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Holidays
Holiday board and train
Holiday board and train in Gloucester, MA: use Thanksgiving or Christmas week for a fear-free 1 or 2 week stay, and plan early, since holiday dates fill first.
Two reasons families book over the holidays
Most holiday enquiries fall into one of two camps. Travelers need somewhere for the dog anyway, and would rather it learned something than sat in a run. Hosts are staying put but dread a house full of guests with a dog who jumps, steals food from the counter or barks at every knock on the door.
Board and train answers both, in different ways. For travelers the stay covers the trip. For hosts the better plan is often to train before the holiday, so the dog is home and practicing with you when guests arrive. Our page on board and train before holiday guests arrive covers that second case.
Planning around the 2026 holiday calendar
Holiday weeks have fixed points, and the stay has to fit around them. The assessment and free evaluation happen first; the evaluation runs on weekday mornings between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, so if you are cutting it close, the week before a holiday gets crowded.
Use this as a starting point. Exact days, holiday opening hours and when the go-home lesson can happen are confirmed when you book.
| Holiday | Date in 2026 | Stay that often fits |
|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving | Thursday, November 26 | Foundation across Thanksgiving week |
| Christmas | Friday, December 25 | Foundation over Christmas week, or Advanced across Christmas and New Year |
| New Year’s Day | Friday, January 1, 2027 | End of a two-week Advanced stay |
| Hosting instead of traveling | Any | Train two to three weeks before guests arrive |
Booking early, and what to ask
Holiday dates go first at any boarding facility, and a training stay also needs trainer time, so start the process as early as you can. Send the enquiry as soon as your dates are firm; we reply within one hour on business days.
At the assessment, ask the holiday-specific questions so there are no surprises later. These are the ones that matter most.
- Which days can the stay start and end over the holiday?
- What are opening hours on and around the holiday itself?
- When can the go-home lesson be scheduled if I’m back on a holiday weekend?
- Are vaccines and the license current through the whole stay?
- Does the Pup Van run on the days I need? ($10 each way in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea; ask for pricing from farther away)
What a holiday stay can work on
Holidays test exactly the skills Foundation and Advanced teach. A dog with a solid place cue can settle on a bed while the table is set. A dog with impulse control waits at the door instead of bolting into the cold. A dog with polite greetings keeps four feet on the floor for Grandma.
Tell us the holiday problems you expect. If it’s counter-surfing, door-dashing or jumping on visitors, the plan can lean that way, and our pages on counter-surfing and door-dashing explain what a stay can change.
| Holiday moment | Skill that helps |
|---|---|
| Guests at the door | Place, and a sit for greetings |
| Food on low tables | Leave it and impulse control |
| Door left open | Wait at doors |
| Kids running around | Settling on a mat away from the action |
| Long dinner | A calm settle with a chew in a quiet room |
Holiday safety once your dog is home
Training doesn’t make a dog immune to a dropped plate. Several holiday foods are risky for dogs, and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center lists the common ones: chocolate, grapes and raisins, onions and garlic, xylitol in sugar-free baking, and alcohol. Cooked bones and fatty scraps cause problems too.
Ask guests not to feed the dog, and give your dog a quiet room with a chew during the busiest hours. Management is part of good training; using it is not cheating.
Winter on Cape Ann for a board-and-train dog
Late November and December are quiet in Gloucester, which helps training. Off-season streets and beaches mean fewer crowds, though snow and ice change footing and early dark changes routines. Bring the coat or boots your dog normally wears if it is short-coated or small.
If your dog goes home into a busy, noisy holiday house, keep the first evening low-key. Our guide to the first 24 hours home helps.
The two programs
FAQs
Related questions
Are you open on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day?
Is there a holiday surcharge?
Can a puppy we get for Christmas start board and train?
What if we return on New Year’s Day?
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
