Board and train in Beverly, MA

Board and train for Beverly, MA dogs: one- or two-week fear-free stays just up Route 128 in Gloucester, with Pup Van pick-up and a free evaluation.

Enquire about board & train Compare programs

Trainer and dog practising recall on the beach

How does board and train work for a Beverly dog?

Your dog lives at Dogtown for the length of the program and trains through every day of it, instead of you driving to a weekly class. The stay starts with a short assessment with Gabby, our Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist, where you agree the goals and choose between Foundation and Advanced. A free evaluation on a weekday morning comes next, then the stay itself.

At night your dog sleeps in an overnight suite with 24/7 monitoring. During the day the plan mixes short training sessions, rest and enrichment, and, once the evaluation shows your dog is ready, time in a small playgroup of 7–10 dogs matched by size and temperament. You get an update every day, and the program ends with go-home coaching where you take the leash yourself.

Which program fits the problems Beverly owners describe?

Most Beverly enquiries fall into two groups, and they map neatly onto the two programs. Puppies and young dogs who need house manners, a calm crate and the basics do well in the one-week Foundation stay. Adolescent dogs who pull toward every other dog on the Lothrop Street sidewalk, or who forget their recall the moment they smell the harbor, usually need the two-week Advanced stay, because the second week is spent proofing skills in busier, more distracting places.

If your dog’s problem is fear, reactivity or guarding rather than manners, say so in the enquiry. Some of those dogs suit Advanced; others do better in Dogtown’s longer behavior-modification programs, which run over six to ten weeks. Gabby will tell you honestly at the assessment which path fits, and our page on board and train for leash reactivity explains what a stay can and cannot change.

	Foundation	Advanced
Length	1 week	2 weeks
Typical Beverly dog	A puppy or young dog starting out	An adolescent who listens at home, not downtown
Focus	Obedience, leash skills, place, recall, crate and house manners	All of Foundation plus distraction proofing, real-world outings and neutrality
Go-home coaching	One lesson	Two scheduled lessons

Getting your dog from Beverly to Gloucester

You can drive your dog in yourself or let the Pup Van do it. Driving is simple: Route 128 north to its end at Gloucester, then out to 210 Eastern Ave. The evaluation runs on weekdays between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, which many Beverly commuters fold into a morning before heading south.

The Pup Van runs a flat $10 each way in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea, and board-and-train families in Beverly can book pick-up as well. Because Beverly sits outside the flat-fee towns, ask for van pricing from your address when you send the enquiry. The details are on our pick-up and drop-off page.

Practising at home in Beverly after the stay

Training only lasts if it travels, so the go-home lesson ends with a plan for your own streets. Beverly gives you a ready-made ladder of difficulty. Start with a quiet residential block, move to Beverly Common, then to the busier stretch of Cabot Street, and only then to the waterfront, where gulls, joggers and other dogs stack up quickly.

Plan around the city’s seasonal dog rules. Beverly has restricted dogs in most parks and on its beaches during summer daytime hours, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with early-morning and evening windows and a short morning window at Lynch Park. Rules change, so check the current ordinance with the city before you go. In practice the off-season and the early-morning hours are the best time to work on loose-leash walking and calm settles near the water anyway: fewer distractions, more success.

Week one home: the same cues, same words and same rewards Dogtown used, in your house and yard
Week two: short walks on a quiet street, rewarding check-ins and loose-leash steps
Week three on: Beverly Common, then Cabot Street, then the waterfront off-season
Any time it falls apart: go back one step, not back to the start

What to have ready before the stay

Three things need to be on file before your dog can stay: Rabies, DHPP (distemper) and Bordetella vaccinations, and a current dog license, which for Beverly dogs comes from the Beverly City Clerk. Bring proof to the free evaluation.

Pack your dog’s usual food in pre-portioned bags, any medications clearly labeled, and one comfort item from home. Dogtown provides the bedding and the enrichment. Our what to pack guide has the full list.

What does board and train cost for Beverly families?

Every stay is quoted after the short assessment, because the plan depends on your dog: a one-week Foundation stay for a puppy is a different job from a two-week Advanced stay for a reactive adolescent. The evaluation itself is free. Ask for the current figure on the enquiry form and we reply within one hour on business days. Our board and train cost guide explains what goes into the price and what to compare across programs.

The two programs

1 week · Puppies, young dogs & foundational manners Foundation Board & Train A one-week stay for puppies, young dogs and dogs missing the basics: obedience, leash skills, place, stay, recall, impulse control and household manners, with daily updates and a go-home lesson. Read about Foundation 2 weeks · Adolescent dogs & real-world reliability Advanced Board & Train A two-week stay for adolescent dogs and dogs who know their cues at home but lose them everywhere else: everything in Foundation, plus distraction proofing, real-world outings, neutrality and two go-home coaching lessons. Read about Advanced

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