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Pick-up
What time is board and train pick-up?
Pick-up is the one part of a board and train that cannot happen without you. This page looks at each window through the lens of the lesson, gives a simple rule for choosing one, and lists what to notice about your dog when you walk in.
In a sentence
Pick-up runs in the published windows, and the lesson date decides which one you book
A board and train ends differently from an overnight stay. Instead of collecting a dog at the desk, you arrive at 210 Eastern Ave in Gloucester for the go-home lesson, where the trainer shows you the cues, hand signals and rewards your dog has learned and then coaches you with the leash in your hand. Foundation ends with one lesson. Advanced includes two scheduled coaching lessons, and Gabby explains at the consult how they sit around pick-up.
The windows themselves are fixed: weekdays 6:30 to 9:30 AM, 12 to 1 PM and 4 to 6:30 PM; Saturdays 8 to 10 AM, 12 to 1 PM and 4 to 6 PM. On Sundays the building opens only for overnight guests, 8 to 10 AM and 4 to 6 PM, and whether a lesson can run then is a question to ask. The lesson's length is also confirmed at the consult, so leave room after it.
- Foundation: one go-home lesson
- Advanced: two scheduled coaching lessons
- Lesson dates: set with Gabby at the consult
- Sunday finish: ask first
Window by window
Each window suits a different pick-up day, and the one-hour midday slot is the tightest
The weekday morning window, 6:30 to 9:30 AM, hands you a fresh dog and a whole day at home to practice while the lesson is still vivid. It suits families who can take a morning off and dogs that do better with a long, quiet afternoon after a change. The 12 to 1 PM window is a single hour, so ask whether a lesson fits inside it or whether its time is set separately from the window.
The 4 to 6:30 PM window suits families coming from work, but a dog collected at 6 PM goes straight into evening at home, with dinner, the household and bedtime arriving fast and little daylight for that first practice. Saturdays, 8 to 10 AM, 12 to 1 PM or 4 to 6 PM, are often the only time two working adults can both attend, so ask at the consult whether your lesson can fall on one.
A rule of thumb
Choose the window by who must attend first, then by what your dog needs after
The lesson is for whoever will hold the leash every day. If two adults share the walks, both should be there; if a dog walker or a grandparent covers weekdays, ask whether they can come. So the first filter is simple: which windows can every key handler make? Only then weigh the dog. A puppy or a sensitive dog does better collected early and taken home to a quiet afternoon than collected at closing time and taken into a busy evening.
The table turns that into a starting point for the conversation with the front desk. Whether a particular window is open for your lesson is confirmed when you book, and late pick-up terms are confirmed then too rather than published here. If traffic or a delayed flight puts your window at risk on the day, call 978 491-5922 as soon as you know.
| Your situation | Window to ask about first | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One handler with a flexible day | A weekday morning | Fresh dog, a full day of easy practice |
| Two working adults | A Saturday window | Both can attend the lesson |
| Puppy or sensitive dog | Any morning window | A quiet afternoon at home after the change |
| Long drive from beyond the North Shore | Midday or Saturday | Avoids the worst of Route 128 traffic |
| Commuter who can only do evenings | 4 to 6:30 PM on a weekday | Workable, with a calm evening planned |
What to notice
A good stay shows at pick-up: a dog glad to see you, tired from play and easy with its handlers
The AKC's guide to boarding lists a few signs worth noticing when you collect a dog. Your dog should be happy to see you, not simply relieved. It may be tired from days of play and activity, which is different from flat or withdrawn. And it may linger a moment to say goodbye to a particular caregiver, a small sign that the people there treated it well. None of these is a test, but together they tell you how the stay felt from the inside.
Look at the training too. The lesson is where you see the skills in person: a settle on a mat, a loose leash across the room, a recall to the trainer. Ask to see anything from the daily updates you are unsure about. If your dog does well for the trainer and wobbles for you, that is normal at first, and it is exactly what the coaching is there to fix.
- Happy to see you, not just relieved
- Tired rather than flat or withdrawn
- At ease with the handlers who cared for it
- The skills from the updates, shown in person
For your dog
For your dog, a calm pick-up time protects the first evening, and the first evening protects the training
Whatever window you choose, keep the evening ordinary: dinner at the usual time, a familiar walk and one or two new cues in easy moments. Expect some wobble, because home is a new place for the new skills. If you book a bath or full groom, ask for it before the lesson, so the close work happens with a clean dog, and give the front desk your window.
Families in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea who used the Pup Van, $10 each way, for drop-off still drive in for this day. If something slips in the first days, message the front desk through the Dogtown app. Advanced families have the second coaching lesson for their questions. After Foundation, private sessions start from $94, and Dogtown Academy days, $89 full or $69 half, include a training session with our trainer. Our board and train page and the go-home lessons page explain the handover in more depth.
- 01
Confirm the lesson date and window at the consult
- 02
Book any groom for earlier that day
- 03
Reread the daily updates the night before
- 04
Bring the collar or harness and leash you use at home
- 05
Arrive with everyone who will handle the dog
- 06
Keep the rest of the day light
At Dogtown
Where the stay ends and the practice begins
After pick-up, private sessions and Academy days keep the training going, and our overnight stays cover future trips.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Which pick-up window is best for the go-home lesson?
Can I pick up on a Sunday?
What if my flight lands after the last window?
Will my dog be groomed before I arrive?
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
Set your lesson date early
Tell us on the training form which pick-up days you can make. We reply 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
