Dog Enrichment Daycare in Chicago, IL

• Our Enrichment Daycare Program is designed to bring out the best in your dog and strengthen the bond you share.
• We know that a one-size-fits-all approach is not best for every dog, so we offer two Daycare Programs and tailor Enrichment Daycare to each dog’s unique characteristics, preferences, and playstyles.
• The enrichment games and activities are designed to provide physical and mental stimulation and challenge the most intelligent dogs, who tend to get bored very quickly.
• The structured small group play and personalized attention allows dogs to thrive as they enjoy an enhanced level of fun with toys, puzzles, and play equipment that challenges the mind and allows them to exercise some of their natural breed instincts.  
• Some of the behaviors we see from dogs who get bored or become restless in the big group tend to disappear when they participate in enrichment sessions. Pet parents have commented on the improved patience and focus their dogs demonstrate after a day of Enrichment Daycare.

• Every dog will have fun and benefit from the enriching sessions since they are designed to appeal to dogs’ natural breed instincts, promote patience and confidence, and enhance the bond dogs share with their family.
• Puppies who need to learn to read social cues from other dogs in a fun and safe environment
• Highly Intelligent Dogs who become bored very quickly and may even become labeled as troublemakers
• The Adult Dog who is new to socialization (as far as we know since the dog may have been adopted) but shows a big interest in interacting with other dogs
• Dogs with Natural High Drive & Energy that require mentally and physically stimulating activities to allow them to relax when they get home
• Dogs on the Shy Side that may prefer human interaction over making new canine friends
• Senior Dogs that love to have fun but have a shorter tolerance for larger groups

• Absolutely! Dogs go home tired but not so exhausted that they want to sleep instead of eating dinner or interacting with the family. If fact, experts state that shorter sessions of mentally stimulating activities are much more tiring than longer sessions of physical activity. 
• The goal is to offer quality play sessions with a balance of physical and mental stimulation to promote proper health, growth, good behavior, and overall happiness.

• Enrichment pooches arrive between 8am and 9am and spend the first 30 minutes greeting their canine and human friends.  At 9 o’clock, we match each pooch with canine friends who share similar or complimentary characteristics and playstyles. 
• Each group is assigned a private Enrichment area in our Blue Room, that is sectioned off into four quadrants, so they focus only on the dogs in their group and one Enrichment Specialist. 
• We introduce activities and games while ensuring that each dog is happy and engaged. The small group size allows us to spend time with each pooch to ensure they get the most out of each Enrichment session. 
• Since short periods of mental stimulation can be much more tiring for dogs than running and playing for hours at a time, we provide rest times in our Chill Lounge between activity sessions, so each pooch can recharge for more learning and fun. 
• In the summertime, we rotate groups to the outside yard for water-themed activities that include pools, splash pads, and sprinklers. 
• Time in the Chill Lounge includes mellow music, soft lighting, and your pooches choice of a cuddle session, story time, a licki-mat or a puzzle to help them settle in and relax.  
• Each day is filled with multiple opportunities for learning patience, building confidence, and encouraging the good behaviors and manners that will enhance the bond you share. 

Enrichment Daycare has a smaller staff-to-pet ratio of approximately one staff member for every four to six dogs, or we personalized one-on-one sessions, so there is a higher cost to providing this type of individualized attention and personalized care. 

Enrichment Daycare Hours of Operations:
Our daycare operates Monday through Friday, hours as follows:
Full-Day of Enrichment: 9am - 5pm
Half-Day A.M. of Enrichment: 9am - 12:30pm
Half-Day P.M. of Enrichment: 1pm - 4:30pm

Drop-Off: 8:30am until 9am
Mid-day Pick-Up/Drop-Off: 12pm until 1pm
Pick-Up: 4:30pm until 5:30pm
Late Pick-Up (Additional $7 fee): 5:30pm until 6pm
Pooches must be picked up no later than 6pm. Pick-up after 6pm is $40.

We strive to minimize the disruption in our play groups which happens when dogs come and go at random times throughout the day. 

We do not provide overnight care at Urban Pooch Training and Fitness Center so after-hours care requires us to pay overtime which is very costly to the business.

