About Great Expectations Dog Center

Who they are

Great Expectations Dog Center describes itself as "a small, family-owned doggy daycare and boarding facility that focuses on personally-tailored services and calm, compassionate handling of all of our valued canine customers." Its about page gives the history in the site's own words: "Great Expectations originated in 2003 by Canine Behaviorist Jeff Tarkowski and his mom, Fern Tarkowski. Their love of dogs combined with a desire to help dogs and owners co-exist in a happy environment embraced the 'Great Expectations' namesake." It goes on: "Their passion was passed down to Alexis and Jaymee Srenaski (Jeff's nieces, Fern's granddaughters). Although Alexis has taken over the training aspect, and Jaymee has taken on the grooming, you will still be greeted by Fern's friendly smile, and Jeff's spirit lives on with every dog we welcome to Great Expectations." The center's stated principle is individual attention: "We believe that each dog and owner pose a unique circumstance, so and do our best to create a family environment and give individual attention to all."

The training

Training here is group classes. The services page states the format completely: "All classes are designed to focus on positive interaction between dogs and their owners. Classes run approximately 45-60 minutes and continue for 6 weeks. Dogs must be 16 weeks of age and be up to date on vaccines. All training is 100% positive, meaning no harsh corrections are used." The home page refers to the same thing as "many types of grooming and group training!"

The rest of the offer

Daycare is described as "where your pup can burn off all their energy playing with the other dogs all day," with "multiple play areas which allows for flexibility to meet the needs of all dogs" and "half days (up to 4 hours) of daycare for those that just need to get some quick energy out." Boarding is run alongside the daycare group: "Our boarding dogs spend their day in the play area with other daycare dogs and are only kenneled for feeding time and overnight," with medication administered and "alternative kennels available for dogs with kennel anxiety, older dogs or other concerns, upon request and availability." Grooming is listed as "a bath, nail trim, ear cleaning, and cut or brush-out," quoted on request.

Hours and booking

The about page publishes hours as "Monday-Friday: 6:00am-7:00pm" and "Saturday-Sunday: 7:00am-1:00pm, 5:00pm-7:00pm." Contact runs through "(920)405-3647," "gr8exp.tng@gmail.com," or "Facebook Messanger: GR8DOGS." A trial day is offered for daycare: "Stop by for a trial day to let your dog check out our daycare!"

Before you book

Ask about class prices, levels, the class calendar and class sizes, and where classes are held. The site calls the founder a "Canine Behaviorist"; ask which certification, if any, the current trainer holds.