MetroDog

Review well overdue… our little one, Sookie, has been going to this place since she was 8 weeks old (she’s now 6 ½ years old). The staff are like Sookie’s family and she gets all excited everytime we pull into the parking lot. She loves it, and comes home tuckered. Great boarding program. We leave for vacation and know that she is in very good hands.

I’ve boarded my dogs here several times and after every board at MD, my dogs require a visit to the vet. My older dog would come home vomitting, diarrhea, and lethargic. And my younger dog came home with kennel cough, even tho she has been vaccinated. Whenever they come home after being boarded they are lethargic and have zero energy, I think they don’t sleep well because it is SO loud in there and way too much constant stimulation. If you can, I would prefer to board my dogs at their vet, Berkeley Dog & Cat.

I boarded my small dog at MD and am so bummed I didn’t figure out after the first time that it was problematic.
First: The place STINKS of dog pee. Not just a little pee, but buckets of it. it reeks so much it gave me a headache. Nevertheless, I went along with it, thinking it would be a fun place for my dog to stay when I had to be away.
Before bringing him there, he got along well with other dogs. When picking him up, the workers there said he had to be put in «time outs» a lot due to aggression with other dogs. He also had a bite on his face (this is a 6 pound dog).
I was shocked. My dog always got along with other dogs – large and small – until bringing him to MD.
In order to get a sense for what was up, soon after picking him up the second time I boarded him there, I took him to a «small dog social» one weekend morning. Imagine my surprise when a pit bull PUPPY who weighed at least 25 pounds was allowed into the small dog social. A pup of any age isn’t a small «dog», and a pit bull pup is an inappropriate play partner for a 6 pound toy dog. Not only did the workers allow this dog in (guess they really needed the extra $ 20 or whatever it cost), but they held my dog at fault for defending himself against a burly, marauding pup. Now my dog has lasting issues with larger dogs that he never had before bringing him to MD because I have always socialized him and carefully supervised his play.
This place is NOT SAFE for small dogs. I would never bring my dog back, not even for a social visit or playday. Also, since the dogs are expected to just pee inside, I would never bring a dog on the younger side who is still potty training, or any dog who has issues with peeing in the house. They don’t take them outside to pee, but rather just let them pee on the rubber mats and then clean it up.
So sad that I didn’t heed the warnings and allowed this place to traumatize my dog.

We’ve been taking our dog to MetroDog for regular daycare for 5 months and we love it! I have been impressed by how truly nice and knowledgeable every person I have met who works there seems — they really seem to know and care about the dogs in their care, and are easy to interact with (from a customer service standpoint). I also really appreciate that training is built into how they interact with the dogs– our dog’s recall has vastly improved since we started going there. More importantly though, our dog is always beyond excited when we drop her off there — and, over time, her excitement about going has only increased. I don’t think MetroDog markets itself as well as it could (and it’s not as shiny/​fancy as some other local dog day care businesses), but in our experience the quality of their service (from a dog and a person perspective) is truly excellent and we plan to be long-​time customers.

Metrodog was a godsend! At the time, I was a new dog owner and had limited experience with canine companions. My childhood border collie had better manners than Emily Post, so dealing with a hyperactive bully breed exposed my weaknesses rather quickly. As my staffy pup grew, he developed an insanely ripped physique and became harder to control on a leash. For a 35 lb. baby, he was dragging me down the street on a daily basis. After four consecutive long term training classes, it was clear that my darling boy could sit, stay, and even shake hands, but he was still a barbarian once we stepped out of the front door. I thought Metrodog might be able to shed some light on the matter.
My staffy and I took a month long Basic Manners class with Janette Rael and I found it to be the best dog training instruction I’d ever tried. The curriculum had more structure than Bravopup and more effective strategies than Sirius. All the training was on leash. Each class began with a general overview and then Janette took turns, using each dog as an example of how to approach common challenges. We all had the opportunities to work with our own dogs and receive detailed critiques from her. I loved how there was such a huge emphasis on the habits and behavior of the owners. Of course, everything was my fault! Luckily, with a string cheese in hand, Janette taught me how to nix the frantic energy and show my dog who’s boss.
Best of all, she introduced me to the 2 Hounds Freedom Harness. This harness is THE best thing I have ever bought! Comfortable for the dog (the velvet bottom strap prevents chafing) and functional for the owner (enhanced maneuverability). I was blown away by how much more control I have over him on walks. Pro tip: if you want your baby to ride shotgun securely, the loop on the top of the harness works great with a seatbelt slipped into it. They have a great selection of colors in store. I recently copped a handsome emerald green one for the holidays.
In addition to their training classes, Metrodog provides a number of other services, including dog walking, grooming, day care, boarding, even overnight babysitting. Check the website for more details.
If you’re looking for a full service facility, chock full of knowledgeable dog lovers, Metrodog is bound to be a perfect fit.

