Board & train
Board and train in Gloucester: Foundation (1 week) and Advanced (2 weeks)
Board and train works when the dog learns and the owner learns too. Our version keeps the stay short, one or two weeks, sends you an update every day, and finishes with lessons that put the skills in your hands, because a dog that only listens to the trainer has not finished training.
Who it fits
Foundation for puppies and young dogs, Advanced for adolescents who need the real world
Foundation, the one-week stay, is for puppies, young dogs and any dog whose manners are simply missing: no reliable recall, a leash that is always tight, a crate that means crying, jumping on every guest. It is also the practical choice when you are away for a week anyway and would rather the time be used than merely passed. Many Foundation dogs are already Dogtown daycare dogs whose owners are heading off for St. Peter's Fiesta week in late June or a long-planned trip.
Advanced, the two-week stay, is for adolescent dogs who know the cues at home and lose them everywhere else. It adds the outside world: distraction proofing, outings, neutrality around other dogs and people, confidence building and structured socialization. It is not the route for significant reactivity or fear; those dogs need the owner in the room from day one, and Gabby will steer you to React Less, Relax More or Polished Pup instead.
- Foundation, 1 week: puppies, young dogs, missing manners
- Advanced, 2 weeks: adolescents who need distraction proofing and outings
- Owners who can attend the go-home lesson or lessons in person
- Not for serious reactivity or fear; the behavior modification programs cover that
The stay
A suite at night, training blocks by day, an update every evening
Your dog sleeps in an overnight suite and is monitored around the clock. Days are built from short training blocks with Gabby or her team, rest, enrichment such as puzzle games and sniff work, and, when the dog is ready, time in a matched playgroup of 7 to 10 dogs. Foundation dogs work on place, stay, recall, loose-leash walking, impulse control and crate manners. Advanced dogs add outings beyond the building, proofing around distractions and structured introductions.
Every evening you get an update: what was worked on, what clicked, what is still hard. That feed matters more than people expect, because it turns the go-home lesson into a conversation you have been following all week rather than a handover from a stranger. Nothing in the stay uses force, fear or aversive tools; the training is positive reinforcement and clear communication from the first session.
Advanced stays include real-world outings. Around Gloucester that means quiet sidewalks first, then busier ones, all leashed and all chosen for the dog's stage rather than a checklist.
- 01
Contact form and a short assessment with Gabby, then the free evaluation on a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30 AM
- 02
Drop off inside a window with pre-portioned food, medications and a comfort item
- 03
Daily training blocks, rest, enrichment and, when ready, playgroup time
- 04
An update from us every evening of the stay
- 05
Foundation: one go-home lesson at pick-up. Advanced: two scheduled coaching lessons
- 06
Home practice from the plan you were handed, with Dogtown Academy days to hold it
Cost and booking
From $94 a session, with the full plan confirmed after the assessment
Training at Dogtown starts from $94 a session. Board and train combines an overnight stay with daily training, so we confirm the full plan and investment after the assessment rather than printing a package here. Both stays include the daily updates and the go-home lesson or lessons. Enquire through the contact form and the training team will be back to you within one hour on business days.
Because your dog stays overnight, the free evaluation applies: weekdays 6:30 to 9:30 AM by appointment, with Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella on file and a current city dog license. Pack pre-portioned food, any medications and a small comfort item, as for any overnight stay. Enrichment add-ons and a groom before pick-up can be booked onto the stay, so your dog comes home trained and clean.
| Stay | Length | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | 1 week | Basic obedience and leash skills; place, stay and recall; impulse control; crate and household manners; daycare integration and enrichment; daily updates and a go-home lesson |
| Advanced | 2 weeks | Everything in Foundation; advanced obedience and distraction proofing; real-world outings; neutrality and impulse control; confidence building and structured socialization; 2 scheduled go-home coaching lessons |
Why here
One building for the stay, the training and the playgroup
Many board and train programs happen in a trainer's home or a kennel run. Dogtown's happens in a 10,000 square foot facility with overnight suites, indoor play floors, an outdoor turf yard with pools and platforms, a sensory garden and a grooming studio, staffed by certified handlers with 24/7 monitoring. The dog who learns a settle here learns it next to real noise and real dogs, which is the point.
Gabriella Pope, our Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist, designs each plan. She brings a B.S. in Biochemistry, more than ten years with behaviorally complex dogs and foster experience through Cape Ann Animal Aid, and her approach is relationship-based and fear- and force-free. Massachusetts is also tightening how daycare and boarding facilities operate: Ollie's Law was signed in September 2024 and took effect in December 2024, with MDAR's regulations due in 2026. Ask us about it when you visit.
- Overnight suites with 24/7 monitoring, in the same building as the training
- Daycare integration when the dog is ready, in groups of 7 to 10
- Daily updates, then in-person go-home lessons
- Force-free, positive reinforcement throughout the stay
Getting here
Drop-off windows for the stay, the Pup Van and what your dog comes home to
Drop off and pick up at 210 Eastern Ave inside the windows: weekdays 6:30 to 9:30 AM, 12 to 1 PM and 4 to 6:30 PM; Saturday 8 to 10 AM, 12 to 1 PM and 4 to 6 PM; Sunday, for overnight stays only, 8 to 10 AM and 4 to 6 PM. The Pup Van can start or finish the stay for $10 each way in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea. Outside those towns, ask for pricing.
Plan the go-home lesson for a day you can actually practise afterward. If your dog comes home in the off-season, Gloucester's beaches are open to dogs October 1 to April 30, Good Harbor on even-numbered days and Wingaersheek on odd, and an empty November beach is a fine place to test a fresh recall on a long line. In summer, when Rockport's beaches are closed to dogs from June 1 to September 15 and the harbor streets are full of visitors, the Advanced stay's neutrality work is what you will lean on.
At Dogtown
The stay, and what holds it afterward
Board and train sits on our overnight stays. Dogtown Academy days keep the skills working once your dog is home.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Does board and train work for reactive dogs?
How long does board and train take to work?
What should I pack for a board and train stay?
Will my dog join daycare during the stay?
Can I book a groom before pick-up?
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
A stay that teaches.
Tell us about your dog and your dates on the contact form. We reply within one hour on business days, then book the assessment and the free evaluation.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
