Puppies are placed on our Puppy Development Program at around 8-9 weeks of age. They are then cared for and socialised by volunteer puppy raising families, responsible for their welfare, development and early training.

 

We select puppy raisers who are able to commit the time and energy to volunteering and who are willing to follow the guidelines necessary to raise these valuable pups in the right way.

A crucial part of an Assistance Dog's training involves exposure to a variety of environments whilst they are very young. This is so that they may become de-sensitised and environmentally aware in readiness for their formal role in providing the assistance required by their eventual user or client.

​ADNZT covers the cost of health care and registration along with providing the food and equipment required for our puppies. An ADNZT staff member will visit at least once per month to see how the pup is progressing and to provide advice and guidance to help with raising the pup.

Without the support of our volunteers who provide such a loving and secure home life for our young puppies, training our dogs in adulthood would be much more difficult.

At around 18 months of age the puppies return to ADNZT for a month-long assessment in a variety of environments and situations. Once successfully completed, they will commence formal training. The training period is approximately 6 months; following qualification, the dog will be then matched to a client.

 

At present, we're only recruiting puppy raisers in Auckland, Hamilton, Cambridge, Tauranga, Timaru, and the Canterbury region. But we do plan to expand this to other areas over the coming years. If you would like to provide support and live outside these areas, please feel free to contact us and we can discuss with you how you can help. There may be opportunities to help by becoming a short-term boarding home for puppies or dogs awaiting placement, or from time to time we require permanent homes for our breeding stock. 
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​Below is our criteria for becoming a Puppy Raiser:

• Must be over 20 years of age

• Have full support of all members living in your household

• Provide a safe home environment for the puppy with a secure fenced garden

• Own your home or have written permission from your landlord

• Have the time available to raise a puppy, meet staff weekly, and ensure all physical, behavioural and social needs are met.

• Raise your puppy following ADNZT staff advice and in accordance with ADI (Assistance Dogs International) guidelines. This may differ from methods you have previously used to raise other dogs.

• Have access to a registered car and a current, full driver’s license that allows you to transport your dog whenever needed.

• Be able to commit to raising the puppy until they are up to 18 months of age.

• Pup must sleep inside and spend majority of time with the family.

• Other pets in the household must be socially appropriate and fully vaccinated. Pet dogs must be at least 12 months of age at the time of placing an ADNZT puppy.

• Households with more than one pet dog will not be considered for puppy raising. Changes to this are at the discretion of ADNZT.

If this is something that you think you would be interested in and would like to find out more, we would love to hear from you! Please complete an application form by clicking on one of the buttons below, and we will be in touch shortly.