Dog Daycare & Boarding in Colorado Springs

Dog daycare and boarding facilities are abundant in the Colorado Springs area. Men's Health magazine named Colorado Springs the Best City for Dogs, and our city earned top marks for the number of dog boarding and daycare facilities. This is great news for dog owners, who have a variety of dog care options to choose from.

Some dog daycare/boarding facilities are quite large, averaging more than 60 dogs per day, others are operated out of an individual's home and limited to 10 dogs or less, and some are in the middle. Some facilities are indoor/outdoor, some are indoors only. Play group management styles vary widely - some facilities emphasize dogs playing with dogs and minimize human intervention, while others emphasize tailoring activities to the individual dogs (some of which may prefer more human attention). Some facilities discourage the active, rougher play while others allow it within limits (and the limits vary!). The amount of play time varies as well. Due to staffing constraints, some kennels may rotate the boarding dogs in and out of the play groups to maintain proper staff:dogs ratio (required, not recommended, by the Colorado Department of Agriculture to be 1 supervisor:15 dogs). Some facilities accept special needs dogs (such as geriatric dogs, diabetic dogs, etc.) while others do not. Some have breed bans and/or spay/neuter requirements, others do not. There are several franchises in town, as well as independent operations. Hours of operation vary widely as well, but most dog daycares open early and close late to accomodate the owners' work schedules. In the end, there really is a facility suited for every canine need.

Dog Daycare/Boarding Services at Central Bark

Open since 2001, Central Bark is a mid-sized dog daycare facility offering daycare, boarding, grooming, and training. We are not the biggest, and have no desire to be so. We're happy to be "Middle of the Pack" when it comes to size, but "Leader of the Pack" when it comes to personal care and service. Our focus is on providing a personalized experience for your dog. We do get to know, and love, your dog!

Reasons to Consider Central Bark for Your Dog Daycare and Boarding Needs

FACILITY: Our facility has rubber floors that are easy on the large dogs' joints, and artificial turf areas. It is air-conditioned in the summer. The entire facility (except for the closets, kitchen and bathroom) is basically visible from the reception area. There is nothing to hide so the cleaning is constant, and you can easily view where your dog will sleep and play. Our primary overnight kennel area has seamless epoxy flooring for ease of sanitation (this floor is non-porous and slightly textured). Central Bark has a variety of overnight accomodations to suit your dog's size and privacy needs.

STAFF: The Central Bark staff is second to none. Most dog handlers are over 21, many have education beyond high school, and many have animal experience beyond that of a typical pet owner. The owner/manager is onsite at least 9 hours/day during the week, and is often present on weekends as well. We often have one or two high school students who help out after school, but they are always accompanied by an adult. Staff retention is good, so even the "occasional boarding" dog will likely return to find familiar faces.

PLAY GROUPS: The dogs are separated into play groups primarily based on size, although temperament and owner requests are also taken into consideration. We do encourage both dog/dog and dog/handler interaction here, and we do allow active play as long as one dog is not bullying another. We do not ban any particular breed, such as pit bulls. All social dogs are allowed, and monitored to be sure they remain social. Our staffing level often exceeds that required by the Department of Agriculture, which is the main reason that we can let the dogs be rowdy and also give the dogs individual attention. Also, we usually do not need to rotate dogs in and out of play group - every social dog plays ALL DAY except for meal times and nap times. We are a collarless facility (see the FAQs for why) and every staff member is required to be able to tell one Black Lab from another! When you call to check on your dog, whoever answers the phone should know who your dog is (although might have to check with another staff member for more details).

SPECIAL NEEDS: If you have a special needs dog, we are happy to help. We currently have two trained vet techs on staff (one close to 40 hours per week, one part-time). If you have a dog needing confinement after a surgery, we offer convalescent daycare at a reduced price (the dog is confined and walked outdoors to relieve itself, and we will administer medications as instructed). Although we cannot accept overtly agressive dogs, our low-key desensitization approach has helped shy, timid dogs become more confident. We cater to small dogs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so if you have a small dog looking for a good time, come check us out.

CONVENIENCE: Central Bark is open every day of the year, including holidays. We also have late pickups available until 9 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. See the Contact/Hours page for details.

Grooming and Training at Central Bark

Central Bark's groomer, Kammie, has over 15 years of experience. Please visit our Grooming page for more details and photos worth a million words.

Pikes Peak Obedience Club provides on-site training classes based on demand. PPOC trainers are individuals who have successfully competed in Obedience Trials with their own dogs. When choosing a trainer, the alphabet-soup after the trainer's name is less impressive then the obedience titles after their dogs' names! When PPOC classes are not scheduled at Central Bark, we refer to Canine Solutions which is located about 10 minutes from Central Bark. Shelley Bergstraser's smooth-coated collies are proof that her methods work. The Owner/Manager has personally trained her obedience-titled Bernese Mountain Dogs with both PPOC and Canine Solutions.

Learn More

Our FAQs provide detailed answers to questions on Health & Safety, Basic Requirements, Facilities/Environment, and Daycare/Boarding. Please enjoy our "Dog of the Month" and "Current News" features, where you can see that at Central Bark, it's all about the dogs!

Let's Talk About Dog Daycare Please click this link for objective information on Dog Daycare written by the American Boarding Kennel Association. Sorry about the formatting - this is a PDF file for a brochure, so the second page is actually the first page. Also, you may need to zoom in to enlarge the text. This brochure is also available as hard-copy at Central Bark, as are other informative ABKA brochures.

Why Daycare is a Treat for your Dog

They won't be sitting at home lonely and bored.

At the end of a busy day, when you're ready to relax, your pooch will be too.

Interaction with other dogs, supervised by trained professionals, builds positive social behaviors.

Lots & lots of loving attention and fun!

Stops stress, separation anxiety and destructive behavior due to boredom.

What a great way to make more human and canine friends.

Always knowing your dog is safe and happy while you are away.

Great fun! Guaranteed.