The Dog Nanny

We’ve been taking our dog to Dog Nanny for a couple of years and could not be happier. We had tried others in the area but none could compare. Our dog is always excited to go and always tired when she gets home. All of the staff at Dog Nanny is fantastic. The grooming service is also great and they always do a good job. I cannot recommend Dog Nanny enough. Top notch.

I have been using the dog nanny for years with both of my dogs for daily day care, weekend stays, and vacations! They are outstanding here. ²⁴⁄₇ service! (they are not like when you stick your dogs in a kennel in a cage, and they leave at night). They are there ALL the time! We have two small dogs which we DO NOT crate. They are one of the few boarding places that I have found that give you an option to crate or not crate. Since moving to the city, we hadn’t utilized them for a bit. But, we recently have brought them back for some socialization, and they love it! The dog nanny provides a safe and healthy environment for your pups/​dogs. Your dogs can roam freely around the house with supervision. They do not overcrowd, and will only accept a certain amount of boarders for overnight stays. They have nap time, and get plenty of exercise. They have always been very kind and caring to my dogs. The pricing is reasonable (this is a sitting service), and you get a discount for more than one dog.

The Dog Nanny is the absolute best place in New England for friendly, sociable dogs. They do an outstanding job screening dogs to make sure that every dog’s demeanor is a good fit with the environment that they strive to provide. Truly, there is no better place for your canine family member. Our chocolate lab has been going weekly for the last 3 years and he has also boarded numerous times. He starts to whine with excitement when I get within a mile of The Dog Nanny (I can’t drive fast enough for him!) and I have to park in the spot closest to the door because he cannot contain his excitement and wants to sprint inside we arrive. At this point, he has been over 100 times and never, ever has he had a bad experience. If the staff has any concerns whatsoever, they call immediately. They are extremely responsible, take detailed notes about any special requests, and always follow up quickly. Most importantly, their love of dogs shines through at all times. When they greet my dog by name in the morning, his tail wags with uncontainable joy. He comes home tired and happy and ready to go back. Often in this world, you get what you pay for. At the Dog Nanny, it is money well spent. The place is magical for great dogs.

Do not waste another minute looking at this place. Expensive. The staff is unprofessional. Facility is too small and I don’t believe they don’t crate the dogs.

I have been bringing my dog to The Dog Nanny for about a year now and I have no complaints. He loves going there for the day and the staff is very friendly, pleasant and knowledgeable. They all seem to enjoy what they do which makes it much easier to leave my dog with them! I have never needed overnight boarding for my dog, but if I did I would definitely leave him here. Cage free boarding is something you cannot get at the chain pet stores. They will also give you a full tour of the place before you ever leave your dog with them and you can see for yourself it is a great environment for doggy day care or overnight boarding. I toured 2 other places before deciding on The Dog Nanny. Highly recommended.

Really bad experience with the dog nanny. We researched and thought our 6 month lab would be easy for them to daycare 3 days per week.
Unfortunately, we found that the place does not have a large enough run or professional enough staff to handle young sweet dogs with energy. When my dog would want to play, they would spray him in the face with a concoction of water and I’m not sure what else.
The owner told us the dog needed training and we did do several training sessions. It was clear however that the owner who also did the training was not skilled by any means in working with dogs and in fact had little control over her own doberman that nightly would intimidate our lab pup.
All in all a really bad experience with this place largely because of an undersized facility (doesn’t the state have requirements on this kind of thing?); we think they just crated our dog all day. The other big problem was an unprofessional and undertrained staff that started with the owner herself.

