Camp Bow Wow Pittsburgh Highland Park

We have two dogs a female goldendoodle age 3 and a male golden/​lab mix age 2. When we go away we have no worries boarding them at Camp Bow Wow. It is great to check in every day via our I-​pad and seeing them have fun running around with other «campers». They are always supervised by a Camp Counselor which makes me feel comfortable. They both get groomed by Cynthia before they come home and when I pick them up they are clean, sweet smelling and tired.

My wife and I have a 2 year old beagle. We got her when she was a 4 month old puppy. Our first camping experience with her was at Golden Bone. She was a 6 month old by then. We boarded her while we left town for Thanksgiving. That was a disaster. We had her groomed and her claws clipped. When I picked her up, she was LITERALLY a bloody mess.
On a suggestion from a staff member at Petco, we took her to Camp Bow Wow. They have an evaluation process that your dog has to go through to make sure they are socialized and can cope with the environment. After the evaluation they allow you to leave your dog there for the day. When we picked her up at the end of the day, she was COMPLETELY exhausted. As stated before, she is a young beagle FULL OF ENERGY. When she came home and collapsed, we knew we found the right place for her!!!
When either my wife or I pull out the bag that we use to pack her things for Camp Bow Wow stays, she knows EXACTLY what that bag means, and she starts running with excitement all over the house!!! She obviously likes it there. And if she likes it, we love it! We will not take her anywhere else.

My 6mo puppy is so happy here! It’s been wonderful to help socialize him to humans and other dogs.

I bring my pomeranian here for grooming and couldn’t be happier. Cynthia does an amazing job– especially considering the amount of fur my puppy has. He is calm and happy when i pick him up and always looks and feels great. Cynthia and the rest of the staff are always very friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend!

Second day there. So far so good. Staff is very friendly. My pup is exhausted when I pick her up.

Please do not take your dog here. The staff use water bottles and spray the dogs in the face CONSTANTLY for EVERYTHING. I have over 5 years of dog psychology and behavior experience and training. I can tell you from first-​hand experience, the staff is not trained properly in dog psychology. Simple behaviors that require a basic verbal correction are punished by spray bottles, pushing, collar dragging and yelling. The staff rely solely on intimidation tactics and spray bottles. There are too many dogs for the number of employees. The staff is overwhelmed and doesn’t seem to give individual attention. Some dogs are constantly in a state of fear and the staff do nothing. It is heart breaking. There are several dogs that shouldn’t be there and have exhibited aggressive behaviors towards people and other dogs. There are several dogs that constantly bully other dogs and caused fights that where never removed from the facility. Camp Bow Wow claims to be based on positive reinforcement. This is not an accurate statement at all. I could see using a spray bottle if there is an urgent safety concern, that’s it. The overuse of such tools desensitizes them and teaches the dogs not to trust the staff. The staff do not build respectful and kind relationships with the dogs. I told the manager and director about my concerns. I was given a very uneducated answer. They both told me, «The spray bottles don’t hurt the dogs.» The use of positive punishment such as the use of spray bottles, hurts the dogs psychologically. This is not appropriate or a respectable way to communicate with any animal. The staff do not teach the dogs anything. They squirt them in the face repeatedly until they run away. This is only teaching fear, nothing else. They aren’t forming a relationship with the dogs they are instilling fear in them in a poor attempt to get the response that they want. This is how dogs bite people because there is no trust. This is how dogs shut down. The other dogs are watching what the staff do and are learning not to trust them. I would never recommend anyone to take their dog to any Camp Bow Wow. The staff, including the directors and managers are extremely uneducated when it comes to dog behavior. They do not grasp the toll that it takes on a dog mentally when the dog is being shoved, pushed, squirted in the face and yelled at. The staff and company as a whole, lack empathy, compassion, knowledge and above all dog behavior education. Some of the behaviors that I witnessed from the staff where appalling and disturbing. This is the year of 2015 and we have learned as a society through research and behavioral studies, forceful and physically punishable training is not only ineffective but disrespectful and emotionally damaging. The tools and methods that this company uses are outdated, unkind and lack empathy. Even when they open the gate and have all of the dogs stay so that they can get another dog out, they do that improperly. They are not training the dogs to stay back because they respect them in a kind way or because they have a connection with the dogs, they simply squirt the dogs in the face and yell at them and if one of them crosses the invisible line they grab them and shove them back into the pack of dogs. This is so inappropriate in every way, shape and form. Shoving a confused and fearful dog into a pack of fearful and confused dogs is outrageous. They are not training the dogs to understand, they are expecting them to understand. Then they get mad when they don’t do as they want them to do. Camp Bow Wow is a disaster. The lack of education and knowledge is mind blowing and scary. Camp Bow Wow is just as bad as The Dog Stop. These companies take in large quantities of dogs and have no dog psychology and behavior knowledge to make it a safe and relaxing environment. There is no relaxation or enrichment. It’s constant punishment and chaos.

