Tail Gate

This is definitely a long overdue review — this is a great place if you need a flexible doggy day care for your pup! We do DAYCARE & BOARDING, TRAINING and GROOMING all at ONE place! The dogs have all been vaccinated for diseases and checked for paperwork. It is so fun to see a room full of dogs playing together instead of being confined in kennels.
**DAYCARE & BOARDING — When I first got my puppy Buddy a Siberian Husky, I brought him here for day care services and the Tail Gate team was very helpful, communicative, and friendly. I knew I was leaving my fur-​baby in good hands :) and it was even better to get him back all tuckered out at the end of the day. Tail Gate is easy to get to, to drop off/​pick up your pup as well!
This is now my dog Buddy’s second home, and he absolutely loves it here. The moment we walk through the door and he spots a staff member his tail starts wagging faster than should be possible and he is in doggy heaven. Buddy is now 17 months old so he is still normally a big bundle of energy, but by the end of a day at the Tail Gate he is ready to curl up on his bed and be amazingly well behaved. I simply don’t think I could have a high energy husky like Buddy if it weren’t for places like Tail Gate.
The staff here is incredible. They’re always very friendly and give me updates and little stories about Buddy. Any time I need them to pay extra care or attention to something they more than happily do so.
I sometimes joke that I need to setup a trust fund so that if anything ever happens to me Buddy’s daycare costs will be paid for life. That’s how much he loves going here
BOARDING — we have boarded Buddy here a myriad of times while we have been out of town, he gets to play all day, gets LOTS of love and attention all day long and we get to see pictures of him on Facebook everyday… plus we can call and they can tell us all he has been doing.
One time we were out of town and there was a small incident (not any of TailgGates fault — just a curious puppy) and they called us and we walked through a plan of action. Their kennel manager (Nancy is a blessing) took our puppy to the local vet on a Sunday and we talked with the vet as soon as she got there and worked out a medical plan that worked perfectly. Everyone from the Front Desk, the Kennel Manager, the Trainer, and the Facility Manager… were all available at any time to take my call to tell me how our fur-​baby was doing. It’s one of those things you hope never happens but when it does, a relief to know wonderful, caring people are there helping your puppy and you.
**TRAINING /​DOG BOOT CAMP — I can tell you that our dog has come so far from the training he has received from Tail Gate /​A Fine Canine Dog Training with Monika and her staff! They have so many programs of training for you to choose what works best for you, your family and your dog. She will even come to your home for one on one in your house if there is a particular issue. But the sessions we have had at Tail Gate have been wonderful for us.
Monika picked up on our pups’ habits from the minute we met with her. Yes, a lot of the training session is the owner learning how to train your dog… She teaches you how to be consistent with your dog and why each step builds upon each other. She will walk you through the skills with your dog. She will show you (& correct you) so that you can successfully train your pup. It’s great!
Every trainer has their own style and for us Monika’s worked great. Monika will take calls, texts and emails and return them within the day. She will give you pointers and support, ideas and tricks all throughout and AFTER your training. She follows up and is very thorough. She is practical and experienced! I’d never take a dog elsewhere.
Oh and we met Monika and A Fine Canine Training through TailGate but when we told our Vet (who has won awards as a top vet in Illinois) who we were training with she applauded our choice and said yes she highly recommends Monika.
**GROOMING — Tail Gate has full service grooming services, yet during a normal play date you could also schedule them to give your dog a bath or check the nails. My Siberian Husky is a Wooly on top of his normal fur, so even though his sessions can be long he is always happy and in a great mood when done which shows they treat him with love. I usually coordinate his grooming days with some days of play, so he thinks he is getting rewarded. They are great at scheduling with you when you are picking up your dog so they are dry and clean when you pick them up.
SO if you got to the bottom of this review, you might be able to tell that I highly recommend Tail Gate and A Fine Canine Dog Training. I have referred many people here and will continue to do so.

We love Tail Gate!
On top of the staff at Tail Gate knowing who me and my pup were within the first few times we went there, you can tell they are professionals are truly care about the wellbeing of the dogs.
I’ve always had nothing but great things to say about Tail Gate, but a recent incident completely blew me away– in a good way!
While dropping off my pup, I was horrified when I lost track of where he was and the front door closed on my little guy’s tail. He bounced back quickly and raced to the gate (he just loves daycare!) when we all noticed blood on the floor. While my first instinct was to panic (my poor baby!), the team leapt into action cleaning the mess, checking his tail and assuring me it looked shallow and they would wrap it up and call me if things didn’t get better.
I knew my dog was in good hands, so I left for work, only to get the call later. My little guy didn’t seem to be in any pain, but he was so excited to be at daycare (even though he was in isolation from the other dogs due to his injury) that he kept wagging his tail, throwing off the bandage, and the bleeding wouldn’t stop. A trip to the vet would be necessary.
They completely understood that I had to wrap up some things at work before running over and, upon my arrival, they presented me with my (happy!) pup who had a new bandage and a bully stick for his troubles. A bully stick! What a lucky guy!
But wait! There’s more!
A few hours later, I got a call checking in to see how the vet went and to make sure my little guy was doing well!
I swear, Tail Gate is just amazing. I am so happy we found them; it gives me such peace of mind knowing that my pup is in such capable, loving hands when I can’t be around.

