Who does the work
Board and train vs private lessons: who does the work
Every training question eventually becomes a question about time and about who needs to learn. Board and train buys expert hours you do not have. Private lessons build skills in the person who will live with the dog. Both are led by Gabriella Pope, our Director of Training and Canine Behaviorist, and both are fear- and force-free.
Side by side
Both start from $94 a session; the shape of the weeks is what differs
Our training is priced from $94 per session, and every program is tailored to the dog, so we confirm the plan and the investment after a short assessment rather than publish a menu of program prices. Private lessons come in blocks: 4 weeks and 8 sessions, 6 weeks and 12, or 8 weeks and 16 for the Level 1 and Level 2 programs, and set lengths at Level 3: Focus & Flow at 6 weeks and 12 sessions, React Less Relax More at 8 weeks and 16, Polished Pup at 10 weeks and 20.
Board and train comes in two lengths. Foundation is one week for puppies, young dogs and basic manners: obedience, leash skills, place, stay, recall, impulse control, crate and household manners, with daycare integration, enrichment, daily updates and a go-home lesson. Advanced is two weeks for adolescents who need real-world reliability, adding distraction proofing, outings, neutrality and impulse work, confidence building and structured socialization, with two scheduled go-home coaching lessons. The dog sleeps in a suite at 210 Eastern Ave for the duration.
| Board and train | Private lessons | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Foundation 1 week, Advanced 2 weeks | 4 to 10 weeks, 8 to 20 sessions |
| Who trains the dog | Our trainers, daily | You, coached by our trainer |
| Where the dog sleeps | A suite at Dogtown | Home |
| What you attend | 1 go-home lesson (Foundation) or 2 coaching lessons (Advanced) | Every session, plus homework between |
| Best for | Manners, leash, place, recall, reliability; time-poor households | Fear, reactivity, handling sensitivity, relationship problems |
| Price | From $94 per session; confirmed after assessment | From $94 per session; confirmed after assessment |
What changes the cost
Program length is chosen by the dog's needs, and the assessment sets it
The lever in both cases is length, and it is set by need. A ten-month-old golden who pulls and jumps is a Foundation week or a 4-week Bright Beginnings block. A dog with leash reactivity toward other dogs is not a board and train dog at all, because the trigger has to be worked with you holding the leash; that is Calm & Connected or React Less Relax More over 6 to 8 weeks. Gabriella Pope assesses each dog before we quote, and the assessment sometimes moves a family from the program they asked for to the one that will work.
Two things come with board and train specifically: the stay itself, which is built into the program, and daycare integration, which means the free evaluation must be completed first. Two things come with private lessons: your own time, roughly ten minutes of practice a day between sessions, and the drive to Eastern Ave for each session. Neither is a hidden cost, but both belong in the decision before the assessment.
- Length is chosen at the assessment, not off a menu
- Board and train needs the free evaluation, because daycare integration is part of it
- Private lessons need your daily practice between sessions
Which to choose
Choose board and train for manners you have no time to teach; choose private lessons when the problem involves you
Board and train is the honest answer for a specific household: two commuters on the Rockport line, an adolescent dog whose manners have slipped, and no evening left to train in. Two weeks of daily trainer time build a loose leash, a solid place cue, a recall and a dog who can sit through a café patio in Rockport without lunging at the next table. What it does not build is your fluency, which is why the go-home coaching lessons are not optional.
Private lessons are the answer whenever the problem lives between the dog and its people. Fear, reactivity, handling sensitivity, resource guarding, a dog who is perfect for a trainer and a terror for a toddler: these do not transfer from a trainer's hands, because the dog's behavior is about you, your body language and your timing. Brave & Balanced for pups, Calm & Connected for adolescents and rescues, and the Level 3 programs are all built this way. Puppies under four months are private-lesson dogs by default: Tiny Tails Puppy School for pups of 8 to 16 weeks is about your household learning to raise the dog, and a week away from home at twelve weeks is time a puppy should spend bonding with the family.
- Board and train: manners, leash, recall, reliability; you are short of time and will attend the go-home lessons
- Private lessons: fear, reactivity, guarding, sensitivity, anything about you and the dog together
- Puppies 8 to 16 weeks: Tiny Tails, with you present
Getting started
How to get from the training form to the first session
Send the training form on the contact page, and expect a reply within an hour on a business day. Gabriella Pope or one of our trainers then runs a short assessment in person to pick the level and the format and to write the plan. For board and train, the free daycare evaluation follows on a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30, with Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella on file and a current city dog license. For private lessons, you simply book the first session.
Then commit to the calendar. Private blocks work because sessions are weekly and the homework is small; skip two weeks and the dog is back where it started. Board and train works because you show up for the go-home lessons and practice what the daily updates showed you. Either way, plan for the weeks after the program, not just the program, because that is where results are kept or lost.
- 01
Send the training form with the dog's age, the problem and your week
- 02
Attend the assessment; leave with a level, a format and the investment confirmed
- 03
For board and train, complete the free evaluation and bring the paperwork
- 04
Block the session dates, or the stay dates plus the go-home lessons, in your calendar
- 05
Practice ten minutes a day on the cues from the session or the daily update
Cape Ann
How Cape Ann shapes the training: the beach calendar, the train and the summer crowds
Private lessons on Cape Ann get better classrooms from October to April, when Gloucester's beaches take dogs, Good Harbor on even-numbered days and Wingaersheek on odd. Recall and neutrality are learned faster with gulls and distance than in a training room. From June 1 to September 15 Rockport's beaches close to dogs, Gloucester's are closed from May 1, and lessons move to downtown sidewalks and trails, which teach a different and equally useful kind of focus.
Board and train's Advanced outings use the same calendar, and the summer crowds are part of the curriculum: a dog who can hold a place cue outside a Main Street ice cream line in July is a reliable dog. Commuters should know that the MBTA allows leashed non-service dogs on the Commuter Rail only off-peak and at staff discretion, never 7 to 10 AM or 4 to 7 PM, so a dog you hope to take into Boston needs the neutrality work either format teaches. The Pup Van covers Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea at $10 each way for the stay's drop-off and collection.
- October to April: beach sessions for recall and distance work
- Summer: sidewalks and crowds for neutrality, with beaches closed to dogs
- Commuter Rail: off-peak only, at staff discretion, so train the settle either way
At Dogtown
Training at Dogtown
Fear- and force-free programs led by Gabriella Pope, from puppy school to board and train, from $94 per session.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Will my dog listen to me after board and train, or only to the trainer?
How many private lessons does my dog need?
Can I do private lessons first and board and train later?
What does 'from $94 per session' mean for a two-week program?
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
Decide who does the work.
Send the training form and our trainer will assess your dog and recommend board and train, private lessons or a mix. Replies come within an 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