My dog loves Camp Bow Wow and so do I. They have a great vetting process for new campers and my dog is in the Teacup area with other dogs his size. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. I haven’t tried the grooming services yet but plan to do so soon.

The management of this kennel is very disorganized and unresponsive. I paid $ 1,100 for my 3 dogs to board for 10 days. I was charged approx 20% MORE than I should have been. I was charged for services for all 3 dogs that they did not receive. Also, a credit from a previous mistake was not credited toward my bill. Also, I was also overcharged each day for their boarding. When I initially did the daycare ‘interview’ for 2 of them, I was told my dogs were not current with their shots. They were. Brandy couldn’t decipher the paperwork. When I asked for a receipt for grooming, I was told, «We don’t usually give receipts.» Huh? For a routine, daily daycare ok, but for a grooming when I hadn’t even been there yet? (Hence the credit since I found I wasn’t billed correctly). Tried 4 times to talk to Tim, the trainer about training for all 3. I sent an email from Europe asking how pups were doing. I did not hear until a few days later since it ‘went to their spam folder’ and was told they ‘were fine’ but learned at pick up that they had to feed all my dogs separately and they put all 3 into a different size group. Doesn’t sound like ‘fine’ to me. Tried to contact Michelle, the Director, several times. Her emails were unintelligible and garbled. When I asked her what I should have been charged for boarding alone she said, «Well, I had to create a fake reservations from Oct 15 – 25 to find out how much it would be…» WHAT??? You dont know your pricing? Castle Shannon can tell you! She could not tell me how my refund would be broken down. Just gave me a number of $ 180 (which STILL isn’t correct!). No explanation but ‘you can trust me’. HAHA Did not have the decency to CALL me. Demanded to speak to Owner, Jordan Murray-​would not give him my number.
I paid ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS for this poor service, can you imagine what kind of service YOU will receive for even ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS of service???

Awesome ! I brought my puppy here for the initial interview and then I found out they didn’t have any suites available for my dates but they gladly set me up with Camp Bow Wow Pittsburgh East, did the interview anyway and transferred all my info to the other camp. Very nice and professional staff. I’m hoping the other location is as good as them.

We use the camp mostly for boarding. The staff is very friendly and my dog is always excited to go there. He can’t wait to go in and play. I love that I can watch him on the doggy cam from the app on my phone!

When I moved here five years ago, I was terrified of finding a new kennel. It had taken me quite some time to find one I liked back home. Thank goodness I found CBW. I can’t say enough about the staff. I’m a crazy dog mom and when I email them about my dog, they are always so sweet and never make me feel like I am a bother. They are friendly and pleasant, and they always treat each dog like a rock star when they walk into the check-​in area.
I never worry about my dog while he is here. He’s ten and slowing down, but he still enjoys himself with the other dogs, and especially the «counselors.»
The grooming is awesome, as well.
For a city kennel, I honestly couldn’t ask for anything more than what I get here.

«Camp Bow Wow Highland Park is amazing!!! I have been taking Diva there for
day care, boarding and grooming since she came into my life. She is SOOO
excited to come through the doors and greet all of the camp counselors. She
is so happy to be there and there is no place she would rather be.»

I love how attentive the employees are. They are quick to bring out concerns and give advice. They are not only friendly with the dogs but also with the owners. I love that there’s always a person with the dogs in case of an accident (fight) and how they give breaks to doggies that need it. I love how they are great at cutting my dog’s nails and how clean he is when they give him baths. I love that he loves going to camp! I love the cameras and the pools. Camp Bow Wow really is a great place for my dog.

