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Do you offer refresher board and train stays?

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Do you offer refresher board and train stays?

Months after a stay, a skill can wobble, and the first instinct is to send the dog back. Sometimes that is right; more often the fix is shorter and closer to home. This page lays out the published options, a rule for choosing between them and a worked example.

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Last reviewed October 10, 2026 · by the Dogtown team · reviewed by Gabriella Pope, Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist

What exists

A return stay is decided case by case, and the follow-on programs are already on the menu

Raise a return stay at a consult rather than booking one. The training team will want to know what slipped, when it started and what has changed at home, because a few nights away only help if the problem is one a stay can fix. Whether a graduate should repeat a full program, try a shorter return or do something else entirely is decided there, and any stay is quoted after an assessment, as every Dogtown program is.

Meanwhile the options in the table are published, priced where prices exist, and built for exactly this in-between stage. Each one keeps you involved, which matters because the AKC's guidance on board and train is that you have to continue the training for new behaviors to stick. The table compares them by format, by what each fixes best and by cost.

Option	Format	Best for	Price
Second Advanced coaching lesson	Scheduled, part of the Advanced program	Questions as the skills move home	Included in Advanced
Private session	One-to-one with a trainer	One skill that slipped, such as recall or the door	From $94
Dogtown Academy day	Structured daycare with a daily training session	Keeping a trainer in the week	$89 full, $69 half
Canine Campus	2, 4 or 6 weeks of day training, home each night	Real-world reliability with evening practice	Quoted after an assessment
A return stay	Not a published program	New skills, or a trip that needs care anyway	Ask at the consult

Decision rule

Match the fix to the slip: one skill, one kind of place, or the whole routine

Name the slip before choosing the fix. If one skill has faded everywhere, a private session usually resets it fastest, because the trainer can watch you and your dog together. If skills hold at home and fail in one kind of place, such as a beach or a busy sidewalk, the gap is generalization, and Canine Campus or a few sessions aimed at that setting fit better. If the whole routine has drifted, look first at what changed in the household.

A return stay makes most sense in two situations: you are traveling anyway and want the nights used well, or your dog is ready for skills it never learned, such as a Foundation graduate now ready for distraction proofing. Fear, reactivity and panic when left alone are different problems, and those dogs usually do better in owner-present work such as Calm & Connected or React Less, Relax More, 8 weeks and 16 sessions.

01
Write down the slip: which skill, where, and since when
02
If the change was sudden, rule out pain or illness with your vet first
03
Rerun the go-home plan for a week at its easiest level
04
One skill still failing everywhere: book a private session
05
One kind of place failing: ask about Canine Campus or sessions in that setting
06
A trip coming up or new skills needed: ask at a consult whether a stay fits

Worked example

Worked example: a spring graduate whose recall falls apart on the beach in October

Picture an illustration, not a client: a Labrador from Essex finished Advanced in April and recalled well all summer on its own lawn and on quiet trails. In October, with Good Harbor open to dogs on even-numbered dates, the recall collapses the first time a group of loose dogs runs past. The family's first thought is another two weeks away, because that is what worked before.

The slip is one skill in one kind of place, so a stay is the long way round. A private session from $94 can rebuild the long-line routine with the family, who then keep practicing on even dates with the line on until the recall holds around other dogs. If they also travel at Thanksgiving, that is the moment to ask at a consult whether a stay could double as care and a tune-up, rather than booking one in a hurry now.

The slip: recall, in one kind of place
The fix: a private session and long-line practice on legal dates
The stay question: saved for a week when care is needed anyway
The review: two weeks of notes before deciding anything bigger

For your dog

What it means for your dog: the shortest fix that keeps you holding the leash

Every option above has one thing a return stay lacks: you are there. Skills fade at home because home is where the old habit lived and where the rewards quietly stopped, so the fix tends to hold best when it happens with you on the leash. That is not a reason never to come back. It is a reason to choose the format by the problem in front of you rather than by what worked last time.

Before any follow-on, gather two weeks of notes and short clips of the slip, and bring the equipment you actually use. If a stay does turn out to be the answer, our board and train page covers both programs, and a dog we already know starts with its history on file. Keep Rabies, DHPP, Bordetella and the city or town license current so the paperwork never holds up a date.

Two weeks of notes on the slip
Short clips of the problem, never staged
The gear and rewards you use now
Vaccines and license current

At Dogtown

Follow-on options after board and train

Private sessions, Dogtown Academy days and Canine Campus keep the training going with you in the loop.

Australian shepherd sitting attentively during training

Dog TrainingFrom $94 per session · Explore

Dogtown trainer playing with a small doodle on the outdoor turf

Dogtown AcademyNewFrom $69 · Explore

Every price on one page

Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

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

Is a refresher stay cheaper than the original program?

There is no published refresher price. Any return stay is quoted after an assessment, like every Dogtown program, and the quote depends on its length and goals. If budget matters, compare it with a private session from $94 or an Academy day at $89, either of which often fixes a single slip faster.

How soon after board and train would a refresher make sense?

Rarely in the first month. Wobbles in the first weeks are normal while the skills move from our building to your home, and the go-home plan is built for them. If a skill is still failing after a few weeks of steady practice, book a consult and bring your notes.

Does my dog need another evaluation to come back?

Ask the front desk. A dog we already know has its history with us, but anything new since then, such as a scuffle, a medical change or a long gap, is worth mentioning so the team can decide whether a fresh look is needed before group time. Evaluations run on weekdays between 6:30 and 9:30 AM.

Can Academy days work as a refresher?

For many graduates, yes. An Academy day includes a training session with our trainer plus enrichment, fitness and play, at $89 for a full day or $69 for a half, and your dog sleeps at home. One or two days a week keep a trainer in the routine without any nights away.