Puppy Socialiser Kent

We need puppy socialisers within approximately 1 hour drive of the Canterbury area to care for our puppies whilst on their journey to becoming Medical Alert Assistance Dogs.

The puppies range from 8 weeks to 18 months old.

We are training these future assistance dogs to partner with a client and alert them to their medical condition. This early training and socialisation is critical to ensure our dogs are happy and comfortable in all sorts of environments from shops to cafés and trains to buses.

We appreciate that this is a considerable commitment as a pup between the age of 8 weeks and 2 years old would live with you full time for a number of months or longer, but the role is extremely rewarding as you play a key role in their progress and a vital role in their future life-saving career as well as being part of the volunteer family within Medical Detection Dogs.

The role involves following our positive dog training methods with the support from our team. A local trainer will provide support, classes and 121s, then when the pup is in its final training stage, a local Training and Partnership instructor will see the dog a couple of times a week to train them on the specific need of their client. We ask you to take your dog to different environment and use various forms of transport to socialiser the dog in your care so a driving licence and access to a vehicle is essential. We would need you to remain focussed on the ultimate career path of the dog as they move on to becoming a qualified Assistance Dog.

We are unable to accept applications from smoking or vaping households as this can affect the dog's ability to use its nose, and we also need to know that our dogs will not be left alone for more than 4 hours at any one time.

If you would like to proceed with your application, please click the button below to proceed.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Medical Detection Dogs.