Bark City Doggy Daycare

Because we have a great Enrichment Program , I thought it would be fun to post some enrichment games you can make for your dog at home:  Image: Yes Missy The Muffin Tin Game is somewhat like Hide-and-Go-Seek, but with treats instead of humans. It's pretty simple and easy to put together. You just grab a muffin pan, and place a few treats in random indentations in the pan. Then, place tennis balls over all the indentations. You dog needs to A) figure out how to get the balls out and B) figure out which indentations hold the treats. A full tutorial can be found here: Yes Missy . Image: The Nerd's Wife This enrichment game was found on The Nerd's Wife and will keep your dog entertained for hours. I do want to write a little disclaimer: The Nerd's Wife tutorial on how to make this enrichment toy also endorses Purina Beyond Pet Food. Though Bark City thinks this is an awesome idea for an enrichment toy, we are not endorsing Purina Beyond.... Because, well... ...

REST! It's underrated. Over the years we have changed our nap schedule numerous times and have learned this is a very important part of the program. All of our daycare options have a nap program. We understand owners want a tired dog after a day of play with their buddies. BUT, it's important that exhaustion is not the only measure of success when you bring your dog for a play session. Our approach to your dog's day in off-leash play is to balance physical exercise, mental activities, and rest periods. All three are equally important components to keeping your dog safe and healthy when socializing with other dogs. Physical exercise is the most obvious benefit of off-leash play. It's what most pet parents think about when they drop their dog off. But for your dog's health, we also consider it important to provide mental stimulation, which allows your dog to think and use the brain during the day. Mental work builds confidence and self-control in your dog. ...

Let's face it, dog toys are fun for you and your dog. But they are not only fun, but they are also a necessity. Toys provide comfort and fight boredom in your dog. They can also be used in training to provide mental and physical stimulation to ward off undesirable behaviors in your beloved four-legged family member. When dogs are not provided toys in the household, they will often find other objects to use as toys. Often, the items they choose will be things that you do not want destroyed or huge safety risks. There are many toys on the market and some of them are perfect for a canine. Other toys can be a waste of money or downright dangerous for your dog. So, how do you as a canine owner, wade through the endless rows of dog toys to find the perfect one for Fido? Let's start with safety: Making Toys Safe: Size is important. Make sure the toy cannot be easily swallowed or lodged in your dog's throat. When choosing a toy, you must take into account your dog's si...

Over the years, as I have written this blog, I have often talked about the necessity of mental stimulation for a canine in addition to physical exercise. As dog owners, giving our dogs physical exercise is top on our priority list for canine health. But often, dog owners neglect the mental stimulation a dog needs on a daily basis-- and they need a lot. A domestic dog's wild relative-- a coyote, a wolf, etc. -- will spend the day hunting, scavenging and foraging for food. Our domestic dogs need the same sort of stimulation on a daily basis. Otherwise, we pay the price in unwanted behaviors that cause stress to the human- dog relationship. When a dog is mentally bored, unwanted behaviors pop up: excessive barking, digging, escaping, inappropriate chewing and other destructive behaviors. The dog is bored. This can also lead to a mental decline in happiness, aka canine depression . Mental enrichment on a daily basis stimulates and assists a dog's brain growth, improves proble...

As winter continues on, we all try to ward off the winter blues by taking our handful of vitamin D daily and watching endless hours of Netflix. Sometimes, we take hikes in the winter wonderland...or there is skiing...or ice climbing.  But let's face it, winter is a time of hibernation and cabin fever can take it's toll. A dog's mental health can suffer. While you can go skiing and ice climbing, a dog can't. They get bored when mental and physical exercise are not consistent. And a bored dog equals a mischievous dog. Luckily, humans are also a creative species and below I have found a bunch of DIY enrichment games for dogs. So start crafting away the winter canine blues! What you see above is a "snuffle pad". You can purchase these or make them. The picture above is a snuffle pad from an Etsy store: FleeceBeWithYou . The price of these mats vary depending upon size and weight ($9.00- $50.00) Snuffle pads are also fairly easy to make, but can b...

It’s TOY REVIEW TIME!!!!! We have decided to do something fun with our enrichment program and start doing a hands-on dog toy review. Each month, we will be purchasing toys from a different dog toy company. We will be reviewing them for a month. During that month the same toys will be used in each activity. We will be posting videos of how the dogs like them and which ones actually h old up. If the toys make the cut on being a fun toy and a good investment, for not only us but also for home use, we will have them available for purchase (we may even hint to you that your dog absolutely loves a certain toy 😉 ) Here is a glimpse of this month's toys: Aikiou and Animaganza. These toys will be introduced to the Enrichment Dogs this Friday, May11th, 2018. Please be on the look-out for our reviews (and be patient with us as we learn the ins and outs of  videoing product reviews 😀). Aikiou (pronounced: IQ) This image is from the Aikiou website: https://aikiou.com/ ...

Here is an official price list for services. Please keep in mind that I have not made the price list for "amenities", yet. That will be coming soon! The Enrichment Gym standard price will be included in the amenities list. So, don't panic! You will still be able to use the Enrichment Gym even if you don't have a Club Membership.

Before I get into the gritty details of our new prices, I want to first introduce something more exciting than the rest of the exciting stuff I have introduced: THE ENRICHMENT GYM . This gym will not only be new to Bark City, but also to the whole Valley! Montana can get really cold in the winter... too cold... to do anything. We found a solution to this problem: We will have a new indoor gym! You will now be able to come exercise your dog(s) without fear of frostbite on your nose or your dog's paws. Ok, now for the Nitty-Gritty.... With all the new programs and services we will be offering, some of our prices will be changing... by a minimal amount...like $2. Staring February 1st, 2016 prices will be $22 for full-day daycare, $16 for half-day and $28 for overnight. This will keep us competitive with other daycares in the area. Our VIP Membership will no longer be available, though we will still honor the current VIPs. Instead, we will be offering a "Club Membership...