Start Your Pup
on the Right Paw
Puppy Hour is a FREE supervised puppy socialization at Central Bark® Grayslake. It’s not only tons of fun, but it’s also a crucial opportunity for your puppy to socialize during their “sensitive period” from 8 to 16 weeks of age. Socialization helps prepare your dog to enjoy interactions and feel comfortable with other animals, people, places, and activities.
You and your puppy are welcome to attend as many sessions as you’d like until your pup reaches the age limit. Meet our staff, talk with our trainer and groomer, and explore our facility. At Central Bark, our mission is to nurture and enrich your dog’s life. Starting your pup on the right paw with puppy socialization is a fantastic way to set them up for success!
Join our Puppy Socialization Program and Watch Your Pup Thrive!
During this program, your pup will:
- Have fun playing off-leash with other vaccinated puppies their age.
- Stay safe and supervised by experienced caregivers to ensure all play is appropriate.
- Meet new dogs, humans, toys, and explore different environments and obstacles.
- Experience age-appropriate socialization and exposure to new and interesting challenges
Puppy Socialization Benefits:
Participating in our puppy program brings several benefits to your dog’s overall well-being and development. Here’s what your pup can experience:
- Building Comfort and Confidence: By introducing your dog to new environments and situations, they learn to navigate unfamiliar settings easily. This boosts their confidence and reduces anxiety throughout their lives.
- Positive Emotional Development: Early socialization shapes your dog’s emotional well-being. We expose them to various dogs, humans, and stimuli, helping them form positive associations and learn appropriate social behaviors. This sets the stage for a well-rounded and emotionally stable dog.
- Expend Excess Energy: Puppies have boundless energy, and our program provides a safe and controlled environment for them to burn it off. Off-leash play and exploration help tire them out in a fun and stimulating way, leading to better behavior and a more peaceful home environment.
- Group Play and Social Skills: Being part of a puppy group allows your dog to learn essential social skills and understand appropriate play behavior. They interact with other dogs, practice sharing toys, taking turns, and setting boundaries. These skills are crucial for positive interactions with other dogs throughout their lives.
- Establishing a Strong Foundation: Our puppy program lays a solid foundation for your dog’s future well-being. With structured and supervised socialization, we ensure they grow into a healthy, happy, and socially adept dog. This early investment in their development has long-lasting positive effects on behavior and overall quality of life.
Rules and Requirements:
- Puppies age 8–16 weeks
- Preregistration is required
- Proof of up-to-date Bordetella and DHPP vaccines
- Parents and children are welcome to participate
- Observe CDC guidelines including social distancing and wearing masks
- Regular 6-foot flat leash (no retractable or flexi-leads in the lobby) and a quick-release collar. If your dog usually wears a harness, you’re welcome to bring that as well.
If you are interested in a Puppy Hour event, sign up for email updates
Frequently Asked Questions
Dog day care gives dogs a fun place to play with their friends while their owners are busy at home and work.
At Central Bark®, doggy daycare is our specialty, and nobody does it quite like us. We don’t just give dogs a place to play. We create a personalized program of activities that optimize your dog’s whole health – their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Central Bark goes beyond a traditional doggy day care with our unique Whole Dog Care philosophy. Our personalized approach helps enrich your dog’s whole health and well-being throughout their entire life so you can enjoy a healthy, happy, and loving life together.
The heart of our whole dog care approach is our Enrichment Doggy Day Care program. We combine Central Bark’s industry-leading doggy day care expertise with the latest dog behavior science. Our mission is to give dogs a balanced blend of exercise, social group play, learning, rest, and TLC. To help your dog be a healthy, happy, calm, and well-rounded member of your family.
At Central Bark®, our goal is to provide a balanced day of play, learning, rest, and love. Learning and mental exercise can happen in various ways, including training activities, brain games, scent work, and more. Our playgroups offer several hours of active playtime paired with learning opportunities during Group Play Skills. This way, dogs have plenty of time to socialize and get their energy out, while also exercising their minds through learning.
During one of your dog’s rest periods throughout the day, they are offered a rest period enrichment activity to stimulate their mind while encouraging healthy rest. These licking and chewing activities involve food rewards, such as frozen peanut butter KONG®. These activities engage their minds while helping foster quality rest.
Did you know? Scientific studies have shown that licking and chewing behaviors (especially those that involve food rewards!) are self-soothing, decrease heart and respiratory rates, and even release dopamine in a dog’s brain.
Training Tutor sessions stimulate the dog’s minds and bodies and help them learn important skills, behaviors, and tricks.
One-on-One Enrichment sessions give the extra attention dogs love and the freedom to use their senses and safely explore their instincts through interactive toys, puzzles, and games.
Did you know? 15 minutes of mental activity is equal to 30 minutes of physical exercise!
The cost of your party depends on what you need to celebrate your occasion. You can rent space in our facility to celebrate, then bring in your treats and decorations. Or you can have us plan and run your entire event, complete with a special treat, party favors, hats, decorations, and more.
Call today to learn more
Yes! When your dog spends the night with us, we do everything we can to ensure your dog has a safe place where they can feel well-rested.
Sleepovers at Central Bark® offer your dog a calm, relaxing sleepover in a place they can feel comfortable and loved. Because they’re in a familiar place, they can feel less stressed about being away from home (and so will you). A full day of Doggy Day Care is included with your sleepover stay.
