How to Become a Service Dog Puppy Raiser
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Where do I start? Let’s go back to the beginning. I became a volunteer puppy raiser in 2006. Since then I’ve raised 16 service dog puppies for 5 different organizations.
What is a puppy raiser? A puppy raiser provides a safe home for a service dog in training (SDiT), teaches her basic obedience, and good house manners, and is responsible for socializing the puppy in various environments.
Guide and service dog organizations are constantly looking for new puppy raisers. While it can be difficult to find, apply, and meet requirements to become a volunteer puppy raiser, in the end it is well worth the time, energy, and effort spent to get started.
How to Become a Service Dog Puppy Raiser
The process to become a puppy raiser is simple:
- Research and find a service dog school near you.
- Meet the requirements to become a puppy raiser.
- Apply to their puppy raiser program.
- Pass a home/phone interview.
- Attend puppy raiser meetings.
- Learn to teach basic obedience to a puppy.
- Finally, bring home your 8-week-old puppy.
This is a very simplified answer to your question and every school will vary somewhat from this process. As a veteran puppy raiser, I’ve experienced the application process with eight different schools and raised puppies for five of them.
Below, I put together an in-depth step-by-step guide to how to become a puppy raiser including some of the variations between schools as well as tips and tricks to help you on your journey to becoming a volunteer raiser.
WARNING: Puppy raising can be very addicting. You may feel the need to raise a puppy year after year. This author was no exception as he will be raising his 17th puppy in a few days.
Our Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Puppy Raiser
As I mentioned, the process to becoming a puppy raiser is simple. That doesn’t mean that becoming a puppy raiser will be a simple process. You need to be both persistent and patient when working through the steps to “become a puppy raiser.”
Check out our detailed step-by-step guide to becoming a puppy raiser:
1. Research and find a service dog school near you.
A great starting point is to search the organizations on the Assistance Dogs International (ADI) website. Members of ADI must meet certain standards in order to maintain membership.
When you research service dog organizations you should look for schools that are close to your location and that are in need of volunteer puppy raisers.
2. Meet the requirements to become a puppy raiser.
What are the requirements to become a puppy raiser? Most service dog schools will have similar requirements including:
- Driving distance from the school.
- Be able to manage/control a large breed puppy like a Labrador Retriever or Golden Retriever.
- Attend monthly puppy raiser meetings.
- Cover the cost of basic expenses.
3. Apply to their puppy raiser program.
We’re lucky. In California there are many service dog schools with puppy raiser programs. Back in 2006 we applied to 3 different schools:
Since then we applied to a handful of other schools. The majority of schools have an online applications that goes straight to the puppy program coordinator.
Our first foray into puppy raising was a slow process. We sent our application to the above three schools.
GDB contacted us back in a timely manner.
I reached out to GDA several times and they responded back letting me know that they would contact me soon…it took 3 months before they got back to me.
I emailed GDD a few times and no one ever got back to me.
Let me say, some of these organizations are short staffed and do not have enough help to answer all of the questions and calls they get throughout the day. If you want to be a puppy raiser you need to be persistent and patient during this process. Keep following up and stay in touch.
4. Pass a home/phone interview.
Service dog schools want to know who will be caring for their future service dogs. They will follow up with a phone and/or in-person interview to get to know you better.
If everything goes well on the phone interview then they will most likely schedule a home interview.
What are they looking for in a home interview? Here are a list of things that were brought up during my home interviews:
- Tour of the house.
- Tour of the back and front yards.
- Check for exposed wires.
- Check for small items on the floor.
- Recommended to lift any rugs or mats off the floor.
- Check for small uncovered trash cans.
- Check for location of crate.
- Check for path to outside potty area.
There were definitely other things to check for that I’ll cover in our puppy proofing your home article. Stay tuned.
5. Attend puppy raiser meetings.
Puppy raisers have monthly meetings where we practice basic obedience and also cover topics around puppy raising.
Here’s an example of one of our puppy meeting agenda’s:
| Time | Agenda |
|---|---|
| 6:30pm – 7:00pm | Basic Obedience Training |
| 7:00pm – 7:45pm | Guest Speaker: Life of a Guide Dog |
| 7:45pm – 8:00pm | Raffle and Cleanup |
When you attend your first puppy raisers meetings you can not only learn more about the program, but more importantly you can meet fellow puppy raisers. This is the time to find out what it’s like to raise a service dog puppy and get more information from those who walked the path before you.
