Dog Boarding in Canberra

Dog boarding in Canberra ranges from small kennels and in-home hosts to larger boarding centres and day care venues with overnight stays. This page covers businesses across the ACT. Visit before you book: a good facility will happily show you where dogs sleep, play and eat, and how it keeps them warm in a frosty winter and cool in a heatwave.

Boarding businesses need a licence

Part 3A of the Animal Welfare Act 1992 sets requirements for pet businesses in the ACT. The ACT Government's City Services says a pet business includes a business that boards an animal, and that boarding includes boarding during the day or overnight, so day care is covered too. The same page publishes a list of businesses that hold a pet business licence, with each licence's location and expiry date, so you can check a boarding business there before you book.

Your dog's registration

The ACT Government's City Services says that both microchipping and registration are compulsory in the ACT, and that you pay a one-time fee to register and then renew your registration each year. Registration applies to cats and dogs over 8 weeks old that have been in the ACT for 28 days or more, with a keeper who has lived in the ACT for 28 days or more. Boarding businesses will often ask for proof of your dog's registration and vaccinations, so keep them handy.

Parvovirus and vaccines

In October 2024, The Canberra Times reported that Canberra dog owners were urged to make sure their pets were vaccinated after an outbreak of canine parvovirus across the border in Queanbeyan, which closed the dog pound there. Ask your vet whether your dog's vaccines are up to date before a stay, and ask the facility how it separates a dog that becomes unwell.

Summer heat

Canberra summers can be hot. In January 2026, ACT Policing warned that leaving a dog in a hot car can turn fatal within minutes, after officers rescued two dogs from a locked car in a Tuggeranong carpark. If you see an animal in distress in a vehicle, contact Domestic Animal Services Rangers on 13 22 81, or call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency. On hot days, walk your dog early or late and check the footpath with the back of your hand.

What to ask

• Where do dogs sleep, and is someone on site overnight?
• Is play time in groups or one dog at a time, and how are groups matched?
• How do they keep dogs warm in winter and cool in summer?
• Which vet do they use in an emergency?
• Can you bring your dog's own food, bedding or medication?

Busy dates

Facilities fill up for the summer holidays, Christmas and New Year, Easter and the school holidays, so book early, and bring your dog's vaccination records and registration details.

About these listings

Many listings here were added from public business data and have not been claimed by the business yet. Check hours, prices and availability with the business directly. If you run one of these businesses, you can claim or correct your listing from its page.