This is an excellent place for your puppy. As others have said, they do an great job of socializing…read moreyour new pup. My dog cannot wait to get in the dog, I knew he is safe and having a blast.

Wish we had found out about this place sooner. It's a great concept since all the recent studies…read moreshow that "socialization window" for puppies closes at ~16 weeks. It's also crucial to start earlier on to train acquired bite inhibition (ABI). However, we have that conundrum where most people won't get their pups until 7-8 weeks then you've got the limited window between the multiple rounds of vaccinations before you can start bringing them meet other dogs. On top of that, this year we have the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally when my SO called this place I think they had an automated voicemail that they weren't accepting any new puppies back in June/July. Then when I called again in mid August they only had specific dates in the middle of the week to start on the "first day". It makes sense they want to help the dogs succeed and gain confidence by not overwhelming them with the full class. They also recommend that you pick up the puppy earlier at around 2 or 3pm instead of the full session. The price is affordable at $35 per day and there's a slight discount if you purchase a pack of 5 classes for $150. Their hours are a bit shorter than the big dog full daycare at 8am - 6pm. What's nice is that they also have dedicated nap times here so it's not active time the whole day. They also will feed the class during lunch so you don't need to worry about sending food with the pups. I wonder whether my dog reinforced the preference of eating kibble off the ground rather than from her bowl. They have a fairly small facility especially with the tight front parking shared with other neighboring businesses. As this was my first "daycare" experience I wasn't sure how the updates and photos/videos would be shared with my dog. The actual daycare facility was fine, however the communication between Jody (the owner) and one of the other staff that responded or relayed messages to me or my SO was confusing. I didn't realize that all of the updates were shared throughout the day via their Instagram story... instead of through the Gingr website through a "report card" so we missed the first day. What if the pet parents aren't on social media...? The subsequent days we sent her I was able to capture one of her stories. In addition, we received notice on the first day that she probably would not be a good fit... but no formal message via email or call just relayed in passing to my SO who dropped the dog off. Then less than 1 week later we receive a canned email message talking about "Graduating" the dog soon after starting. Even though most of the dogs in the classes don't graduate until 6-9 months... We learned that she was "too fast, athletic, smart" -- all positive adjectives/euphemisms I imagine to push our puppy out to make room for better pups. Of course this message completely confused me so I responded immediately seeking clarification. It caused me panic trying to find a new daycare so I scrambled to reach out to The Dog Retreat. Thankfully we were able to switch her over and used up the rest of the 5 pack we purchased at the Dog Therapy. Also one day when I picked up Juneau over the summer from the daycare I was waiting for one lady who was bantering endlessly with the owner before I could enter the area. They seemed like great friends and a better client profile fit so after waiting for about 5 minutes they finally wrapped up their conversation giving me an annoyed look as if I was interrupting their conversation. The owner barely even acknowledged me as I picked up the dog with and scant feedback about the puppy's demeanor throughout the day (probably knowing that we soon would no longer be their problem). One other strange issue were "allergens" in the facility. After 3 classes, she started sneezing uncontrollably non-stop... they sent out an email about potential ragweed also warnings for pet parents to keep their dogs home in case of contagious kennel cough. We wanted to be extra cautious as first time pet parents so we took her to the Vet unnecessarily -- it cleared up on its own and disqualified us for future claims with our Trupanion insurance (not directly their fault but still leaves a bad impression) when Kindness Animal Hospital unnecessarily prescribed cough pills now deemed as a "pre-existing condition". Anyway, I could see how this could be a great option if timing works out for you that they accept your puppy early on. Unfortunately we enrolled our dog on the later end of the age spectrum and it felt like they couldn't wait to get rid of her to make room for more Instagram worthy dogs with pet parents that have time to manage their dogs' social media accounts...

My Bruno really enjoys going. I love that they take photos throughout the day! They have grooming…read moreand boarding as well. The staff is amazing and very patient.

My dogs consistently love visiting and staying at The Dog Retreat & Spa. We've also love the…read moregrooming the dogs are able to get while there, too. Our furry friends are always excited to go!

