Frequently Asked Questions

Important Building Maintenance Announcement

Dear Central Bark Family,

Over the coming weeks, the building owner will be undertaking a long overdue roof placement on the whole building block. This will not cause any distribution to our building entry or road frontage. However, during this time, it is highly likely we will need to be operating reduced numbers in our dog parks given the noise that will be coming from the contractors on the roof as they remove and replace the complete roof. The noise factor is still unknown; however, we wish to be proactive to ensure the ultimate health and safety of our guests. As such if your dog is of a nervous disposition, or sensitive/reactive to sound, we advise making contact with us and making alternative arrangements until the work is completed.

The work is scheduled to run from 23rd August to 2nd November at this stage, although this is also weather dependent. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will be in regular contact with you as to any steps we may need to take along this process as we get a better gauge of noise. As such we do request in advance, that there may be the need for rescheduling, flexibility and the need to make alternative arrangements for our dogs. We apologize for any inconvenience this will cause and from our perspective we were looking forward to business as usual after all the COVID lockdowns.

The comfort, enjoyment, and safety of our furry friends remains the most important consideration during this time so that can all come back happy and waggling.

Half Day vs Full Day

Whether your dog has attended a daycare before, or if this is their first time, Central Bark is a brand-new and unknown environment for them. So many new sounds, smells, dogs to meet and people to greet. At the right pace this can be a positive experience for your dog, but it is essential we go slow and their own pace so not to overwhelm them. It will take time for your dog to build trusting relationships with our team and to make friends in their group. To set your dog up for success, we will usually advise new clients to start by attending half day visits only. Even a half day visit can be a lot for new dogs, so taking time to build up the stamina for full days will also help avoid those unwanted behaviours that come with being overtired. Once your dog has had time to adjust to their newsurroundings and is on the right track, we can look at moving them onto a full day schedule.

How often should I attend doggy daycare?

Consistency is the key to success. We recommend at least 1 visit per week, and highly recommend keeping the same days so your dog can learn its new routine and build good relationships with the other dogs and team who are in on those days. We recommend a maximum of 3 daycare visits week, ideally with a day off in between visits. Puppies under 6 months old should only attend half days, always taking at least 1 day’s rest in between visits. If your puppy is overtired when they get home, please let us know so we can increase their scheduled rest times.

Daycare vs Hotel

We are not a regular boarding kennel. Our hotel is combined with the daycare, which means we only accept hotel stays for our regular daycare clients. To ensure your dog can attend and enjoy their hotel stays, its important you keep up the regular visits.
If your dog isn’t enjoying being in the hotel suites, we will let you know. You can add Suite Training to any day care visit, just mention it at Reception when you drop off for daycare!
If your pet has not stayed at our hotel before, we will require an overnight trial before we can confirm any boarding stays.

Recall and Basic Training

Daycare is not training. But its important that in a group situation, your dog responds to their name. This is important for safety. If your dog doesn’t have good recall, we can recommend training options to help you with that.

In Reception

Always give space to other dogs in reception. Please be respectful and understanding that not all dogs appreciate other dogs running up to them, especially when on a lead and with their owner.

How to book

Bookings require a minimum of 24 hours’ notice and can be made via the Owner Portal. Spaces fill up fast so we recommend booking your visits up for the month ahead so you don’t miss out. You can also use the Owner Portal to upload your vaccinations, desexing certificates and any other important documents!

School Uniform

We see a stunning range of collars coming through the door at Central Bark! Collars are a great help for us to manage the pups safely and to identify some of those pups with the same features and hairstyles! Whilst the buckle collars are sturdy and look great, they are not always practical or safe in a group environment. As part of the Central Bark ‘school uniform’ policy, all dogs will be required to wear quick-release collars only when attending Central Bark.
Please let us know if you need help selecting a suitable quick release collar for your dog. We have a wide range available in Reception.

Toilet Talk

This building was designed for your animal’s comfort.  This means they may toilet in here in dedicated toileting areas.  All eliminations are cleaned and sanitised straight away.  Do not be embarrassed if your dog has an accident inside our reception or if your cat has had an accident in its cat cage on the way to the hotel, we will get them cleaned up straight away and they can go off and enjoy their time with us.

If you have a puppy that you are in the process of toilet training and you start coming to Central Bark where they can toilet indoors, we recommend making sure you step the training back up at home so that they are still clear on the house rules you are setting.

Behaviour

Central Bark animal care coordinators are all trained in positive reinforcement care and training methods. Rewarding positive behaviours to encourage good behaviour and socialisation. Our team are experienced in reading pet body language and behaviour in both dogs and cats and so can identify if an animal is enjoying itself or is feeling stressed. We always provide honest feedback with our clients about their pet’s behaviour during their stay with us, giving advice and offering training options. Dogs socialising at Central Bark are only allowed to engage in mutual physical or mouth play with other dogs. Rough, overly boisterous or aggressive behaviour cannot exist in our day care environment.

No Bite Policy

At Central Bark we do not allow dogs to attend who are a bite risk. Dogs who intentionally bite another dog or a person are not allowed to attend.

Bookings and Cancellations