What is a Puppy Raiser?
As a Puppy Raiser, you'll provide a 6-8 week-old 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 while 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.
It’s the most rewarding and fulfilling thing I have ever done. I have an enormous sense of worth and pride in my role. There are so many people willing to help. It’s a lovely community of Puppy Raisers who want all the dogs to succeed and are always happy to help.
What you'll be doing
- Engaging with our world-class 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.
You'll ideally have
- A loving home with enough time to invest in raising a puppy and attending to their needs (e.g. toilet training). If you work from home or have hobbies, you'll need to be available to give the puppy regular attention alongside these.
- 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.
Puppies can happily live with other dogs or children. To determine whether you can provide a suitable environment for a puppy in the company of other dogs or children, we will conduct a home visit as part of the application process.
Children under the age of 16 are not allowed to walk the puppy but we encourage the whole family to be involved in some of the puppy’s development.
What you'll get
- The satisfaction of knowing you're supporting people with sight loss to live actively, independently, and well.
- The rewarding feeling of watching a mischievous puppy learn new training techniques to help them develop into a guide dog.
- The opportunity to participate in our bespoke world-class training programme – this can help you train your own dogs or advance a future career in dog handling.
- The opportunity to have a loveable, canine companion, proven to reduce feelings of stress and improve fitness – you’ll be out walking rain or shine!
- The chance to be part of the inspirational Guide Dogs community, meeting like-minded people and interacting with a community of puppy raisers in your area.
- A dedicated volunteer manager and fellow peers who will help support you throughout your role.
I’m happiest around dogs so raising puppies for Guide Dogs is totally up my street. I absolutely love it. I’ve met so many wonderful people through the charity.”
Puppy training classes and regular support
As a volunteer you'll have access to our world-class training programme, to implement with your puppy in training, a great bonus for any dog owner! This is delivered in an interactive and engaging manner, using a mixture of different learning techniques virtually e.g., videos, documents and e-learning modules. Examples of the modules you'll have access to include:
- Food manners
- Greeting new visitors
- Being home alone
- Settling in new environments
You'll receive plenty of support from your volunteer manager who will help you work through these training modules with your puppy. We also offer puppy classes for puppy raisers in the local area to get together, share stories and provide refreshers on training techniques.
Volunteering for Guide Dogs should never leave you out of pocket. We’ll make sure we pay any expenses related to volunteering with us, including veterinary costs, food costs for the puppy and other materials needed for the puppy’s training.
If you have questions about the training requirements, we'll be very happy to answer these at your interview, along with addressing any other support or accessibility needs you may have.
Will I have to pay?
Volunteering for Guide Dogs should never leave you out of pocket. We’ll make sure we pay any expenses related to volunteering with us, including veterinary costs, food costs for the puppy and other materials needed for the puppy’s training.
We will also pay an optional allowance of up to £100 a year to offset additional costs, and we have working agreements with certain bus and train operating companies, letting you take your puppy on short training journeys free of charge.
You get so much help and guidance, especially when you're just starting with your first puppy. The help, support and friendships that you make are amazing. We have puppy classes, mentors, and coffee mornings where you can find the answers to all your questions. You're never on your own.
What we need from you
We ask that volunteers for this role are aged 18 or over.
Puppy Raiser FAQs
Yes, you can! We have volunteer fosterers who can look after your puppy whilst you are on holiday. If you are holidaying in the UK, you can check with your volunteer manager to see if the puppy can come with you too.
Yes, you can! Puppy raising requires you to be able to care for the puppy’s needs and to not leave the puppy for longer than 4 hours. You will also be getting the puppy used to a routine and exposing them to different places! If you feel you can do this within your job, then it could be the right role for you. In some circumstances, if the work environment is suitable and you have permission from your employer, you may also be able to take the puppy with you.
First, we must interview you and complete checks to make sure you are suitable and matched to the right role for you. Then we will give you the appropriate training, so you are ready for your first puppy. When you get placed with your puppy will depend on your location, and when a puppy is being brought to your area, which means waiting times may vary. However, your volunteer manager will keep you updated throughout this period.
The puppy will go on to their formal guide dog training for around 20 weeks, before they go through an assessment, and then be matched with a guide dog owner if they pass. You will be kept up to date on how your puppy is doing in their training and when they have been matched with their service user.
We will look at other career changes that might be suitable for the puppy, like our Buddy Dog service.
Alternatively, Guide Dogs operates a robust rehoming system for dogs with health or behavioural conditions that mean they can’t complete their training. If appropriate, the dog’s Puppy Raiser or a pre-assessed member of the public will give the dog a loving home as a family pet. At all times, the puppy’s best interests are put first.