Puppy Raising

No. If you are a current volunteer Fosterer or Puppy Raiser, there is no action for you to take. You will begin to see us communicating more effectively with you moving forwards. 

If you have previously cared for one of our dogs and would like to know where they are in their journey now, please contact Guideline on 0800 781 1444. They will request that a member of the local team calls you back with an update on the dog you raised. 

Please be aware that we can not share personal contact details of any service users or volunteers, however we will let you know that the dog is safe and what stage in their life changing journey they are at. 

If you’d prefer not to hear how a dog you’ve help raise is progressing, that’s ok too. Simply contact your Volunteer Manager who will update your preferences. 

To update your contact details or make amendments to your communication preferences, please contact the Volunteering Office, 0345 143 0191 or volunteering@guidedogs.org.uk. 

If the dog wasn’t destined to progress to becoming a guide dog, you will be made aware by your volunteer manager. The dog may be destined to help change as life as a buddy dog or be ready to be rehomed. In both cases your volunteer manager will be in touch.

If your questions have not been answered above, you can speak to your volunteer manager or call Guideline on 0800 781 1444.

Please bear with us whilst we roll out these new ways of communicating with you over the coming months.

The dog information form is a useful way to share details about your puppy with another volunteer such as a fosterer, if you ever need to temporarily place your puppy in someone else’s care. The form includes relevant information to help a temporary handler know your puppy and what’s needed to settle them in their new environment, minimize any anxiety, and continue their routine.

You can access the dog information form from your puppy raiser information pack, or download the form below:

• Dog information form

Following recent legal changes made by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) regarding the prescribing of certain prescription only medicines, we have been reviewing the best way to treat and supply our puppies with flea and worming treatments when leaving the National Centre.

Why have the changes been made by the RCVS?

The changes have been made in a bid to encourage more appropriate use of prescription medication in response to emerging resistance to antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral and antiparasitic drugs, and also to reduce environmental contamination associated with the use of these medicines.

What’s changed within veterinary practices nationwide?

A physical examination must be carried out prior to the prescription of any flea, tick or worming treatment. This includes when needing to change from one treatment to another or if the dog’s weight has changed.

What’s changed within Guide Dogs?

Whereas previously (2023) we have been able to send out a 12-month supply of flea and worming treatment from our National Centre dispensary to see your puppy through into training, we are now no longer able to do this.

The new process for obtaining flea and worming treatment for your puppy

Within your puppy information bag there is a letter detailing the full process and your PDA is always on hand to help you with any questions.

As well as this, a letter has been sent out to all our registered veterinary practices and the veterinary introduction letter has been updated to reflect the changes.

We would encourage you to take some time to read the letters provided in your puppy information bag as they have the detailed information within them, however, please see below a simple breakdown of the new process:

1. Your puppy will arrive from the National Centre with just a single dose of Nexgard Spectra <7.5kg. This is to be given at between 8 and 9 weeks of age.
2. At your puppies first vaccination please request flea and worming treatment to see your puppy up to 15 kilograms in weight:
• Our preferred combination would be Nexgard Spectra 7.5kg – 15kg plus Droncit however the combination provided will be based on which products your vet stocks.
• Please give your puppy the flea and worming treatments as prescribed by your vet.
3. Once your puppy reaches 15 kilograms in weight, please book a vet appointment to get your prescription form for Nexgard Spectra 15-30kg completed:
• The prescription form required, as well as an example template of where we need you and your vet to complete information is within your puppy bag.
• Please ask your vet to complete the prescription at your appointment.
• Then either yourself or your vet need to send the prescription to our dispensary via email or post.
• The dispensary will process your prescription and post you Nexgard Spectra 15 – 30kg and Droncit to see you through a 9 month period.
4. The Nexgard Spectra should be given monthly and the Droncit should be given at 6 monthly intervals.
• The point at which you start these treatments will depend on the flea and worming treatment previously supplied by your home vets, so please check with them when you should start your Nexgard Spectra and Droncit in your prescription appointment.

Questions and Answers

What should I do if my puppy isn’t over 7.5kg at their first vaccination appointment?

If your puppy is due their flea or worming treatment, your vet will prescribe you an appropriate treatment for their weight.

If your puppy is not due their flea or worming treatment, your vet may ask you to come back into the clinic at a later date to re-weigh your puppy and dispense the appropriate treatment.

What if my puppy goes over 30kg in weight?