I was looking forward to taking my Westie to Tail Gait for his first grooming before Christmas. He’s had giardia in the past, so I had a fecal test before I took him to be groomed. The test was positive for eimeria oocytsts and moniezia eggs — the vet assured me these are not parasitic, infectious or harmful in dogs, and pose no risks to other dogs. However, Tail Gate wouldn’t accept my scrappy Westie. Perhaps it’s good that they’re being cautious, but it’s puzzling that they’d turn away a conscientious customer.

This place is a blast for my dog! She has been coming here for about 2 years now and my husband tells me she tries to run to get inside even with her leash on. My dog is a a terrier mix who has tons of energy and coming here 2 – 3 times a week helps her get rid of that pent up excitement. The pool is great for dogs to swim in the summer and they have different activities going on around the holidays. They take pictures during the day and post them to facebook and they have a #tailgatefordogs on instagram where you can see some funny and cool pictures of the tailgate dogs and staff. And yes I am that dog owner who goes on facebook and looks for my dog… guilty…The staff are all very professional and I’m glad we found this place. Thank you Tail gate for taking good care of my type A, bossy, ball of energy dog!

This place is a wonderland. My dog practically yanks my arm out of the socket to get in, and by the time I pick her up, she’s happy to see me, but properly worn out. I love that I can drop her off here whenever I don’t have time to take her to the dog park, and she’ll have tons of furry friends to play with.
The staff is amazing. All of them are friendly and caring, and you can tell they are passionate about dogs.
The prices are fair, the pool in the summer is such a great touch. I really have nothing bad to say at all– love this place and recommend it highly.

Our dog is never more excited than when he walks into tailgate. We have been occasional users of the daycare for the last 3 months and just utilized the overnight kennel for 3 nights. The staff are all super friendly and genuinely seem to care about the dogs. I would highly recommend the services of Tailgate.

Tail Gate is an exceptional place to take your dog. The staff is incredibly friendly and their facility always looks fresh and clean. Tail Gate has a large facility with a lot of space and multiple outdoor areas for the dogs to play. The dogs are always supervised and watched well because they have a large staff that treats the dogs like their own pets. Dogs are not stressed at Tail Gate, my dog gets very easily stressed when she is away from home and she was happy as a clam at Tail Gate. It was the first time ever that she didn’t lose weight when I had to board her to go out of town! This is a very honest business that clearly cares about the dogs. I only see really happy dogs and customers coming and going every time I am there! If you need daycare, boarding, grooming or training, Tail Gate is the perfect place for your pet!

My dogs love this place. The staff are incredibly friendly and professional. I will definitely send my dogs again.

I have gone through several dog daycare places since my move back to Chicago last February, always feeling as if none of them would ever be comparable to the one I loved in Austin, TX. That was until I found Tail Gate! The staff are so friendly and I like that the same staff are always around and know my dog by her name. Lady has such a great time here at daycare — always has a Tail Gate hangover when we get home. You can tell that the staff take great care of the pups. I like that they split them into groups based upon temperament and not based on size, unlike the daycares I’ve tried in the city. There’s a pool for them in the summer, and they also get outside time in the back when the weather is nice! They frequently post fun pictures of the dogs on their Facebook page, and they even have a chalkboard near the front desk listing which dogs became best friends and which ones made the track team (non-​stop running and playing chase). You can imagine the shock I experienced when I saw my dog who is pretty lazy and low key at home made the track team one day :) based on how tired she was that night, I wasn’t surprised!
Also, my dog had a losing battle with a skunk over the summer and got sprayed. I’ve taken her in for a skunk bath here in addition to daycare. The woman who bathed her was very knowledgeable and helpful, recommending some products to help remove the scent from my boyfriend and I’s clothing. The bath neutralized the smell, which helped a ton. Highly recommend this as well if you ever find your dog in the same unfortunate situation!

To be clear, this review is just for the grooming service. Kelly is great with our bichon mix and always gives him a really nice cut. She listens to what you want and makes suggestions appropriate for the breed. We just switched to her after six years w another groomer (in the city) and I’m so glad we found her!

My dog went to their daycare for the first time today and I was more than impressed. It was a great experience from the time I called for info all the way to the me walking out the door. They were very helpful, welcoming, knowledgeable, and friendly. You could tell they really cared about the dogs and the facility. The place was very clean and well maintained, all the dogs looked so happy to be there and it was just a wonderful atmosphere. I will definitely be back and it will probably be a regular in our routine!