First off, let me say that this is the first kennel I’ve used for my dog and we’ve been customers for a year.
Since we moved to the area last year, we lost our pet sitters and this was recommended by my vet, along with some others.
After a day of my dog interacting with The Dog Nanny’s employees and dogs, we got the OK that she would be fine to stay for doggie day care of when we were on vacation.
It is a bit expensive ($ 500 for a 9 day stay), however, she can sleep anywhere she wants in the house that isn’t off limits like the kitchen. If they are crate trained, they can sleep in them, too, but you can not bring your own bed. They have a schedule they adhere to and quite strictly I may add. As of today, you can drop off b/​t 7am-​10am and pick up from 3pm-​5pm. You drop them off in the back where they go into a waiting area, then the collar and leash come off and they are led into a 2^nd waiting area so the dogs already in there can sniff, bark and get used to her. After a few minutes, then she is let into the main play area.
They have 3 main play areas… a puppy/​small dog, a medium sized dog and large (like St. Bernard/​Great Dane etc) area. Yes it is a bit crowded, however, most of the dogs seem to get along very well. Only once did I see a dog fight and the trainers immediately separated the dogs. I was told they use a few lines of defense when this happens… verbal commands, spray with a hose, then they bring out the citronella spray that the dogs don’t like the smell of and as a last resort a fire hose-​like hose that will physically move them away from each other.
The longest we’ve had my dog there is 9 days and I was told after 8 she was getting cranky so they’d put her in the screened porch if she was acting up. My dog is 4 years old and likes to take a few naps during the day, however, here you nap from 1 – 3 and then eat at 5pm and are in by 7 or 8pm, and up again around 5am… so that isn’t a lot of sleeping time for a dog. I do see dogs in the office and living room when I go to pick up and they are either older and sleeping or they were cranky and tired and were brought in for a nap or break.
Food wise, I’ve NEVER had any food returned to me. Yes, my dog looked a bit thinner when I got her after 9 days but it was on purpose. I gave her just a tad bit less than what I do at home (which is a bit too much) and she was the perfect weight when I got her… with all the action and running, and eating the same or less they will lose a bit of weight! I did sneak a treat or two into her individual food bags, though :-)
Everyone has been super friendly, informative, sympathetic and understanding. It’s like dropping off your child at preschool for the first time when you drop off your dog at a new place. I recommend this place to friends and even take my dog there for doggy day care 2 – 3 times a month so she can remain accustomed to the people and house.

Very nice people and our dog always enjoyed going here. They have ample staff to manage everyone who comes and it was so nice that our dog didn’t have to spend time sitting in a crate when he was not playing. I’d definitely recommend!

I started taking my dog there every now and then because we recently moved into an apartment for one year. This is after living in a big house with a huge yard where he could roam (inside an electronic fence). Didn’t seem fair to keep the dog cooped up in an apartment everyday.
They seem to really love dogs. You’d have to in this kind of business. And he seems to like coming there too.
But it is true. They will not accept your dog if it is unsocialized. They will work with your dog especially if he is a new customer. But that’s about it. So I’m not sure what some of the negative posts are about?
And I agree about the gravel yard. My dog doesn’t seem to mind much, but his feet do. However, not big enough of an issue that I do not keep bringing him back.
So far, it seems like a good option for keeping your dog socialized and entertained.

I cannot say enough about The Dog Nanny. Our dog Coconut loves staying at his «home away from home». When he sees me putting his food together for his stay he cannot get to the car fast enough and barely looks at me when I drop him off. The staff is excellent, kind to the dogs and very friendly. I have used The Dog Nanny for boarding while on vacation for over 5 years now and I have never had a problem or issue with them.