Back again! Different dog and different issues. I actually can’t leave my dog at home alone anymore, he has anxiety. Metro Dog has the capability and the availability to help me out and provide a comfortable place for my dog to go when I am away. I am really impressed this time around with the individualized attention my dog is receiving while acclimating to day care. Feels like it’s supposed to, he’s my kid and they are watching him and the other kids. I get a report back as to how he behaved and at this point he is getting the gist of how to hang with other dogs and nothing remarkable is happening. Yay! If feel relieved to be able to live my life and work and leave my house when I need to with little worry and not too much damage to my wallet.

It’s clear that the folks at MetroDog are passionate about dogs. The facility is large and well maintained and I appreciate their extended operating hours. However, the mix of strongly positive and negative reviews here reflect inconsistent customer experience. Some dogs seem to do very well, others not so much. Ours is in that latter category.
We’ve boarded our dog twice at MD and after both occasions he’s required a trip to the vet to treat injuries incurred during his stay. I recognize that dogs play rough and occasionally get banged up in social situations, but our dog’s injuries went well beyond minor scrapes. I would have hoped that staff would have been sufficiently engaged and concerned for my dog’s safety and wellbeing to recognize and intervene to prevent or at least minimize his injuries, but that didn’t happen in either of our experiences there.
I don’t know exactly what happened. Perhaps there were too many dogs, or too few staff, but what I fear is that no one cared enough or was diligent enough to adequately care for my dog. What I do know for sure is that MetroDog charges a premium price for what — in our experience — has been consistently sub-​par service.
I won’t be taking my dog back again.

Awesome dog training place. I was really impressed with the environment. Alison Smith is great, a dog magician. She was very personable and helpful and gave me a lot of useful knowledge and tips for training my dog. I highly recommend this place!

First, thank you to the MetroDog staff for creating a safe environment for my dog. The staff was courteous to my wife and me, and treated my dog (a two-​year-​old female Boxer) with care. Again, at no time did I feel my dog was in any sort of danger or in harm’s way while she was with MetroDog. My two-​star rating is rooted in a disagreement I have with them concerning their decision to crate my dog for 12 hours after I had specifically said during the interview/​assessment that I do not want her crated. My dog has spent time at doggy day cares on a daily basis in San Francisco (4 months at K9 Playtime and SF Wags) Oceanside, CA (1 week at the Oside Pet Hotel), Bridgewater, NJ (1 week at Camp Bow Wow), and Queens, NYC (2 years at Camp Bow Wow, Long Island City). She’s played in dog parks/​dog runs from SF to NYC, and from Mantauk to Key West, FL. She is fully socialized. During the assessment of my dog, a trainer told me she cowered and showed a high-​level of submissiveness towards a few other dogs early on, but that after a short time (10 to 15 minutes, she warmed up and was «doing great»). After the assessment, we were asked to leave her for the day and we did. I was told she «did great» when I returned to pick her up to take her home. I made an appointment for the next day.
The next day we dropped her off at 6 a.m. (truly a benefit for commuters into SF when you consider almost all other day cares don’t open till 7 a.m.). When my wife returned to pick her up shortly after 6 p.m., she was told that because my dog cowered when she first entered the socialization area upon arrival that morning, they decided to crate her for the day. The trainer from the assessment the day before informed my wife that my dog spent the entire day in the crate. My wife, seeking clarity, asked if my dog was given a second chance to play with other dogs; she demonstrated the same behavior the previous day during the assessment, so was she given the chance to demonstrate the same correction to her submissive behavior? No. In that moment, they decided to crate her for the day — therein lies the disagreement. First, I specifically and clearly stated that I do not want my dog crated. Second, she demonstrated the same behavior the day before, was given 10-​to-​15 minutes to correct the behavior, corrected it, spent an additional five hours at MetroDog, and, according the lead trainer we dealt with, «she did great.» Why wasn’t she given that same chance on her first full day (and, yes, on our first day of paying full price)? The trainer then said, «maybe tomorrow we can let her out of the crate and let her play in an area where all the other dogs are still crated.» No thank you. To quote Unilocal,«Meh, I’ve experienced better.»

