Take a peek inside the Four Seasons of dog daycare, boarding and training: Green Leaf Pet Resort

By:  | August 26, 2024 |  Features |  Monmouth County

By Rebecca King

Green Leaf Pet Resort is a luxury dog boarding facility so next level, you might find yourself wanting to book a room there yourself.

Green Leaf, is located in Oakhurst, opened in 2018 and offers daycare, boarding, grooming and training. It was founded by Shelly Leibowitz, a dog trainer with more than 40 years of experience who has prepared dogs to do everything from sniff out a bomb to promenade in high-profile dog shows.

What exactly can you – or rather, your dog – expect from a stay at Green Leaf? Around the clock supervision for one, at least five outdoor walks a day, indoor and outdoor play areas, personal care and play time with staff, even a nighttime tuck-in service. The room is a glass-enclosed suite with plush bedding, housekeeping and room service. Don’t have time to drop off your dog before heading to the airport? Green Leaf will pick them up and drop them off at your home when you’re back from your trip. 

A Trainer with a Vision

Leibowitz, who some may remember from Freehold Township’s Shelly’s School for Dogs, which he ran for 30 years, is the mastermind behind this luxury facility for man’s best friend.

Though he now runs the Four Seasons of dog hotels, Leibowitz began, as many kids do, walking neighborhood dogs around his Brooklyn block. By the time he was a teenager, he was learning his craft under dog trainers in the United States and Europe. He began training companion dogs in the New York City area, and shortly thereafter became a whiz at training dogs for security, guardwork, and contraband and bomb detection. In fact, Leibowitz was the first professional dog trainer in New Jersey to assist in narcotic searches in schools and businesses.

“It’s not a 9-5,” Leibowitz said of his passion for dog training. “It’s not just a job. It’s a way of life. Otherwise, you can never be good at it.”

He’s now a sought-after consultant for law enforcement and helps train and source dogs capable of working for homeland security. Leibowtiz has also worked with private clients, dog clubs and municipal departments.

And if you’ve ever gone to a Trenton Thunder baseball game, perhaps you’ve seen Leibowitz’s protegees, Derby, Rookie or Dash, the bat-retrieving Golden Retrievers for the team, in action. Another of Leibowitz’s dogs, Zion, was selected to represent the United States on the Schutzhund World Team. (Shutzhund is a sport that requires dogs to compete in tracking, obedience and protection). Zion won a 99 out of 100 in the 2000 National Schutzhund USA trail. Leibowitz is also the founder of the Garden State Schutzhund Club.

His current work includes rehabilitating dogs with problematic pasts. He also mentors the next generation of professional dog trainers, and, of course, runs Green Leaf.

An ‘All Inclusive’ Resort

Along with boarding, Green Leaf offers several other services for the pooch in your life. Leibowitz’s training philosophy is “earning control and respect through kindness” and aims to build obedience through affection, praise and rewards. Green Leaf’s daycare service promises constant supervision by highly trained staff members. The staff works to match dogs with programs and activities that suit their personality and devises social groups for dogs’ different play styles and temperaments. The facilities have climate controlled indoor and outdoor play areas. The daycare and boarding services can be combined with training that is personalized for your dog. Green Leaf’s “agility center” features a 3,500 square-foot training room. The Doggy Day School aims to root out dangerous and problematic behaviors – from barking at visitors to soiling the carpet – with dogs returned to their owners in the evenings and on weekends.

The Boarding School is a more extensive training program that runs for three to four weeks. During this program, dogs will get individually tailored training programs while they live at the Green Leaf training facility. At the end of the program, families get the opportunity to receive private lessons, where the trainers will pass on their knowledge.

Puppies can also get training at Green Leaf, with behavioral focuses on issues like chewing, house training, and excessive barking.

And, of course, what luxury resort would be complete without its own hair salon? Green Leaf offers hypoallergenic baths, pedicures and haircuts that focus on the style and health of the dog.

”By following the philosophy that no two dogs are alike, no two training methods should be either,” said Leibowitz. “That’s why I find this field so exciting, because every dog is different – an individual. My horizons are wide … thousands and thousands of dogs have taught me.”

Green Leaf Pet Resort is located at 1602 NJ-35, Oakhurst, New Jersey; 732-272-0800