Socialising a Puppy
Everyone loves a puppy, but imagine being able to offer one a home for a year, giving it all the experiences to start off on the road to becoming an assistance dog. Unlike pet dogs our pups go to all sorts of different places such as shopping centres, supermarkets, the local school, train stations or even the hairdressers.
By introducing a puppy to all these different environments at an early age our pups become confident and used to the many different sights, smells and sounds they will encounter as a working dog.
No experience is necessary, however Puppy Socialisers are required to meet the following criteria:
- Live within 1 hour’s drive of our national training centre in Banbury
- You have a fully-fenced safe and secure garden
- Any children within the home should ideally be over the age of 2 years old, although younger children may be taken into consideration
- You are away from the puppy for no more than four hours per day
- Your circumstances are reasonably stable
- With the support of our puppy department train the puppy in the basics, eg: house training, general obedience, walking on the lead and basic task-work.
- Able to spend some time everyday on activities to socialise the puppy, environments that need to be covered at some time include train stations, buses, shops and crowded and rural areas
- You are able to provide the puppy with regular contact with children, other dogs and cats
For more information download our Information Guide here.
An Puppy Socialising application form is available to download here.
Aftercare Volunteers
To help ensure our more established partnerships remain happy and healthy, we provide a specially developed, aftercare support system. Visiting a partnership in their home, our Aftercare Volunteers constitute an important part of our on-going service to our clients, offering a network of support and re-assurances as well as making basic checks that all the requirements of the partnership are being satisfied.
If you would like to find out more about becoming an Aftercare Volunteer and you can spare up-to three days a month visiting local partnerships then email our training department or call on 01295 759803.
Further details are available from our Information Guide, click here to download.
You can also download an application form here.