This review is only for the puppy socials. These are great resource and idea, but we found a better fit elsewhere.
Metrodog has toys, provide treats, and my puppy met some new puppy friends and got nice and tired. Depending on the mix of pups there, you could have a great time.
Negatives:
*I would prefer advanced registration and only holding them if ~4 puppies are coming. The trainer said that it possible your puppy could be the only one there. If that is the case, I’d rather not spend $ 10. I do dog training elsewhere.
*A single trainer is not ideal for 6+ dogs unless the trainer is truly running the show and setting rules for the owners. It was largely left to the owners to know when to let dogs «work it out» and when/​how to redirect the puppies. Most owners are (understandably) overly cautious, which is safe for the puppies but gives pups less learning of appropriate doggy social skills.
*The website claims there are several play groups for different energy levels/​ages, but there were never enough puppies to actually do this.
*They had set out moderately tall (2.5 ft?) stairs the puppies could climb up and jump off. Great for a dog social, but most young puppies shouldn’t be jumping off anything higher than their head (or more conservatively, anything taller than wrist height) to prevent damage to growth plates. Maybe they stopped doing this, but I spent one social continually monitoring my puppy from leaping. The ground is soft, but this just seemed like an unnecessary structure.
*Our vaccination records were not actually checked at all
The puppy socials at ARF in walnut creek did everything right. Had I not found them, I probably would have continued coming to metrodog. They are good — just not as good as they could be.

We’ve been going to Metrodog ever since our dog was just a little puppy. She loves it there and we trust them to take the best care of our doggy. We’ve boarded her here for extended periods of time and also drop her off for daycare pretty often. Well r that the staff knows our dog. Yes, it’s a bit pricey and prices have gone up a couple of times over the years, but we’re willing to pay it knowing that our pup will be safe and taken care of.

When it was apparent our new little dog had separation anxiety and we needed someone to watch him when we couldn’t, I toured many local doggy daycare places, asked a ton of other dog owners, and asked current/​former dog daycare employees for the dirt.
And this was the only place that didn’t scare me.
Other places: using shock collars on dogs, using the wrong remote so an unintended dog is being shocked, way too many dogs per handler, injuries and fights not being reported to owners, lying about attempts at contacting owners, high stimulation crowded settings, physical or outdated corrections like squirt bottles, muzzle holds, and collar grabs, employees walking dogs on prong collars but still being dragged, long periods of dogs on tethers having stare-​downs instead of resting because there’s no room for crates, very limited pickup & drop off hours, etc.
No thanks.
The negative reviews on the Metro Dog Unilocal page all seem to be about the business end, or people who wanted their dog to just magically acclimate without a couple short trial days (to save cash) before being boarded here, or people who were upset their dog got a cold at doggy daycare. And OK, we’ve gotten double or triple billed, but it was always immediately corrected. Everyone there knows our dog’s name, can discuss how he did that day compared to his other days, and has been friendly to us humans. Taking crate breaks during the day to chillax is fine with him and with us, and he’s never come home with any injuries or illnesses. It might happen– any time there’s a bunch of animals together something undesirable might happen– and if/​when that happens, I trust the Metro staffers to handle the situation and also contact us
Plus the once weekly, $ 10, managed, safe play group is WAY better than the dog park mêlée, especially for an active small dog who sometimes moves like a tasty rabbit.

