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Board and train before a move
Moving with a dog? A board and train stay over moving week keeps your dog out of the chaos and builds routines for the new house and its new streets.
Why moving week is a good time for a stay
Moving week is hard on dogs and risky for them. Movers prop doors open, furniture disappears, boxes block the usual routes and the people a dog relies on are stressed and distracted. Escapes and bites from frightened dogs are more common in that kind of chaos.
A board-and-train stay turns that week into something productive. Instead of shutting your dog in a bathroom while the movers work, it is sleeping in an overnight suite, training every day and getting playgroup time if it is ready. You get a daily update, and you can pack, clean and unpack without a dog underfoot.
How to time the stay around the move
Aim for the stay to cover the loading day and the first days of unpacking, and to end once the new house is set up enough for normal life. Your dog should come home to its bed, bowls and crate already in place rather than to a stack of boxes.
Plan the dates early, ideally when you set the closing or lease date. The assessment and the free weekday-morning evaluation both happen before the stay, and the exact start and end dates are confirmed at booking. If you are moving away from Cape Ann, factor in the drive back for the go-home lesson, or ask whether the coaching can be arranged around your move.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 6–8 weeks before | Enquire, book the assessment and evaluation |
| 2–3 weeks before | Check vaccines, license and packing list |
| Moving week | Dog on the stay; you pack and move |
| After the move | Set up the dog’s space, then the go-home lesson |
| First month | Practice the go-home plan in the new house and streets |
Routines that travel to the new house
Dogs settle in a new house by finding familiar patterns in it. The skills worth focusing on are the ones that make any house feel like home and any street feel manageable.
Crate and place cues are the anchors. If your dog knows that its mat or crate means rest, you can put that mat down in the new living room and your dog has an instant safe spot. Door manners matter too, because a new house means new doors, and an unfamiliar neighborhood is the worst place for a dash.
- A crate or place mat your dog treats as its spot
- Waiting at doors until released
- A reliable recall in case of an open gate
- Loose-leash walking for unfamiliar sidewalks
- Calm settling while people come and go
The first walks in a new town
Start smaller than you think. For the first few days, walk short loops near the new house at quiet times, and let your dog sniff a lot. Sniffing is how dogs map a new place, and a calm, sniffy walk does more for settling in than a long, brisk one.
Build up gradually from there, the same way you would proof any skill: a quiet residential street, then a busier one, then a park, then downtown. Use the same cue words, rewards and equipment from the go-home lesson so the new place is the only thing that has changed. Our guide on the first walk home after board and train has more detail.
Paperwork when you move with a dog
A move usually means updating your dog’s records. In Massachusetts, a dog six months or older that is new to a city or town has 30 days to be licensed there, through the town or city clerk, under M.G.L. chapter 140, section 137. Update the address on the microchip registration and the tag on the collar at the same time.
For the stay itself, your dog needs Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella on file and a current dog license, even if a new one for the new town is on its way. Our page on whether your dog needs a city license explains what to bring.
What to expect in the first month
Some regression is normal after a move, even for a well-trained dog. Accidents in the house, extra barking at new noises and clinginess are common in the first weeks. Treat them as a sign that your dog needs more structure, not less.
Keep the schedule predictable, keep training sessions short and frequent, and go back a step whenever a skill wobbles. Most dogs settle within a few weeks. If your dog is still very unsettled after a month, or shows fear that is getting worse, ask for help early.
The two programs
FAQs
Related questions
Is a move too stressful a time for training?
We are moving away from the North Shore. Can we still do this?
Should I visit the new house with my dog before moving?
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
