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After the stay

What equipment should I buy after board and train?

Families often leave a board and train ready to fill a shopping cart. Most need less than they expect. Here is a short list to take to the go-home lesson, what to check before buying, what to leave on the shelf and a handy filter if the Canine Good Citizen test is a goal.

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A Jack Russell Terrier walks on a blue leash beside its handler along a dirt path.

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

The short list

Buy five things at most, and only once the lesson shows your dog needs them

Wait for the go-home lesson before you shop. It is where the trainer shows you the equipment your dog worked in, how it should fit and how to hold it, and it often turns out that the collar or harness you already own is fine. The checklist below covers what most dogs leaving a stay end up using, from essential to optional, so you can tick off what you have and ask about the rest.

Two items are not optional at all. Massachusetts law requires the owner of a licensed dog to keep a collar or harness on the dog with the license tag securely attached, and an ID tag with your phone number belongs beside it. In Gloucester, licenses come from the City Clerk and are due by April 30; the city has said fees rise in 2026, so check its licensing page for the current amount.

  • Essential: a flat collar or harness with ID and license tags
  • Essential: a standard leash, 4 to 6 feet
  • If recall is on the plan: a 20- or 30-foot long line
  • If place is on the plan: a mat or cot
  • Handy: a treat pouch that opens with one hand

Before you buy

Check each item against how it will be used, not how it looks on the shelf

Fit matters more than brand. A collar should be snug enough that it cannot slide over your dog's head, and a harness should let the shoulders move freely. Leash material comes down to grip: the AKC notes most standard flat leashes are a tough nylon weave, with leather or padded handles for comfort and padding for large or untrained dogs, and it recommends reflective material for walks near roads at night, which on Cape Ann means most winter evenings.

A long line needs open, legal space to earn its price, and the AKC's recall guide moves a dog to a 20- or 30-foot longline once it is ready to leave the 6-foot leash. Some places limit leash length: at Crane Beach in Ipswich, for example, dogs need a leash of 6 feet or less everywhere outside the marked No Leash Zone. A mat for place should be big enough for your dog to lie flat and light enough to carry, because place travels better when its mat does.

  1. 01

    At the go-home lesson, note the exact collar or harness, leash and marker used

  2. 02

    Check your own gear against that note, item by item

  3. 03

    Buy only what is missing, starting with the ID and license tags

  4. 04

    Fit anything new at home and watch a short walk in it

  5. 05

    Keep the long line for open, legal places, never crowded sidewalks

  6. 06

    Message the front desk through the Dogtown app if anything rubs, slips or confuses your dog

Leave on the shelf

Leave shock, prong and choke collars, and retractable leashes, on the shelf

Some products sold for pulling or recall undo what a stay built. Dogtown's training is fear- and force-free, and the AVSAB's 2021 position statement lists choke chains, prong collars and electronic shock collars among tools that involve pain. A cue taught with rewards can change meaning once a correction appears beside it. If a friend or a video suggests one of these after the stay, ask us first.

Retractable leashes are a different problem. The AKC's leash guide warns they can cause rope burn if you grab the cord, are hard to see in the dark, and teach an untrained dog that pulling earns more space, so it advises against them for dogs that are not leash trained. If the Canine Good Citizen test is a goal, the AKC's evaluator rules bar retractable leashes from the test, along with pinch collars, electronic collars and head collars.

  • No electronic, prong or choke collars
  • No retractable leash while leash skills are new
  • No squirt bottles or shaker cans
  • A quick message to us before adding any new tool

Gear for goals

If the Canine Good Citizen test is a goal, the AKC's equipment rules make a handy shopping filter

If your dog may one day take the AKC Canine Good Citizen test, buy gear the test accepts. The evaluator rules, updated in September 2024, allow well-fitting buckle or slip collars, including martingales, and body harnesses that do not restrict movement, on a leash of leather, fabric, nylon or biothane. Special equipment such as pinch, electronic and head collars is not permitted, and handlers may not use food as a reward during the test.

That makes the CGC list a useful filter even if you never test: gear that passes is gear a trained dog can live in. Dogtown's Canine Citizen Academy prepares adolescents and adults for the 10-step test over 4, 6 or 8 weeks, and the 1:1 Private CGC Fast Track runs 5 weeks and 10 sessions. Ask at the go-home lesson whether your dog could be a candidate and which gear it should train in from now on.

At Dogtown

Help after the go-home lesson

Private sessions from $94, Dogtown Academy days and Canine Citizen Academy keep the skills, and the gear, working.

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

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Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

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

Do I need a clicker after board and train?
Only if your dog learned with one. Many dogs learn a spoken marker such as yes, which you always have with you. The go-home lesson tells you which marker your dog knows; keep using that one rather than adding a new signal at home.
Should I buy the same harness the trainer used?
Not automatically. If your dog trained in its own harness, keep it. If the trainer switched equipment, ask at the go-home lesson for the type, the clip point and the fit, then buy something that matches. Bring it to any later session so the fit can be checked.
Is a treat pouch worth buying?
For the first months, yes for most families. A reward kept in a pouch on your hip arrives within a second of the behavior, which is when it teaches the most. A pocket works too, as long as the treats come out only after your dog has done what you asked.
How long should a long line be?
The AKC's recall guide moves dogs from a 6-foot leash to a 20- or 30-foot longline. The shorter one is easier to manage at first; the longer one gives more room once your dog comes back reliably. Clip it to a harness, and use it only where open space and local rules allow.

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

Board and train at DogtownGo-home lessonsWhat equipment do you use?What treats do you use? Board and train All guides

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