The location starter kit list

The one tool every session touches. A leash that slips or a clasp that fails is a dog loose in a parking lot.

Standard minimum: Nylon or polypropylene slip lead, rated for the largest dog you’ll handle, one per staff member plus spares.

A step up: Mendota-style rope slip leads -- the professional standard, USA-made, holds up to daily use for years.

$11-$37 each

Match the tool to the dog and the job -- a flat collar is not an escape-proof collar.

Standard minimum: Properly fitted flat collar and a martingale for any dog that backs out of a flat collar.

A step up: A house set of martingales in multiple sizes plus a couple of well-fitted front-clip harnesses for pullers.

$10-$40 per piece

Recall work and controlled off-leash practice both need distance without losing control.

Standard minimum: One 15-30 ft biothane or nylon long line, easy to hose off between dogs.

A step up: A set of two lengths (15 ft and 30 ft) in biothane -- doesn’t absorb water or odor like nylon does.

$15-$45 each

The core marker-training kit -- cheap relative to everything else here, so this is not where to cut corners.

Standard minimum: One clicker and one hands-free treat pouch per trainer.

A step up: A magnetic-close treat pouch (stays shut when you bend over) plus a collapsible target stick.

$15-$35 total

Every boarding, day-training or facility operation needs safe, escape-proof containment.

Standard minimum: Heavy-gauge wire crates with a 5-point (or better) locking system, sized to the dogs you actually take in.

A step up: A mixed bank of wire and impact-resistant plastic crates -- plastic travels and cleans easier for anxious or reactive dogs.

~$70-$150 per crate (approximate)

Dogs need to be able to stand, turn around and lie down without touching another dog’s space.

Standard minimum: Galvanized chain-link kennel panels, sized for real turn-around room, not just the minimum a dog fits in.

A step up: A modular chain-link run system that can be reconfigured as intake volume changes.

$160-$450 per 6’x10’ panel

Off the concrete/tile floor matters for joint health and for a dog actually resting between sessions.

Standard minimum: One elevated bed per housed dog, rated for the dog’s weight.

A step up: Commercial-grade Kuranda kennel beds -- built for daily institutional wear, not a home-use bed pressed into service.

$80-$200 home-use / $475-$550 commercial-grade

A slick floor is a torn ACL waiting to happen; standing water is a disease vector.

Standard minimum: Non-slip rubber matting in every run and on the training floor, sloped or drained where dogs are housed.

A step up: Interlocking rubber kennel tile sized to the exact run footprint -- cleans faster, lasts longer than cut mats.

$67-$1,200 depending on area covered

Kennel cough and parvo do not care how good your training program is.

Standard minimum: A pet-safe, broad-spectrum kennel disinfectant (e.g. an accelerated-hydrogen-peroxide product) used on a real schedule, not just when something looks dirty.

A step up: A dedicated sanitizing sprayer system -- cuts product cost per use significantly once volume justifies it.

$30-$150/mo in product at small-facility volume

Something will get scratched, cut, or overheated eventually. The question is whether you’re ready when it does.

Standard minimum: A stocked pet first-aid kit, a printed emergency vet contact sheet posted where staff can see it, and a working fire extinguisher.

A step up: Staff trained and certified in pet first aid/CPR, refreshed annually.

~$40-$90 for a kit

Not equipment, but nothing above matters if one incident ends the business -- this is asked about directly on the application.

Standard minimum: General liability coverage sized to your state’s requirements and your landlord/lease terms, at minimum.

A step up: General + professional liability + care/custody/control (“bailee”) coverage -- the real professional-standard bundle.

~$300-$700/yr (general only) up to $3,000-$6,000/yr for full multi-line coverage at scale

RIOS runs the records and the schedule -- it still needs a screen to run on.

Standard minimum: One tablet or laptop for staff check-in/checkout, a working internet connection.

A step up: A dedicated front-desk terminal plus a phone/tablet for photo and video uploads to your gallery on the go.

$200-$800 for one solid device

Cross-contamination and portion mix-ups are one of the most common boarding complaints.

Standard minimum: Individually labeled stainless bowls per housed dog -- stainless because it actually sanitizes, unlike plastic.

A step up: A dedicated feeding cart or station that keeps each dog’s food, medication and instructions physically together.

$8-$20 per bowl

A location that looks professional books faster than one that looks improvised.

Standard minimum: Exterior signage, posted hours, an emergency-contact and evacuation plan visible to clients and staff.

A step up: Matching branded signage across the training floor, kennel area and front desk -- ties the physical space to the public page RIOS already builds for you.

Varies widely by local printer/signmaker

Program-dependent, not universal -- listed here only because applicants ask, not because it is expected.

Standard minimum: If your program uses one: a quality, properly fitted remote collar and real, documented training in its use before it touches a client’s dog.

A step up: N/A -- this is a methodology choice, not a quality tier. RIOS does not require or prohibit any specific training philosophy.

$60-$250 if used

Only relevant if this location also runs the Grooming pack.

Standard minimum: A grooming table with a working arm/loop, a dryer rated for the coat types you’ll actually see, clippers with sharp, serviced blades.

A step up: A hydraulic table and a high-velocity dryer -- saves real time and staff strain at any real volume.

$150-$600 for a starter setup