You found the daycare. You like the photos. Your dog is doing that hopeful little dance by the door. And then the intake form asks for vaccine records and your brain goes blank. Which shots? By when? And what on earth is Bordetella? We get this question almost every day at the clubhouse, usually from someone who just wants to do right by their dog and is a little annoyed nobody explained it plainly. So here it is, plainly.
The short version: there's a small group of shots every dog should have anyway, one extra one that matters specifically because your dog is about to be around other dogs, and a clock that starts ticking before the first visit. Let's walk through all three so the booking is the easy part.
The core vaccines every dog needs first
Before we even get to the daycare-specific stuff, there's a baseline. The WSAVA, the global body that writes the vaccination guidelines vets actually follow, calls three of them "core," meaning every dog everywhere should have them: distemper, canine adenovirus, and parvovirus. These are the ones that protect against the genuinely scary, sometimes fatal illnesses. They're not a daycare invention. Your vet would push for them whether your dog ever set paw in a playgroup or not.
Rabies sits a notch over, and Quebec makes it interesting. The vaccine isn't legally mandatory across the province the way it is in Ontario, so, as Quebec vets point out, who requires proof of rabies is left to individual facilities and municipalities rather than one big law. That doesn't mean it's optional, though. WSAVA says that anywhere rabies is endemic, the shot should be treated as core even with no legal mandate, and Quebec absolutely counts. The provincial government notes the risk of meeting a rabid wild or domestic animal exists throughout Quebec, and as of January 2026 there were 71 confirmed raccoon-rabies cases in the Monteregie and Estrie regions. That's not far away. We ask for rabies for a reason.
Bordetella, or the kennel cough question
Here's the one that trips everybody up at intake, because it's the only vaccine on the list that exists specifically because of places like ours. Bordetella protects against kennel cough, and "kennel cough" is a bit of a misleading nickname. It isn't one bug. The American Veterinary Medical Association describes it as a whole complex of bacteria and viruses hitting at once, most often Bordetella bronchiseptica along with canine parainfluenza and adenovirus type 2. It spreads through direct contact, through coughed and sneezed droplets in the air, and through shared toys, bowls, bedding, even hands. And the part that really matters: most infected dogs are contagious before they show a single symptom.
So a dog can walk in looking perfectly healthy and still be passing it around. That's exactly why daycares, kennels, and shelters, anywhere dogs gather, are flagged as higher risk. The AVMA recommends an annual intranasal vaccine covering Bordetella, adenovirus type 2 and parainfluenza for at-risk dogs, and "at-risk" is just the polite term for "your social butterfly." WSAVA files Bordetella and parainfluenza under non-core, the shots you add based on lifestyle, and a dog who comes to daycare has very much chosen the lifestyle.
The good news is it's an easy one. Quebec clinics note that a needle-free oral version exists, a single squirt into the mouth, which a lot of dogs barely notice. No drama, no needle, done.
Why timing is the part people miss
This is the bit we wish more people knew before booking, because it's where good intentions hit a wall. You cannot get the Bordetella shot the morning of the first visit and call it covered. The immune system needs time to actually build the protection. As the American Kennel Club explains, vaccinating the day a dog goes to a kennel "won't help much" because the body hasn't caught up yet.
How much lead time depends on the form. The single-dose intranasal or oral versions can offer protection within about 48 to 72 hours, which is wonderfully quick. The injectable kind is slower and fussier: it usually needs two doses several weeks apart, and your dog isn't protected until at least five days after that second shot. So if you're planning a first daycare day or a boarding stay, the move is simple. Call your vet a couple of weeks out, ask which form they'll use, and build in the buffer. Future you, dropping off a fully protected dog with zero stress, will be grateful.
Puppies have their own timeline, and it's worth knowing why they can't just start on day one. The WSAVA puppy schedule runs a series of core shots starting around 6 to 8 weeks, repeated every two to four weeks until 16 weeks or older. A puppy isn't considered fully covered until roughly that 16-week mark, which is why most reputable daycares (ours included) have an age and vaccine floor. It honestly breaks our hearts a little to tell an eager puppy parent "not quite yet," but a half-protected baby in a busy playgroup is a risk we won't take with your dog or anyone else's.
One more Quebec consideration: leptospirosis
This one isn't usually a daycare requirement, but it comes up enough with our boarding families that it's worth a mention, especially if your dog is the type to drink from every puddle on a hike. Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can jump from animals to people, and the Quebec government notes it spreads through the urine of infected animals and contaminated standing water, and can cause acute kidney failure in dogs. There's a vaccine, and it's worth a quick chat with your vet if your dog spends time around wildlife or stagnant water. Not mandatory for us, just genuinely useful to know.
How it works at ATD Clubhouse
We keep our side simple on purpose. Every dog joining daycare starts with a $25 evaluation, and that's where we confirm vaccinations are up to date before the first real day. We're not collecting paperwork to be difficult. Every up-to-date dog in the room is one more dog protecting all the others, including the shy seniors and the dogs still building confidence. Same standard for a busy Tuesday and for a longer stretch of in-home boarding, where most facilities, ours among them, want that kennel cough shot squared away before the stay.
Still have questions about what counts, what to bring, or what the evaluation day looks like? Our FAQ page covers the practical stuff, and our team is genuinely happy to talk it through. The whole point of laying this out is to make the last step before booking feel like nothing at all.
When your records are ready, you are basically one click from your dog's first great day with us. Book the evaluation online, send us a note, call (514) 778-CLUB, or just come find us at 1800 Sainte-Catherine St E. Max, our Boston terrier mascot, has all his shots and a frankly excessive enthusiasm for new friends. He'll be thrilled to meet yours.