What Dog Boarding Requires Before Your Stay

Two weeks out from a first boarding stay, most of what feels uncertain is really just missing information: which records the kennel needs, what to write down about food and medication, and whether being upfront about your dog's history helps or hurts. This guide walks through boarding paperwork and prep in the order a first time family needs it, from two weeks out through the morning of drop off, using our Scottsdale campus as the working example throughout.

The Paperwork Every Kennel Will Ask For

Every kennel we know of, ours included, asks for some version of the same core paperwork before a first stay. That usually means proof of current vaccinations, a signed boarding or care agreement, an emergency contact who is not traveling with you, and written authorization for a veterinarian to treat your dog if something comes up while you are away.

• Proof of current vaccinations, either a certificate from your vet or a printout you can email or bring in
• A signed boarding or intake agreement, usually completed online or at drop off
• An emergency contact who is not traveling with you, in case the kennel cannot reach you directly
• Written authorization for a veterinarian to treat your dog if something comes up during the stay
• Food, medication, and any special instructions, covered in more detail further down

None of this is unusual. It is the same bundle a boarding kennel, a groomer, or a veterinary hospital asks a new client for, and having it ready before the call to book saves a repeat call later.

Vaccination Records: What to Request From Your Vet, and When

Call or email your veterinarian's office and ask for a copy of your dog's current vaccination record, and do it before you call the kennel to book. Most vet offices can send records the same day, but some take a few days if the office is busy or a technician needs to pull an older file, so build in time rather than requesting records the week of the trip.

Ask your vet two specific questions instead of guessing: which vaccines a facility, ours or any other you are considering, lists as required, and whether your dog's current vaccinations meet that list with enough lead time before your stay. Some boosters need a week or more before your vet considers them fully effective, and that timing question belongs to your veterinarian, not to a kennel's front desk.

If a vaccine is due for a booster, schedule that appointment as soon as you know your travel dates, not the week before drop off. A kennel can only work from what your vet has already confirmed, and an appointment booked two weeks out leaves room if a booster needs to be rescheduled.

Food, Medication, and Instructions That Actually Get Followed

Write down feeding and medication instructions instead of explaining them out loud at drop off. A drop off morning is rushed for everyone, and a detail mentioned once at the front desk is easy to lose by the time your dog reaches a kennel run. A written sheet stays with your dog for the whole stay, not just the first hour.

• Exact food amount and brand, plus how many meals a day and roughly what time
• Any mixing instructions, such as water or a topper added at home
• Medication name, dose, and time, and whether it goes with food
• Medication in its original, labeled packaging rather than a daily pill organizer
• Who normally gives the medication at home, in case a question comes up mid stay

"Both dogs have medical conditions and take multiple medications, so finding a place that truly pays attention to detail was important."

That level of attention starts with what you hand over at drop off. A written schedule a staff member can read and follow is worth more than a verbal explanation, no matter how clearly it was said out loud.

Behavior History: Why Honesty Gets Your Dog a Better Stay

An honest behavior history is not a reason a kennel turns a dog away, it is the reason a stay goes well. Facilities plan placement, group size, and handler assignment around what they know about a dog. A history that leaves out a bite, a resource guarding habit, or a fear of other dogs does not protect your dog. It only moves the hard conversation to a worse moment, mid stay instead of before you book.

A dog with a documented history of general anxiety, for example, benefits from a placement decision made ahead of time, not worked out at check-in while a line is forming behind you.

"Our little dude is fear aggressive, so it makes it extra hard for us to board him. The trainers at Partners are well equipped to deal with behavior issues."

That kind of placement only works when the facility knows what it is working with before the stay starts. Leaving out a hard detail simply removes the facility's chance to plan for it before the stay begins.

The Pre Stay Visit, and Whether It Is Worth the Trip

A pre stay visit is worth scheduling for some dogs and easy to skip for others, and neither choice is the wrong one. A short meet and greet at our Cave Creek campus lets your dog see a kennel run, meet a staff member, and leave again, all before the longer overnight stay begins. For a nervous dog, or a dog boarding for the very first time, that preview can turn a strange building into a familiar one before the stakes are higher.

For a confident, social dog who has handled new places well before, a pre stay visit adds a trip to the calendar without changing much about how the stay itself goes. There is no rule that says skipping it puts your dog at a disadvantage.

"Took my dog for a meet and greet appointment. I was pleasantly surprised with their attention to details, love for dogs, organization and cleanliness."

If a special trip does not fit your schedule, a single day at DaySchool before your travel dates does something similar. Your dog gets a few hours away from home, in the building, around new people and dogs, without the pressure of an overnight stay riding on how it goes.

A Countdown: Two Weeks Out, One Week Out, the Day Before

Spread the paperwork above across three checkpoints instead of doing it all the week of your trip. Here is how the countdown breaks down.

Two Weeks Out

• Call your vet and request current vaccination records
• Book any needed booster appointment while there is still time to reschedule it
• Decide whether a pre stay visit or a DaySchool day makes sense for your dog
• Book your dog's stay dates

One Week Out

• Confirm the vaccination records reached the kennel, not just your inbox
• Write out the feeding and medication sheet in full, dose by dose
• Set aside medication in its original packaging, not a travel pill case
• Write down anything about behavior history you have not already shared

The Day Before

• Pack food in a labeled, measured container rather than the whole bag
• Confirm drop off time and what to bring to the front desk
• Bring a familiar item, such as a blanket or toy, if your dog has one
• Leave extra time at drop off for questions, rather than scheduling it between other errands

None of these steps takes long on its own. Spread across two weeks, they add up to a dog whose kennel knows exactly what it is working with on day one.