If your puppy goes over 30kg in weight, then we will need to provide them with a different flea treatment. Please contact Guideline for a Nexgard Spectra 30-60kg prescription form and arrange a veterinary examination as above.

Once the prescription is completed and sent into the dispensary, Nexgard Spectra 30-60kg will be posted to you.

I thought I was meant to give my puppy a wormer at 12kg in weight?

As we are now asking your home vets to prescribe wormer for the time frame before your dog reaches 15 kilograms, we cannot dictate the exact weight at which the treatment prescribed must be given. Speak to your vet for advice on when the wormer they have prescribed should be given to your puppy and when their first Droncit (provided by Guide Dogs) would be due.

What if I run out of flea and worming treatment before my puppy enters training?

You will need to request a prescription form from Guideline and arrange a veterinary examination for the prescription to be completed. The prescription form required will be based on your puppy's weight so please be sure to check their weight before requesting the prescription form. The two weight brackets are 15-30kg and 30-60kg.

What should I do if I have excess product when my dog enters training?

Please ensure that all prescribed medication is sent into training with your dog. If the medication you have is for the incorrect weight (i.e. your dog is 32kg and you have one tablet for 15-30kg) please speak to your local vets about disposing of this safely.

What if I don’t have the documents stated above?

Please contact Guideline and they will be able to send you the correct documentation.

Is there a prescription fee and does Guide Dogs pay for this?

In some cases, a fee may apply for the completion of a prescription at your vets. This cost will be covered by Guide Dogs and should be invoiced as normal. We will be monitoring spend on prescription fees to ensure this process is cost affective for the organisation.

I have questions about the process, who should I speak to?

Please speak to your puppy development advisor who has been fully briefed on the process.

 Season’s greetings volunteer puppy raising team. It’s Haley Andrews, Head of Puppy Raising. I just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year. And to express my heartfelt gratitude for all the extraordinary achievements, we’ve accomplished together this year and to give a warm welcome to those of you who joined us in 2023 and started raising your first guide dog puppy – welcome aboard!

At this time of year, it’s customary to reflect on the past 12 months. At times, it has felt a bit like the ‘year of the puppy’ as our puppy raisers and puppies have been everywhere, from winning awards to gracing the pages of newspapers, from meeting royalty and celebrities to beaming into the homes of millions through TV news programmes and documentaries. With your help, we promoted puppy raising far and wide. 

Since 2008, Guide Dogs has secured an agreement with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) and train operating companies across Great Britain to allow our dog training staff and volunteers (puppy raisers and fosterers) to travel on the rail network for free (excluding TfL overground and underground) when travelling on a short journey with either a guide dog puppy or dog in training.

This agreement not only ensures that we can continue to provide essential socialisation on trains and at stations for our guide dog puppies and dogs in training, but also saves Guide Dogs thousands of pounds annually.

We are pleased to announce that this agreement will continue. If you are travelling with a guide dog puppy or dog in training, please use this updated permission to travel letter, and ensure you abide by the terms and conditions of travel shown on the letter.

‘Flat-rate expense reimbursement’  

We have recently changed the name of our puppy raising allowance to ‘flat-rate expense reimbursement’, which puppy raisers are able to claim per puppy as a contribution towards expenses such as extra carpet and floor cleaning, recommended dog toys, poo bags, anti-bacterial wipes, and disposable gloves.  

There is no change to the amount or how you as a volunteer can claim so you do not need to take any action based on the name change. 

Informing your motor insurance provider about your volunteering activities 

As a reminder, if you use your own vehicle for volunteering activities such as transporting puppies (i.e. to puppy class or any location with the purpose of socialisation), you must inform your insurance provider to ensure that you are covered by your motor insurance policy whilst undertaking these activities. 

Volunteering is usually covered under “social, domestic, and pleasure” policies and the overwhelming majority of companies do not charge an additional premium if the vehicle is used for volunteering purposes. However, requirements may differ depending on each insurer. 

If your motor insurance provider asks for more information about our flat-rate expense reimbursement, we have a written a letter explaining what it is and why our volunteers receive it. If you need to provide further information or need to share the letter with your insurers, you can request a copy of this letter by contacting Guide Line on 0800 781 1444.

Just a reminder that we have several foundation courses taking place over the next month. The two-hour session covers key information that is valuable to understand (ideally) prior to receiving your puppy. Ideal if you’re new to puppy raising or want a bit of a refresher to bring yourself up to speed on any recent changes before your next puppy arrives.

