Urban Dog Bar — Attraction in Nashville-Davidson

Yesterday I went to a corgi event at Urban Dog Bar and I have to say, this place completely won me over. I had never been to the venue before since I now live two hours away, but as a former Nashville resident I was excited to check it out for the Corgis for a Cure event.

As a dog trainer, I usually do not recommend dog parks. Too often they are full of unvaccinated, unmanaged, or intact animals which makes for a stressful experience rather than a fun one. Urban Dog Bar was the exact opposite. I was blown away by the staff presence inside the park. I expected maybe one attendant for every 10 or 15 dogs like you see in a typical daycare, but what I saw was so much better. Anytime a dog’s body language stiffened or play got a little too rowdy, staff was immediately on it. They redirected dogs, broke up chase games before they got out of hand, and calmly stepped in during those awkward moments of “inappropriate hugging.” It felt safe, well run, and surprisingly relaxing.

What really stood out to me as a single person with one dog was the support. I was able to point out my pup to a staff member, run to the restroom, and know he was being watched. Try doing that at a regular dog park with a sea of dogs and no one in charge. Impossible.

I also appreciated their health requirements. Proof of vaccines and altered status is mandatory, which sets everyone up for success. For puppies who have finished their shots, this could be an excellent controlled environment for early socialization in small doses. For dogs with reactivity, the leash area and smaller fenced-in zone give them a way to see and sniff other dogs without being thrown into the mix too soon. Honestly, I can think of more benefits than drawbacks here.

The one downside? Parking. There are only a handful of spaces in front, and since the venue sits among a lot of residential spots, it was confusing to figure out where I could park without risking a ticket. A kind local pointed me toward a random gravel corner that worked out fine, but clearer signage or designated overflow parking would go a long way, especially for out-of-towners.

All in all, Urban Dog Bar was a 10 out of 10 experience both as a dog owner and...

Have come to Urban Dog Bar a few times and absolutely loved it and my dog has always had a blast. Always felt the staff was very trained and attentive. My recent visit felt complete opposite. Despite is being slower in the afternoon with not as many dogs, I felt the staff was singling out my dog only for behaviors other dogs were committing too, humping, paw playing. The first couple of times I’ve been, the staff would leash and handle the separation, despite my offer to take him out the park if he was the aggressor. My dog is extremely friendly and loves other dogs and yeah will hump when over stimulated. Each time a staff member would bring him to me I’d ask why and “is this a request from you or the other dog’s owner to remove him, is he being too disruptive?” They would say “oh no he’s great just hold on to him for a few mins”. So I did, and when the other dog was gone and distracted elsewhere, id let mine play, and few moments later they’d bring him back to me and I’d repeat “what did he do and would you like me to remove him?” Again the staff “no he’s so sweet we just need them to cool off” OKAY THEN WHY AM I SEEING THE OTHER DOG DO THE SAME ACTIONS AS MINE AND THEY AREN'T GETTING DRAGGED BACK TO THEIR OWNER EVERY 5 MINS? Oh it’s cause it’s a friend of the staff’s dog who felt “mine was too big in the main yard to play”. So I’ll be honest, I won’t be coming back for a long while to this place. Don’t tell me my dog is “fine and so sweet and handsome” but single him out only cause you know the other dogs owner...

We took our dog for the first time. It was very busy. We were a bit disappointed because most of the staff was just sitting and eating and talking with people. We only saw one person the whole time standing and actually looking over the dogs. In less than 30 minutes, there were three accidents/fights with other dogs.

Our dog kept getting picked on by one dog, so I eventually just kept bringing him to a different area and holding onto his harness, but I was disappointed that the staff that is supposed to be looking out for the dogs didn’t do anything about the other dog that kept bullying our dog. That dog should have been taken out or taken to a different gated area. I actually spoke up and said something to the owner but she didn’t seem to care much.

We were extremely attentive and we followed our dog everywhere that he went. We did not sit down and we did not eat. We did not feel like we could relax because there were so many fights and we did not feel that there was enough referees around.

To add on - I did everything on the app but when we arrived we felt like it took so long to get everything in order. The vaccine paperwork should be able to be uploaded on the app and you should be able to sign the consent forms on there as well. It just took a...