Board and train vaccination requirements

Bordetella timing: plan ahead

Bordetella is the vaccine most often forgotten until the week of a stay. It comes as an intranasal, oral or injectable vaccine, and your vet will choose which. The American Animal Hospital Association’s vaccination guidelines say at-risk dogs should ideally get it at least a week before boarding or travel.

Book the vet visit early, especially before holidays when clinics fill up. Ask your vet to send or print the record, and check the date on it so nothing has lapsed by the end of the stay.

Kennel cough: what the vaccine does and doesn’t do

“Kennel cough” is a catch-all name for a contagious respiratory infection that spreads wherever dogs share air: boarding, daycare, groomers, dog parks and training classes. Several bacteria and viruses can cause it, and Bordetella bronchiseptica is one of the most common, which is why it is on our list.

The vaccine reduces the risk and usually makes illness milder, but it doesn’t cover every cause. That is true at any facility. Most cases are a honking cough that clears on its own, but puppies, seniors and flat-faced breeds can get sicker, so call your vet if a cough comes with fever, lethargy or a poor appetite.

If your dog is coughing, sneezing or off color in the days before a stay, tell us before you arrive. Rescheduling is kinder to your dog and to every other dog in the building.

• A dry, honking cough, often worse after excitement or pulling on the leash
• Sneezing or a runny nose
• Gagging or retching up a little foam
• Usually bright otherwise; lethargy or fever needs a vet

Puppies and the vaccine series

Puppies get DHPP as a series of shots a few weeks apart, and rabies later. That means a young puppy may not yet have everything on file, which is part of why the minimum age for a board-and-train stay is confirmed at the assessment rather than printed as one number.

If your puppy is between 8 and 16 weeks and still mid-series, Dogtown’s Tiny Tails Puppy School may be a better first step. Our puppy board and train page covers timing for older puppies.

Your vaccine and license checklist

Gather everything before the free evaluation, not the morning of drop-off. A missing record is the most common reason a stay starts late.

• Rabies certificate showing the date given and when it expires
• DHPP record, current
• Bordetella record, current through the last day of the stay
• Current license from your city or town
• Your vet’s name and phone number
• Any titer results or medical exemptions, discussed at the assessment

Other vaccines your vet may suggest

Your vet may recommend vaccines beyond our three, such as leptospirosis, Lyme or canine influenza, depending on your dog’s life and where you live. Those are decisions for you and your vet. Our requirements are Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella, plus the license.

If your dog has had a vaccine reaction before, or your vet has advised against a particular vaccine, tell us at the assessment. Bring a letter from your vet, and we will talk through what that means for a stay.