Raising a puppy is like watching someone grow up, except it all happens in one year,' says a puppy raiser. Puppy raisers must not leave their puppy alone for more than three hours a day. The pup spends a lot of time indoors with people because as a guide dog it will live beside someone day and night. If the puppy raiser has a family, the pup respects an adult as the pack leader and sees the children as its equals, even though they may help feed and groom it. A puppy raising supervisor visits every four to six weeks to give advice and support.
House training starts the day the puppy arrives.
While it's small, the puppy raiser often carries the puppy when they go out, and always speaks to it in a reassuring voice. Over a year the puppy raiser and the supervisor will help the pup get used to people and noise. They want the pups to be relaxed going to shops, or football matches, and even when they walk past dogs and cats in the street. It's important pups learn to listen to a quiet voice for all their commands so they respond calmly and don't become anxious,' says a supervisor. The puppy is taught basic terms such as 'Sit' and 'Stay'.