Barbara Moore is Teaching smALL Dogs New Tricks

If you’ve ever come home from a long day and felt guilty for leaving your four-legged friend alone all day; or discovered that Fido found a way to keep busy (while simultaneously deconstructing the house,) then Bow Wow Doggie Daycare in the Strip may be able to provide some relief.

You may be familiar with the phenomenon of doggie daycare. In most cases you enter a facility in the morning, hand over the lease, and come back in the afternoon to take your pooch home. During your absence, in most cases, the pups are running free all day in a room together. And while that can lead to a tired dog, it may also be adding in some anxiety for your furry friend.

Just six months ago, Barbara Moore became the owner of Bow Wow Doggie Daycare (BWDD) in the Strip, and now she is shaking things up a bit. Having worked with dogs for 25 years, she thinks it is important to offer a well-rounded day of activities. I asked her what an average day at BWDD would look like. Barbara gave me an example based off the friendly little dog Lucy, who had just jumped up and stole my chair.

“Lucy usually comes in mid-morning. She plays lots of chase with her friends and mellows into the day with her dog companion here, Gigi. After a couple of hours, she will go on a 2-mile run with JoAnn, the dog runner at BWDD. And even though Lucy comes back ready for more, we give her a little break by herself, along with some food and water. Following that, I take Lucy into our newly remodeled front room, where we work on agility. Lucy is already very agile, but we’re working on learning some new skills. And then, she does a little more socialized before having a calm end to the day.”

While Barbara admits that not all dogs are as active as Lucy, it’s important to recognize those that are, and make sure they get enough interaction. To do this, BWDD employs only people that have experience working with dogs. The staff spends time individually with each dog and the length of their walks or the degree of their agility work varies. In addition to the everyday staff and dog runner, Barbara has an intern Jade, who is a student from City High with an interest in canine behavioral training.

All of the activities mentioned above are included for every dog, at a price comparable to other local doggie daycares. While BWDD does offer other advanced trainings at cost, they believe that each dog should leave with a balanced day of socializing, rest, and concentrated time with humans.

While dogs of all sizes are welcome, Barbara is personally interested in launching a program for small dogs because as she says, “A lot of small dogs aren’t getting enough healthy stimulation. Many people get them to have a lap dog or to carry them around. But just because they’re smaller doesn’t mean they don’t need mental and physical training to reach their full potential.” She went on to tell me that when small dogs get carried around too often, it can lead to a lessening of the development in their leg muscles.

If you’re interested in what balanced socialization and training can do for your dog, you can email Barbara at Barbara@bowwowdoggiedaycare.com or follow them on Instagram at bwddinthestrip

Photos by Ashley Andrews Photography.