Puppy Raising 101

WHEN

As a Volunteer Puppy Raiser, you raise and train the puppy from 8 weeks old until approximately 16 months old. At about four months old, the pup has its first evaluation walk with the goal of walking properly on the Puppy Raiser’s left side and successfully handling whatever it encounters in its environment—traffic, people, other dogs, etc. If the pup performs well, it earns a “red vest”, allowing the pup to accompany its Puppy Raiser into any public building; this enables greater access to different environments for improving socialization and training skills.

At six months old, the puppy is brought into the Fidelco facility for its first kennel stay. A second stay occurs at 12 months old. These stays allow the pup to become familiar with the kennel and comfortable being handled by different staff members as is the case during formal guide dog training.

When the young dog is in formal guide dog training, its Volunteer Puppy Raiser receives progress updates. Toward the end of training, the dog completes a “Hartford Walk” where it travels a route in Hartford, CT, and its Volunteer Puppy Raiser is invited to watch. At the end of the walk, the Puppy Raiser reunites with the pup for a final time before the dog is matched with a client.