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What is in the stay
What does board and train include?
A program description is easy to read and hard to compare. This page goes line by line through what each part of the stay delivers to you, what you bring, and what sits outside the program, so a quote from us can be laid beside anyone else's.
The skills list
The skills list is fixed for each program, and Advanced keeps everything Foundation has
Foundation, one week, is written for puppies, young dogs and dogs missing manners. Its list reads: basic obedience and leash skills; place, stay and recall; impulse control; crate and household manners; and daycare integration with enrichment. Each skill is taught with markers and rewards, the force-free approach Dogtown uses in every program, with no prong, choke or shock collars and no leash corrections at any point.
Advanced, two weeks, is for adolescents and dogs whose cues fall apart outside. It includes everything above, then adds advanced obedience and distraction proofing, real-world outings, neutrality and impulse control, confidence building and structured socialization. Where the outings go is set in your dog's plan after the assessment rather than promised in advance, so ask Gabby to describe them. Our board and train page sets the two lists side by side.
- Foundation: obedience, leash, place, stay, recall, impulse control, crate and house manners
- Advanced: all of that, plus proofing, outings, neutrality and confidence work
- Force-free methods throughout, with no aversive equipment
- Outings in Advanced only, chosen for your dog
The days
Training blocks, rest, enrichment and a playgroup when ready fill the days, and an update reaches you every day
Inside the stay, the days are built from short training blocks with rest between them, enrichment that works the nose and brain, and, once Gabriella Pope judges your dog ready, time in a matched playgroup of 7 to 10 dogs. Group time is part of the program rather than a separate daycare booking. A dog that is not suited to a group spends those hours on training, rest and enrichment instead, and still covers its whole list.
The daily update arrives through the Dogtown app on every day of the stay, starting on arrival day, and names the skills worked on and how your dog responded. Whether it carries photos, video or a written note is confirmed when you book. Ask at the consult which enrichment items the plan will use, such as the sniff room, puzzle games or a lick mat, and whether any are charged separately; for overnight guests those add-ons run from $5 to $10.
- Short training blocks, several each day
- Rest between blocks and quiet nights in the suite
- Enrichment chosen for your dog
- A playgroup of 7 to 10 once your dog is ready
- An update in the app every day
Who brings what
You bring the food, the medications and one comfort item; the program supplies the rest
The table is the practical version of the list: who provides each part of the stay and what to check. The training, the suite, the monitoring, the updates and the coaching come from us. Your dog's usual food comes from you, pre-portioned into meals, because a training week is the wrong time to change diets, along with any medications in labeled containers and a written sheet. How medications are handled during a stay is agreed at the consult.
Some things sit outside the program and are priced on our published menu. Dogtown Grooming can bathe your dog before pick-up, from $55 for a dog up to 25 pounds, or do a full service groom from $75. The Pup Van runs for $10 each way in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea; ask whether it can handle a board and train drop-off. Extra coaching after the included lessons is booked as private sessions, from $94.
| Part of the stay | Who provides it | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Training plan and daily blocks | Dogtown, led by Gabriella Pope | The program's skill list |
| Overnight suite, bedding and 24/7 monitoring | Dogtown | How nights are set up for your dog |
| Playgroup time and enrichment | Dogtown, when your dog is ready | Whether any add-ons are charged |
| Daily update in the app | Dogtown | The format, confirmed at booking |
| Go-home coaching | Dogtown, 1 or 2 lessons | The lesson dates |
| Food, pre-portioned | You | Enough meals for the whole stay |
| Medications and written instructions | You | How doses are given, agreed at the consult |
| Collar or harness, leash and one comfort item | You | ID tags attached |
| Bath or groom before pick-up | Optional, from $55 | Book it with the stay |
The handover
The go-home coaching is included, and it decides whether the rest of the stay lasts
Every stay ends with coaching at Dogtown: one go-home lesson for Foundation, two scheduled coaching lessons for Advanced. The AKC's advice is that a board and train facility should teach you all the verbal cues and hand signals it taught your dog, along with the techniques to keep working with it. That is the lessons' whole job. You watch the trainer, take the leash, and leave knowing which places to practice in first.
Bring everyone who will walk or feed the dog if you can, plus the collar or harness it wears at home. Set the lesson dates when you book, inside the pick-up 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. When you compare quotes, the steps below check that each one includes the same things.
- 01
Confirm which program the quote covers and how long it runs
- 02
Check the skills against that program's published list
- 03
Ask how updates arrive and in what format
- 04
Confirm how many coaching lessons are included and when
- 05
Ask which enrichment items are included and which are extra
- 06
List what you will supply and what you will pay for separately
At Dogtown
What surrounds a board and train
The stay draws on Dogtown's overnight suites, playgroups and enrichment room, all under one roof at 210 Eastern Ave.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Is the overnight suite included in the board and train price?
Does board and train include a groom before pick-up?
Are outings included in the one-week program?
What happens if I have questions a week after pick-up?
Does the price include the equipment my dog trains in?
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
Ask for the quote with everything listed.
Send the training form and ask for your dog's program, its inclusions and its terms in one reply. The training team answers within one hour on business days.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
