What Health Documents Should Accompany a Working Dog?

A working dog is a high-value investment, and the paperwork that accompanies it is part of what you are buying. Good documentation protects your purchase, makes international transport possible, and gives you a baseline for the dog's future veterinary care. This article explains the documents a serious buyer should expect, and how to read them. Treat it as a general guide — exact requirements vary by destination country, and you should confirm current rules with your importing authority and a qualified veterinarian.

Identification: microchip first

Everything else ties back to identity. A working dog should carry a permanent microchip, and every health document should reference that same chip number. Before you accept any paperwork, confirm that the chip can be scanned, that the number on the dog matches the number on the documents, and that the identification method meets your destination's standard.

• Microchip number recorded and consistent across all documents.
• Confirmation it is readable with a standard scanner.
• Consistency between the chip, the vaccination record, and any health certificate.

Veterinary examination summary

You should expect a current veterinary examination summary describing the dog's general health and fitness for work. This is distinct from a vaccination card — it is a clinical statement of condition. A useful examination summary records general health, body condition, dentition, and any findings relevant to a working role. We treat a documented health evaluation as a precondition for offering a dog, not an afterthought.

Orthopaedic screening

For a working dog, joints carry the workload. Where the dog is old enough for the relevant screening, expect documentation of hip and elbow status, and ask how and when it was assessed. Some screening is only meaningful at a certain age, so for younger dogs confirm what has been done and what is appropriately scheduled later. We do not quote breed-wide statistics — what matters is the individual dog's documented results.

Vaccination and parasite records

The vaccination record is central to both health and cross-border movement. At minimum, expect a complete, dated record showing core vaccinations and the dog's rabies vaccination, including product and validity details. Rabies in particular is critical for international transport, and many destinations impose timing rules around it.

• Core vaccinations with dates and the administering veterinarian.
• Rabies vaccination with date, product and validity — often the gating item for export and import.
• Parasite treatment records (internal and external) where relevant; some destinations require specific recent treatments.

Because vaccination timing requirements differ by country and can change, verify the current rules for your destination rather than assuming a fixed schedule. Your destination's import authority sets the exact list.

Export and import documentation

For international purchases, additional official documents come into play, typically prepared close to travel:

• An official health certificate issued by an authorised veterinarian, often within a short, fixed window before travel.
• Export paperwork from the country of origin and import paperwork required by the destination.
• Any titration or additional testing that specific destinations require before entry.

The precise combination, validity windows and tests depend entirely on the destination and the route. Confirm the current list with your importing authority and official sources before scheduling travel. For how these pieces fit into transport, see how international delivery works.

Pedigree and registration, where applicable

Not every working dog needs registration papers, and a pedigree is not a measure of working ability. Where a pedigree or registration exists, it should accompany the dog and match its identification. Treat it as provenance and breeding record, not as evidence of capability — that comes from documented working evaluations and real video, not from a registration certificate.

How to verify the documents

1. Scan the microchip and confirm it matches every document.
2. Check that the examination summary is current and clinically specific.
3. Confirm vaccination dates, especially rabies, against your destination's rules.
4. Ask which export and import documents will be prepared, and when.
5. Keep originals together and retain copies for your own records.

Documentation should make a dog's history transparent, not decorate it. If a record is vague, inconsistent, or cannot be tied back to the dog's chip, ask before you commit. Our principle is that the paperwork should match the dog and the claims made about it. When you are ready to discuss a specific dog and the documents that would travel with it, request a dog, or review common questions on the FAQ.