We know there’s nothing cuter than sharing a photo or video of your guide dog puppy, but it’s worth remembering that your imagery – like your puppy raiser training – should reflect how we raise and train our puppies. It not only provides us with more options to use volunteers’ images in our communications and media/publicity work, but also demonstrates your puppy raising expertise to others, especially with new/first-time puppy raisers. Based on our four PREP principles (know, manage, teach, partner), here’s some pointers on how to take the perfect snap of a guide dog puppy.

• ‘Know’ how to capture a puppy’s downtime. We love for you to show your puppies having fun, playing with toys, eating yummy food rewards, and snoozing. In these situations, puppies should only be photographed with toys and food rewards that we recommended for their health. Everything else is a no-no! You can find a list of toys and food rewards on Kallidus in ‘Preparing for your puppy’ (page 12-16). On page 5, we also remind everyone that as much as we love ‘Snoozy Sunday’ style shots, puppies should have their own beds and not be sharing your bed or sofa (even at their cutest).
• ‘Manage’ your puppy photoshoot safely in public spaces. If you decide to take a photo in a public access building (e.g. shop, library, train station) or any environment which could be dangerous for a puppy (e.g. by the road, fast moving water, livestock) then your puppy needs to be on a lead, even if they’re sat down. The lead must be held (not dropped or flopped over something) by a puppy raiser or fosterer (aged 18+). This is very important for insurance purposes.
• ‘Teach’ your puppy that style never goes out of fashion. They should only be photographed in their ready-to-wear wardrobe of Guide Dogs issued equipment such as their collar, lead, t-touch harness, or puppy in training jacket. By sticking to their wardrobe staples, it means they will continue to have a positive association with the equipment they’ll wear as a future life-changer.
• ‘Partner’ with family members to learn how best to interact with a guide dog puppy. It’s not just puppies we love to see having fun, it’s everyone that’s involved with raising a guide dog puppy. If you have children, perhaps they could be playing a guide dog puppy friendly game? We have our puppy guidance for children on how guide dog puppies and children can interact safely which can also be found on Kallidus in Preparing for your puppy (page 19).

In puppy raising, we routinely carry out dog handling observations and regular conversations with all puppy raisers to ensure that we can help overcome any issues which may arise when carrying or walking a guide dog puppy and applying our training techniques. It’s also an opportunity for us to let you know of any key developments within puppy raising but also to identify any additional support you may need.  

So, throughout your time raising a guide dog puppy, we will have conversations with you about any extra support you need and how you are finding the role. It’s important for the wellbeing of you and your puppy that we record and review this information with each puppy you raise. Therefore, when the time comes for you to consider if you’d like to raise another puppy, your Puppy Development Advisor (PDA) will let you know that they will be completing a dog handling observation during your next routine visit or at a time that suits you. This is as much an opportunity for you to discuss any developing needs you have as it is for us. 

If you have any questions or concerns about any of the above, then please speak to your Puppy Development Advisor.

What to Know

Mouthing with young puppies is a “normal” behaviour and a way that they explore and learn about the world around them – but when they become a little “bitey” it can be painful for us.

Play, overtiredness, being overexcited, being overwhelmed, boredom or to get attention, hunger, toileting and teething are some of the common reasons.

Working out why they might be mouthing will help you manage and teach them effectively as well as giving your hands and feet a rest.

Think about where and when mouthing happens and what it provides your puppy with; Are there any signs, particular times, situations and what do you do in response?

The “zoomies” - play bows, running around quickly (can but not always) be a sign they are about to shred things or run and grab at your hands, legs, or clothes.

How you can manage mouthing

Try and have a consistent routine for your puppy, and make sure they are getting enough rest and sleep (at least 75% of a young pups day), as well as work and play time.

Manage your puppy’s environment to avoid them needing to mouth you. Have things they can mouth (chews and toys) as well as a bed (or their crate) in the room they are in or near to them will help promote sleep, good habits and give them suitable ways to mouth.

If you know times they are more likely to mouth, then be prepared e.g. first thing in the morning or when someone arrives by having a toy in hand before anyone enters the room they are in so they don’t practise mouthing and then get the reward.

Teach them

Play brief calm games with them instead of very exciting ones. Long toys are ideal for games at this stage. If they mouth, the game stops.

Teach them the polite ways to get your attention (rather than mouthing to get you to talk to them). E.g. lying down, sitting, having their feet on the floor.

Partner with them

If your puppy mouths, try not to draw too much attention to it. Stop or move yourself away from your puppy for a brief second. Once they stop mouthing even if for a second, you can interact again or redirect them onto something more appropriate (a toy or chew).

