Before you book
Board and train if your dog goes to another daycare
Yes, your dog can do board and train at Dogtown even if it goes to another daycare. The evaluation, the records we need, and how to keep both consistent after.
Your daycare doesn’t change eligibility
Board and train is open to any dog that fits a program, whichever daycare it goes to. Many families keep a daycare close to home or work for everyday care and use a board-and-train stay for a focused block of training. There’s no conflict between the two.
What matters is your dog, not its daycare history. The short assessment with Gabby covers goals and history, and the free evaluation shows how your dog behaves in our building and around other dogs.
Why the evaluation still applies
Passing another daycare’s evaluation is a good sign, but every facility runs groups differently, and dogs behave differently in different places. A dog who is relaxed in a quiet group of five may feel very different in a new building with new dogs.
Our free evaluation, on weekday mornings between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, is a temperament test that also shows when your dog is ready for one of our playgroups of 7–10 dogs matched by size and temperament. For a board-and-train dog, it also helps Gabby fine-tune the training plan.
The records we need
The requirements are the same for every dog. Your current daycare may already hold copies of some of these, but your vet is the best source for vaccine records.
| Record | Details | Best source |
|---|---|---|
| Rabies | Current vaccination | Your vet |
| DHPP (distemper) | Current vaccination | Your vet |
| Bordetella | Current vaccination | Your vet |
| Dog license | Current city or town license | Your city or town clerk |
What to share from your current daycare
Beyond the formal records, your current daycare’s observations are useful. Staff who see your dog every week often notice things owners miss. You don’t need anything formal, but notes like these help Gabby build a better plan:
- How your dog plays: style, favorite friends, dogs it avoids
- Any incidents, scuffles or time-outs, and what happened
- How it handles drop-off, nap times and transitions
- Behaviors staff are working on, like jumping or barking at the gate
- If your dog did not pass an evaluation elsewhere, why
Keeping training consistent when you go back
The risk after a stay is mixed messages. If your dog learns a polite sit for greetings at Dogtown and then gets cuddled for jumping at daycare, the new habit will fade faster. So share the basics from your go-home lesson with your daycare: the cue words, the release word, what to reward.
Many daycares are happy to help, especially with simple things like waiting at gates or sitting for a leash. If your dog struggled at its old daycare, our page on board and train after a bad daycare experience covers that situation. If you would rather continue somewhere training is built in, Dogtown Academy is structured daycare with a daily training session; our guide to continuing with daycare after board and train explains the options.
The two programs
FAQs
Related questions
Will I have to switch daycares after the stay?
My dog didn’t pass another daycare’s evaluation. Can it still do board and train?
Do you need my daycare’s permission?
Can my dog go to its usual daycare the day after pick-up?
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