The ongoing pandemic made contacting trainers/organizations and coordinating the initial meeting…read moretricky especially with the pet adoption boom. I admittedly got my hopes up when I saw Active Paws business given her numerous qualifications even in agility work and immediate availability to schedule a session immediately over the summer. Her rates started at $120/hour which seemed standard after also conferring with other personal dog trainer contacts. As you can tell by the low rating the stars did not align as a mutual fit. The website was easy to navigate and Cara the owner was very responsive. You can easily schedule an appointment on there for personalized training. Perhaps we didn't pick a neutral enough location now knowing what we know now (after finding on site in person group puppy classes) to set our pup up for success over the summer at 3.5 months old and 20 lbs. Unfortunately Cara came up to our back deck which may have been interpreted as an interloper encroaching on her territory so as a puppy with bad manners she barked incessantly. She threw some small pieces of mozzarella cheese that didn't interest the pup (we are realizing now she's not super food motivated). That "reactive" behavior was enough to confirm to Cara after a serious bite earlier in the week to "pass" on training our dog. We still got the folder with pamphlets, and branded pen and clicker as she quickly retreated. Maybe in retrospect we should have met up at a park instead of our property. Granted this was the reaction that our puppy has when uncertain in greeting most new people but once she sniffs them she calms down quickly once she sees that we are friendly with them. The damage was done. Cara immediately followed up through email with an apology and a couple links to other (more expensive) trainers, one of whose website wasn't even working. I flutily attempted to reach out but also received no response so those were dead ends too. As for the socialization aspect she recommended a place all the way down in Franklin, and the MSPCA Angell which was not operational or equipped to respond during the pandemic (over the summer). Of course this experience left me completely demoralized and slightly jaded. I sometimes see their branded vehicles parked at the Dog Ranch area and walkers taking dogs around there to go walking. Thankfully we were able to enroll her in puppy daycare and now start some group training classes I alluded to earlier at the beginning of this year for adolescent pups. Funny enough she's now one of the least reactive dogs in her classes.

I was going insane trying to figure out how to train my puppy. After a week of no sleep and…read moreconstant stress and some tears, the *MOST WONDERFUL* dog trainer came by and showed me some skills and helped me figure stuff out. I feel like I'm working with my puppy now instead of fighting against him. Absolutely the best thing I've done since getting my wonderful puppy is contacting Active Paws. Cara, you saved my sanity. He's ALREADY doing so much better it's WILD honestly. Puppy photo included just because LOOKIT HIM. To be more specific: Cara made the core concepts behind training my dog very easy to understand, provided me with references for when I get stressed and forget, and left me feeling empowered to have a fantastic relationship with my dog.

A few months ago we took our rescue pup on a walk with our friend and his rescue. Our dog wasn't to…read morebe trusted off leash and when we let him run around as a test, he ran off and almost went into the road. After watching our friend communicate with his dog using an e-collar, we decided to sign up for off-leash e-collar training with the Good Hound. We worked with Shannon and Siobhan and now feel fully prepared, confident and so, so proud of our pup who we can let off the leash at any time. The Good Hound was the best investment we could have made with our dog for many reasons: 1) They take the dogs out for hikes - giving them a bunch of exercise during the work day and a lot of opportunities to socialize with other dogs. 2) They spend time 1:1 with your dog to get a solid grasp of what they are capable of. In our case, they learned he was not a "working dog"; in other words, he tends to be very lazy and extremely stubborn. 3) They work with you, on what YOU need to practice with the e-collar and on communication with your dog. 4) The trainers LITERALLY go the extra mile. Shannon was so patient and sincere with us; even when we were discouraged by the lack of progress. He even asked if he could take our dog for another trek to further assess his response to recall, and came back with more insight, techniques for us, and a thorough follow-up plan.

The Good Hound has been a wonderful experience for us and for our dog for the last 5 years. When he…read morewas a puppy, they trained him to walk off leash and come when called. Now he is so excited when they arrive to take him on his trail walk. Year round, he gets to hike in fun parks with his "friends" and his beloved Good Hound team members. They respond quickly to questions, often share photos of the walk that are really cute, and also, their staff members have boarded our dog in their homes when we travel- for us, a much better option than sending him to a kennel.

If I could give 6 stars I would! As a new puppy mom, I was so nervous about where to send my little…read moreguy for daycare. I found out about perfect paws by visiting the Newton dog parks and I got to know some of the trainers. Janie was so helpful in getting Hunny onboarded and he absolutely loves daycare. I even take him on his off days just so he can see his fr Amanda and Tracy are such amazing trainers and dog lovers!! I can't say enough great things about perfect paws and their staff. Hunnys second home for sure!!!