I recently brought my dog here for his first time. It was his first time at any doggy daycare. After much research to find a qualified doggy daycare, I was impressed with The Dog Nanny’s website and conversations I had with staff. They seemed like a loving and professional establishment and i was looking very forward to them working with my pup. I brought my dog in early in the morning on the day we had agreed upon. On the phone and with staff that day, I informed them of his temperment and that he hasn’t been around more than 3 dogs at a time. I proceeded to tell them he is good with older dogs and small dogs, but sometimes gets irritated and impatient with puppy’s/adolescents, as they want to play and nip. However, he and my friends puppy (6 months old) have been playing for a few weeks now and after about 3 times of meeting each other and heavy playing, he submitted to her. I was a proud momma. I told the staff this story and that pretty much the moral is, he needs some time but is playful and his playing is never in an aggressive manner. I thought at a place with the reputation they had (and being the most expensive doggy daycare in the area) they would be willing to work with my dog. He is sweet and the most loving dog you have met, but as I told them, he hasn’t been socialized with many dogs at one time in the past. (his previous owner had him since he was 6 weeks and recently was getting rid of him. We have only had him for a couple months)
I spent 25 minutes in the office while my dog was outside «being introduced» to other dogs. 5 minutes after I left I got a call that «it wasn’t going to work out». One, you couldn’t have told me that 5 minutes prior before i left, and two, what happened? He was fine when I left! I am convinced that they were not willing to put any time in with him. They said he was fine with 1, 2, 3, and 4 dogs but once 5 were introduced he was «noticeably different». I think its called animal instinct. Did you give him any positive reinforcement? Did you praise him and tell him «it’s ok»? Did you give him any treats (as I was told on the phone they give «real good quality treats»)? Did you tell him «NO!» in a commanding voice when he wasn’t following rules? It took them 25 minutes to introduce 4 dogs and as soon as something becomes a challenge they blantenly didn’t want to deal with it. As soon as I returned to pick him up and they gave me the reasons it wasn’t going to work out, the manager immediately offered me their dog training! I was insulted that they thought I would go through their recommended training after the way they handled my dog. And it just seemed convenient: «Pay for our training and THEN your dog will be allowed.» I don’t think so. He has never hurt anyone or any other dog. He lived with two dogs for two years! I would love to get him some professional training and will as soon as I find someone i like. I moved to the area a month ago and since I got him, I have worked very hard with him on «come», «sit», «lay», «paw», «heal», and «drop it». He is not a disobediant monster as The Dog Nanny made him out to be!
Just really unhappy with the way my dog was branded and improperly handled. Maybe they are just used to the Andover type who can afford to have $ 100’s and $ 1000’s of dollars of dog behaviorist training and don’t want to take any time to work with other dogs who are, well, DOGS!

I have a 10 month old Golden Retriever who has had a rough go at life. She has 2 major surgeries in one month and we almost lost her. Needless to say I was VERY sceptical about leaving her anywhere! The dog nanny was recommended by a friend of mine so I decided to check it out.
I called to see if I could take a tour, they only do this from 7am til 10am but they made an exception and welcomed me in a little late. I met with Jen who was very nice and extremely understanding about our situation. Lucy is on a special diet, had just had her staples out, and hadn’t been socialized in over a month. Jen made me feel very comfortable that they would be able to accommodate all of Lucy’s needs.
They recommend that your dog come for a day of play, at a discounted rate, before you are able to board your dog. I thought this was great and showed their concern for the dogs well being.
Liz helped make sure Lucy’s food was taken care of and that she was fed correctly. Everyone from start to finish was so amazing. The house seems like you are dropping her off at Nana’s! And the most comforting part is that there is someone who sleeps there overnight!
My only concern is that the back yard is all gravel, this caused Lucy to come home with some really rough paws! She limped for 3 days because of this, I wish it was sand. This won’t cause me to not bring her back but maybe next time she will have boots on.
Thanks Dog Nanny for making us feel so comfortable and not minding me calling a bunch to check on her!
If you try the dog nanny tell them Kelly and Lucy sent you!

The Dog Nanny is Fantastic! We have brought our two dogs to several different boarding facilities and although they acclimate well, they always come home with a «thank god you finally came to get me» type of attitude. I just got home from a 4 day mini vacation and I can tell just by their body language how much fun they had with the Dog Nanny. Their facilities are top notch (we got the grand tour) and the staff really knows what they are doing, they introduced our dogs slowly and steadily into the rest of the «pack» using a very «Caesar Millan» type of technique. Our boys acclimated quickly and easily and we knew right away we were leaving them in good hands. What is probably most shocking is that the Dog Nanny doesn’t just care for «normal dogs» in her uniquely cage free setting but she also has a very sophisticated colored collar system and chart for dealing with all sorts of other dogs (dogs with allergies get green colors, dogs that don’t get along with specific other dogs get blue colors, etc and everything is mapped out on a complex white board). The staff’s dedication to the well being of the dogs really shows and I am fortunate to have such a great place so close to home!
Thank you Dog Nanny!

We love the dog nanny and feel fortunate to have them in our backyard. My dogs play here once a week. I love their outdoor setup for day care. Highly recommended.

