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Big dogs
Board and train for large and giant breeds
A Newfoundland that pulls is a different problem from a terrier that pulls, even when the cue is the same. This page covers what size changes in a stay, from the leash to the joints to the nights, and what one or two weeks can realistically fix in a dog that may outweigh the person holding its leash.
Size first
Size does not change the skill list; it changes which skills come first
Foundation and Advanced teach the same skills to a 15-pound dog and a 150-pound one. What size changes is the order. A small dog that jumps on a visitor is rude; a Great Dane that does the same can put a grandparent on the floor. The AKC describes its Working Group, which includes Great Danes, Siberian Huskies and Doberman Pinschers, as strong and watchful, and says that because these dogs are large and naturally protective, owners need to know how to train and socialize them well.
So a big dog's plan front-loads the skills that keep people upright. Greetings come first: four paws on the floor earns attention, and a jump earns a calm turn away. Doorways follow, with a wait before the front door opens and before the car hatch lifts, because a large dog bolting out of either is hard to stop. Place gives a big dog somewhere to be that is not underfoot in a small Cape Ann kitchen, and leash manners run through every single day of the stay.
- Greetings: four paws down before anyone says hello
- Doorways and the car: a wait until released
- Place: a settle on a cot instead of underfoot
- Leash: slack built with rewards, not with muscle
On the leash
Loose-leash walking is the core skill for a big dog, and it is built with rewards, not a harsher collar
Owners of strong dogs are often steered toward the harshest tool on the shelf: a prong collar, a choke chain or a remote collar. Dogtown's training is fear- and force-free, so none of those are used on any dog of any size, and the reason is practical as well as humane. A tool that hurts works only while the dog wears it and fears it. A dog that has learned that walking beside you pays keeps doing it when the equipment changes. Gabby goes over what your dog should wear at the assessment.
The method builds value for the space beside your leg. Rewards arrive at that spot, so the dog learns where good things happen. When the leash tightens, the handler stops or turns and walks the other way, and the dog catches up into slack. Sessions start in a quiet room, move to the turf yard and only then to a sidewalk. One week makes the habit familiar inside the building; the second week of Advanced tests it against real distractions.
- 01
Reward the dog for standing beside your leg before the walk begins
- 02
Take two steps, and reward at your side while the leash is slack
- 03
If the leash tightens, stop, or turn and walk the other way
- 04
Reward the moment the dog catches up into slack
- 05
Stretch the distance between rewards as the habit holds
- 06
Add one distraction at a time: a person, then a dog, then traffic
Growing joints
Young large and giant dogs train in short blocks on soft ground, because their bones are still growing
Big breeds grow for longer than most owners expect. The AKC's growth guidance says giant-breed puppies keep growing until 12 to 18 months, and that very large breeds such as Mastiffs may not reach full size until about 24 months. Dr. Klein, quoted there, advises against road work or jogging before 14 to 18 months, especially for large and giant breeds, until the growth plates have closed, and the article calls short walks on soft surfaces such as grass the safer choice while a puppy develops.
That shapes the stay for a young big dog. Training blocks are short and frequent rather than long. Recall and leash work happen at a walk, never a jog, and a good share of the exercise is mental: sniffing, puzzle feeders and settle work on a cot, which tire a dog without pounding its joints. Tell us at the consult what your vet has said about your dog's growth, and ask Gabby how she will pace its days.
Rest after meals
For deep-chested breeds, hard work stays away from mealtimes, as Cornell's bloat guidance advises
Gastric dilatation-volvulus, usually called bloat, is far more common in large, deep-chested dogs such as Great Danes and Saint Bernards, according to Cornell's Riney Canine Health Center. The risk factors it lists include eating fast, one large meal a day, a raised food bowl, a nervous temperament and exercise soon after eating. Its prevention advice is two or more meals a day, limited activity after meals and no raised bowl. A training stay is full of activity, so meals and training blocks have to be planned around each other.
Tell us at the consult how many meals your dog eats, when, and from what kind of bowl, and bring the food pre-portioned into those meals. Training rewards are food too, so on a busy day part of the ration can become rewards rather than extra treats. Bloat is an emergency. If you ever see the signs below at home, call your vet at once; Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn is a 24-hour emergency hospital.
- Retching or trying to vomit with nothing coming up
- A swollen, tight or painful belly
- Restlessness, pacing, drooling or heavy panting
- Pale gums, weakness or collapse
Nights and limits
Nights are spent in an overnight suite, and one or two weeks start the work rather than finish it
Our overnight guests settle into suites with 24/7 monitoring and bedding we provide. We do not publish suite dimensions, so ask at the consult how a dog of your dog's height and length is set up for the night. For an ordinary overnight stay, the Dogtown Deluxe bundle adds an upgraded orthopedic memory-foam bed for $15 a night on top of the $78 suite; whether it can be added to a board and train stay is something we confirm when we quote.
Be realistic about the result. A stay can make loose-leash walking, polite greetings and a settle familiar, and the go-home lesson shows you how to keep them. It cannot finish a giant puppy's adolescence, which may run past two years, and it cannot change fear or guarding in a dog strong enough to hurt someone. Those dogs belong in programs where you hold the leash from the start, such as React Less, Relax More or Polished Pup, with sessions from $94.
After pick-up, practice where a big dog has room. Good Harbor takes dogs off leash on even-numbered days from October 1 to March 31, and a long line there tests a recall without a crowd. A bath before pick-up for a dog over 90 pounds is $85, or $95 for an extra-large long coat, with Shed Release at $10. From Rockport, Gloucester, Essex or Manchester-by-the-Sea, the Pup Van can do the driving for $10 each way.
At Dogtown
What a big dog's stay draws on
Training led by Gabriella Pope, an overnight suite each night and a groom sized for a large coat.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Is my 9-month-old Great Dane too young for board and train?
Will my big dog play with small dogs during the stay?
Do you use a prong collar on dogs that are too strong to hold?
My dog is a deep-chested breed. What should I tell you about bloat?
How much does board and train cost for a large dog?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- Cornell Riney Canine Health Center: gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat)
- AKC: when does my puppy finish growing?
- AKC Working Group
- Gloucester dog rules
- Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital
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
Training sized for a big dog.
Tell us your dog's breed, age, weight and what happens on the leash. We reply within one hour on business days and set up the assessment with Gabby.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