I found Perfect Paws from a Google search. I had a private training session with Amanda and my…read more4-year-old cocker spaniel. We learned so much in 60 minutes! We stayed in my neighborhood because my dog is familiar with the area. I learned a few techniques that are easy to practice and I can already tell my pup is catching on! From filling out the intake forms to the end of the lesson, our experience was great. Looking forward to booking another lesson in the future.

Above & Beyond surpassed our expectations. I recently had surgery and was unable to walk our two…read moreDogs. They were referred to me by Belmont Pet store. All the staff are warm and friendly. they came when they said they would, each walker was kind , warm and friendly. I had to add an extra day of walking on short notice and they accomadated me. In short they were great. Will use them exclusively going forward

We have now been using ABPS for 18 months, and we continue to be very impressed with their service…read more Krystal has been exceptional. Our dog loves the team, the structure in her day, and the exercise. Our dog recognizes the sound of her specific car door she loves her so much! ABPS is one of the best things that happened to us since moving to the area.

I cannot recommend Zen Dog Training enough! We took the puppy class led by Gordon. It's truly…read moreamazing all of the content that he can fit into six sessions, and we loved that the five to ten minutes of "play time" at the beginning and end of the class gave our puppy a chance to meet other dogs and learn how to play nicely. (Side note: we always felt so safe during this time as Gordon is great at keeping an eye on pups and recognizing signs of play getting too rough). Our puppy, Puck, learned a variety of commands throughout his six weeks in the class: sit, down, stand, stay, his own name, leave it, "let's go" to get moving on walks, and "heel" to stay by our side on walks. He also learned many behavior corrections. Puck literally stopped play biting in 2 days after using Gordon's "out of the pack" technique (that alone made the class worth it to us), and Gordon's "leash step" tactic is already working on curbing his jumping on new people. Most importantly for us, WE learned so much as dog owners! Gordon taught us about puppy socialization, how to help our dog build confidence, which training tools we should have, and how to make sure we are recognizing and responding to any signs of him becoming a "fearful" dog. The experience with Gordon was truly invaluable and I think we would be lost as new puppy owners if we hadn't done this class. We were on the fence about paying for a puppy class and thought maybe we could find all of our resources on Google and using podcasts alone. Folks, I am here to say that you should not try to take dog training into your own hands. You truly get what you pay for -- this class is so worth it, and Gordon is a true professional. We have zero regrets about our decision to attend! One thing to keep in mind with this class (and probably any good puppy class) is that you do have to put in work outside of the class. Gordon really stressed this and made sure we all understood what our "homework" was for the week, and had access to training materials that we could review in between classes. I think if you are looking for a perfect solution where the trainer will train your dog for you, then this might not be the class for you -- but if you are looking to learn how to train your dog, and are invested in making sure you work in training sessions every day for the 6 week duration, then you truly couldn't find a better place than Zen Dog! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Thank you Gordon for all of your work with Puck - we will miss the Tuesday class :) --Mary & Brandon

Gordon was great at helping to guide us through the unique challenges we had with our dog. His…read morepuppy class was so much fun and we looked forward to it each week. He gave us so many games to play with our dog to reinforce good behaviors and helped us correct behaviors like barking and biting that we didn't want in a way that wasn't scary or painful for our Nessie which was so great because I probably wouldn't have been able to be harsh towards her. We got so much confidence from his classes and our tiny puppy is brave enough to play with all the bigger dogs we see around boston.

I originally reached out to Atlantic K9 Training because my one-year-old Cane Corso/Pittie mix,…read moreBrinley, was getting a little too strong for me to handle. She's incredibly sweet and submissive with other dogs, but she loved to jump on people and had a habit of pulling hard on the leash during walks. At 60 pounds, it was definitely a lot to manage! From the start, Kylie and the Atlantic K9 team were amazing--professional, knowledgeable, and so caring. Brinley attended their two-week bootcamp, and I'll admit, it was hard sending her away for that long with no visits. I was worried she might feel abandoned, but Atlantic K9 made the experience so much easier. They uploaded pictures every day of her playing with other dogs, looking happy and confident, with a smile bigger than I've ever seen on her. It was clear she was having the time of her life--more like a fun vacation than "training camp." When Brinley came home, the transformation was incredible. She has great recall, walks beautifully on leash, and I can now even let her walk off-leash with full confidence. She's learned to stay in her "place," respond to "no" consistently, and--best of all--she no longer jumps on people! I'm so grateful to Kylie and the entire Atlantic K9 team for their compassion, communication, and the amazing results they delivered. Brinley is happier, calmer, and more connected to me than ever. I can't recommend Atlantic K9 Training enough!

