Puppy Parent volunteer

Being a puppy parent is highly rewarding, challenging and fun, offering a chance to learn new skills, meet like-minded people, and do something really amazing by helping to transform the life of an adult with disabilities. To find out more, please fill out this enquiry form.

Download Puppy Parent role description here

Download Puppy Parent FAQ here

Support, socialise and train our puppies

Puppy Parent volunteers play a vital role in the early socialisation and training of a canine partner. Supported and guided every step of the way, an 8-week-old puppy will be placed with a Puppy Parent volunteer, who will live with them, in their home until they are around 14 months, meaning the commitment is for approximately for one year.

They will introduce our puppy to the world in a safe and loving environment, to give them all the confidence they need to go on to Advanced Training, to give them the best possible chance of being placed with an adult with disabilities, whose life will be transformed.

What does a Puppy Parent volunteer do?

Volunteers are taught the fundamentals of puppy socialisation and simple commands by Canine Partners’ expert trainers, who are on hand to support and guide. Through the weeks, the puppy will build confidence as they make sense of the world around them, both inside and outside the home, and pick up the skills and temperament that will give them every chance of going on to Advanced Training.

What we require from you

• The primary Puppy Parent volunteer must be 18 years or over
• You must reside in a house/bungalow/ground floor flat with a dog-friendly, secure, non-shared garden with space for a designated dog toileting area (to be discussed further during telephone assessment)
• If you are a dog owner, you can have two pet dogs (they will be assessed to ensure they have a suitable temperament)
• You must be at home for most of the day
• You must have time to provide the puppy with the socialisation and education it needs in order to prepare it for advanced training
• You must have access to your own transport, which is suitable for larger breeds, and be able to travel to classes and training locations on a regular basis

What we can offer you

• Expert support from a trainer
• Peer support
• Helping the puppy learn
• Attendance at training sessions
• Group classes and 1-2-1s
• Individuals, couples and families welcome

Catchment areas

NORTH

Staffordshire and West Midlands

Bedford

Leicester and Nottingham

Derby

Newark

Hull (Blue) and Foster cover (Orange)

Northern Foster cover (Orange) [Excluding Hull – see above]

SOUTH

East Berkshire and Surrey

West Berkshire

South Hampshire

West Sussex

Southern Foster cover