What to pack for board and train

Stay with the diet your dog eats now. A training stay is plenty of change already, and a new food on top of it is an avoidable risk to a settled stomach. Count the meals for the whole program, seven days for Foundation or fourteen for Advanced, add one extra day's worth, and bag or box each meal separately. Write your dog's name and the meal number on every portion, so the person feeding your dog never has to guess at a scoop size.

Training runs on rewards, and food is the main one. Ask at the consult whether part of your dog's daily ration should be set aside for training, and whether a favorite treat would help; some dogs work much harder for one particular reward, and the trainer will tell you how much to send. If your dog eats a raw, fresh or prescription diet, raise it at the consult, because anything that needs refrigeration has to be agreed before drop-off.

Bedding is provided for every dog that stays overnight, so a bed from home is not needed, and a big one rarely fits. What helps a dog settle is scent. One small blanket or a T-shirt you have worn does more than a whole bed, and it should be something you would not mind seeing washed or chewed. If your dog needs a particular bed for a medical reason, ask the front desk before drop-off.

Toys and chews are where packing goes wrong. The ASPCA notes that guarding possessions is normal dog behavior, that some dogs guard only chew bones or toys, and that guarding can range from mild to biting. In a building where other dogs pass by and people move around your dog, a prized item is a reason to guard. Leave favorite toys, bones and long-lasting chews at home, and tell us at the consult if your dog guards anything at all. We supply the enrichment.

Use one bag for everything and label the outside with your dog's name and your phone number. A single bag hands over in a minute at the desk, travels in one piece by car or van and comes home with nothing left behind. Run through the list below the night before rather than on the morning of a 6:30 AM drop-off.

Drop-off runs inside the published 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. Sunday windows, 8 to 10 AM and 4 to 6 PM, are for overnight guests, so ask whether your program can start then. From Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea, ask whether the Pup Van, $10 each way, can bring your dog and its bag in. The board and train page explains both programs.