The Central BarkerIt's a Dog's World!

The first 3 Mondays in May, Central Bark is offering great opportunities to try out new activities with your dog.  Each hour long workshop lets both explore a popular dog sport, no strings attached.  Dog sports are a fantastic way to focus, train, bond with, stimulate, and exercise your canine companion and they have something to offer for every unique breed, age, and physical ability.  Here are the upcoming workshops and some darn good reasons why you should try them…

Rally Obedience on May 6th – Rally-O is the new wave of basic obedience trainining: fun reward-based pratical obedience using instructive signs.  If your dog can sit, down, follow you, or turn right (any or all of the above) you are already on your way to aceing this dog sport.  All of the exercises in Rally can easily go from competition ring to sidewalk.  Rally broke the mold in that it allows you to praise and encourage your dog during competition and that the course is never the same twice, removing the predictablility and rigidness of old-school obedience.

Canine Freestyle on May 13th – This rapidly growing sport is an absolute blast to train and perform.  You simply create a routine of chosen tricks to music.  It lets your dog’s (and your) personality bloom, having no required moves to compete.  You can do whatever your dog and you feel comfortable with.  If your dog stinks at stay, then don’t stay.  If your dog loves to jump, put that on cue and tada!  If your dog wants to improvise, great, go with it.  You will never be docked for too much personality.

Nosework on May 20th – Harnessing the power of a dog’s nose is part of our ancient and magical relationship with canines.  Nosework does just that, by asking your dog to navigate a course of objects and indicate which objects are marked by a small amount of predetermined scent.  It engages your dog’s brain, provides a ton of enrichment, does wonders for focusing and calming hyperactive dogs, and is a natural to train.  Plus it welcomes dogs of all abilities (deaf, blind, handicapped dogs welcome).

Workshops are from 7:30-8:30pm.  To enroll call at 206.325.3525 or e-mail at info@central-bark.com

We are offering an exclusive bathing special for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Be one of the first 20 dogs in the door on Sunday January 20th and get a bath with our environmentally-friendly hypo-allergenic shampoo, a full brush-out, ear cleaning, anal gland expression, and nail trim for only $20!  Get all this for the price of a u-wash.

Doors open at 8am.  Bath & Brushes are on a first-come first-served basis.  Only the first 20 dogs will be accepted.*

*The Bath & Brush Blowout does not include any specialty shampoos, products, hair trimming or shaving.  Daycare charges apply for doggie daycare visitors.

We asked you to send in pictures or your dog doing something cute.  We got a fantastic response and so many adorable photos that we had to form a panel of cuteness judges to evaluate the submissions.

Well the judeges have made their decision.  We have a winner!  Stella Luna the Miniature Schnauzer has been awarded the cutest photo.  Here she is playing “Where’s Stella” in a sea of shredded toilet paper.

You can check out the other cute contestants on our facebook page here.

The Furry 5K is just a few weeks away.  Join Central Bark and thousands of other dogs and their walkers to benefit the Seattle Animal Shelter.  It all happens Sunday June 10th at Seward Park in Seattle.

The race starts at 10am.  You can register online, by mail, or in person at a participating athletic stores, just make sure you sign up by June 5th.  Pledge $20 to help homeless animals or $25 to add a t-shirt.

After the race check out local pet businesses at the Pet Expo and watch silly pet tricks and awards on the main stage.

For more information visit http://www.furry5k.com  We look forward to seeing you all there!

April 7th to May 7th is National Pet Month.  We honor these dates to promote responsible pet ownership, make people aware of the benefits of having companion animals, increase awareness of proffesional services for pets, and recognize the contribution working companion animals bring to our society.

To celebrate we are accepting donations to help the homeless pets at the Seattle Animal Shelter while they wait for their new homes.  They are in need of…

Please bring all donations to Central Bark – 838 Poplar Place South.  We will be accepting items until May 7th.  Thank you!