First of all I will say that we have brought our dog to ALL the boarding facilities in the area and hands down, Tailgate is THE most accommodating and flexible. While the other facilities have been clean and the staff all do love dogs as well, the greatest thing about Tailgate is how they go out of their way to make daycare and boarding as convenient as possible. You can drop off and pick up ANY TIME. All the others have restrictions such as drop off is between 10−12am, pickup between 4−6pm, etc. (with even greater restrictions on holidays which Tailgate never has) In addition, you can bring your dog for daycare on weekends which most of the others do not allow. My dog ADORES all the staff there — her tail is always wagging when we walk in. We have also had her bathed their numerous times and they do a wonderful job. I can’t say enough good things about this company!!! 5 stars for sure!!!

The entire staff are friendly and will answer any question you have. I was hesitant to put my dog in day care since I’ve never done that with any of my dogs. My SADIE loves going and it’s the best decision ever. They even have a pool for her to swim in, which she loves doing. I have a well taken care of dog, and that’s a relief.
Thank you tail-​gate we love you guys!!!

Tail Gate is the best! Jeff and his team are very friendly. The facilities are spotless and our dogs are excited to see the staff when they get there. Tail gate is a great home-​away-​from-​home for our dogs!

We were new to the area & state, was very new to boarding a dog rather then leaving her with a family member when we went away. After calling around on the boarding process, cost, etc. Tail Gate had the best reviews & was a little less then a lot of places in the Oak Brook area. They didn’t make me bring her in for an evaluation to make sure she acted well, they had me provide proper paperwork on shots & her overall health, I truly appreciated that.
We left her for 24 hrs, she LOVED it!!! She came home washed & smelly so nice, we didn’t ask them to do that so it was much appreciated! Our experience here was so fantastic!!! I would give it 10 stars if I could. Thanks Tail Gate!

My family and I boarded our dogs for the first time over Christmas, I believe for 9 days.
I love that the dogs are able to interact with other dogs during the day, instead of being boarded their entire stay.
The staff is very friendly and accommodating.
We are returning customers and we drive the distance to board our dogs at Tail Gate in Elmhurst!
See you all in July!

All I have to do is say «Do you want to go to Tail Gate?», and my dogs go crazy… they can’t WAIT to go!
We have left them at Tail Gate many times, for as long as 2 weeks. I couldn’t recommend their kennel more. The place is super-​clean, the staff is fantastic, and our dogs come home happy (and sleepy). We feel good knowing that our dogs are very well taken care of (our dogs are family members).
It’s a wonderful locally owned business! Highly recommended for your furry family member!

We brought our one and a half year old golden retriever here and are so happy that we found such nice people to care for our puppy. The place is very clean and the people, all of them, are so nice and friendly. You can really tell that they love dogs. We just bring Chloe there occasionally and they act like she’s the best dog in the world, so sweet. Chloe goes right up to them and you can they are special because she doesn’t do this for everyone. I highly recommend Tail Gate.

My husband and I have two small dogs that are essentially our children. We moved here from Texas — where we took both of our dogs to daycare everyday. We have a strong sense of how a good boarding/​daycare facility operates and cares for their four-​legged clients.
We visited multiple facilities in the IL western suburbs and Tailgates was the best. It was clean, spacious, and had a variety of activities to stimulate the dogs including playground, outdoor area and even a pool. They have an automated system for tracking dog vaccine updates and boarding reservations. The email reminders are so helpful and convenient.
More impressive than the facility and technology was the staff. Jeff Davis and team truly do live the philosophy that dogs deserve kindness, love, and gentle treatment. My own example is one day I mentioned one of our dogs had injured her paw over the weekend to a team member in he morning. At the end of the day a different team member brought her out and gave a full report on the paw including it was looking to be better. This may seem like a small detail but is a definitive differentiator. This level of concern rare and, in the year we have been a client of Tail Gate, has never waivered.
Tail Gate cares for your dog like you care for your dog and, for that, I cannot recommend this facility enough.
Bravo Tail Gate team!

In our house our dog is our child, not our pet. We have been very picky on everything from his vet to his groomer, so his doggie day care was no exception. We started bringing Carter to Tail Gate over the summer. On our first visit we were given a full tour by who I believe is one of the owners. She was very kind and answered all of our questions. We picked Carter up and he appeared to have a great time, as he slept the rest of the day.
Even though we don’t bring Carter there all the time, maybe a few times a month, anytime we mention the name Carter the staff knows exactly who we are talking about. They are always extremely polite and have excellent customer service. You can tell they really love what they do and take very good care of all the animals they are watching.
They also have a pool for the dogs to swim in and a large outdoor play area. Its so reassuring to know that when we have to leave Carter somewhere for the day that he is in good hands. It makes leaving the house for the day so much easier and guilt free. Carter is a very social dog so it’s nice that he gets to play with other dogs while we are away.
I would definitely recommend taking your beloved canine to Tail Gate.