How to read a board and train contract

A deposit clause should say how much is due, when, whether it counts toward the program price, and the date it stops being refundable. Look for the difference between refundable, non-refundable and transferable: a deposit you cannot get back may still move to new dates. If the clause says only non-refundable, ask whether that still holds when the program cancels or decides your dog is not a fit.

Cancellation clauses usually turn on notice. Find the cut-off dates and what each one costs you, and whether a refund comes as money or as credit. Check what happens if your dog is ill, because a coughing dog should not be dropped off anywhere, and whether a vet's note changes the terms. Dogtown confirms its own deposit and cancellation terms when you book; ask for them in writing and read them at home.

Positive is a description, not a clause. The AKC advises discussing the methods and equipment a program will use and getting them in writing, because you will not see most of the training. The strongest wording names what is excluded: no prong collar, choke chain, electronic or remote collar, and no leash corrections. It should also say that no equipment outside the agreed list will be used without your written consent first.

Ask for the same detail about what comes home. If a program plans to send equipment home with your dog, or sell it to you, the agreement should list the items and the price. AVSAB's 2021 position statement recommends reward-based methods for all dog training, so a clause that matches it costs a reward-based program nothing to write. Dogtown's training is fear- and force-free, with no prong, choke or shock collars, and that is settled before any terms are discussed.

Plans change. Look for what happens if you collect your dog early, if your flight home runs late, or if the trainer decides partway through that the program is not right for your dog. Each case should say what you pay, what is refunded and what happens to the owner lessons. A program that ends early without a lesson leaves you with a dog halfway through a change and no handover.

Dogtown's extension, early pick-up and late pick-up terms are confirmed when you book. What is fixed is published: Foundation runs one week and Advanced two, both with daily updates and the lessons that close them. Drop-off and pick-up run inside the windows, weekdays 6:30 to 9:30 AM, 12 to 1 PM and 4 to 6:30 PM, and Saturdays 8 to 10 AM, 12 to 1 PM and 4 to 6 PM. Massachusetts kennel law, chapter 140, section 136A, covers paid boarding and training, and MDAR's Ollie's Law regulations for those kennels, due in 2026, had not been released as of the March 18, 2026 advisory committee minutes.