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8 Best Dog Day Care Options in Brisbane for Families

Taking on a fur baby is a big commitment. Especially if you have other responsibilities such as a full-time job, a family to care for or a heavy schedule at college. Doggy daycare in Brisbane can be the answer for busy people who want love and attention lavished on their chosen family pet when they can’t be there. 

The good news regarding adult dog and puppy daycare in Brisbane is that there are some truly awesome people providing doggy daycare in Brisbane northside, west end, Brisbane south and all other areas in and around the city. When you can’t be with your family pet 24/7, this really is the next best thing. And it can be more affordable than you might think, too!

This guide to dog daycare in Brisbane lists 8 of the best options when you want to find a loving daytime home for your precious pet. Covered here are all the highly recommended providers when you want an amazing, safe environment for your furry friend. 

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8 of the best doggy daycare in Brisbane

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Barkley Park Dog Daycare

FAMILIES MAGAZINE TOP PICK 

  • Areas: City wide
  • Services: Doggy day care and bathing

In 2023, Barkley Park was rated the best doggy daycare in Brisbane by Baxtapets.com. With this pet care provider it’s all about letting your pet become their best selves. You can tour the setting before making any commitment regarding booking your pet in. 

Barkley Park truly appreciates the trust that pet owners place in them, and also places high importance on running a business with integrity, transparency, morals and autonomy. For doggy day care in north Brisbane, this is one of the newest options. The range of themed spaces can be found close to Gympie Road in Kendron, just moments from the city’s CBD. 

Barkley Park has an attractive and regularly updated Instagram feed so you can keep up with what your pet and their friends are getting up to. Here it’s all centred on fun, adventure and space to run around.

Pros:

  • Range of new and themed spaces
  • Signature Barkley Bubbles for enjoyable baths
  • Rated best doggy daycare in Brisbane by Baxtapets

Cons:

  • One of the city’s newer pet care providers

Doggy Daycare Brisbane

  • Areas: West End and city
  • Services: Doggy day care, grooming and training

Some of the best dog day care in Brisbane is supplied by Doggy Daycare Brisbane. West End based, this local company offers drop-off between 6.30am and 9am Monday to Friday. Pick-up is from 3pm to 6.30pm.

This set-up is ideal for people in all sorts of jobs and situations who need pet daycare in Brisbane for their furry friend. There is a firm focus on those who live in the city – perhaps in an apartment. We love the fact that this daycare is structured around spending time outside and keeping your pooch’s mind and body active. 

Pastimes your pet can get involved with include obedience and scent work, ball and bubble play, group games, treasure hunts, puzzles and even pool parties. Doggy daycare prices here are based on trial sessions, a casual day rate and recurring billing. The latter guarantees your pet a slot, and also offers a discount as compared to paying for individual sessions. 

Pros:

  • A variety of activities
  • Special trial session rate
  • Convenient drop-off and pick-up times

Cons:

  • Structured session times don’t suit everyone

MadPaws

  • Areas: City and Australia wide
  • Services: Doggy day care and other services according to provider

For day care in Brisbane CBD, around the city and even across Australia, MadPaws is a site connecting you to suppliers who can provide all kinds of pet care services. Rates and services vary according to who you engage and their level of experience, as each sets their own prices. 

Brisbane doggy daycare can be provided via MadPaws in a variety of settings. Some suppliers are students who genuinely miss their own pets back home, whether that’s elsewhere in Australia or overseas. 

When you check out the list, you can see features such as whether each has a police check, updates their calendar regularly, has repeat bookings, or takes regular weekly bookings. 

Pros:

  • Marketplace covering all areas
  • Cheaper rates can be available
  • See at a glance the key features of each provider

Cons:

  • Provision may involve a less professional set-up 

Mr Teddy Bear 

  • Areas: City wide
  • Services: Doggy day care, grooming and boarding

Every care is taken at Mr Teddy Bear in Brisbane to provide the perfect indoor and outdoor daycare setting for your pet. The clean, air-conditioned setting is staffed by people who will ensure your dog can play while being exercised and socialised. 

Features making this one of the top options for dog day care in Brisbane city include divided areas to suit dogs of different sizes, activity levels and temperaments. Each of these also has purpose-built equipment to suit various sorts of dogs. Impressive toys and agility apparatus are supplied to keep your dog’s mind and body active. 

Night lighting for nap times, filtered fresh water, surveillance equipment, aromatherapy oils and even natural grass pots for toilet time all contribute to making this an appealing place for both pets and their human owners. The daily schedule at Mr Teddy Bear also includes socialisation, basic behavioural training and individual attention for your dog. 

Pros:

  • Very well equipped setting
  • Package prices offer better value for money
  • Divided indoor and outdoor areas for different dogs

Cons:

  • Website could be improved
puppy daycare brisbane

Hanrob Brisbane

  • Areas: City and Australia wide
  • Services: Doggy day care, training, grooming, transport and boarding

If you picture your pet enjoying a huge grassy expanse while they’re away from you during the day, then the services supplied by Hanrob have to be worth a look. Whether you want to find adult dog or puppy day care in Brisbane, dogs who love being outside will relish the sand pit, pools, obstacle course and toys set up here. 

