Start by Asking for Their Exact List
There is no single national starter pack, because a training club, a daycare, and a solo walking service carry different risks and therefore ask for different proof. The fastest route is to ask the new service, before any trial day, for its written requirements list and its deadline for receiving documents. Some want everything before an assessment; others provisionally book and collect papers at the first session. Moving to a different town adds one wrinkle: the service does not know your old vet, your old daycare, or you, so the file has to speak for the dog without local reputation behind it. Assembling it about a week ahead leaves time to request a missing certificate from the vet without drama.
Vaccination Proof Is the Core Document
Almost every service starts with vaccination proof, and most mean the certificates or an official vet record, not a verbal assurance. Rabies documentation is the near-universal requirement, alongside the core vaccines, and some daycares ask about additional cover because dogs mix closely indoors for hours. Check the expiry dates on what you send, not just that the vaccines exist — a certificate that lapses during the dog's first month at daycare will trigger exactly the awkward conversation you are trying to avoid. If a booster is due soon, tell the service and give them the booked date; services plan around honest owners and dislike surprises discovered in their own filing.
Identity, Contacts, and Collection Rules
Next comes the identity layer: microchip number, a clear description or photo of the dog, and the license or registration details if the new town issues them. Emergency contacts matter more here than owners expect, because the service needs someone reachable during its hours, ideally including a backup who can actually collect the dog. Most services also take a written collection arrangement — who is authorized to pick the dog up, and who is not — plus your vet's name and address for genuine emergencies. Write these details as carefully as the medical ones; on the one bad day they are needed, a daycare phone call goes to the number on this form and nowhere else.
Health and Behavior Notes That Help the Dog
Beyond proof documents, good services ask for context, and honest context protects your dog. Note spay or neuter status where asked, any ongoing medical condition the staff should know about, and practical handling facts: a dog who guards toys, a dog who is nervous of men in hats, a dog who must not be fed certain treats. If the dog attended a previous club or daycare, a short note or reference from them carries weight in a new town. Behavior declarations are sometimes part of a signed agreement; read what you are signing, particularly around incidents, veterinary costs, and removal from group activities, so the terms are understood before the first session rather than during a dispute.
Keep a Starter File Ready to Copy
Dogs change services more often than owners expect — a house move, a new job, a walker retiring — and each change asks for the same core file. Keep that file assembled permanently: vaccine certificates, chip and identity details, contacts and collection rules, vet information, and a current behavior note, updated whenever any element changes. Then starting somewhere new is a copying job, not an archaeology project, and nothing gets forgotten under time pressure. Date the behavior note so staff know it is current. KinsLe's Pet Passport holds that starter file as your dog's single records packet, so a new club, daycare, or walking service in any town can be sent the complete set in one go.