My dog has been coming here for almost four years now. The staff really care about the dogs and bend over backwards to ensure their comfort and safety. I can tell by the way my dog trots right to the gate and wags and wiggles at the staff that he enjoys being there. I love the fact that it is cage free and the dogs spend time both indoors and outdoors. The staff are wonderful, they really make the place top notch.

What a wonderful place to play! The Dog Nanny is a rewarding treat for our little girl, Gracee. She loves to go… pulls me to the door! She plays all day & comes back to me happy, tired & content! Socialization is so important for dogs & this is a great way for her to get interaction with her own kind in a safe, relaxed environment. I have stayed to watch her play & love the interaction the staff have with all of the dogs. Some can get unruly & overzellous… the knowledgeable staff are aware of inappropriate behavior & are quick to correct before something gets out of hand. This is extremely important with any pack of dogs. I’ve been to dog parks & have seem countless fights (some with horrible consequences) due to lack of knowledge, inexperience and fear.
I have read some of the other reviews and think negative comments are just to compensate for lack of training on the owners part. Be aware of what this is: A DAYCARE. Kennel Cough is like the common cold… even when vaccinated against it, it only covers the 4 major strains (much like the Flu Shot) if your dog gets a different strain, which is highly possible as there are THOUSANDS. Not to mention, if your dog meets another dog on the street even, he could contract Kennel cough. So, become aware of what you’re talking about.
As for parking, there is plenty of room! Don’t park like a jackass, be considerate of others & you’ll be fine.
Every week I look forward to bringing Gracee over to the Dog Nanny. If you have a dog, I suggest you try them out! You won’t be disappointed!
Thank you Dog Nanny! We love you!

I have two Siberian Huskies and have been taking them to the Dog Nanny for the past 3 — 4 yrs. Before this I was at another dog daycare place, Dogtopia (which was terrible). I interviewed several daycares, but apparently not enough when I selected Dogtopia. Upon removing my dogs from that daycare I interviewed and inspected all aspects of even more daycares and found them all to be considerably unacceptable. I grew up with dogs (siberians) my whole life; I know dogs, this particular breed, and have strict opinions on what I find acceptable behavior/​facilities as far as a daycare goes.
Luckily I stumbled upon the Dog Nanny, which was a Godsent. I inspected their property inside and out to get an understanding of containment and handling. I also had a thorough conversation with the owners and met some of their staff. They interviewed my dogs as well, which I found to be a wise thing — as it ensures the safety and happiness of my girls (and showed me they actually cared about my dogs). I was informed of a dog quantity max rule (which I’ve experienced enforced) that they have (so they can maintain a good staff to dog ratio) which ensures the personal care and focus on the dog and behavior as opposed to treating them like cattle. The Dog Nanny’s facilities I found especially great as it is a home… not a sterile building. The dogs are never left alone and can feel as though they’re at home. Their location is spotless and goes through a thorough cleaning once per week. You know those other places that smell like dog really bad… not here. Don’t get me wrong you can smell dog (hard to avoid given the business) but it’s NOTHING like the smell of even when you go to a vet… and they have to be sterile! It’s impressive.
It is unfortunate for the few who seemed to have had a bad experience there. I’ve always been informed about any ailment going on there — kennel cough, puppy warts, etc. It’s like a child’s daycare, though, illnesses happen and I don’t see parents staying home from work b/​c there was an outbreak of a cold or cold sores (which is all kennel cough and puppy warts are, respectively). Every time I’ve been informed of the sicknesses going around I’ve chosen to continue sending my dogs there; and only one of them (in this entire time I’ve been using the Dog Nanny) has ever come down with any sort of illness from there (happened once — she came down with puppy warts, which lasted only a few days as she was put on an antibiotic from the vet.) I actually felt bad the times that I saw there were few dogs at the daycare, because owners panicked and pulled their dogs out temporarily.
Although I’m not a fan I have to reference Caesar Milan because I find it people will always refer to him on the absolute do’s and dont’s of dog training. He’s not always right, he provides his opinion based on his experience. However, one area I agree with him is that you can teach «an ‘old’ dog new tricks» — you’ll see in his shows/​books that a dog (can) be trained in a week, no matter how old or ill-​behaved the dog. So it surprises me that one of the negative reviews posted here comments on their dog taking two months to retrain after only a couple of nights exposed to an unwanted behavior… I believe that’s more an effect of the dog being a puppy and any dog will find something they like, that you don’t (mine are no exception); it’s easier to teach them you don’t want that habit when they are younger.
A complaint I do have is some of the customers who use the Dog Nanny who seemingly have no consideration for anyone else and leave doors open when picking up there dogs, coming through the gate when dropping off knowing someone else is unleashing [fyi some dogs run away… and it’s not for a lack of training — in my case it is breed… (genetics) and I’m not interested in trying to train them out of what they are bred to do], also those customers that don’t know how to park their cars they take up all the space. There will always be people who have bad experiences with anything, though, or are just unsatisfied; it’s a fact of life.
I really couldn’t say enough good things about the Dog Nanny, and I’ve used them for both daycare and boarding. When I see my dogs come bombing in from where ever, I know they’ve had a great day and are happy to go home and get some rest!

