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Holding a date
Do you require a deposit for board and train?
A deposit question is really three questions: what holds the date, what you pay to hold it, and what happens if plans change. This page answers the first, explains how the other two are normally settled, and walks through the what-ifs worth raising before you pay.
The short version
Deposit and refund terms are confirmed at booking, in writing, and are not printed here
We would rather say plainly that the terms are unpublished than give you a figure that might be wrong. A board and train reserves a trainer's time and a suite for one or two weeks, and many programs ask for a deposit and set a date after which it is no longer refundable. Whether Dogtown asks for one on your dates, how much, and on what terms is confirmed when you book, together with the quote.
One published fee causes confusion: Dogtown Grooming charges a $10 cancellation fee. That belongs to grooming appointments, not to training programs. For board and train, the useful habit is simple. Ask for the deposit, cancellation and date-change terms in writing before you pay anything, read them at home, and keep them with the program description. If anything in them is unclear, ask before the dates are confirmed rather than after.
- How much, and when it is due
- Whether it counts toward the program price
- The date it stops being refundable
- Whether it can move to new dates
How a date is held
A date is held by finishing the steps in order, and the terms arrive with the quote
Board and train is not booked online the way daycare or an overnight stay is, because it needs a plan first. You send the training form with your dog's age, goals and the dates you have in mind, and the team replies within one hour on business days. A short assessment with Gabriella Pope chooses Foundation or Advanced, or points to another program, and produces the quote and its terms.
The free evaluation follows on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, with Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella on file and a current dog license. Dates are confirmed once those steps are done. The list below shows the order, so you can see where any payment the terms require would fall and what you will already know by then.
- 01
Send the training form with your preferred dates
- 02
Hear back from the training team within one hour on business days
- 03
Meet Gabby for the assessment and receive the quote and terms
- 04
Read the terms at home and ask about anything unclear
- 05
Book the free evaluation for a weekday morning
- 06
Confirm the dates and lessons, and pay whatever the terms require
Three what-ifs
Three what-ifs to settle before you pay: new dates, a sick dog and a different program
Dates move. A trip changes, a baby arrives early, a nor'easter closes the roads on drop-off morning. Ask whether a deposit transfers to new dates, how much notice a change needs, and whether a weather closure is treated differently from a change you choose. The National Weather Service office in Boston posts the winter forecasts worth checking before a January or February start.
Dogs fall ill. A dog that starts coughing a few days before drop-off should stay home, see its vet and keep away from other dogs, so ask what happens to a deposit when a vet's advice moves the stay. Programs change too: if the assessment or the evaluation shows your dog would do better in Canine Campus, React Less, Relax More or private sessions, ask whether money already paid can move with it. Write each answer down.
- You change the dates: notice needed, transferable or not
- Weather closes the roads: how the start moves
- Your dog is ill: what a vet's note changes
- A different program fits better: where the money goes
Known prices
The prices around a stay are published, so only the program and its terms need confirming
Some of what you might pay around a board and train is already on our price list. The evaluation is free. In Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea the Pup Van costs $10 each way; ask whether it can bring your dog in for a board and train. A bath before pick-up starts at $55 for a dog up to 25 pounds. Training sessions start from $94, the only training figure we publish; the program itself is quoted after the assessment.
Summer and the holiday weeks are when many families travel, so start the inquiry early for those, ideally before you book flights. If the dates you want are taken, ask whether a list is kept for cancellations and how you would be told if a week opens. Our board and train page explains Foundation and Advanced, and our policies page lists every term worth asking about before you sign.
At Dogtown
Around a board and train stay
Training, overnight suites and the Pup Van are run from the same front desk at 210 Eastern Ave, so one conversation can cover all three.
Pick-up & drop-off
The Pup Van comes to you.
Pup Van pick-up and drop-off is available for $10 each way in the Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea area. Not in the area? Ask us for pricing.
- Rockport
- Gloucester
- Essex
- Manchester-by-the-Sea
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Do I pay anything when I send the training form?
Is a board and train deposit refundable?
Can I hold a date before my dog's evaluation?
Does a deposit count toward the price of the program?
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
Get the terms in writing first.
Send the training form with the dates you have in mind. You will hear back within one hour on business days, and the quote and its terms follow the assessment with Gabriella Pope.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
