Dog Therapy Waltham, Massachusetts

My puppy had a great experience. He was always happy to go (and quite tired out when he returned). He is now well-adjusted to playing with other dogs, and I attribute this in part to Dog Therapy Boston. He outgrew the service rather quickly, but we were thrilled with his time there.

The Dog Therapy team is incredibly kind and nice and do really care for the puppies. That said, this is not going to be the place for every dog. When we went, my puppy was fine for the first couple of hours but then got overwhelmed and exhausted, and spent the rest of her day crying by the door and even trying to climb up the gate to try to escape. After ~7 visits, I was told we could not come back anymore as it appeared to be doing more harm than good. I appreciate that the team was looking out for her, and they even offered to connect me with trainers, though it felt like they had given up on her (vs suggesting she only come for a couple of hours as it sounded like she was doing well in the mornings). While I believe that my now adult dog’s friendliness towards other dogs was shaped by her short time at Dog Therapy, I wanted to give a different perspective from someone where it didn’t work out. Our trainer described day care as a “club” whereas our dog does better in a “wine bar” setting. If you think your puppy might be overwhelmed by day care, I wouldn’t recommend it, despite all the positive reviews. Our dog also picked up a nasty bout of kennel cough that landed her in the hospital, but kennel cough going around is fairly typical at all day cares, even if vaccines are required.

The team at Dog Therapy are wonderful and provided excellent socialization and supervision. Definitely a great decision for any puppy. They were happy to answer any and all questions that I had throughout our time there. They were also extremely helpful and flexible as my puppy finally outgrew the program and was ready to transition to a daycare that caters to adult dogs (even providing me a long list of exceptional recommendations). Sad to leave, but so happy to have been able to use their service as long as we did.

This place is amazing. Staff is extremely nice and kind, and if you need to destress, come here to play with puppies. It was the best experience! I will absolutely come here again.

We've sent our 5-mo puppy to DT since he was 10-wks and we are so glad for the socialization opportunities it has given him! He is growing to be a confident and well-balanced pup, thanks to the ample doggy personalities he gets to meet there! Jody, Joe, and the team take so much care of our pup and are able to give us feedback on how he's doing. After the first couple tentative visits, our pup now rushes in to play with his buddies, and we are glad to get a tired pup back at the end of the day!

10/10 will be back to visit the puppies!

I really love dogs.! I just saw the place while driving by, thought i would check this place out. It was so lively. I asked the people working there what this place is (foster / adoption center / day care) one the lady told me its day care. I just asked them if i am allowed just to stand there, there was a clear glass fence. There was this one guy who immediately interjected and said no we are not allowing anyone in side not even to stand at the place where i was. When the place clearly mentioned one person at a time. And i did not see anyone over there except me. I can clearly sense the discrimination that he was showing in his tone. Generally people working in these pet day care are very sweet and i know it. This fellow was SUPER RUDE.! he was citing covid as a lame reason. Again, I would definitely understand when there is a reasonable request made. I was away from people behind a glass fence wearing my mask.!! Nothing mattered. Get out is all i got.! I wish the staff was more professional. I want to say to that person / to management : just because i come from Asia doesn’t mean i have covid, learn some manners.!

Started taking my Scout when she was quite young and I was a novice at puppyhood. Joe and team are so kind, caring and professional. Scout bounds out of the car on her way in and is perfectly tired and happy on her way out. It’s safe and clean and fun and been tremendous for her growth and development.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this place. The daycare doesn’t seem to be what it used to be. I’m not sure how much “training” is going on and they used to have reasonable caps on how many puppies could attend per day but now they cram 25+ puppies in there per day and this is a small space. Dogs seem to be just kinda doing their own thing and picking up bad habits. It’s a bit of a zoo. My puppy who never used to bark from the window at home started barking at everything that moved out there. Low and behold she and a bunch of other dogs are barking out the windows when I pull up and the staff didn’t seem to be able to get a handle on that. She was also barking and jumping at the entry gate and the staff made it seem like something I was doing wrong at home not giving her enough alone time which was leading to this “separation anxiety”. But she literally has no problems at home being left alone, doesn’t jump for me from her play pen when I return (which is much much shorter than their gate), and never tries to escape it. I would think self-described dog trainers should acknowledge that dogs don’t generalize well and what’s she’s doing in the daycare environment doesn’t necessarily translate to what’s happening at home. Regardless, it seems like something they should have been be able to handle via their website (I.e. “inside voices” and “greeting people without barking or jumping”). None of that was being working on as far as I could tell. Also getting updates about what went on at daycare was like pulling teeth. They are happy to just let you pick up your puppy and walk out the door without knowing anything that went on that day. One day at pick up I saw a fight break out among other dogs and asked if she had gotten into any fights while there and in fact she had....it’s information that would generally be nice to know without having to ask for it. Dog Therapy was a combination of not the right environment for my specific dog but also them not delivering on puppy school/training promises. If you’re looking for some semblance of structure and the training they list on their website beyond potty training, this is not the place in my opinion. If you want a place to drop your puppy off and let what will be, be, then this is it. In my experience most people seemed happy to drop off/pick up their puppies without any conversation with the owner/trainer, so they don’t seem to have an incentive to do more other than simply manage, what’s in my opinion, an insane number of dogs they have there per day. One positive aspect is that it’s an ok place for your puppy to socialize since it’s only other puppies. I think that’s great.

