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.
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.
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.
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.
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: