Filling the days
Do dogs get bored at boarding?
A long stay raises a fair question: what does my dog actually do all day? Here is what keeps a dog engaged away from home, how the research ranks the options, and how to choose between the playgroup on its own, single add-ons and the two overnight bundles.
The short version
Boredom grows in empty hours, and a stay with daycare has very few of them
A bored dog looks restless: barking for something to happen, chewing whatever is in reach, pacing, and failing to settle at night. It grows where days are long and stimulation is short. Deborah Wells's 2004 review of enrichment for kennelled dogs found that confined dogs often get very little human contact, citing one study in which dogs in laboratories and shelters interacted with people for between 0.3 and 2.5 percent of the time observed, and it ranks social contact as the most important enrichment of all.
An overnight stay at Dogtown is built the other way round. Guests join playgroups by day, in groups of 7 to 10 dogs matched by size and temperament, across indoor play floors and an outdoor turf yard with pools and platforms. The suite is for meals, rest and sleep. So for most dogs the question is not whether there is enough to do, but which extras suit them: more work for the brain, a calmer job, or simply a better rest.
What fills a day
Play and people fill the day; scent work and chews add work for the brain
A day in the group gives a dog running, wrestling, sniffing and company, with rest breaks between sessions. For many dogs that is the whole answer. Others, often working breeds and adolescents, finish the group still looking for a job, and some quieter dogs would rather have a calm task than more play. The research backs scent work in particular: in a 2019 study, pet dogs given two weeks of daily nosework became measurably more optimistic on a cognitive bias test, while dogs given heelwork did not change.
Wells's review adds a practical warning. Adult dogs tend to lose interest in the same toy within several days, perking up again only when something new appears, so rotating activities matters more than piling them up. The review also reports shelter dogs resting more and barking less to classical music, and barking more to heavy metal. Variety beats volume, which is why a long stay is best filled with different activities spread across the days.
- Social play in a matched group: the core of the day
- Scent work: the sniff room or a puzzle game
- Something to lick or chew at settle time
- Steady exercise for a dog with energy left over
- Rotation across a long stay, so nothing goes stale
Add-ons or a bundle
Single add-ons suit a short stay; a bundle suits a dog that needs a daily extra
Enrichment add-ons are booked per visit onto any day of a stay: a frozen Kong or a homemade pupsicle at $6, a puzzle game at $7, a lick mat at $5, a supervised session on the dogPACER treadmill at $10, and the sniff room at $7 for find-it games and scent work in a quiet room. Book them through MoeGo, in the Dogtown app or at drop-off, and the team fits them around the playgroup schedule.
The bundles roll extras into the nightly rate. The Dogtown Classic, $10 a night on top of the $78 suite, brings a daily homemade pupsicle or puppy cup and 10 percent off grooming. Dogtown Deluxe, $15 a night, brings a gourmet stuffed Kong or Toppl, daily treadmill or enrichment play, an orthopedic memory-foam bed and 15 percent off grooming. A daily Kong and treadmill session booked separately would come to $16, so for a dog that needs both, the Deluxe is the better buy.
| Option | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Playgroup day, included in the stay | $78 a night | Social dogs that love company |
| Sniff room or puzzle game | $7 each | Thinkers and keen noses |
| Lick mat or frozen Kong | $5 or $6 | Settling after play or at bedtime |
| Treadmill session | $10 | High-energy dogs with steam left over |
| Dogtown Classic | +$10 a night | A daily treat and a grooming discount |
| Dogtown Deluxe | +$15 a night | A daily job, a better bed and 15 percent off grooming |
Choosing for your dog
Match the extras to the dog: thinkers, athletes, settlers and seniors
Think about how your dog spends a wet Sunday at home. A dog that patrols the house looking for a task usually does well with scent work, because the sniff room or a puzzle game turns food into problem solving. A dog that tears around the yard and still will not settle at night is a treadmill and Deluxe candidate. A dog that winds down with a chew needs a lick mat or a frozen Kong at the end of the day.
Seniors and quieter dogs often need rest more than extra activity, and for them the Deluxe memory-foam bed may matter more than the treadmill; the daily enrichment can be a lick mat or a puzzle instead. Puppies get plenty from the group and need naps as much as games. If you are unsure, the team that watched your dog at the free evaluation can suggest what suits it when you book the nights.
- Thinkers: the sniff room or a puzzle game
- Athletes: a treadmill session or the Deluxe
- Settlers: a lick mat or frozen Kong at bedtime
- Seniors: the Deluxe bed and gentle enrichment
- Puppies: the group and plenty of naps
Long stays
On a long stay, plan variety across the week rather than the same extra every day
A weekend rarely needs planning beyond the group. A week or more is different, because the novelty of the first days wears off. Spread different add-ons across the stay instead of repeating one, and consider the Deluxe for a daily job. Ask the front desk to note your dog's favorites, read the report cards in the Dogtown app to see what it enjoyed, and adjust by message if something is not landing.
The Cape Ann calendar plays a part. In a summer heat wave or a nor'easter, outdoor time shrinks for every dog, and indoor options such as the sniff room and the treadmill carry more of the day. For school vacation weeks, Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays, book the add-ons with the nights so they are part of the plan from the start. Our overnight stays page lists everything the nightly rate already covers.
- 01
Book the nights and choose the Classic, the Deluxe or neither
- 02
Pick two or three add-ons that suit your dog
- 03
Spread them across the stay instead of repeating one daily
- 04
Tell the front desk what your dog loves and what it ignores
- 05
Check the report cards midweek and adjust by message
At Dogtown
Fill the stay
Overnight suites with daycare by day, plus enrichment add-ons you can book onto any night.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Will my dog be in a suite all day?
Can I send my dog's own toys to stop it getting bored?
Is the Deluxe worth it for a two-night stay?
My dog is old and sleeps most of the day. Will it be bored?
Can I add enrichment after the stay has started?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- Wells 2004, Applied Animal Behaviour Science: enrichment for kennelled dogs
- Purdue Canine Welfare Science: Duranton and Horowitz 2019, nosework and optimism
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Give the stay a daily job
Book the free weekday-morning evaluation, then add the nights with the bundle or add-ons that suit your dog.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