If you know what caused them to mouth, think about how you can reduce the likelihood of them doing it again. Making a mouthing diary can really help everyone get more information.

If you need any more info about how your puppy’s life stage might be affecting their behaviour, refer to our Foundation Knowledge (you’ll need to be already logged into Kallidus for the link to work but if this link doesn’t work you can type ‘Preparing for and early days of having a puppy’ in the search bar). If mouthing or “bitey” behaviour isn’t decreasing or reappears, let us know. We are here to help.

The t-touch harness, collar, lead, and ‘puppy in training’ jacket are some of the most visible and important pieces of equipment for raising guide dog puppies and preparing them for their future roles – here we talk about how and when to introduce the t-touch harness, how to care for it, and return it to us for future use.

What is the t-touch harness?

The t-touch harness is one of the pieces of equipment that can help a puppy raiser teach their puppy how to walk on a lead.

Should my puppy wear a t-touch harness?

Positively introducing a guide dog puppy to any equipment they will wear on their body is one of the most crucial steps in their journey to becoming a qualified guide dog. Not all puppy/puppy raiser partnerships will benefit from or need a t-touch harness, whereas others will.

A t-touch harness (in the correct size) should only ever be introduced to a guide dog puppy when a PDA has seen a puppy raiser and their puppy together and decided it could be a helpful tool. Its introduction needs to be carefully managed by both PDAs and puppy raisers.

“Using a t-touch without a PDA first assessing if it is needed, using the wrong size or introducing it too quickly could have far reaching consequences on your puppy taking to the guiding harness later on.” – Haley Andrews, Head of Puppy Raising

How long does a puppy wear the harness for?

It’s important to keep checking the size and condition of any piece of equipment that your puppy uses.

This video below shows how to correctly fit and check the sizing of a t-touch harness is right.

In this video, Heath Ross, Puppy Development Advisor, explains the different types of approved equipment a guide dog puppy should wear throughout puppyhood to best prepare them for wearing the iconic guide dog harness. There’s also more information on when we introduce a puppy to the t-touch harness as well as a ‘how-to’ demonstration and tips on creating a positive association with one of the most important tools of their trade.

We want puppy raising to be as straight forward as possible – for staff and volunteers. This means having greater consistency across our puppy raising information, learning, and resources. In doing so, we hope you’ll experience greater clarity, understanding and more meaningful conversations, especially when it comes to peer-to-peer support and advice between puppy raisers - wherever you are in the country.

So far, we’ve made progress with standardising learning with the introduction of Puppy Raising for Excellent Partnerships. And we’re using puppy raisers’ feedback to make further improvements. More to come soon.

Right now, we want to have a level of consistency across our essential puppy raising information and forms. You've told us that finding essential puppy raising information can be difficult, and the forms and information we provide you vary across the country. Over the course of 2023, we will be reviewing all puppy raising essential information and forms to determine where we can make things clearer and, if necessary, standardised. The first area we’ve looked at is the contents of the Puppy Raising Information Pack (also known as the puppy folder) and how and when we issue it to puppy raisers.

When a new puppy raiser is ready to begin puppy raising, they will be sent the Puppy Raising Information Pack. The pack now only contains general information for the role, forms that must be completed and returned to us (consent and agreements), and letters that may be useful for accessing public places and receiving veterinary treatment.

The most significant change is to the Veterinary introductory letter (Vet letter), which can be shared with vets. Because it no longer contains puppy-specific information, this can now be used with any guide dog puppy and we will only issue this to new puppy raisers (you can, however, ask for a replacement as needed). The puppy's health record card now includes puppy-specific information such as vaccination and worming dates. This means that the health information you require is in one place rather than scattered across multiple documents.

In some areas we have established links or partnerships with bus companies where they offer our puppies and their puppy raisers short bus trips for free as an important part of their socialisation. This is based on the discretion, good will and ability of each bus company to offer this and as such is not yet something we have in place nationally. It is however something we are working on. Please speak to your PDA about any local agreements we have in place and where they are not in place how you can be reimbursed for bus travel with a guide dog puppy.

All other information on what to give and how to raise a puppy that was previously in the pack/folder is now available on Kallidus (generally in the Essential information or in the Early days of having a puppy). If you are having trouble accessing Kallidus, please contact LMSVolunteerAdministrators@guidedogs.org.uk.