We asked what you wanted from our training program and you told us.  You wanted to brush-up on your basic manners and wished for more attention and focus from your dogs in general.  You were also interested in taking your sidekick to the next level with fun & games classes that encorporate tricks, agility, and aspects from other dog sports.

Well here it is…

Polite Greetings & No Jump – Teach your dog to sit or stand politely when greeting people.  Learn and practice techniques for greeting on walks, at home, and for visitors

- Sunday March 4^th: 1 – 2pm  $10

Leash Walking & No Pull– Learn skills to walk anywhere even under distraction

- Sunday March 25^th: 2 – 3pm  $10

Basic Manners – Build a strong training foundation or an obedience
refresher.  This class covers polite greetings and leash walking, attention, and basic obedience cues sit, down, stay, come, leave-it, and more.

- 4 Sundays April 15^th, 22^nd, 29^th, & May 6^th: 4 – 5pm   $80

We will have an intro to sports & games class on the agenda as well.  More details to come.  You can enroll via e-mail at info@central-bark.com or by phone at 206.325.3525  See you there!

For the lucky shoppers of North Yorkshire visitor centre in Danby England, Christmas tree buying will be a little different this year.  Their trees will be brought to their car using dog power.

The Forestry Commission in Danby Forest has recruited Newfoundland dogs from Aqua Nova Water Bears training club to move the trees.  The Newfies, who are naturals at draft work, have been trained to pull the trees behind them in carts.  This year they will be towing trees to raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Scarbourough & Ryedale Mountain Rescue.

Newfoundlands were originally bred to work for fisherman in Newfoundland Canada.  This giant, tremendously strong breed remains extremely benevolent, using its loyalty and calm disposition for water rescue work even to this day.  Newfoundlands thick double coat, webbed feet, and muscular build means that they can swim for miles.

Alan and Ingrid of Animal Planet Photography will be here on December 4th and 5th to take beautiful animal portraits for the holiday season.  Here is some Q & A about the upcoming shoot.

What if my dog won’t hold still?  They don’t expect them too.  Their camera shoots at 1/6000 of a second.  They can capture even the briefest of poses.

How much does it cost?  The shoot is free.  You can select a single photo, multiple, or a package.  Prices depend on photo size and quantity.

How do I order?  You can see your photos as soon as they’re taken and select the ones you would like.

Can I be in it?  Absolutely.  They can do group photos with you, your dogs, and your cat if you would like.

How do I sign up?  E-mail us at info@central-bark.com or call us at 206.325.3525.

Does your dog bark at the door?  Does your dog need work greeting strangers?  Does your dog shy away from funny looking people?  We have the perfect opportunity to deliver precious socialization straight to your door…. Halloween!  Here’s how to turn this spooky holiday into an awesome training opportunity.

Have someone else man the door while you work with your dog.  This way you can move further away from the door if Fluffy is getting too excited.

Leash your furry friend to prevent escapes and to keep away from those overly generous chocolate-wielding trick-or-treaters.

Bring dog candy; soft, smelly, meaty treats that is.  Reward those social butterflies for remaining
calm as kids arrive.  For shy dogs, reward for bravely approaching those strange costumed creatures.  For barkers, reward those quiet moments.

Create a training station using a cushy blanket or dog bed.  It will give your dog a focal point for stationary positions like sit and stay, which can be tricky when there are distractions.

And remember, don’t force any encounters between Fido and those kids.  If at any point your dog seems stressed or is refusing treats, it’s time to give them a break.  Training should be fun and safe for everyone.  Consider boarding if you’re concerned about your dog’s stress level.

Join us Saturday October 29th at 2pm for our first ever Halloween party at Central Bark!  There will be fun, games, prizes, costumes, and treats for our human and canine guests.

When: Saturday October 29th

Time: 2pm (to 4pm)

Where: Central Bark – 838 Poplar Place South, Seattle, 98144

Who: People and friendly leashed canines

What: Games, costume contests, bobbing for hot dogs, pie eating contests (for dogs), musical sit, dog and human goodies, photos, and much more!