Central Bark Dog Daycare

Barking Good Fun!!!

Services

Oscar loved his days there. Couldn't wait to get through the door. Thoroughly recommend these lovely people and, of course, the doggy friends he has made.

Ruth Robertson

Spud loves his daycare days. He's always so happy going through the doors and we love that he comes home all clean and bathed. The girls are always so lovely and treat our boy so well. Thank you.

Kirby Hookham

Thanks to Joolz and staff for their patience and understanding with Abbie. She was an anxious and nervous dog around other dogs until Joolz and staff offered their assistance and support at Central Bark day care. Abbie now enjoys the company of all dogs and is a much happier and outgoing dog. She loves her day care and can't wait to go in to meet her new friends (on Abbie's first visit I had to bribe her and physically lift her out of the car!). We had tried many other methods to socialise Abbie, to no avail. I would highly recommend Central Bark Day Care. Thank you so much, from Abbie's family.

Rebecca Cowper

Joolz and the girls are just wonderful. Jaxon has been at daycare since the very beginning and there's no-one I trust more. Jaxon is afraid of a lot of humans but he loves loves loves going to daycare! I've only recently started doing drop off and noticed Jax goes straight to Joolz for cuddles on arrival, a sure sign he loves her and loves it there! Thanks Joolz and team xx

Lisa Nyhon

Joolz and her team are fabulous. My Ralph has been in her capable hands since the early days and there's no-one I trust more. Ralph adores daycare and busts himself to get through the door each visit

:) Thanks Joolz!

Sandra Down

So lucky we live so close to the best doggy daycare around

❤️

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Bex Hirdman

My dog Ollie goes once a week and he loves it! Great socialisation for him and he always returns tired and happy! The staff are amazing!

Susan Bowerman

My dog Alfie goes to Wangara. He absolutely loves it! He knows when it's daycare day and starts looking out the car window and whining with excitement when we are getting close. He can't wait for them to open the door so he can bust in and greet his 'Aunty Joolz' and all his furry friends. The staff are all awesome and genuinely love the dogs and take great care of them. He bugs them to throw the ball all day. It's Alfie's other home! ❤️❤️❤️

Donna Pike

I've been taking my dog Doulton to Wangara since he was a pup and I cannot recommend highly enough. He is an extremely active dog and he spends the day interacting with other dogs and playing to his heart's content. No more feelings of guilt for leaving at home whilst at work and can plan a night out knowing that he will be contentedly exhausted and will sleep the evening away!

Tracey Taylor

Enrolment

Fun With Care

Central Bark Dog Daycare takes its responsibility to you and its duty of care for your dog very seriously. While the emphasis for the dogs is fun and socialising, this can only be achieved with the full co-operation and understanding of what we do by you, the dog owners.

We are proud of our ability and successful track-record for introducing many different dogs of various breeds, ages, sex and sizes to each other and integrating them with our regular canine community. It is, therefore, essential for each and every dog’s mental and physical well-being – not just while under our roof – that every owner allows us to conduct our Sociability Assessment Test.

EVERY dog wanting to attend Central Bark Dog Daycare MUST pass the compulsory Sociability Assessment test, NO EXCEPTIONS. The test takes approximately 90 minutes to complete and is conducted in two separately assessed stages. We charge a fee of $20 for testing.

The SAT – Sociability Assessment Test

This test allows us to gauge your dog’s character, temperament and suitability for attending daycare. It also gives us insight into their character and temperament for best placement into a group that will mesh well and avoid dogonality(!) conflicts. It ensures that all dogs are capable of being non-aggressive, towards both other dogs and humans, and able to socialise in an enclosed environment. It also introduces them to the surroundings so that, if accepted, they will not become stressed or anxious while away from their owners.

Stage One - 30 minutes - Observation, First Meet

The owner brings the dog into the centre on a leash. They follow an assessing staff member to a suitable spot to be told about Central Bark's conditions of entry, procedures for drop-off and pick-up, how the centre is run generally. As the conversation ensues, the dog is simply observed to see how it reacts to the new environment and its owner meeting and interacting with a stranger.

After answering any questions, the assessor will select a dog from that day's group to meet the dog being tested. The dog selected will be well-known to Central Bark and judged best-suited to the newcomer by way of energy levels, age, shyness and so on. The dogs are observed as to how they greet each other and how quickly they settle to a comfort-level with each other. If the first meeting goes well, another dog is selected and the process repeated.

Stage Two - 60 minutes - Off-the-leash, Group Meet

If the assessor is satisfied the dog being tested is suitable for the second stage of the test, the owner will leave the dog with a staff member and be shown around the centre. They are shown the facilities and equipment, and told about the activities and games we put on, and some of the techniques we employ. How the dog behaves while being left with its owner passing by will be observed.

The owner will then leave the Centre completely for an hour so that a short session at daycare can be realistically and successfully simulated. During this time their dog is gradually introduced to more and more suitable dogs. The number in the group is slowly increased to assess the newcomer's reactions to a mixture of dogs of different age, breed, sex and size, with the results observed and recorded.

Upon their return, the owner is presented with a Test Report and their dog’s suitability for daycare is then discussed.

Failed Tests

Problem dogs can be considered via CB's Special Induction programme, fees apply, see below.

If a dog fails the Sociability Assessment test, there are three options:

If Central Bark feels that the dog needs a little more attention and special treatment for being able to mix normally with others, we will offer our Special Induction sessions. Special Induction can involve up to 3 intense weekly sessions of up to 2 hours each, where the dog receives individual attention and coaching with two staff members on-hand, before re-testing. If it looks like Special Induction is not going to work, we will let you know as soon as possible and recommend you try Option 2). Each 2-hour session is charged at $60.
If we believe the dog has serious behavioural issues, we will recommend you to our trusted Dog Behavioural Psychologist for professional help. We will be happy to re-test the dog after seeing the psychologist.
The dog does not attend daycare. In the absence of following Options 1) or 2) above, we would not normally retest a dog within 12 months of failing the previous test.

ENROL YOUR DOG