Service Dog Puppy Raisers Training Guide

As a puppy raiser co raiser or puppy sitter you can take an adorable puppy into your home.
Service dog puppy raisers training guide. Our department s mission is to give you up to date information supplies and support that is needed to give every puppy the opportunity to reach their full potential. Join us and volunteer as a southeastern guide dogs puppy raiser. Some organizations evaluate the dog s training and progress throughout the puppy raising and other organizations do the evaluation at the end of the puppy raiser. When the dog is between 14 and 18 months of age it returns to the foundation to move ahead with its formal training and life changing career as a guide or service dog.
Each hour spent caring for a canine companions puppy is vital to its development as a future assistance dog. Graduation generally includes time to meet the dog s handler or breeder custodians. The training period for a service dog puppy varies depending on the organization. Introduction to puppy raising.
These families or individuals ensure that our new puppy recruits get the best possible care in a loving home environment while receiving necessary training. Puppy raisers are the cornerstone of our training program at guide dogs of america. At eight weeks of age our guide dog pups are placed in the community with volunteer puppy raisers. Puppy raiser information page your job as a puppy raiser is to nurture and raise a puppy to become a guide dog service dog or part of our breeding colony.
Service dog organizations utilize volunteers who must be at least 18 years old in most cases to raise the puppies for approximately the first 12 14 months of the dog s life. Paws and effect has an 18 month timeline for their puppies to be with their raisers. Puppy raisers are invited to attend the graduation of the puppy they have raised whether the dog becomes a guide dog a member of our breeding colony or a k9 buddy dog. Volunteer puppy raisers provide specially bred puppies a safe home take them to obedience classes serve up a healthy diet provide socialization opportunities and give lots of love.
Maria duryee a puppy raiser from urbandale iowa typically has her puppy for about 15 months before it begins advanced training. If you live near one of our many puppy raiser groups in select cities in seven states join the fun and our mission and become a southeastern guide dogs puppy raiser. Colby morita has been raising and training guide and service dog puppies for over 13 years.