North Shore training
Dog trainer on the North Shore, MA
Choosing a trainer is mostly choosing a person and a method. This page tells you who leads training at Dogtown, how the programs step up by level, how a training consult differs from the daycare evaluation, and what the drive looks like from Beverly, Danvers, Salem or Ipswich.
The trainer
Gabriella Pope leads every program, with a behavior title and a force-free method
Gabriella Pope, Gabby for short, is Dogtown's Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist. Her published background is a B.S. in Biochemistry and more than ten years of hands-on work with behaviorally complex dogs, along with work with Autistic youth and fostering dogs through Cape Ann Animal Aid. She starts with the why behind a behavior, whether fear, frustration, reactivity or sensitivity, and builds each plan from that rather than from a script.
Her method is relationship-based and fear- and force-free, built on positive reinforcement, mindfulness and clear communication. In practice that means no choke chains, prong collars or shock collars, and no leash jerks or intimidation. The AVSAB's 2021 position statement on humane dog training recommends reward-based methods only, for everyday skills and behavior problems alike, and names those tools among the ones to avoid. Every Dogtown program follows that standard.
- Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist
- B.S. in Biochemistry and ten-plus years with behaviorally complex dogs
- Foster experience through Cape Ann Animal Aid
- Reward-based only: no choke, prong or shock collars
The ladder
Programs step up by level, from puppy school at 8 weeks to two weeks of board and train
Level 1 is foundations: Tiny Tails Puppy School for pups 8 to 16 weeks, Bright Beginnings for basic obedience and socialization from 4 months, and Brave & Balanced for young dogs who need confidence. Level 2 serves adolescents, new rescues and adult dogs, with Calm & Connected for impulse control, minor leash reactivity and real-world reliability, and Adventure Academy as a structured socialization path. Level 3 is behavior modification for fear and reactivity: Focus & Flow, React Less, Relax More and Polished Pup.
Alongside the levels sit the AKC programs, S.T.A.R. Puppy, Canine Citizen Academy and a 1:1 Private CGC Fast Track, and two formats for busy households. Canine Campus is hybrid day training over 2, 4 or 6 weeks with pick-up and drop-off, daily reports and homework, home every night. Board and train is a stay: Foundation for one week, Advanced for two, both with daily updates and go-home lessons. Programs are tailored, so we confirm the plan and the investment after a short assessment.
| Level | Program | Who it is for | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Tiny Tails Puppy School | Pups 8 to 16 weeks | 4, 6 or 8 weeks |
| Level 1 | Bright Beginnings | Basic obedience, 4 months and up | 4, 6 or 8 weeks |
| Level 1 | Brave & Balanced | Confidence builder, 4 months and up | 4, 6 or 8 weeks |
| Level 2 | Calm & Connected | Adolescents, rescues, adult dogs | 4, 6 or 8 weeks |
| Level 2 | Adventure Academy | Socialization path, all ages | 4, 6 or 8 weeks |
| Level 3 | Focus & Flow | Trigger work and emotional regulation | 6 weeks, 12 sessions |
| Level 3 | React Less, Relax More | Reactivity and sensitivity | 8 weeks, 16 sessions |
| Level 3 | Polished Pup | Complex cases | 10 weeks, 20 sessions |
| AKC | S.T.A.R. Puppy | 8 weeks to 6 months | 6 weeks, 12 sessions |
| AKC | Canine Citizen Academy | CGC prep, adolescents and adults | 4, 6 or 8 weeks |
| AKC | 1:1 Private CGC Fast Track | All ages | 5 weeks, 10 sessions |
| Hybrid | Canine Campus | Freshman, Dean's List, Graduate | 2, 4 or 6 weeks |
| Stay | Board and train | Foundation or Advanced | 1 or 2 weeks |
Consult or evaluation
Training starts with a consult rather than the daycare evaluation, and the reply comes within one hour on business days
The free evaluation and the training consult are different appointments. The evaluation is for daycare, Dogtown Academy, overnight stays and walks: a temperament test and a few supervised hours in a group, on weekday mornings between 6:30 and 9:30 AM. The training consult is a short assessment with Gabby to choose the right program and level, and it is where the plan and the investment are confirmed. If a program includes time in the daycare groups, as Canine Campus and board and train can, ask at the consult how the evaluation fits in.
Getting started is a form, not phone tag. Send the training enquiry with your dog's age, history and what you want to change, and the training team replies within one hour on business days. From Beverly, Danvers, Peabody and Salem the drive is 25 to 35 minutes up Route 128, and from Ipswich about 30 by Route 133 and Route 128, outside rush hour by our estimate, so book the consult for a time you are not fighting traffic.
- 01
Send the training enquiry form with your dog's age, history and goal
- 02
Hear back within one hour on business days
- 03
Short assessment with Gabby to pick the program and level
- 04
Plan and investment confirmed before you commit
- 05
Sessions, homework and go-home lessons so the skills hold at home
By town
From the Route 128 towns weekly sessions work; from farther out, Canine Campus or board and train saves the drives
Beverly, Danvers and Salem owners, 25 to 35 minutes away, can manage the twice-weekly rhythm the standard programs use: 4 weeks is 8 sessions, 6 weeks is 12 and 8 weeks is 16. Bring the whole household when you can, since a cue only one person uses is a cue the dog learns to ignore. Homework is short and daily, and it belongs wherever your dog actually lives, from a Salem sidewalk to a quiet Danvers cul-de-sac, not only on our floors.
For Peabody, Ipswich and anyone farther out, the drive can become the hard part. Canine Campus includes pick-up and drop-off, so ask whether your address is covered; the days mix training, adventure and daycare integration where appropriate, and your dog sleeps at home. Board and train removes the commute for a week or two, then hands the skills back through go-home lessons: one in Foundation, two scheduled coaching lessons in Advanced. Private sessions from $94 can follow for whatever needs more work.
- 25 to 35 minutes away: twice-weekly program sessions
- Farther out: Canine Campus with pick-up and drop-off, where your address is covered
- No time for sessions: Foundation or Advanced board and train
- One stubborn problem: private sessions from $94
Getting here
Sessions run inside our hours near the end of Route 128, and the Pup Van covers four Cape Ann towns
Training sessions are scheduled within Dogtown's hours, Monday to Friday 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM and Saturday 8 AM to 6 PM, at 210 Eastern Ave. Route 128 north brings you most of the way from any North Shore town, and Route 133 brings Ipswich in through Essex. The Rockport line is an option off-peak only, since the MBTA keeps larger dogs off its trains on weekdays from 7 to 9 AM and 4 to 7 PM; a quiet platform at midday is decent practice in itself.
The Pup Van, at $10 each way, runs in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea for daycare, Academy days and overnight stays. That matters if your training dog also comes for Dogtown Academy, where every day includes a training session with our trainer. From other towns, ask us for pricing. For private sessions you will usually want to be there yourself, because the skill has to end up in your hands, not only in the trainer's.
At Dogtown
Training, and the days that support it
Gabriella's programs first, then the Academy days that add a training session to every visit and the daycare groups some programs use.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Is Gabriella Pope a trainer or a behaviorist?
Do you use e-collars, prong collars or choke chains?
How quickly will I hear back after I enquire?
Does my dog need the free evaluation before training?
What does dog training cost at Dogtown?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- AVSAB position statement on humane dog training (2021)
- AKC Canine Good Citizen
- AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy
- MBTA rider rules
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
Tell us the goal, and hear back within the hour.
Send the training form with your dog's age and what you want to change. On business days the training team replies within one hour.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