Four decades of experience means this is a doggie daycare provider you can trust completely. We find that dogs who spend the day here come home as healthy and happy as it’s possible for a pooch to be. Your pet will also be paired up with other dogs of a comparable size, temperament and activity level. 

If you like, Hanrob also supplies other services such as training, grooming, boarding and transport. Pricing is based on casual day rates, discounted 10-pack prices, play and train packages and VIP rates giving two to five days’ care per fortnight. 

Pros:

  • Large grassy outdoor area
  • 40 years of pet care experience
  • Special rates and other services available

Cons:

  • Not the cheapest rates

PawShake

  • Areas: City and Australia wide
  • Services: Doggy day care and other services according to provider

Whether you want to look out for cheaper rates or find a more personal kind of doggy daycare business for individual attention, PawShake is a good place to look. Here you can find someone who will place your pet in their family home and garden, rather than running around with a load of other dogs. 

Another advantage of checking out suppliers like this is the fact that you can find doggy daycare in Coorparoo, Woolloongabba, Newstead, Chermside, Eagle Farm or wherever you live. Lots of the dog carers have big, fenced-off backyards so your pet has freedom to roam all day long. 

Pros:

  • Competitive rates available
  • A more personal form of doggy daycare
  • Many providers have large backyards for lots of space

Cons:

  • Less chance of socialising with other dogs

Gabba Doggy Daycare

  • Areas: City wide
  • Services: Doggy day care and grooming

At Gabba Doggy Daycare in Brisbane it’s all about letting your dog off the leash to run around freely. There are spacious indoor and outdoor areas here, and the team loves to lavish attention on your pets when you’re working or otherwise occupied. 

Again dogs are placed in play areas here according to the energy level and size of each pet. We adore the fact that the carefully supervised environment here allows dogs to make new friends – whether that’s with fellow canines or their human companions. Grass, pools, sand, ball pits and more ensure there’s always something for your pet to do. 

Doggy daycare prices at Gabba include half and full day rates. There’s also 10, 20 and 30 pack rates, plus weekly packages for two, three or five days. Gabba can also supply a pet taxi service to get your pet from home to their doggie daycare setting.  

Pros:

  • Pet taxis can be provided
  • Free trial sessions available
  • Large, off-leash indoor and outdoor areas

Cons:

  • A feeding fee applies even when you supply lunch

Mad Dogs & Englishmen

  • Areas: City and Australia wide
  • Services: Doggy day care, walking and training

Mad Dogs and Englishmen is one of our favourite suppliers of dog care services in Brisbane. They supply dog walking and training, as well as doggy daycare. The daycare supplied here is based around walks, so a tired-out pup is guaranteed by the end of each day!

A bonus of using this service provided by Mad Dogs and Englishmen is that they are happy to come to your house to collect your pooch before setting off on their daily adventure. They will then be taken to somewhere like the park or beach so they can let off some steam and run around freely. 

Pros:

  • Training and dog walking also offered
  • Dogs can be collected from your home
  • Pets are taken to parks or the beach for exercise 

Cons:

  • Daycare based around back-to-back walks

Doggy Daycare Brisbane FAQs

Is doggy daycare good for dogs?

Doggy daycare is good for socialising pets. Rather than staying at home while you’re out and getting limited activity, your dog gets to meet other pets. They can also play as much as they want to, which has positive effects on their mental health and can result in a calmer, happier dog. 

What are the disadvantages of doggy daycare?

If the doggy daycare setting isn’t quite right for your dog, then you run the risk of them ending each day overstimulated, overexcited or overtired. Where they have been mixed with other pets they’re not compatible with, they may also end up stressed. These potential issues can usually be overcome by choosing your dog daycare setting very carefully. 

What is the best age to start doggy daycare?

Young puppies can usually attend pet day care settings once they reach the 12 week milestone. At this point they should have had all the required vaccinations to avoid contracting or spreading disease. The final round should take place about a fortnight before they attend a doggy daycare setting. 

Which doggy daycare in Brisbane will you use?

Pet daycare in Brisbane has the potential to change lives. Both you and your dog can be happier and calmer when they’re well looked after in your absence. A full-time job, caring commitments or other circumstances needn’t be a barrier to pet ownership once you engage the right adult dog or puppy daycare in Brisbane to suit your location, preferences and budget!

If you have a fur baby, or perhaps you are looking at getting a rescue dog, why not check out our articles on a Brisbane dog friendly cafe, the best beaches for dogs on the Sunshine Coast or beaches for dogs on the Gold Coast or the top off-leash dog parks in the city area?

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Janine Mergler

Janine Mergler is a veteran Queensland teacher, graduating from QUT with a BEd majoring in Social Sciences. After many years in the classroom, Janine moved on to academia. She has proudly trained new generations of teachers in her role as a lecturer at Queensland University of Technology Faculty of Education. She has also worked in the Queensland Government as an education specialist, developing education resources and delivering community awareness programs to help families conserve water. Currently she is the owner and editor of Families Magazine, a publication specifically targeted at parents who value a quality education for children.  Janine leads a team of professionals who write about family lifestyle, early childhood, schools and education information and family-friendly events.

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