Bark Avenue Playcare | Chicago Professional Pet Services and Expert Dog Care

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General Questions
Daycare Questions
Boarding Questions

Training Questions

General Questions:

1. What are the times that I can drop-off and pick-up my dog(s)?
You can drop-off or pick-up your dog(s) Weekdays between 6:30am—8:30pm, and on Weekends/Holidays between 7:30am—8:30pm.

2. What do I do to enroll my dog at Bark Ave?
We require a meeting with you and your dog to assess temperament and to familiarize ourselves with your dog. Also, we recommend that you tour our facility prior to setting up service. Please contact us to schedule an appointment: 312.455.8582 or email_us@barkavenueplaycare.com

3. Do I need proof of vaccinations?
Yes. This is required by law. Bark Avenue Playcare, Inc. cannot be responsible for improperly or insufficiently vaccinated animals.

4. How do you bill?
You will be asked to pre-purchase daycare packages in single visits or package deals. Days are deducted as they are used.

5. What happens if my dog gets sick or hurt at Bark Ave?
You will be contacted immediately. We will transport any sick or injured dog to the local veterinarian of your choice. If we are unable to reach you, we will transport the dog to our vet. Just as with child daycare, guardians will be responsible for the cost of treatment for their pet.

6. What do you do with unsocial dogs?
While we reserve the right to decline unsocial or aggressive dogs, we will provide service to unsocial dogs on a case-by-case basis. If the dog is not a threat to our staff and can be handled safely in the presence of other dogs, we will accept the dog for daycare. Your dog will be exercised individually in a separate play area or walked outside depending on temperament.

7. Do you often have altercations between dogs?
Since we evaluate dogs for proper temperament and closely supervise the dogs, altercations are rare. Also, our handlers have been trained to recognize and deal with aggressive behavior before it becomes a serious fight.

Daycare Questions: | Link To Daycare Page |

1. Do you feed the dogs that are there for daycare?
Generally not, however we are happy to accommodate dogs with special needs for no charge.

2. Do all the dogs play together or do you separate by size, temperament, etc?
Safety is our number one priority. Puppies are socialized slowly and kept separate until we feel they can handle themselves in the playgroup. Small breed dogs are individually evaluated and placed with the appropriate group.

3. How many people are supervising the dogs during the day?
We like to keep the ratio of dogs to about ten dogs per handler.

4. What are the dog's activities during the day?
We play with the dogs with assorted toys and allow the dogs to interact with each other. Playtime is structured to reinforce the obedience training we have done with some of the dogs in the group. Wrestling, humping and play-biting is discouraged as this often leads to fighting.

5. How much playtime do the dogs get during daycare?
Three to four hours depending on how long you leave the dog with us. For example, if you bring your dog in at 8:00 am and pick up at 5:00 pm your dog will play for approximately three to four hours of that time.

6. Do you provide transportation?
Transportation is not available for our daycare services.

Boarding Questions: | Link To Boarding Page |

1. How many times a day are the boarding dogs fed?
Twice a day unless otherwise specified.

2. Can I bring toys, beds, blankets, treats, and leashes?
Yes, however we cannot allow a dog to have these items (toys and beds) in his/her kennel if they tend to chew them. This presents a choking hazard. Also, we cannot guarantee these items will not be lost or destroyed while at Bark Avenue Playcare, Inc.

3. What are the dogs activities for the day?
Boarding dogs, if they are well socialized, are allowed to play with the daycare dogs. We do monitor them closely and return them to their kennel when they become tired.

4. Do I provide the food for my dog?
This is strongly advisable as it helps to prevent stomach upset, but we will feed your dog Canidae brand dog food if you do not provide food. Also, please bring only as much food as your dog will eat during his/her stay.

5. Do I need a reservation?
We do require a reservation and deposit during high volume periods such as holidays. There is a non-refundable $50.00 reservation fee during holiday periods. The deposit will be applied toward the total bill for your dogs boarding.

6. What is considered a holiday season?
Three days before, the day of and three days after a generally recognized holiday.

7. What is the latest I can make a schedule change for boarding?
Forty-eight hours advance notice is required to change a reservation.

8. Do you administer medication, is there a charge?
We will administer medication to your dog at no additional charge.

9. How will my dog feel after boarding at Bark Avenue Playcare, Inc.?
In a word, exhausted. It's a high energy, exciting atmosphere where your dog may not get his/her usual all day nap. A few days of this is bound to wear your pup out. We compare it to spending three, or more, days at an amusement park.

Training Questions: | Link To Training Page |

1. What is the best training program for my dog?
A solid obedience program will solve most problem behaviors. We provide two levels of obedience training: On Leash and Off Leash training. These two programs cover what most Puppy, Basic, Intermediate and Advanced training programs cover. While we also do Aggression Management training, we find that most problem behaviors stem from a lack of adequate obedience training.

2. How is your training program structured?
We have a few options for your convenience. Your dog can take part in our weekday program, which is 2-3 days per week. Dogs that come for weekday training are dropped off at our facility in the morning and picked up at the end of the day. We work with each individual dog during the day and review the days work when you pick your dog up. We also offer a Board-'n'-Train program or private lessons. We welcome owners to stay and work with their dog whenever possible.

3. What is your training method?
While there is no one training method that will work for every dog, any training program must be based on fairness and consistency. Also, handler education is a major part of our method. We recommend that guardians be as involved in the training as possible in order to gain the maximum benefit.

4. What do I have to do to reinforce what my dog has been taught?
We believe that training should be incorporated into your daily life. For example, just before mealtime is a great time to do refresher training with your dog. Also, we recommend regular tune-up sessions to keep your dog's skills sharp.

5. When do you recommend training begin with a new dog?
We recommend training begin as soon as the dog is properly vaccinated. The younger the dog, the more positive the training will be. In other words we always prefer to teach a young dog how to act rather than teach an older dog how NOT to act. The best training happens BEFORE the dog has developed bad habits. Unfortunately, many people wait until they have a problem behavior to begin training.

6. Explain Aggression Management Training.
Aggression Management Training is applicable for dog-human aggression as well as dog-dog aggression. While we recommend some degree of aggression management training for all dogs, it is especially important for working/guarding breeds. These are dogs that have been bred to guard and protect by showing aggression in certain situations. Aggression Management Training is designed to teach your dog to recognize when these behaviors are appropriate and when they are not.

7. I have a two year old German Shepherd who has never bitten anyone. Do you still recommend this training for him/her?
Generally yes. This means there has never been a situation where your dog feels he should be aggressive, but unless you have trained and proofed this behavior, you cannot be certain that it will never happen. Dogs live in a different society than humans with a very different set of rules. While we have courts and lawyers to settle our differences, dogs settle their differences through aggressive display and physical aggression. Aggression Management Training not only teaches the dog that being aggressive is not a decision he can make on his own, it also teaches the guardian to recognize and handle their dog properly in situations where aggression may occur. Most importantly, this training teaches the guardian how to avoid the most common mistakes people make that actually encourage aggression later in life.