First stays
Will my dog be OK at boarding the first time?
It is the question behind almost every first booking, and it usually arrives the week before a flight. Here is what a first night in a Dogtown suite involves, what counts as normal and what does not, and the short visits that tell you how your dog will cope before you are a long way from Gloucester.
The short version
Most dogs settle, and the few who struggle show it early on a short visit
The AKC's guidance on boarding is refreshingly honest: every dog's response differs. Some dogs enjoy playtime with other dogs, new smells and a temporary change of scenery; others show signs of stress and shy away from staff and other dogs. Neither tells you anything bad about your dog. It tells you which first stay to plan, a long one with confidence or a shorter one with more rehearsal behind it.
The easiest first stays tend to belong to dogs for whom the building is no longer new: they have done the evaluation and a few daycare days, they know a handler's voice, and they have spent a full day in a group. The hardest belong to dogs meeting everything at once on the night you leave. That is the whole case for the ladder below, which costs a few short visits and saves a long, anxious trip.
- Easier: dogs who already know the building, the group and the handlers
- Harder: dogs meeting the place, the group and the suite on one day
- Either way: a short visit tells you more than any prediction
Night one
The first night in a suite comes after a full day in the group, and a little unsettledness is normal
A first-night guest at Dogtown spends the day before it in a playgroup of 7 to 10 dogs matched by size and temperament, on the turf yard or the indoor play floors at 210 Eastern Ave. Dinner is the food you packed, pre-portioned. Then the suite, with bedding provided and the one comfort item you brought from home, and 24/7 monitoring through the night. Most of what makes the night easy happens during the day before it.
Expect some signs that this is new. A dog may pace before it lies down, vocalize for a while, or eat less than usual; VCA's veterinary guidance lists stress, altered routines and changes in the environment among the reasons a dog's appetite drops. What deserves attention is different: the distress signs the AKC lists, such as excessive panting, drooling or a stiff body, a dog that keeps refusing food, or one that hides from people.
- Common on night one: pacing before settling, some vocalizing, a lighter dinner
- Worth a message to the front desk: refusing food past the first meal
- Worth a conversation: excessive panting, drooling or a stiff body
- A good sign at pick-up: tired, happy to see you, and not simply relieved
The ladder
Climb from a half day to one night, and move up only when the last rung went well
Each rung adds one new thing. The evaluation adds the group, a half day adds time without you, a full day adds the long middle of the day with its rest breaks, and one night adds dinner, the suite and the dark. Because every rung uses the same building and the same kind of matched playgroup, your dog arrives at the long stay with only one unknown left: the number of nights.
Spacing matters as much as order. Leave a few days between rungs so your dog has slept on each experience, and book them inside the windows: 6:30 to 9:30 AM, 12 to 1 PM or 4 to 6:30 PM on weekdays, 8 to 10 AM, 12 to 1 PM or 4 to 6 PM on Saturdays. A Friday night with a Saturday morning pick-up makes an easy first night for a family that works weekdays.
| Rung | Cost | What it adds | Move up when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free evaluation | Free | A temperament test and a few supervised hours in a group | Your dog is placed in a playgroup |
| Half day | $33 | A morning or afternoon in the group without you | Your dog comes home loose and eats dinner |
| Full day | $42 | The whole day, with rest breaks and water stations | The report card reads calm and the night at home is normal |
| One night | $78 | Dinner from your food, the suite and a monitored night | Your dog ate, settled and greets you happily |
| A weekend | $78 a night | Two nights in a row and a Sunday window | The second night went as well as the first |
Reading the stay
Eating, settling and playing are what a first stay is judged on
While your dog is with us, the report cards and photos in the Dogtown app show you the day, and Messages lets you ask the front desk anything that is on your mind. Tell us at drop-off if appetite or sleep is the thing you most want to hear about, and say what normal looks like at home: a dog who always skips breakfast should not cause alarm by skipping it here.
The best evidence arrives at pick-up and over the next two days. The AKC's description of a good stay is a dog that is happy to see you, not simply relieved, and tired from a day of play and healthy interaction. A long sleep, a big drink and a normal appetite by the next morning add up to a first stay that worked. Anything else is worth a message, and a stomach upset after a stay has its own page.
- 01
At drop-off, name the one thing you most want to hear about
- 02
Read the report cards and photos in the Dogtown app during the stay
- 03
Use Messages if anything in a report surprises you
- 04
At pick-up, watch the greeting: happy and tired, or frantic and stiff
- 05
Over the next two days, check sleep, appetite and stool at home
- 06
Decide the next rung, or the long trip, from what you saw
Your dog
Puppies, rescues and seniors usually need every rung; settled regulars can skip some
A Dogtown regular who already does two daycare days a week has climbed most of the ladder without trying. One night before a long trip is plenty, and for some regulars the trip itself can be the first night. A puppy who has just finished its vaccine series should take every rung, and the Dogtown Classic bundle at $10 a night adds a daily homemade pupsicle or puppy cup that gives a young dog something to look forward to.
A recently adopted rescue needs time at home before any of this, so the building is not one more change in a month of changes. A senior needs comfort as much as rehearsal: the Dogtown Deluxe bundle at $15 a night upgrades the suite to an orthopedic memory-foam bed, adds a stuffed Kong or Toppl and a daily treadmill or enrichment session, and takes 15 percent off a groom before pick-up.
- Daycare regulars: one night before the trip is usually enough
- Puppies: every rung, with the Classic bundle's puppy cup
- New rescues: settle at home first, then start the ladder
- Seniors: every rung, and ask about the Deluxe memory-foam bed
At Dogtown
The rungs of the ladder
Daycare days, enrichment add-ons and the overnight suite are the pieces a first stay is built from.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
How many nights should a first stay be?
Is it normal for my dog to sleep all day after a first stay?
How will I know how the first night went?
What if my dog's first stay goes badly?
Does my dog need daycare days before a first overnight stay?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
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
Start the ladder with a free evaluation.
Book a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, then a half day, a full day and one night in a suite before the long trip.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