6. Learn to teach basic obedience to a puppy.
You won’t have to be a certified dog trainer to raise a puppy. In fact, puppy training experience is often not required. The service dog school will teach you exactly how they want you to train their puppy. You just have to be good at following directions.
Every school is different. One school I worked with required me to complete a 3 month training program before I was allowed to bring home a puppy.
Most schools I’ve worked with will give you on the job training. Basically, they will send you home with a puppy and teach you as you go. Sink or Swim!
Don’t worry, you and your puppy wil be swimming like Michael Phelps in no time!
7. Finally, bring home your new puppy!
The moment you’ve been waiting for. Time to bring home your adorable bundle of puppy cuteness! This is when the adventure begins.
I will forewarn you, the first days (especially the first night) may not be pleasant as you deal with puppy barking, whining, crying, and jumping. You might be sleepless for a week or two.
The good news is you have a whole team behind you! Your puppy area leader, the puppy coordinator, dog trainers, and fellow puppy raiers will all be there to help and answer your questions.
How Old Do You Have to be to be a Puppy Raiser?
You must be 18 years old to be a service dog puppy raiser.
Don’t be discouraged if you’re under 18. You can still raise a puppy, you need to have a parent or guardian raise the puppy with you.
My 7-year-old daughter and I will be co-raising our next puppy in a few days. It’s my responsiblity as the parent/guardian to understand what my daughter can and cannot handle as a junior puppy raiser.
How Much Will it Cost Me to Raise a Service Dog Puppy?
It will cost a puppy raiser approximately $97 a month to raise a service dog puppy.
At Guide Dogs of America | Tender Loving Canines they cover all expenses except for food, treats, toys, and flea/tick prevention.
Here’s a chart of approximately what I’d spend a month with my last Service Dog in Training, Anna:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dog Food | $67 |
| Training*** | $10 |
| Toys | $5 |
| Treats | $5 |
| Flea/Tick Prevention | $10 |
| TOTAL | ~$97 |
***: We are required to take one obedience class apart from the schools training. The approximate price for an obedience class is $150. Divided over 16 months is approximately $10 a month.
This amount will vary based on the organization. Some service dog schools will only provide you with a puppy and you will have to cover all other costs including food, medical, toys, and other puppy products.
TIP: The school I currently raise for, Guide Dogs of America | Tender Loving Canines have sponsored puppies. What this means is a company or individual donated money to sponsor a puppy. If you are lucky enough to receive a sponsored puppy then you receive free dog food and the school covers $100 towards your required obedience class.
How Long Does it Take to Raise a Service Dog Puppy?
A puppy raiser has their puppy for approximately 16 months. When the puppy turns 18 months old they are usually ready to move on to “service dog college.”
However, the amount of time you have with your puppy will vary. Some organizations have puppy raisers keep their pups for shorter or longer periods of time. Some organizations have raisers keep puppies for only a couple of months while others will have you train the puppy for 2+ years.
There are other factors that may come into play when determining how long you will raise your service dog puppy. One of our friends raised their puppy, Dustin, until he was 23 months old because the kennels at the school were full.
On the flipside, our puppy in training, Derby career changed when he was 10 months old. Puppies can be career changed for several reasons including behavior or health issues.
How Do You Give Back Your Puppy?
“I could never give back my puppy.”
–Said every person before they became a puppy raiser
At the end of your 16-month journey, it will be time for your Service Dog Puppy in Training to go to Service Dog College. Our school has a luncheon where they tell you about what’s next for your puppy and give you a chance to say your final goodbyes.
People love puppies, but when I ask why not raise a puppy for a cause they respond by saying “I could never give back a service dog puppy. I don’t know how you do it.”
I’ll tell you how:
Your puppy was meant for a greater cause. She will go on to complete her training and help an individual regain their independence.
Whether it’s as a guide dog for a blind handler, an PTSD service dog for a veteran, or a service dog for a little girl with a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Yes, I’ve had dogs graduate and work as service dogs for individuals with the above disabilities.
At your pup’s graduation you will see how the puppy you raised, changed a life.
If you’re on the fence about raising a puppy then I suggest you attend a service dog graduation. When you see how these puppies change lives you’ll be asking: “how can I not give my puppy to someone who needs her?”
If you still have questions about how to become a puppy raiser please leave us a comment below and we’ll do our best to answer your questions.
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