I’ve been bringing my dog here for the past 6 months for boarding and day care, and have noticed a sharp decline in the professionalism of the staff and the overall atmosphere of the place. After my recent visit, I’m giving up on this place.
My first issue with the Dog Nanny arose when we boarded our then puppy for the first time. We filled out the standard intake form about our pup’s preferences and schedule, including the fact that we were crate training him and did not, under any circumstances want him to be taken out of the crate at night if he was barking. We were assured by staff members that they understood the importance of this consistency while training a puppy and promised he’d be crated the whole weekend. When we picked him up, the staffer that greeted us said ‘Your dog was great… he cried in the crate so I took him out and let him sleep in bed with me.” Uh, excuse me? Needless to say, we then had a dog obsessed with sleeping with us in bed. It took a solid 2 months to get him out of the bed after that incident.
We had heard from multiple people that use the Dog Nanny’s daycare and boarding services that there were frequent bouts of kennel cough that were not made known to existing customers. We had a friend call them up to board his dog for this first time and they told him they weren’t accepting new dogs because of the kennel cough outbreak, but we never heard anything about it.
As a previous poster mentioned, we were originally happy with the staff and care given, but now, the owners seem downright greedy. It’s not cheap — $ 80 to board for about 30 hours and it is PACKED with dogs. We recently boarded our pup there overnight and were told they had over 40 dogs that night. This place is not that big and their yard was way too crowded with dogs. They just didn’t have ample room to run around. Also, as noted before, the check-​in/​check-​out area is really cramped and it is annoying and stressful when you pick your dog up.
The last time we boarded our pup will definitely be the last time. We brought his bed (as we always do) and were quite rudely told by a staffer that no beds were allowed. We said, oh, we didn’t realize that, we’ve boarded him half a dozen times and always bring his bed, but okay, not a big deal. She wouldn’t let the issue pass and spent 5 minutes berating us about how the bed would be ruined. Okay, we get it. We always portion out his food and label it for each meal times and somehow, are always given baggies of food back when we pick our pup up. I don’t think they feed him all his meals and this really concerns me.
We were also told this past time that we had to be there at 5pm on the dot to pick up our dog. When we told the staffer that we had always been told there was a 4pm — 6:30pm window for pick-​ups, she snapped yet again and told us we had to be there at 5pm, no exceptions. That’s funny, because when I called a few weeks prior to make the reservations, the staffer I spoke with told me we could pick up between 4pm and 6:30pm. It’s time for this place to get consistent with their staff. You get different stories from every person you speak with. It’s horrible.
Overall, this place is a great idea in theory and until recently, we were happy customers. Unfortunately, the Dog Nanny seems more concerned with making money off the dogs and less about their health and wellbeing.

These people care about dogs! Their setup is fantastic for both doggie daycare and overnight boarding. They offer cage-​free boarding unless you prefer your dog be in a crate at night. During the day, the dogs go in and out of the large fenced-​in yard as much as they want, which is always supervised by trained staff. At night, there are staff who stay there to watch over the dogs. I can’t say enough good things about this place.

The Dog Nanny is a wonderful resource for dog owners here in the Andover area. We bring our two dogs here one day a week for play time with other dogs and we also use them for boarding. They clearly love dogs, and they treat ours like family. Friendly, conscientious, reasonable rates. A great place! Highly recommended.