our furbaby gets so excited when we pull up!
Sheila T. The staff is amazing, and Otto has a good time...he's always smiling in the pictures!
Lynn R. Central Bark staff work with your dog's personality to acclimate them to the environment. Our Maggie is very timid, and they worked with her so that now she plays with the other dogs. She is worn out for the evening and the next day. Thank you, Central Bark!
Jennifer F. This is an amazing place to send your furry friends! Our pup Mahogany (Huggy) gets so excited every time we pull in to the parking lot. He always comes home happy & pooped out! The staff is friendly and just as excited to see Huggy as he is to see [...]
Frequently Asked Questions
What is positive reward-based dog training?
Positive reward-based techniques help puppies and dogs develop essential life skills and behaviors that will enrich their lives at home and day care. These methods set dogs up to succeed and reward them for performing desired behaviors. Rewards are tailored to the dog’s preferences and can include food treats, time to play with a favorite toy, or verbal praise.
After decades of experience using reward-based training, we know it’s the most humane and effective way of training dogs and addressing unwanted behaviors. It’s the best way to build a loving, trusting bond that enhances your relationship between you and your dog for a lifetime of happiness together.
At Central Bark®, our focus on positive reinforcement has never wavered. We continuously update our skills and policies to stay at the forefront of new advances in behavioral science and positive reinforcement techniques.
Learn more about our training classes.
Visit our Dog Blog for more helpful tips
How does Central Bark proactively address safety?
At Central Bark a proactive approach to safety is woven right into the fabric of our program. That is why we require that all dogs enrolled in our Day Care program pass our behavior assessment and attend at least once per week. This helps us ensure that dogs are social with other dogs & people and remain comfortable with all aspects of our program. It also allows us to proactively staff so we can keep a dog to staff ratios low which also helps increase safety. Plus, play is ALWAYS monitored. Whether it’s a group of 2 dogs or 12 dogs, we never leave dogs unattended during group play.
What is the best dog shampoo?
Choosing the right dog shampoo can give your dog a shiny coat, less itching, and irritation, for a happy, clean-smelling dog. The best option for your dog will depend on its skin type and breed.
Every item in our Central Bark® Market is specially selected to enhance your dog’s physical health for maximum happiness and comfort. We can help you choose from our selection of high-quality dog shampoo food to develop and maintain healthy skin and coat.
Call or visit our Market today!
What should I bring to Doggy Day Care?
Once you have enrolled, we will need a copy of your dog’s vaccination records, which you can upload to your online account or bring with you on your scheduled first day. We also ask that your dog comes in on a regular 6-foot flat leash (no retractable or flexi-leads in the lobby) and a quick-release collar. Not sure what a quick-release collar is? No problem! We’ll be happy to show you on your first day. If your dog usually wears a harness while walking, you’re welcome to bring that as well.
If your dog typically eats a midday meal, you can bring it in an airtight container clearly labeled with your dog’s first and last names.