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Before the stay
How to prepare your dog for board and train
A dog that arrives already knowing the building, the routine and how to rest in a small space starts learning on the first day instead of the third. Most of that groundwork happens at home, in the weeks before drop-off.
Before you start
Start several weeks out, because the assessment, the evaluation and the vet all need time
Count back from the start date. The training form comes first, answered within one hour on business days, then a short assessment with Gabriella Pope to choose Foundation or Advanced. The free evaluation follows, on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM by appointment, and only weekday mornings work for it. Lead times vary with the season and we confirm open dates when you enquire, so start earlier for summer and the holiday weeks.
Book a vet visit in the same window. Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella must be current through the last day of the stay, and your vet decides how far ahead a booster should go. Ask about tick prevention too: the CDC advises a tick preventive for dogs and a conversation with your vet about the tickborne diseases in your area, and on Cape Ann ticks are active from about April to November. We confirm the minimum age for a stay at the consult.
- Training form sent and the assessment booked
- Free evaluation on a weekday morning
- Vet visit: boosters, tick prevention, any new medication
- A current license from your city or town
The steps
Spend the run-up on six small rehearsals rather than one big push
None of the steps below teaches the program's skills; that is the trainer's job. They make the start of the stay easier, so the first days go to training rather than to settling in. Keep each one short and pleasant, and skip any your dog already does comfortably. Spread them across the weeks before drop-off rather than cramming them into the last few days, when the house is already busy with packing.
The trial day matters most. The AKC notes that many kennels offer test runs and some require them, because a short visit shows how a dog copes before a longer stay. At Dogtown the evaluation itself includes a few supervised hours in a group, and a half day of daycare at $33, or a Dogtown Academy half day at $69, adds a second visit so the lobby, the yard and the handlers are familiar.
- 01
Practice short settles in a crate or on a mat at home, building from seconds to a few minutes
- 02
Find your dog's top three rewards by offering a few foods and noting which it works hardest for
- 03
Film the behaviors you want changed, at home and outside, for the assessment
- 04
Get your dog used to gentle handling by a friendly visitor: collar, paws and ears
- 05
Book a trial half day after the evaluation so the building is familiar
- 06
Keep the last week ordinary: the same food, the same walks, no big outings
Tell the trainer
Tell the trainer the full story at the assessment, including the parts you would rather skip
The plan can only be as good as the history behind it. The AKC's boarding advice is to be open about separation anxiety, resource guarding and illnesses that need close monitoring, and a training stay needs all of that and more: what you have tried, what made things worse, any growl, snap or bite, and the situations where your dog falls apart. A short video says more than a long description, so bring the clips you filmed.
Tell us how your dog sleeps, eats and copes with being left, because a stay changes all three at once. If your dog panics when confined, has bent crate bars or damaged its nails trying to get out, say so plainly; the AKC warns that dogs who panic in a crate can hurt themselves trying to escape. Some answers will change the program rather than the start date, and Gabby would much rather know now.
- Any growl, snap or bite, and what happened just before
- What you have tried, and what made it worse
- Sleeping, eating and being left alone
- Medications and any condition your vet is watching
Mistakes we see
The mistakes we see are a last-minute booster, a skipped trial and a hectic final week
A booster given the morning of drop-off has had no time to work, so book the vet visit weeks ahead and send the new record to the front desk. A dog that meets the building for the first time on the day it moves in has more to absorb than one that already knows the yard. And a final week packed with farewell hikes, visitors and a new bag of food sends a tired, unsettled dog into a stay that needs it rested.
The other mistake is trying to fix the problem before the trainer sees it. Families sometimes spend the last fortnight drilling cues with a new method from a video, and the dog arrives unsure which rules apply. Keep management in place, such as a leash at the door or a gate across the kitchen, so the old habit gets no extra practice, but leave the teaching to the stay. Pack the night before, not on the morning of a 6:30 AM drop-off.
When to call us
Call us before drop-off if your dog struggles with the evaluation, the trial day or nights away
Some dogs show during the run-up that a stay is not the right first step. A dog that cannot settle during the evaluation, spends the trial day pacing at the gate, or panics whenever it is left may do better in a program where it sleeps at home. Canine Campus runs 2, 4 or 6 weeks of day training, and private sessions start from $94. Gabby will say plainly if a stay should wait.
Families in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea can ask whether the Pup Van, $10 each way, can handle the trial day or the drop-off. In Gloucester the dog license comes from the City Clerk and is due each April 30, and the city has announced higher fees for 2026, so check its licensing page before you renew. Every other town issues its own.
At Dogtown
The run-up at Dogtown
The assessment, the free evaluation and a trial half day of daycare make the first night of a stay a familiar one.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
How far ahead should I start preparing for board and train?
Does my dog need to be crate trained before board and train?
What is a trial day, and do I have to do one?
Should I work on my dog's bad habits before the stay?
Which vaccines does my dog need?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- AKC: What to know when boarding your dog
- AKC: Crate training your dog
- CDC: Preventing ticks on pets
- City of Gloucester: dog licensing
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 run-up early
Send the training form with your dog's age, the behaviors you want changed and your likely dates. We reply within one hour on business days.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