We can never thank the team at Atlantic enough for the absolute transformation they did on our…read moreOllie. We reached out the Atlantic at a complete loss of how to help our sweet Ollie boy succeed. They were nothing but kind, communicative and supportive during our initial conversations, and put us completely at ease about sending our boy to the two-week bootcamp, a choice that was incredibly hard for us! Ollie is a five year old Australian Shepherd/Poodle mix who went to training pre-pandemic and has always been incredibly shy with strangers. Before 2020, this manifested as leash reactivity and we were working hard at it when social distancing went into place. Post-pandemic, we tried every method we could find to try and help him with this, but despite all efforts, his reactivity increased tenfold to include dogs and small children. Sometimes he would he completely fine, and other times, he would aggressively bark and lunge at dogs and kids. It was so stressful that we started keeping him away from other dogs, and our small nieces and nephews to be safe. Ollie's alert barking additionally reached an all time high in the summer of 2023, and his counter-surfing was out of control. We decided it was officially time to get professional help. My husband and I want to start a family soon, and were terrified to think that Ollie's unpredictability could jeopardize his relationship with our future kids. His alert barking was creating a near-constant level of stress in our home, and we couldn't imagine how Ollie would be able to function happily or be involved as our family continues to grow. Throughout the two weeks of bootcamp, we got daily communication about Ollie's progress from the team and pictures of him playing happily during break times. Most importantly, however, K-9 Atlantic has completely transformed our boy, and given us the utmost confidence that Ollie will be the BEST big brother someday. He is literally like a different dog in all of the best ways. He's still our sweet, snuggly, silly boy, but without all of the incessant barking and sneakiness! His reactivity is now basically nonexistent, and he happily plays with our little nieces and nephews when they come over! He is a rockstar on and off-leash. We've even slowly integrated meeting new dogs in controlled settings, and he has been so very successful. He hasn't even counter surfed (despite us purposely leaving chicken on the counter in his reach in order to practice!!!!). Ollie's newfound confidence shines in his ability to meet new people and have experiences without all of the anxiety that he displayed prior to his time at K-9 Atlantic. He is the best version of himself, and we are so beyond proud of the good boy his has become!!! I don't know what magic the K-9 Atlantic team did with him while he was training, but we cannot believe that he is the same dog. He has been SO good, and an absolute angel while practicing. We are beyond grateful for everyone at Atlantic for truly transforming our boy and our lives. We can never thank you enough!

Being a business owner and dog owner - there are times that he needs some alternative care when he…read morecannot attend work with me. I am extremely careful and persnickety when leaving a family member with someone else. I did a lot of research, interviewed several places and I wanted to share about my experience Skipton Kennel and their doggie daycare program. This is my first experience with needed a service like this because we recently got a new puppy. He has gone a few times at the Waltham location and in my opinion it is FANTASTIC and the staff is AWESOME. I was so impressed with the care and concern of the owner Karen for my new puppy. She asked all the right questions and quickly responded to my questions. The staff is also so attentive to my needs and more importantly my puppy's needs. He has gone several times now and each time he has received the best care possible from all of them. He is active and gets to socialize, run, and play with other dogs/puppies with his same temperament. When I have picked him up he is calm, very relaxed and tired. He is never stressed but always happy to come home. This makes me feel very at ease leaving him in such a wonderful place. I am happy to recommend Skiption to anyone who would need a daycare service for their dog.

We love Skipton! Our dog loves going there. The entire team is pleasant and clearly loves dog. They…read moreare really easy to communicate with and I love that they post updates about the dogs on Facebook.

Our dog was hooked on this spot after his first visit. He absolutely loves going to hang out with…read morehis friends. Great hours, very kind staff, and reasonable price. He's safe, happy, healthy and gets tired!! Highly recommend!!

Just got my poodle groomed here , Groomer did a excellent job on my 7 years old standard poodle, …read more I have had many different groomers over the past 61/2 years and finally found a groomer who has done a beautiful job. Brought my boy in the grooming Office ,the woman (Rose) greeted me out side to bring my dog upstairs as she noticed i would have a hard time getting him in .as i am disabled .very kind staff . Definite bringing my boy back.Ty Tailwaggerz