From playful puppy…
Our Puppy Socialisers offer puppies a home for a year, giving them all the experiences to start off on the road to becoming assistance dogs.
…to priceless partner
Our assistance dogs go on to become life-changing companions for children and adults. Read our success stories to find out how.
Could you help?
Providing a young pup with all the experiences it needs to become an assistance dog is an essential part of Dogs for the Disabled’s work. Our volunteer puppy socialisers find the experience of bringing up a young pup an enormously rewarding and fun opportunity.
Read about why Sue loves being a puppy socialiser
Exposing the puppies to as many different sights, smells and sounds as possible, helps them become comfortable and confident dogs, so that when they come into the centre at around 14 months old they are ready to start their training.
You will receive support and guidance on how to care for and train your puppy via monthly puppy classes and regular home visits. All costs relating to puppy socialisation are paid for by the Charity including food and vets bills.
Many people find the most difficult part of the scheme is giving the puppy back at the end of the year, but your puppy’s Trainer will contact you with regular updates of their progress in training.
Hear from one of our socialisers
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Urgently needed: We are currently recruiting puppy socialisers in the Sutton Coldfield area
If you are interested then please contact our Puppy Team on 01295 759827 or email happy.puppy@dogsforthedisabled.org to find out more. Before you get in touch, please ensure you meet the criteria below.
NB: Please add our email address to your contacts, to avoid replies potentially ending up in your junk box.
Although no experience is necessary, puppy socialisers are required to meet the following criteria:
- Live within one hour’s drive of our centre in Banbury, or in Bristol, Gloucestershire or North Somerset
- 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 4 hours per day
- Have no more than 2 existing pet dogs
- Your circumstances and family routine are reasonably stable and consistent
- With the support of our puppy department train the puppy in the basics, i.e. house training, general obedience and walking on the lead
- Able to spend some time every day 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
- To be able to come into one of our centres or attend one of our locations for monthly puppy classes and allow home visits from a member of our puppy training team
- You are able to provide the puppy with regular contact with children, other dogs and cats
