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Evaluation
Do I need an evaluation first for board and train?
The evaluation can feel like a hurdle in front of the real thing. It is closer to a first chapter: the morning that tells our team how your dog plays, settles and copes, and so how its days during the stay will run.
In one line
Yes, in two steps, because a stay is both a training program and nights under our roof
The consult answers the training question. You send the training form, the team replies within one hour on business days, and Gabby, our Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist, looks at your dog's history and your goals to choose the program, or to point you to a better one. The evaluation answers the care question. A board and train dog sleeps in an overnight suite and may join playgroups, so it takes the same free evaluation as every daycare, Academy, overnight and walking dog.
Grooming is the only Dogtown service that skips the evaluation, so a dog that has only ever visited the studio still needs it before a stay. The evaluation itself is a temperament test followed by a few supervised hours in a group. It is free, it runs on weekday mornings only, and it needs your paperwork: Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella on file and a current city or town dog license.
- Consult: the program, the goals and the quote
- Evaluation: a temperament test plus supervised group time
- Weekdays, 6:30 to 9:30 AM, by appointment
- Records: three vaccines and a dog license
Your starting point
What you need before a stay depends on whether Dogtown already knows your dog
Families come to board and train from different places, and the steps follow from where you start. A dog new to Dogtown does everything. A current daycare or Academy dog has usually been evaluated already, so the consult is the main new step, though anything that has changed since, such as a long break, a new diagnosis or a shift in behavior, should be mentioned. The table sets out the common cases, and the front desk confirms your own.
One case deserves a closer look: the dog that did not pass a daycare evaluation before. That result is information about group play, not a verdict on training, and the consult may point to a program where groups are optional or come later, such as Adventure Academy with its controlled introductions and carefully matched social experiences. Our page on board and train for dogs that did not pass the evaluation covers that route in detail.
| Your dog | Consult | Evaluation | Tell us |
|---|---|---|---|
| New to Dogtown | Yes | Yes, on a weekday morning | History, goals and vet details |
| Current daycare or Academy dog | Yes | Usually done already | Any change since it was done |
| Grooming-only client | Yes | Yes; grooming never required it | How it copes with other dogs |
| Did not pass a past evaluation | Yes | Discussed at the consult | What happened, and what has changed |
| Back after a long break | Yes | Ask whether it needs repeating | Health or behavior changes |
The weekday window
The evaluation runs only on weekday mornings, so put it on the calendar well before the stay
The 6:30 to 9:30 AM window, Monday to Friday, is the only time evaluations happen. That suits a commuter who can drop off on the way to work, and it means a stay starting on a Saturday needs its evaluation on an earlier weekday. Leave slack: a dog that would benefit from a half day of daycare at $33 before its first night, or from a second look, should have time for it before drop-off at 210 Eastern Ave.
Send the new customer form ahead, and bring the records or send them to the front desk first. Bring your dog on a flat collar or harness and a standard leash. Tell the team anything that might matter in a group, such as a dog that is shy with big dogs, guards toys or hears poorly, so the morning is set up around it. Ask what time to collect your dog, since the supervised group time lasts a few hours.
- 01
Complete the new customer form
- 02
Gather Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella records and the license
- 03
Book a weekday slot between 6:30 and 9:30 AM
- 04
Arrive with a flat collar or harness and a leash
- 05
Share anything that might matter in a group
- 06
Pick your dog up and ask how the morning went
What group time shows
The supervised group hours show how your dog plays, and that shapes its days during the stay
Group time is not a pass mark for good manners. It shows how a dog greets, plays, recovers and settles among others, and that decides whether a matched playgroup of 7 to 10 dogs belongs in its board and train days. Daycare integration is part of both programs when appropriate, and the evaluation is where appropriate gets decided. A dog that is not ready for a group still trains; its days lean on enrichment and one-on-one sessions instead.
In general terms, the AKC describes what healthy play looks like: loose, bouncy movement, play bows with the front end down and the back end up, and dogs taking turns at chasing and being chased. Real conflict looks different, with a stiff body, raised hackles, ears pinned flat, a closed mouth and curled lips. Watching for those differences over a few supervised hours says far more about a dog than a single greeting at the door.
- Loose, bouncy movement and play bows
- Taking turns at chasing and being chased
- Settling between bouts of play
- Stiff bodies or raised hackles: a different story
For your dog
For your dog, the evaluation makes the first night of the stay a second visit rather than a first
A dog that walks in for its board and train already knowing the lobby, the smells and some of the people has less to take in on day one, and settling is what the first day is for. That is one benefit of doing the evaluation early rather than the week before. Another is room to adjust: if the morning suggests a different route, there is time to take it, whether that is a few half days first or a different program altogether.
If the evaluation and the consult agree, dates follow. If they do not, Gabby will explain why and suggest what fits: Brave & Balanced for a shy young dog from 4 months, Focus & Flow or React Less, Relax More for reactivity, or Canine Campus with nights at home. Families in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea can add the Pup Van, $10 each way, to any half days in between. Our board and train page describes Foundation and Advanced in full.
At Dogtown
The evaluation and the programs it opens
One free evaluation covers daycare, Academy, overnight stays and board and train at Dogtown.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Can the evaluation happen on a Saturday?
Is the evaluation free?
My dog was evaluated two years ago. Does it need another?
Can my dog fail the evaluation?
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
Book the consult and the evaluation
Send the training form first. We reply within one hour on business days and help you choose a weekday morning for the evaluation.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
