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Twelve questions

How to questions to ask a board and train trainer

Most programs sound alike on their websites. The differences show up when you ask each one the same questions and listen for detail, because a vague answer to a direct question is an answer too.

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Last reviewed October 9, 2026 · by the Dogtown team · reviewed by Gabriella Pope, Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist

The twelve

Ask all twelve, in writing first, so every answer can be compared

Send the questions ahead of the visit or the consult, so the trainer can answer properly and you have something to compare later. The table sets out each question beside the kind of answer you should hear. Specific beats reassuring every time: a named piece of equipment, a number of lessons, a town, a veterinary practice. Where a program says it has not decided something yet, that is honest, and you can ask when it will.

The questions come from sources most owners would trust. The AKC's guidance on board and train programs says to get methods and equipment in writing, ask for references and insist on visits. The MSPCA's guide to boarding facilities adds licensing, overnight staffing and emergency care. AVSAB's guide to choosing a trainer adds education and the words a trainer uses about dogs.

QuestionThe answer you should hear
1. What methods and equipment will you use on my dog?Rewards, a flat collar or harness, a leash and perhaps a long line; no prong, choke or shock collar; all in writing
2. What happens when my dog gets something wrong?The reward is withheld and the step made easier; no corrections or leash jerks
3. Where will my dog sleep and spend its day?A specific place you can see, with hours in a crate or kennel stated
4. Who is with the dogs overnight?Who is on site, between which hours, and how often dogs are checked
5. Which city or town issued your kennel license?A town you can call to confirm, and the date of the last inspection
6. How will I hear about progress, and how often?A set schedule and format, such as a daily update
7. How many lessons will I get, and when?A number, dates you can plan, and room for everyone who handles the dog
8. Can I visit or watch a session?A clear yes and how, or a clear reason and an alternative
9. What should my dog be able to do at the end?A skill list and how each skill is checked, never a promise of perfection
10. Where will my dog go if it is hurt or sick?A named practice, who decides, and how you will be reached
11. What are the deposit, cancellation and early pick-up terms?Written terms you can read at home before paying
12. What training education do your trainers have?Specific schools, organizations or mentors, and how they keep learning

Weighing answers

Listen for detail, and treat a vague answer to the method questions as the loudest warning

The twelve do not carry equal weight. The first two decide what happens to your dog when you are not there, so a vague answer to either is reason enough to keep looking. Phrases such as we use whatever works or we adjust to each dog, with no list attached, leave room for tools you would not choose. AVSAB's guide counts prong and shock collars, leash jerks, rolling a dog onto its back and water spray bottles among its red flags.

The next tier is the transfer questions, six and seven, because they decide whether the training reaches your home. Then come the safety questions, four, five and ten. The rest matter, but a program can be honest about a term it has not settled yet. Write each answer down in the trainer's own words; paraphrases soften, and you want to compare what was actually said.

  • Must be specific: equipment and what happens after a mistake
  • Should be specific: updates, lessons, overnight care, license, emergencies
  • Can still be settling: some terms, if the program says so plainly
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The steps

Run the conversation in seven steps, from your goals to a side-by-side comparison

A good interview takes less than an hour and can save weeks of regret. Start with what you want your dog to be able to do, so you can judge whether the program's skill list matches. Then work through the questions in the same order with every trainer, and ask to see the space rather than accepting a description of it.

References help most when you ask them specific things. The AKC suggests asking for former clients and following up with them, so ask what equipment came home with the dog, how many lessons they had and what still worked three months later. Whole Dog Journal adds a caution worth keeping: do not lean on online reviews for a decision with stakes this high.

  1. 01

    Write down your top three goals and anything about your dog that worries you

  2. 02

    Email the twelve questions before the visit or the consult

  3. 03

    Ask them again in person and note the answers word for word

  4. 04

    Ask to see where dogs sleep, train and rest

  5. 05

    Watch the dogs in the building for stress: tucked tails, pinned ears, lip licking

  6. 06

    Call at least one past client and ask what came home with their dog

  7. 07

    Lay the answers side by side before you pay a deposit

Our answers

Here is how Dogtown answers today, and which answers wait for the consult

Some of our answers are published. Methods: fear- and force-free positive reinforcement, with no prong, choke or shock collars. Sleeping: an overnight suite with 24/7 monitoring. Updates: one every day of the stay, with the format confirmed when you book. Lessons: one go-home lesson after Foundation, two scheduled coaching lessons in Advanced. Skill lists: published for both programs. The trainer: Gabriella Pope, Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist, with a B.S. in Biochemistry and ten-plus years with behaviorally complex dogs.

Others we answer at the consult rather than on this site: overnight staffing and how often dogs are checked, visits during the stay, how a vet visit is handled, and the deposit, cancellation and pick-up terms. Ask them anyway, and expect them in writing before you pay. The price follows a short assessment at 210 Eastern Ave in Gloucester, training sessions start from $94, and the free evaluation runs on weekdays between 6:30 and 9:30 AM.

  • Published: methods, where dogs sleep, daily updates, lesson count, skill lists
  • At the consult: overnight staffing, visits, vet care, terms
  • After the assessment: the quote

At Dogtown

Ask us about any program

The same twelve questions work for every Dogtown training program, from private sessions to board and train.

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Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.

What is the single most important question to ask?
What happens when my dog gets something wrong. The answer reveals the method more honestly than any description of it, because it covers the moments trainers least like to discuss. Listen for withholding the reward and making the step easier, and be wary of corrections, however mild they are made to sound.
Is it rude to ask a trainer for references?
No. The AKC recommends asking for references from former clients and following up with them. A program confident in its work will have families willing to talk. Ask them about equipment, lessons and what still worked months later, not simply whether they were happy with the stay.
What if a trainer will not put the methods in writing?
Treat that as your answer. The AKC advises getting methods and equipment in writing precisely because you will not see most of the training. A program comfortable with its methods should have no trouble writing them down, and you should not have to take a description on trust.
Should I bring my dog to the conversation?
If the program offers an assessment, yes, because a trainer who has met your dog gives better answers. At Dogtown the assessment with Gabriella Pope comes before any quote, and the free evaluation follows on a weekday morning. Bring short videos of the behaviors you want changed as well.
Can I ask these questions by email?
Yes, and it helps. Written answers are easier to compare, and they become a record of what was said. Send them with the training form and the team replies within one hour on business days; some answers, such as the quote, follow the assessment rather than the email.

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

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Next step

Send us your twelve

Paste the questions into the training form and we will answer what we can in writing. We reply within one hour on business days.

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