Great place, friendly caring staff (even when it gets crazy) Grooming is great. Our Little guy teacup Charlie loves it there for play dates and overnights.

I originally planned on dropping off the pooch once a week (let him run around, pee indoors without shame, get in bikini shape). The pooch enjoyed himself so much that now, like clockwork, he lays low until he hears me put on my shoes in the morning and sprints down two flights of stairs and refuses to let me go to work/​plays the massive guilt card until I take him to camp. He’s happy and we enjoy having a tuckered out pooch come evening. Worth the extra time added to morning and evening commute.

Our pup Otto has been a camper since we adopted him late last summer, and we’ve used Camp’s boarding, day-​care, grooming, and now training services. I cannot say enough amazing things about this place! He’s happy to board there and happy – and healthy – every time we pick him up. And now that I’ve used it, I’d recommend their training services as well. Thanks in large part to Camp, our crazy rescue puppy has transformed into a sweet, calm (er…) and well-​exercised family dog.
The staff treat Otto like one of their own and really know him – we’ve even run into staff members on walks out in the city and as soon as Otto recognizes them, he gets so excited. I think our pup’s enthusiasm speaks for itself!

This Camp Bow Wow location is incredible! My pooch absolutely loves it there. Forget about the goodbye kisses Mommy — I’m ready to play!
The staff is super nice and know all the dogs by name. I secretly tune in on the web cams while at work and can see how much they love on the dogs throughout the day. The report card about how he’s been always makes me chuckle.
Best part? My dog never smells bad when he comes home, even if he’s been there a few days for boarding.
Only wish? A little later hours, maybe 8 or 9p on weekdays and a full Sunday to pick up my buddy.
Fitzgerald gives it 2 paws up!

My dog absolutely loves Camp Camp Bow. The staff are knowledgeable, super friendly and recognize both myself and Henry as soon as we walk in! Worth noting: Henry is a french bulldog, a breed that has several special needs and I never feel nervous leaving him to board for a weekend — or even 9 days, as I did this summer — at Camp Bow Wow. They totally understand how he needs to stay cool and needs to take frequent breaks.
And I think the most telling thing is: when we walk in camp, Henry literally can’t contain himself, he is so excited. He even runs as fast as he can to go back and start playing with his friends! (And this is saying something, as he is VERY attached to me.)
The only thing I wish was different was longer hours — if they were open until 9 pm on weeknights, we would take Henry here to play during the day, too. But I simply can’t make the 7 pm deadline. (Also longer hours on Sunday would be great, for a more flexible pickup schedule when returning from out of town.)
Overall, great place!

Wish there were more than 5 stars!
We love taking our pup to camp! She’s been a camper since October-​ish and at first would take her in as a «treat» to socialize her. Now we’re on a 2 days a week package and we end up taking her 2 additional days just to tire her out (also, she gets super moody when she doesn’t get her way).
The Counselors are phenomenal! They know us the second our car pulls into the parking lot and are ready to greet her. All of the counselors are super friendly and clearly love all of the animals that go to camp. Love that we can watch her play all day and that she’s being well taken care of. When our pup caught a bout of the stomach bug, they paid extra attention to make sure she was happy and healthy on her first day back and gave us a full report when we picked her up.
Haven’t used them for boarding but wouldn’t hesitate for one second.

It’s really hard being a great pet parent but this place sure does help with the guilt of leaving your dog alone at home all day while you’re at work. We found this place to be great because the dogs are divided by size. We first went to The Dog Stop but were worried about leaving our 5 pound puppy in play area with 20+ dogs that went up to 50 pounds it seemed. Camp Bow Wow on the other hand had a teacup room so our puppy got to run around with dogs his own size without worry of being accidentally stepped on. Camp Bow Wow also has a limit on how many dogs they take at a time to make sure there’s enough room for everyone without getting overwhelmed.
The staff seems VERY friendly and knowledgeable. Also, there are no worries about how your dog is being treated as you can see everything from your computer or even your smart phone!
If you’re at work most of the day or worried about socializing your dog then I would suggest dropping him/​her off at Camp Bow Wow. Their prices are decent especially for what you get!