What to Pack for Dog Boarding: A Checklist

Pack one labelled bag the night before, and hand it over with a one-page note. This list draws on what Bangalore boarders ask dog parents to bring, tips from kennel operators published by Whole Dog Journal (2016), and the UK’s licence rules for boarders, all checked on 20 October 2026. Ask your boarder for their own list too: the American Kennel Club says a good facility explains what to bring before drop-off (AKC).

The short list

• Your dog’s usual food, portioned per meal, plus a few days extra
• The treats your dog already eats
• Medicines in their original strip or bottle, with written doses
• Tick and deworming doses, if one falls due during the stay
• A copy of the vaccination card
• Leash, and a collar or harness with an ID tag
• One bed or blanket, or a T-shirt you’ve worn
• One or two familiar toys
• A one-page note: routine, fears, health, your vet, a local backup contact

Food

Send what your dog eats now. To prevent diarrhoea, keep the diet “as consistent as possible from day to day”, says PDSA, the UK vet charity (PDSA). Pawliday Inn, a Bellahalli boarder, makes the same point, and advises sticking with home-cooked meals if that’s what your dog is used to.

Portion it: one bag or box per meal, labelled with the day and time. The kennel operators advise packing a few extra days’ worth in case you’re delayed. For home-cooked food, ask whether the boarder will cook to your recipe or store what you send.

Don’t assume your food will be used. Some boarders feed their own: Cartman’s kennel in Koramangala serves “chicken rice or Pedigree”, and two home boarders listed on Anvis offer cooked meals at extra charge. If your dog eats something else, ask whether you can send it.

Medicines

• Send them in the original strip, bottle or box, labelled with the dose.
• Write down the dose, the times, and what to do if a dose is missed. Premium Pet Boarding in Uttarahalli asks for exactly that.
• Pack a couple of extra days’ supply, the kennel operators suggest.
• Don’t explain doses at the gate. They advise writing instructions down instead of reciting them at drop-off.

If your dog’s tick preventive or deworming dose falls due during the stay, pack it with the due date written on it. The two Anvis-listed home boarders, in RMV Extension and Devanahalli, want proof of tick, flea and deworming treatment within the last 30 days. If you’re unsure whether to give a dose early, ask your vet first.

Papers

• Vaccination card: a photocopy, plus a photo of every page on your phone. Premium Pet asks dog parents to bring the vaccination booklet or certificate on check-in day, and PetStay.in, a Bangalore booking site, asks for records to be uploaded. For which vaccines boarders ask for and how early, see vaccines for dog boarding.
• Your vet’s number and a local backup contact, as the Ontario SPCA advises. Tell your backup they’ve been named and need to answer if called, say the kennel operators.
• A note saying they can take your dog to a vet, and how much they can spend before reaching you. UK kennels need the family’s consent before a vet visit (gov.uk).
• Who will collect your dog, if not you. Tell the boarder in advance.

Leash, collar and ID tag

Send the leash and collar or harness your dog already walks in, with an ID tag carrying your phone number. UK home boarders must put a tag with their own name and number on every dog they take outside (gov.uk), so ask whether your boarder will add one.

If the stay covers a festival with fireworks, such as Deepavali (8 to 10 November in 2026) or New Year’s Eve, tell the boarder whether your dog panics at the noise, and see keeping a dog safe at Deepavali.

Bed, T-shirt and toys

One bed or blanket and one or two familiar toys are enough, say the kennel operators; more just takes up space. Ask first whether the boarder accepts your bedding. Premium Pet suggests “a used blanket or t-shirt with your scent”, and the AKC lists “a piece of clothing with your scent”.

The one-page note

Write it, print it, and go through it at drop-off:

• Meal times and amounts, walk times, toilet habits, where your dog sleeps
• Fears: crackers, thunder, strangers, other dogs
• Habits: guards food or toys, pulls on the leash, slips out of open doors
• Health: past seizures, a limp, allergies, anything your vet is watching
• Your number, your backup’s number, your vet’s number

Be “totally up-front” about past and current medical issues and about behaviour, from thunder phobia to a past bite, say the kennel operators. The Ontario SPCA advises reminding staff about medical or behaviour problems at check-in.

What not to send

• Anything treasured or irreplaceable. It “may get lost, muddied, or chewed”, warn the kennel operators.
• A new food or new treats. Make any change at home, slowly, after the stay.
• Loose tablets without the strip or a written dose.
• Too many things. One bed and a couple of toys.
• Anything unlabelled. Things get moved and washed at a busy boarder, so put your dog’s name on everything.

Still choosing a boarder? See questions to ask before dog boarding and our guide to dog boarding and pet sitting in Bangalore.