Puppy Raiser

Are you a dog lover? Do you have some spare time? Would you like to make a difference to someone's life? If you've answered yes to these questions, then this role could be perfect for you!

As a Puppy Raiser, you'll provide a puppy with the vital foundation for its future role as a guide dog. You'll be looking after a puppy for 12-16 months and will guide him or her through training, socialisation, the introduction of new environments and experiences whilst providing a loving home.

There might be the odd chewed slipper along the way, but nothing beats the rewarding feeling of loving and raising a puppy who will go on to make an enormous difference to someone living with sight loss.

What you'll be doing:

• Engaging with our world-class Puppy Raising for Excellent Partnerships (PREP) training programme to prepare your puppy for the next stages of becoming a guide dog
• Providing care and support for your puppy at home e.g., loving, grooming and feeding him or her
• Socialising your puppy and introducing him or her to a variety of environments to increase confidence – this can be as simple as taking your puppy with you to the shops, office or park as you go about your everyday life
• Teaching your puppy to be comfortable alone - gradually building up from a few minutes to a maximum of four hours
• Taking your puppy to monthly puppy classes, and interacting with other puppy raisers in your community whilst refreshing your training and sharing tips
• Meeting with your volunteer manager as frequently as needed to discuss any changes or issues with your puppy
• Completing short questionnaires about your puppy’s development

Skills

• A loving home with enough time to invest in raising a puppy
• Someone at home who is physically able to handle large breed dogs (around 25-40kg)
• Access to a car, so that you can get your puppy used to travelling
• The agreement of your landlord to have a dog in the property if you rent your home
• A safe secure area outside for your puppy to go to the toilet