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Pick-up day

What happens on go-home day?

The last day of a stay sets the tone for the month after it. Here is the order the day usually runs in, what to check before you leave the building, and how to handle the drive, whether home is ten minutes away or down Route 128.

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

The order of the day

Go-home day runs in order: the lesson, the plan, then the car

Book the lesson into a pick-up window you can stay for, not the last minutes of a working day. On weekdays the windows are 6:30 to 9:30 AM, noon to 1 PM and 4 to 6:30 PM; on Saturdays they are 8 to 10 AM, noon to 1 PM and 4 to 6 PM. Sunday opens only for overnight-stay drop-off and pick-up, so ask before planning a Sunday finish. How long the lesson runs is something to confirm at the consult.

Bring the people who will handle the dog at home, and the collar or harness and leash you will actually use. You watch first, then take over. If you booked a bath or a full groom before pick-up, which Dogtown can schedule at the end of a stay, your dog will be clean for the close handling the lesson involves. Then comes the paperwork that matters most: the home plan, checked line by line before you leave.

  1. 01

    Arrive inside your agreed pick-up window, with time to stay

  2. 02

    Bring the collar or harness and leash you use at home

  3. 03

    Watch the trainer run each cue with your dog

  4. 04

    Take the leash and run the cues yourself, with coaching

  5. 05

    Check the home-practice plan line by line

  6. 06

    Load your dog into the car, restrained, and drive straight home

The plan

Check that the plan holds the exact words, the order of places and who to contact

A plan written in general terms fades within a week. The version that lasts is specific: the cue words spelled the way the trainer says them, the marker and the release word, the hand signal for each cue, the rewards your dog worked hardest for, and the management that stays in place for now, such as a gate at the front door. It also sets an order of places, starting in easy rooms at home before your street and anywhere busy.

Read it before you leave the building, while the trainer can still answer. If any item on the checklist below is missing or was only spoken, write it in yourself. Advanced families should also note what to bring to the second coaching lesson, and when it is. Everyone else can ask whether a follow-up private session, from $94, would make sense later, rather than deciding on the spot.

  • Cue words, marker and release word, spelled exactly
  • A hand signal for each cue
  • The rewards that worked best, in order
  • Management that stays in place for now
  • The order of places, easiest first, and who to contact

The drive

On the drive home, restrain your dog, keep it out of the front seat and never leave it alone in the car

The AVMA's advice on car travel is short and clear. Restrain dogs safely, with a harness and tether or a secured crate; keep them out of the front passenger seat if the car has airbags; never let a dog sit on the driver's lap; and keep its head inside the window, because airborne dirt and debris can injure eyes, ears, nose and mouth. On long trips it suggests small portions of food and water and a stop every two hours, with collar, tags and leash on outside the car.

Do not leave your dog alone in the car on the way home, even for a quick errand in Gloucester. Massachusetts law says a person shall not confine an animal in a motor vehicle in a way that could reasonably be expected to threaten its health through extreme heat or cold, and the AVMA's brochure says never to leave pets unattended in a car at all. If your dog gets carsick, mention it to your vet before the stay, since a vet may be able to prescribe medication for longer journeys.

  • Harness and tether, or a secured crate, in the back
  • Out of the front seat if the car has airbags
  • Head inside the window
  • Never alone in a parked car

The first evening

The first evening is quiet and ordinary, and the practice plan starts small

Go straight home rather than stopping to show off the new manners. Walk your dog on leash to its usual toilet spot, then into the house, and keep visitors for another day. Run two easy cues from the lesson, pay well and stop. Serve the usual dinner at the usual time. Our page on the first 24 hours home walks through the evening and the next morning step by step.

Expect a tired dog. A week or two of training, play and a new building is a lot, and a long sleep on the first evening is nothing to worry about. Keep the first walks short and on familiar ground. The off-season beaches, Good Harbor on even-numbered days from October 1 to March 31 and Wingaersheek on odd-numbered days from October 1 to April 30, are for later weeks on a long line, once the cues hold on your own street. If something from the lesson does not work at home, message us before you change it.

At Dogtown

Before you drive home

Go-home day closes a Dogtown training program, and a groom can be booked for the end of the stay.

Australian shepherd sitting attentively during training Dog TrainingFrom $94 per session · Explore Groomer blow-drying a red goldendoodle in front of the Dogtown Grooming sign Dog GroomingFrom $55 · Explore Golden retriever resting on a cozy bed in a Dogtown boarding suite Overnight StaysFrom $78 · 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.

How long should I allow for go-home day?
Ask at the consult; the length depends on the program and on how many cues come home with your dog. Block out the whole pick-up window and keep the rest of the day light, so neither you nor your dog is rushed. Advanced families have a second scheduled lesson, so the first need not cover everything.
Can someone else collect my dog?
Tell the front desk in advance, in writing, who is collecting, and choose the person who will handle the dog most at home, because the lesson is really for them. If two adults share the walks, both should come. Whether someone can attend the lesson in your place is worth confirming when you book.
Can the Pup Van bring my dog home?
The Pup Van runs in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea for $10 each way, and you can ask whether it can play a part in a board and train. Plan to come in person on go-home day, though, because the lesson needs you holding the leash; the van can carry your dog but not the training.
Should my dog eat before the drive?
For a short drive, feed the usual dinner once you are home. For a long one, the AVMA suggests small portions of food and water on the way and a break every two hours. A dog prone to carsickness is a question for your vet before the stay, not on the morning of pick-up.
What if I cannot make the go-home lesson?
Move it rather than drop it. The lesson is where the training becomes yours, and without it you take home a dog that knows cues you have never practiced. How the date moves, and what that does to pick-up, follows the terms confirmed at booking, so tell the front desk as early as you can.

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 in GloucesterGo-home lessons after board and trainThe first 24 hours homeHow many go-home lessons are included? Board and train All guides

Next step

Plan your dog's go-home day

Send the training form and set the lesson date at the consult. The team replies within one hour on business days.

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