• The Monthly Package you select depends on how often you want to bring your dog to Daycare each week. The more often your pup attends, the more you save on the reduced daily rate. 
• While the packages are intended to be used monthly, we understand that your schedule may change so we have provided you with 15 extra days to use the monthly package.

• Your current package will still expire 90 days after the purchase date.
• Any packages purchased after May 9, 2023, will expire 45 days from the purchase date.

• We designed our packages with discounts that reward regular attendance, since that helps dogs establish a routine and helps us maintain the safest playgroups. 
• When packages don’t expire, we have more dogs attending on random days throughout the year. The highly discounted rate is not sustainable for random attendance since it can require additional team members to introduce and acclimate dogs that aren’t a part of the regular group.

• Introducing a new dog to an established group causes a lot of excitement and can be disruptive, so we spend extra time and often add additional staff when introducing a dog who doesn’t attend regularly. 
• The higher daily rate helps offset the extra time and expense of ensuring the health and safety of each dog with us.
• Dogs thrive when they are kept on a routine at home, and the same applies when they attend Daycare. 

• Regular Attendance: When dogs attend Daycare regularly, they become comfortable with the surroundings and our team. They play with the same canine friends and focus on the fun experiences, rather than being distracted or feeling unsettled by newcomers in the group. 
• Random Attendance: When dogs attend Daycare on random days, we spend additional time helping them reacclimate to the surroundings, our team, and most importantly, to the dogs in the group who already know each other well. The best example we can give you is to think of a child being the new kid in class every time they go to school.

• Reservations allow us to schedule the number of team members required to maintain the safest staff-to-pet ratio each day. 
• We would hate for you to arrive for Daycare and discover that we have already reached our limit of dogs based on the number of staff who are working that day.

• When you purchase your monthly package, we recommend you make reservations for the month. This way you are guaranteed a spot on the days you prefer. 
• If you don’t need one of the days you’ve reserved, then you can call us within 24-hours so we can help you reserve a different day, based on availability. 

• If you can’t make it on a day you have reserved, we ask that you give us 24-hours’ notice to avoid forfeiting that day from your package or your pre-payment for the day. 
• If you give us advance notice, we are more than happy to work with your schedule based on our availability.

• We separate our Daycare groups based on the unique characteristics of each dog and want to ensure that we adhere to a safest staff-to-pet ratio, so each dog has a fun and engaging experience. 
• Our daycare team is trained in dog body language and dog behavior. Dogs tell us how they feel by the way they stand, hold their ears, tails, mouths, and eyes. Our team is constantly assessing each dog’s body language and behavior to ensure they play safely, and that each dog is happy in the Daycare environment. If we see any sign of a dog becoming overly excited or irritated, we take steps to diffuse the situation before it becomes a safety issue, which is why we have such an excellent safety record.

We understand that some work schedules may fluctuate. If you need to change your standing reservations, please notify us, and we will do our best to accommodate your new schedule.

• Similar to a child attending Daycare, or Preschool, your membership fee holds your dog’s spot in our Daycare and ensures that your pooch plays with the same doggie friends each visit, which enhances the cohesiveness of our playgroups and the safety and well-being of every dog.
• The membership levels include additional services and discounts valued well over the monthly fee.
• You can select the level that includes the services or perks that interest you most!
• We limit the number of memberships to maintain the safest staff-to-pet ratios and always accommodate our loyal clients who rely on our daycare services for their pups. 
• As a member, when you make standing reservations, you are guaranteed the days you prefer instead of calling to book a day here and there and finding that we are full. 

Membership details are as follows:

Membership is required for any dog to attend Enrichment Daycare. However, if you are not able to make standing reservations that are recurring each month, we will work with you to make reservations based on your schedule, our availability, and our goal of keeping your pup and our playgroups happy and safe. 

We limit the number of Enrichment Membership enrollments to maintain a small staff-to-pet-ratio which is a big part of the success of this program. Once your pooch is enrolled, if we are full, we will add other dogs to a waiting list. Since the cohesiveness of the groups is so important, we require a 3-month commitment to hold your spot.

Give us a call at 773-961-8880 or email us at info@urbanpoochtraining.com. A Reservation Specialist will call you to learn more about your pooch and get you set up for a fun-filled Enrichment Daycare Orientation.