If you would like to view the updated Puppy Raising Information Pack (version 1.1), including the updated vet and puppy access letters, please click on the links below:

• Puppy Raising Information Pack
• Vet letter
• Puppy access letter

We received a lot of feedback on the difficulties of logging into our e-learning platform, Kallidus. We’ve worked with our supplier to improve the login experience. From April 2024, a new login homepage will go live, replacing the old login homepage and URL.

The new login homepage and set-up will:

• Improve the re-login experience if the site times out or you log out.
• Reduce the effort needed to create a bookmark.
• Allow you to access course links directly from your new puppy progression chart (details below), without needing to log into Kallidus first.

Details of the new Kallidus homepage and how to log in will be sent to you closer to the launch day.

The updated training materials have been condensed, and grouped into behaviour-specific themes, for example:

• Handling, grooming and equipment.
• Being out and about.
• Walking on a lead.

We’ve also added more videos to explain the importance of what you’re teaching your puppies and how this benefits future guide dog owners, for example:

• Off lead exercise
• Travel
• Busy environments

And we’ve included lots of real-life videos on how to troubleshoot unwanted behaviours when a guide dog puppy is in “puppy mode”, for example:

• Managing early lead problems
• Managing excitable greeting on lead
• Good demonstration of recall and re-release

Tip: we’ve created a new puppy progression chart to make it easier to keep track of your learning and to access it too (details below).

The puppy progression chart is an at-a-glance tracker for you and your puppy’s learning journey and a quick and easy route into Kallidus. To help you track your puppy’s progress and learn more about their training, we’ve created a puppy progression chart. Each link on the chart will take you through to the corresponding e-learning module and PDF guidance on Kallidus. With the improved login experience, it will be a breeze to find what you need quickly.

If you need assistance with logging into Kallidus, please email LMSVolunteerAdministrators@guidedogs.org.uk.

Our puppy raising principles remain the same and underpin all content within the learning materials. Following our review of the common issues experienced by our training teams, we’ve amended a few areas of learning and adapted some training techniques to best support our developing puppies in these areas.

The main updates you need to know:

• Lead walking – where your puppy is positioned in relation to you and rewarded for minimal lead tension.
• Car travel – steps and stages condensed, and introduction first stages amended to start building positive associations from inside your car.
• Essential information - updated in several areas and will be reissued to all puppy raisers for review.
• Real-life troubleshooting videos - practical advice and tips featuring puppies of all ages and temperaments.

We’re committed to continuous improvement and to ensuring our puppy raisers have the best possible experience while volunteering with us and raising future life-changers. We know there were some issues with our e-learning platform and with the volume of our training materials, content being overly technical and lengthy and with a lot of repetition, which works for some people but not everyone. This is some of the feedback given by puppy raisers. It has taken us longer than originally planned to redesign the learning materials, how they’re structured within Kallidus, better search functionality and to make the platform more user-friendly and intuitive.

Your completed PREP learning is still valid as a lot of it has been streamlined into the updated materials so most things will be very similar. For those of you currently accessing the existing PREP courses, you will continue to have access to these materials for six months once the updated materials are released in early April 2024. Before then, we’ll highlight the key updates for you so you can refresh your knowledge, but the majority of your prior learning will remain relevant.

Our new puppy raising materials will be available from April 2024. We will provide further updates over the coming months about these exciting developments.

Based on Positive Reinforcement Training, PREP uses a puppy-centred approach to raise our puppies to prepare them for their adult training, Standardised Training for Excellent Partnerships (STEP). Head of Puppy Raising at Guide Dogs, Haley Andrews says, “The behaviours taught when raising puppies complement and are strong foundations for the training of our guide dog behaviours.”

Within the first year of PREP being introduced, we saw 1,461 puppy raisers started their PREP learning journey on Kallidus with an impressive 12,525 hours of learning - a mix of eLearning and classes. This is in addition to the PREP advice and support taking place via our Puppy Development Advisors and during puppy classes.

PREP by numbers: 

• 1,461 puppy raisers on Kallidus
• 12,525 hours of learning (since July 2021)
• 235 puppy raisers have completed the latest PREP behaviour learning course (PREP behaviours, chapter 7) - released in May 2022

Our PREP virtual learning is delivered through an interactive and multimedia-based eLearning platform called Kallidus. The platform makes it easier for learners to dip in and out of materials - divided into four essential learning courses and a series of PREP behaviour chapters – supported by ‘how-to’ videos with the ability to track their learning progress whether at home using a desktop or via a smartphone when out and about with their puppy.