Welcome!

First Kiss!

Typical day at AreaK9

Best Friends!

Just sniffing around!

Exercise time!

Bedtime!

Welcome to AreaK9


NO cages, NO restraints

NO leashes


AreaK9 is a licensed dog boarding facility unlike any other around the Ottawa area. The entire acre is fenced in and includes huge pine trees, an apple orchard, some small trails and absolutely no cages.

Your animal is treated like part of our family and has free run of the property without restraints or leashes. And, when the heat or cold gets too much for outside play, the dogs can relax in the climate controlled interior of the house.

“More than anything else dogs enjoy having fun … Running is fun, jumping onto beds is fun, jumping off beds is fun, and playing with other dogs is the best fun of all.” Excerpted from A Modern Dog’s Life. Paul McGreevy PhD MRCVS.  ISBN 978-1-61519-018-8; 2010.

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AreaK9 How to thrive with your dog

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“Running is fun, jumping onto beds is fun, jumping off beds is fun, and playing with other dogs is the best fun of all.”

Incidentally, dogs get benefits from their stay at AreaK9 that may not be initially obvious. As this is a cage-free environment with no separation of the dogs, all of them have to learn to be social, patient, and respectful of the other guests.  This environment allows some dogs to greatly improve their communication skills with other dogs.

Spending lots of supervised time outside in the fenced acre of ground allows our guests plenty of opportunity to drain their energy.  Generally, after play the dogs like to rest in the house wherever the AreaK9 staff happens to be.

AreaK9 staff are strong pack leaders who provide rules, limitations and direction for all the guests. This environment is very beneficial to our guests as there is no uncertainty about their position in the pack allowing them to become better members of the pack, balanced and happy.

AreaK9 staff love loving your dog. Love and affection enhances a calm and peaceful environment for our guests.

Privacy Policy: All personal customer and business information submitted through this web site will be held confidential.

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Dr. Ian Dunbar

AreaK9 staff subscribe to, and use Dr. Ian Dunbar’s communication and training methods to achieve a safe well balanced environment for our guests while allowing them the maximum freedom possible.

Learn More

This is a wonderful site created and maintained by Dunbars to find a lot of useful materials about socialization, house training and solving “behavior problems”.

Visit Site

Orion’s Diary

Download this PDF file which describes Orion’s (Standard Poodle Guest) stay at AreaK9 told from his viewpoint.  The PDF also contains pictures of Orion and some of the dogs he met.

Download Orion’s Diary