I have a lot to say about this place.
One: there is no place like it. I have worked now at two other doggy daycare facilities in my lifetime and no model is like it. Either dogs are crated all day or out crazy getting overstimulated for ten hours. At Metro Dog they try to recreate a similar home lifestyle. An hour or two of playing and then an hour down for a nap. And believe it of not, but even the most playful of dogs need a little down time.
Two: I knew most of the staff here years ago, and they where a model of efficiency with the dogs. Lea, Keyon and Alyssa I believe still work here. If you have a large active dog, your dogs are being cared for properly. Truly amazing handlers that taught me so much about animal behaviors. Big and wild, big and calm, small and wild, small and calm, those handlers can help your dog.
The motto I heard from them usually was, «set the dog up for success»
Three: like any business model, it will not work for everyone/​every dogs needs. If you have a high maintenance dog, this may not be your cup of tea because they do have large volumes of animals to care for. But if you are fine with spending more money, you can add private cuddle times or play times, which I think is awesome.
Four: miscommunication does happen, this was the only frustrating thing I have to say about this company, but be a squeaky wheel. Talk to owners, managers, ect. If you are burned by an certain experience, id try to give them a second chance. If you have two bad experiences then I understand your grief. Also make sure you read and understand everything in the contract you are agreeing to! If you sign it, you can’t complain because you didnt read it. So mention this mainly because I see a lot of complaints about cancellation policies, and I laugh because I had to sign an agreement every time I boarded my dogs there! So there shouldn’t be a shock.
Five: their cleaning is incredible. The maintenance it takes to care for such a large place and with all green products is amazing! Everyday, every single floor is sterilized. Thats amazing. Metro Dog is aspiring to be great and to me, they are already there.
I had my two dogs come here for daycare and boarding regularly for about a year. My dogs where encouraged to play appropriately. My Aussie now is a model dog for polite play. And I have Metro Dog to thank for showing me how to best help reinforce his behavior at the daycare and at home. My Pomeranian was thankfully a calm girl whom I just wanted her to be able tolerate other dogs, which she did even as a grumpy ol lady. :)
You need to communicate with the handlers that are working with your dog.

I absolutely love bringing my husky here and he seems to love coming here. Every time we park its like he knows exactly where he is and get excited when he comes out of the car and runs to the entrance door. The staff seem to be very friendly there and when Jacob arrives they know exactly who he is. We usually use their day care services and boarding services while on vacation. We never had a problem with them and when we pick up Jacob they always give us feed back on how he does and how his attitude was. Some days are better than others which is predictable for a dog. I’ll continue to bring Jacob here as he loves it here.

This review is for MetroDog Home Services, and is long overdue. After my once-​feral dog exhibited stress at a couple different daycares, the folks at MetroDog suggested I try having him stay home with daily midday dog walks instead.
My regular dog walker, Kenny, turned out to be one of the most dependable people I’ve ever met in my life. And Todd, who runs the show for home services, was always extremely responsive with my extra requests for pet sitters or additional care. The situation was great for Wolfie, and for me too, because I never ever worried.
Kenny moved away a few months ago, and at that time we found other arrangements for my dog. But I’m extremely grateful to Todd and his team for all the care and stability they all put into my dog’s life. When I need a pet sitter, MetroDog home services will be the first call I make :-D

I was skeptical of Metro dog at first, but the first thing I did was come for the Sunday tour of the facility. After the tour, I decided that it might be a good place for my dog, so I emailed them for an assessment date.
NOTE: They were very responsive to my first e-​mail, but any subsequcent was either never answered. I tried to ask them in person my questions, but then they told me to e-​mail them… which they never answered.
Pros:
Honest — Metro Dog will be honest with you about how your dog did at their daycare. If they had any issues, they will let you know.
Patience — My dog had some weird issues, but Metro Dog was willing to try different things to help my dog adjust better at daycare.
ALYSSA — she was a very detailed and friendly person. I really loved Alyssa. She bonded and worked really well with my dog. The days that Alyssa wasn’t there, my dog didn’t do so well.
Cons:
Poor E-​mail Communication Response — After my first e-​mail, none of my e-​mails were ever answered. =(
No Follow up — They told me they would have their dog walker e-​mail me. Never got a e-​mail and they never followed up on it. Between that and not answering my e-​mails, this got very frustrating.
I just have to say once more that I’m so frustrated with their e-​mail communication. I try to talk to them in person about my dog’s issues. But they are usually super busy with other dogs, attending to other customers/​dogs, answering phones, and other duties that it’s really hard to talk to them at the site. But e-​mailing them doesn’t seem work either.
In the end, my dog was let go because he was too difficult. But they offered to set me up with a dog walker (but they never got back to me about it).
Overall:
I would recommend MetroDog as I feel they run a great doggy daycare. But the lack of communication is a big issue for me.

I am surprised by some of the negative reviews on here. Esp the one recently posted about Kennel Cough — a dog at metro dog is required to have that vaccine so yours apparently did not.
We use MetroDog twice a week for daycare. We use their late pick (after 9pm) about once a month. Dinner feeding 2−3x a month. And we have only boarding overnight once but will again in the future. We have also purchased add on services like nail clipping and walking.
For the most part I find how MetroDog functions to be very efficient and functional. Their prices, processes and services all make perfect sense and are easy to apply to your dogs needs. You can also buy packages and have money on account to use.
Think about how many dogs come through here — with different personalities, etc. I think considering stuff like that it is clean and the way dogs are grouped and moved around work well. Our 23 lb corgi/​lab is put with small dogs and moved to different play and rest rooms throughout the day. You can tour the facilities every Sunday if you want to take a look.
The staff know his name, We can pick him up at 11pm if we want. We can leave our own food for him. And we are now considering using their at home dogwalker program for the days he is not at daycare.
I would recommend MetroDog and we have had no real problems with their care or service.