If you are in the Waltham area your puppy will 10000% will love their time at Dog Therapy. Very kind, knowledgeable and reliable staff, perfect for socialization and I promise you the drop off and pick up with seeing all of the adorable pups will make your day!

Great place to take your pup and help him with new experiences with people and other pups

Just like any child, we wanted the best for our fur baby! Dog Therapy is the best place for socializing your puppy. We have been incredibly impressed with the way that our puppy has grown in hid confidence with other dogs. As a bonus, potty training has been a breeze and we attribute this to his time at Dog Therapy! If you have a fur baby that you are looking to socialize during CoVid or anytime, this is the place!

A great place for small pets. I am grateful to the staff for such an attitude towards animals.

Our puppy really tested us for the first month, and we reached out to Dog Therapy after hearing positive reviews from another dog owner. Needless to say, from the very first visit to the very last one, our dog improved exponentially. His barking has gone down significantly and his nipping has gone away completely. We cannot thank the hard working staff at Dog Therapy enough for taking the time to work with Goose and support his positive growth.

Our golden retriever puppy loves dog therapy. He leaps out of the car when we arrive and he seems to be very well socialized stills other dogs now. I wish there was a little more parking but drop off and pick up are very quick. Great place. We'll be sorry when it's time to move to a daycare for larger dogs.

I tried to enroll my 5 month old puppy here and was so disapointed in the experience. First it took me 2 weeks trying to reach someone. I tried via email, Facebook, and calling (their VM was full and no answer). Then finally 2 weeks later they emailed me and said they were booked. Which I naively believed. I asked if there would be a opening within the next month and no response. Later I found out that they took this other puppy a week later from when they told me they were booked. The dog they accepted is my dogs friend and the play together at the dog park. I just dont get why these people were so rude to me and did not want to take my dog. They should have just told me the real reason not lied to me. Anyway my dog is now in a daycare in Newton, Dog Scoops, who are amazing! They respond promptly and are very kind. That's is what I would have expected from Dog therapy especially since they make money of the dogs back by charging the owners to enroll their dogs and charging people to come play with the puppies there.

Love this place. Spent an hour but felt like a minute. Super friendly dogs

Come in clothes you don't mind getting covered in hair because you WILL be hugging and cuddling dogs.

Absolutely wonderful. Went there on a date. The employees were just what you'd expect from people who get to play and cuddle with puppies all day. Just the sweetest people and the energy was so positive. The dogs get to be socialized and the people get to play with dogs. Everyone wins!

Jody, Joe and team are AMAZING! BEST place for puppies to socialize and learn the basics. Highly recommend visiting during human hours too :)

Jody and her staff are wonderful. These are sweet friendly puppies learning to be even sweeter and friendlier. My puppy loves it.

The best place to get your dog acclimated with other dogs and humans! I go to this place frequently and the dogs and staff are top notch.

Website did not inform the age restriction of 18 , called ahead 4 times and no one answered , wrote email and no one answered. Drove 45 minutes just to be let down .

What they do here is genius. They allow the public to play with puppies. Meanwhile the puppies learn to socialize with the public. I've been here on a few occasions and can't wait to go back.

Good place to socialize your dog, however the owner is kind of a jerk.

Dog Therapy has been an excellent place for me and my husband to learn about puppies and watch how they can be socialized and prepared for great lives at dogs. By visiting once a week for over six months, I have seen myself how all different kinds of pups learn to have fun and socialize together and with people.

Must go. A place for every age group to play with pets. It makes you feel really good

A terrific place! So glad I found out about them.

To good to their dogs! You can go and play with the dogs evem though they are mot your dogs! Fantastic idea!

Love Jody and her creative business. Our dog is so happy going here three times per week.