Volunteering

Volunteer Puppy Parent

For Canine Partners

Register your Interest

Canine Partners is looking for caring family homes to raise, socialise and train puppies and young dogs up to the age of 18 months old. Ideally with-in 45 minutes of SO23, SO18, PO2post codes.

What is involved with being a puppy parent?

• Be available for and attend training session that will involve:
  - home visits
  - virtual online training
  - one-to-ones
  - visits
  - regular group puppy training classes
• Regular visits to various environments to expose the puppy to the following conditions in order to socialise them: busy town environments, car travel, public transport, children, cats, other dogs (different breeds), and other domestic animals
• Train the puppy in the basics including: house training, lead walking, and general obedience
• Train the puppy using positive dog training methods, following the support and advice of our expert trainers who will teach you the fundamentals of puppy socialisation as well as simple commands and exercises

Benefits for you:

• Become a valued and integral part of Canine Partners
• An opportunity to take on a rewarding new challenge
• Enjoyable and satisfying experience, builds your confidence, skills, and self esteem
• An understanding of the different ways of working within Canine Partners
• Meet new people and build new friendship groups
• ID badge and clothing
• Invitation to join Official Canine Partners Community Facebook Group

Support and Training:

• Induction process which includes submitting of application, telephone interview, home visit, training and handling sessions
• Each volunteer is allocated a Canine Partners trainer as their first point of contact
• Receive regular training, resources and other important information via your trainer, this may be in the format of physical copies, digital or in person
• No previous dog ownership experience is needed but you must meet the criteria listed above to be considered
• Payment of expenditure such as mileage to and from a training session with a Canine Partner representative

Skills

What is required to become a puppy parent?

• Reside in a house/bungalow/ground floor flat with a dog friendly secure garden (non-shared), with a designated dog toileting area. (This will be discussed during Telephone Assessment). NB. We are unable to accept a townhouse for puppies’ underage of 6 months due to health and safety risks to the volunteer and puppy.
  
• If you are a dog owner, you can have two pet dogs of suitable temperament. This will be assessed as part of the home assessment. They must be over 18 months of age
• At home for most of the day and live within an hour of the requested location
• Time to provide the puppy with the socialisation and education it needs in order to prepare it for advanced training
• Stamina to manage an young active puppy / dog
• Access to a car, so that you can train the puppy to be comfortable whilst travelling, to travel to classes and training locations on a regular basis.
• Maintain focus that the puppy in your care, remains a Canine Partners Dog and will go on to become a fully trained assistance dog with one of our partners Support

About Canine Partners

Canine Partners is a registered charity that transforms the lives of people with physical disabilities by partnering them with assistance dogs. Our amazing dogs bring a greater independence and quality of life to their partners, offering security, companionship, and practical help with everyday household tasks. These life-changing dogs also provide psychological and social benefits including increased independence, confidence, social interaction and self-esteem

Details

• No - DBS check required
• Yes - Equality and Diversity Policy
• Yes - Expenses reimbursed
• Yes - Health and Safety Policy
• Yes - Is it fully accessible
• Yes - Ongoing support
• Yes - Suitable for physical or sensory impairment
• No - Suitable for Under 18's
  Aged 18 and over
• Yes - Training provided
• Yes - Volunteer induction
• Yes - Volunteer Policy
• Yes - Volunteers covered by insurance
• Yes - Written role description

Availability

This is considered to be a full time volunteer role. We understand that there is a huge time commitment expected with our dog-related volunteering roles. We aim to be flexible where we can, so even if you can only offer a fraction of the time outlined, please do still get in touch with us. We are happy to discuss all options and ways that you could help us make a difference to people living with a disability.

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