The short version: rabies, DHPP and Bordetella are the near-universal three. Some facilities add canine influenza, and a few add leptospirosis. The part almost nobody writes down is the deadline — a vaccine given too close to drop-off often does not count, and that is the single most common reason a booked dog is refused.
What kennels actually require
Requirements are set by each facility, not by law, so there is no national list. In practice the overlap is large and predictable.
| Vaccine | Protects against | Typically valid | How often required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rabies | Rabies | 1 or 3 years, depending on the product given | Universal. Also legally required in most states, which is why it is the one facility staff check first |
| DHPP (also written DA2PP, DHLPP) | Distemper, hepatitis/adenovirus, parainfluenza, parvovirus | 1 to 3 years | Universal. The letters vary by product; an L in the middle means leptospirosis is included |
| Bordetella | Kennel cough | 6 or 12 months by product and route | Universal for boarding. Many facilities want it annually; some want it every six months regardless of what the label allows |
| Canine influenza (H3N2 / H3N8) | Dog flu | 1 year, after an initial two-dose series | Increasingly common, especially at daycare and at larger urban facilities. Often the surprise requirement |
| Leptospirosis | Leptospirosis | 1 year | Sometimes required, sometimes only recommended. Included automatically if your dog gets DHLPP rather than DHPP |
Two practical notes. The canine influenza vaccine needs two doses two to four weeks apart the first time, so a facility that requires it is a month of planning, not an afternoon. And a three-year rabies product is not automatically accepted as three years by every facility — a few still ask for annual proof, which is a policy question rather than a medical one.
The deadline nobody puts on the booking page
This is the part that turns a confirmed booking into a difficult conversation at drop-off. A vaccine that is technically current can still be refused if it was given too recently, because it takes time to produce immunity — and because a dog reacting to a shot in a kennel is a problem the kennel would rather avoid.
Published cut-offs vary, and they are worth reading rather than assuming:
| Situation | Common requirement | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Booster of a vaccine your dog has had before | At least 3 days before drop-off, sometimes 48 hours | An existing immune response is being topped up, so the window is short |
| A vaccine your dog has never had | At least 7 to 14 days before drop-off | A first dose takes days to produce protection, and some need a second dose entirely |
| Canine influenza, first time | Two doses, 2–4 weeks apart, then a wait after the second | The series is the protection; one dose does not complete it |
| Bordetella, first time or lapsed | Commonly 7 days, sometimes 14 for the injectable form | Intranasal and injectable products behave differently |
Why two kennels down the same road ask for different things
Because each facility writes its own policy, and the differences follow the shape of the business rather than the medicine.
- Facilities that mix dogs in group play — daycare, open-plan boarding — ask for more, and canine influenza shows up here first. Shared air and shared water bowls change the risk arithmetic.
- Vet-run boarding tends to be stricter on paperwork and more flexible on judgement, because there is a vet on site to make the call.
- Small home-based sitters often ask for less, sometimes nothing. That is not automatically a red flag, but it is worth knowing: your dog is meeting other dogs whose owners were asked the same little.
- Facilities in areas with local outbreaks add requirements temporarily and do not always update the website. Kennel cough and canine influenza both move in waves.
The practical answer is to ask the facility directly at booking, in writing, and to ask specifically whether they require canine influenza — it is the one most likely to be missing from your dog's record and the one with the longest lead time.
What counts as proof
A verbal “she is up to date” is not proof, and neither is a reminder postcard. Facilities want a document with dates on it.
- A vaccination certificate or record from the vet showing the vaccine name, the date given, and the expiry.
- A clear photo of that record, if the dates and the practice details are legible. Many facilities accept this; some want a copy for their file.
- A record emailed directly from the practice, which is the cleanest option and the slowest to arrange.
Get the paperwork at the appointment rather than after it. A practice can take days to produce a duplicate record, and the request always seems to happen the week you are travelling. If the certificate is paper, photograph it in the car park — that photo is the copy you will actually find later.
If a vaccine has lapsed
An expired vaccine is not the same as never having had it, but facilities usually treat it the same way, and so do some products — a badly lapsed course sometimes has to be restarted rather than boosted.
If you discover a lapse close to a booking, the order of operations is: call the vet first to find out whether it is a booster or a restart, then call the facility with that answer. Facilities have more discretion than they advertise, and “the booster is on Tuesday and the stay starts on Friday” is a conversation. Turning up on Friday and hoping is not.
When the requirements are the wrong thing to optimise
It is possible to clear every requirement and still have picked the wrong facility, and the vaccine list is the easiest part of the decision to over-focus on because it is the part with a checklist.
A dog with a history of vaccine reactions needs a conversation with a vet about titre testing and about whether boarding is the right call at all, not a scramble to comply. An older dog with reduced immunity may be safer with a sitter at home than in a facility that is fully compliant and still full of other dogs. And a facility that asks for nothing is telling you something about the other dogs your dog will meet.
None of this is veterinary advice. Vaccine choices belong to you and your vet; this page is about what facilities ask for and when they need it.
Keeping the dates somewhere you can find them
The recurring problem is not the vaccines. It is that the proof lives in three places — a folder, a photo, and a practice's system — and the expiry dates live in none of them. A record with expiry dates on it turns this page into a two-minute check rather than an annual scramble; there is a free dog vaccine record template if you want to keep it on paper.
Frequently asked
What shots does a dog need to be kenneled?
Rabies, DHPP (distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza and parvovirus) and Bordetella are required by effectively every boarding facility. Canine influenza is required by a growing number, particularly where dogs mix in group play, and leptospirosis is sometimes required and often just recommended. Confirm with your specific facility at booking, because the policy is theirs rather than a legal standard.
Do all dog boarding facilities require vaccines?
Nearly all commercial kennels and daycares do, and most will not accept a dog without dated proof. Small home-based sitters sometimes ask for less or nothing at all. That is worth thinking about rather than being relieved by: if you were not asked, the owners of the other dogs staying there were not asked either.
How long before boarding does my dog need vaccinating?
Book at least two weeks ahead. Boosters of vaccines a dog has had before are commonly accepted from about three days before drop-off, but a vaccine given for the first time usually needs seven to fourteen days, and canine influenza needs two doses two to four weeks apart. Two weeks clears the common cut-offs and leaves room if the facility wants something you did not expect.
Do dogs need the Bordetella vaccine if they are not boarded?
Not necessarily, and it is a conversation for your vet rather than a rule. Bordetella protects against kennel cough, which spreads where dogs gather — boarding, daycare, grooming, training classes, dog parks and shows. A dog who never encounters other dogs is at low risk. A dog who goes to the groomer is not really that dog.
Why is leptospirosis sometimes left out?
Because it is a non-core vaccine, meaning it is recommended based on risk rather than given to every dog by default. Exposure risk varies a lot with geography and lifestyle, and some owners and breeders weigh the risk differently. The practical consequence for boarding is simply that you should check whether your dog's combination shot was DHPP or DHLPP, because the L is the difference.