My review is only for the daycare — it seems like most of the negative reviews are about boarding.
I adopted a very sweet, but scared 4 year old dog (Penny) from SPCA about 6 months ago and she’s been going to MetroDog for about 5 months. She was definitely abused before (missing an ear, scars on her muzzle), but she’s really blossomed and I give partial credit to MetroDog.
Penny knows how and wants to play with toys and other dogs and she’s actually excited to go to daycare! It’s a m a z i n g that she’s learning how to play with dogs and toys — she had no idea what to do with them before. She has her favorite staff member (sorry, don’t know her name!) that she jumps for (Penny jumps for 4 people in the world, total) and she comes home tired from all the playtime. When she spends the day at home, she’s kinda blah even with a dogwalker. The staff will give me an update on Penny’s day when I go to pick her up (unless it’s crazy busy) so I know what she’s been up to. They seem to all know that Penny is special and are careful and so sweet to her.
Yes, it’s expensive, but considering the amount of hours she spends there (10 – 11 with my commute) and how happy she is, it’s worth it.
Yes, they take your dog from you during orientation and it’s weird and kinda scary to leave them in the hands of strangers, but that’s what daycare starts off as anyways.
Yes, their parking lot can fit like 4 cars total + 2 on the curb, just expect it and work with it.
As long as I can afford it and it works with my location, Penny will be going here a couple days a week.

We are very unhappy with how Metro Dog treated our dogs. One of our dogs is handicapped, deaf and partially blind. He is very confident and self-​assured and has always been comfortable in social settings. During a 2 night stay, we received a response to an email we sent just checking on our dogs telling us they were doing great. When we arrived to pick them up at 7:30am the following evening, we were told that the prior evening, our handicapped dog was nipping at other dogs, and then our other dog was nipping at him. As a result, they decided to keep them in their crates all day, the next day, and not allow them into play group. So, since they were in their crates all night, and all day, they were in their crates for 24 hrs. They did get potty breaks every 2 hours. Wow.
Chaos is handicapped. It is apparent that Metro Dog does not understand how to deal with a handicapped dog. Put him in his crate that evening to rest and he will be fine for socialization the next day. It should be understood that our dogs are Australian Shepherds. They go to dog parks and run trails off leash with us on a regular basis. Rylie is used to retrieving Chaos when he runs too far ahead, so considering this is her job, this would be why she was nipping at him. Not biting, herding. No one called us on Sunday to discuss this with us or tell us they would be crated all day. Since this apparently started in play group the night before, it obviously did not match the email I received telling me they were doing great. So, their email communication has no credibility.
Their solution to all of this was to suggest we put them in private care at an additional $ 38 /​dog. Not only is this a ridiculous suggestion, it wasn’t solicited.
Further, when we checked out, we had additional charges that they did not explain to us. This has happened to us 1 other time there. This is not very digestible, especially after paying for daycare for 2 dogs to be crated all day.
When I called to speak to a Spvr to present my concerns, she seemed like she was receptive and understood and said she would look into it. However, she didn’t value our concerns enough to call me back to follow up. Further, she told me they may have been crated due to the volume of dogs they were caring for on Sunday. This is a surprise. So my dogs got crated because it was too much work for Metro Dog.
It is apparent that Metro Dog is not looking to partner our pet’s care. Further, it is apparent that our dog’s care will be determined by the amount of revenue they will be generating that day. Lastly, the fact that they could leave any dog in a crate for 24 hrs. is unhealthy. It is apparent to me that our handicapped dog is not managed with compassion, rather punitive decision making as it is easier for them.
There is no way I would recommend Metro Dog to anyone and would be happy to share our experience if they ask.

Thanks for choking my dog, Metro Dog. We picked up our dog and they put a collar on him that was so tight I had to cut it off. My dog has been freaked out ever since we left him there.
I should mention my dog is a small Corgi who is great with our kids and other dogs.
When confronted management about the collar, all I got was attitude and excuses.
We will never go back there.
Awful.