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Owner guide · Before the stay
How to prepare your dog for board and train
Prepare your dog for board and train: vaccines and license on file, crate comfort, the free evaluation, a short trial day if you can, and what to pack.
Start with the paperwork, three to four weeks out
Paperwork is the item that most often delays a start date. Dogtown needs Rabies, DHPP (distemper) and Bordetella on file, and a current city or town dog license, which in Massachusetts comes from your city or town clerk. If a vaccine is due or your vet wants to space shots out, book that appointment as soon as you have a date in mind.
Ask your vet to send records directly or get a copy you can forward. Our pages on vaccination requirements and city dog licenses cover the details.
Build crate comfort before the stay
Your dog will sleep in an overnight suite, and dogs who are already relaxed in a crate or small space usually settle faster. You do not need a perfect crate-trained dog, but a couple of weeks of short, pleasant crate time helps. Feed meals in the crate, toss treats in, and practice short closed-door periods while you are nearby.
Our guide on how to prepare the crate before the stay has a two-week plan of crate games. If your dog panics when confined, say so at the assessment rather than forcing it; that is important information for the plan.
The assessment and the free evaluation
Every program starts with a short assessment with Gabby, Dogtown’s Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist, where you agree goals and choose between Foundation and Advanced. Then comes the free evaluation, a temperament test on a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, which also shows whether your dog is ready for playgroup.
Come prepared. Write down the three behaviors you most want to change, when they happen and what you have tried. Mention any fear, reactivity, guarding or bite history honestly; some dogs are better served by Dogtown’s six-to-ten-week behavior-modification programs, and it is better to know that up front. Read more on our evaluation page.
A short trial day away from home
If your dog has never spent a day away from you, a short practice run helps. That might be a few hours with a friend your dog knows, a half day at a daycare it is already approved for, or simply a morning in a different room while you go out. The aim is a dog that has learned, once or twice, that you leave and come back.
This is optional. Plenty of dogs arrive without it and settle fine. It matters most for dogs who have rarely been apart from their people.
- Keep it short: a few hours is enough
- Pick a person or place your dog already likes
- Make the departure and return low-key
The last few days before drop-off
Keep routines normal. This is not the week for a new food, a grooming overhaul or an exhausting hike. Portion your dog’s usual food into labeled bags, label any medication clearly with dose and timing, and pick one comfort item that smells of home. Dogtown provides bedding and enrichment, so there is no need to pack a toy box.
At drop-off, say a short, cheerful goodbye and leave. Long emotional farewells tend to unsettle dogs. Ask about the daily update and confirm the go-home lesson date before you go.
| When | Task |
|---|---|
| 3 to 4 weeks out | Vaccines and license, enquiry, assessment |
| 2 weeks out | Free evaluation, start crate games |
| 1 week out | Optional trial day, list your goals |
| 2 days out | Portion food, label meds, choose comfort item |
| Drop-off | Short goodbye, confirm go-home lesson date |
How to do it
Step by step
- 01
Book vet and license appointments
Make sure Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella are current and on file, and that your city or town dog license is up to date.
- 02
Send the enquiry and have the assessment
Use the [enquiry form](/enquire/), then agree goals and the right program with Gabby.
- 03
Attend the free evaluation
Bring your dog on a weekday morning for the temperament test and playgroup readiness check.
- 04
Practice crate time for two weeks
Feed meals in the crate and build short, calm closed-door periods at home.
- 05
Try a short day apart
If your dog has rarely been away from you, arrange a few calm hours somewhere it knows.
- 06
Pack and drop off calmly
Portion the usual food, label medications, add one comfort item and keep the goodbye brief.
The two programs
FAQs
Related questions
Should I exercise my dog hard before drop-off?
Should I start training my dog before the stay?
How old does my puppy need to be?
More questions? Read the full board & train FAQ
Next step
Tell us about your dog.
Send the enquiry and we reply within one hour on business days to set up a short assessment with Gabby. The evaluation is free.
- 01Send the enquiryReply within the hour on business days
- 02Assessment & evaluationPick Foundation or Advanced
- 03Train & go homeDaily updates, go-home coaching
