Puppy Raising Manual
This page contains links to all of the documents in Guide Dogs for the Blind's Puppy Raising Manual. All documents are available as PDF files, unless otherwise noted. For an outline of the contents of this page, please refer to the Puppy Raising Road Map. The Puppy Raising Manual is ever evolving; visit the 2023 Puppy Raising Manual Change Log for a list of all changes made this year (last year's change log can be found here).
By popular request, all PDFs in the Puppy Raising Manual have been merged into the Combined Puppy Raising Manual to facilitate keyword searching.
The collection of all instructional videos for GDB Puppy Raisers can be found here. See this Ruff Note on getting the most out of the instructional videos.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Welcome to Guide Dogs for the Blind - Mission, Vision, Values and Behaviors, Standards of Conduct
Puppy Club Structure - Leadership Structure, Club Requirements, Meeting Attendance, Club Decisions
Puppy Raising Club Fundraising
Providing for a Safe and Ethical Puppy Raising Environment - Youth Safety, Confidentiality, Incident Reporting, Visits to Volunteer Homes, Puppy Evaluations, Reasons for Removal of a Puppy, Reporting to CFRs, Humane Treatment, Other Dogs or Animals in Home
Access and Etiquette for Guide Dog Puppies - Meeting Sites, Facility Policies, Puppy Coat and Equipment Guidelines
Beyond Puppy Raising - Recall, Training, Class, Graduation, Breeder Evaluations
PUPPY RAISING OVERVIEW
Puppy Raising R+ Training Philosophy
Final Goal Behaviors - Skills as of 14 Months of Age
Order of Training: A Quick Reference Guide and Order of Training Chart
Recognizing and Reporting Negative Behaviors in GDB Puppies
- Ruff Notes Dec 2017 – Raiser Monthly Reports
- Ruff Notes May 2019 - Puppy Behaviors to Report to the Leader
Evaluations, Assessments, and Possible Outcomes
Video: Journey vs Genes - Who's steering this ship? (Nature vs Nurture)
PREPARING FOR A NEW PUPPY
Human-only Training Games: No puppy necessary!
Creating a Safe Environment for a GDB Puppy - Includes tips for keeping a puppy safe/foreign bodies/poisoning and lost puppy procedures.
Confinement - Fencing, kennel runs, crates, exercise pens (x-pens) and tie-downs
Sample Puppy & Raiser Information Sheet and Vaccine Schedule
Puppy Raiser Veterinary Care Intro Letter
- Diarrhea Kit - Instructions on using the diarrhea kit (flow chart), fecal scoring guidelines
FAQ on Common Guide Dog Puppy Medical Issues
GDB Veterinary Care Contact Information for Puppy Raisers
Puppy Raiser Reports (Monthly & Final)
Ear Care, Teeth Cleaning, Heartgard and Nexgard Guidelines
Puppy Raising Nutritional Policy
Discharge Instructions for Puppies with Base Narrow Canines
Discharge Instructions for Puppy with Extraction of Base Narrow Canines
Healthy Habits Reminder about Puppy Poop Safety
Alter Schedule for GDB Puppies
Discharge Instructions for Puppy with Entropion Tacking
Healthy Habits Reminder: Salmonella
Information about Undescended Testicles
Kennel Cough-General Information
PUPPY CARE
- Veterinary Care Flow Chart
- Diarrhea Kit - Instructions on using the diarrhea kit (flow chart), fecal scoring guidelines
- Puppy Vaccine Schedule Chart
- Veterinary Expense Reimbursement Request Form
- Instructions for Submitting Veterinary Invoices for Reimbursement
FAQ for Common Guide Dog Puppy Medical Issues
GDB Veterinary Care Contact Information for Puppy Raisers
Ear Care, Teeth Cleaning, Heartgard and Nexgard Guidelines
- Food Containing Toys for GDB Puppies - stuffed Kong, Wobbler, Mango
- Dog to Dog Interaction - In the home; at puppy meetings; in public; what to do around loose dogs.
Fun Canine Conditioning Games for Guide Dog Puppies 12 Months & Older
HOUSE BEHAVIOR
Teaching Settled (Calm) Behavior in the Home
Food Containing Toys for GDB Puppies - stuffed Kong, Wobbler, Mango
Confinement - Fencing, kennel runs, crates, exercise pens (x-pens) and tie-downs
Preventing Destructive Behavior
Preventing Counter Surfing and Scavenging
Dog to Dog Interaction - In the home; at puppy meetings; in public; what to do around loose dogs.
PUPPY SOCIALIZATION
Puppy Socialization - Public access; safety considerations during socialization; puppy jacket guidelines.
General tips for socializing and teaching the puppy to be comfortable on surfaces, confident around traffic and to ride calmly in vehicles. Tips for introduction to public transportation and the policy regarding puppies in strollers, shopping carts and other carriers.
- Ruff Notes Nov 2020 - Alternative Young Puppy Socialization
- Ruff Notes June 2021 - Summer Socialization
- Video: Fearful Behavior in GDB Puppies Raiser Webinar
Chart: Steps to a Well Socialized Puppy
GDB Puppy Sitting Fillable Form (Word)
Travel Guidelines - General rules for travel; Career Change dogs; transporting GDB puppies in vehicles; airline travel.
Dog to Dog Interaction - In the home; at puppy meetings; in public; what to do around loose dogs.
Building a Confident Puppy with R+ - Behaviors indicating fear; explanation of desensitization and counter-conditioning; the three “D’s” as applied to these procedures.
Puppies with Sensitive Temperaments
- Body Language of Fear in Dogs: Signs of Fear and Anxiety - A pictorial chart.
TRAINING AND GAMES
Human-only Training Games: No puppy necessary
Food Reward Games - Puppy’s introduction to polite food reward taking and problem solving techniques for hard taking of food.
Introducing The Gentle Leader to Guide Dog Puppies
Ground Tether Game #2 Impulse Control
Paw Pad Game #1 - Introduction to the Paw Pad and duration in the stand position.
Paw Pad Game #2 - Introducing handler movement and increasing distance; moving the pad away from the wall and first introduction of the ‘stay’ cue.
Signals for Stand, Sit, and Down
Introducing Foundation Position Sit
Paw Pad Game #3 - Sit on the pad and introducing the signal for stand; duration in position and changing positions – sit and stand. Explanation of negative punishment – time outs. How to positively teach a ‘stay’ and introduction of the verbal cues.
Introducing Foundation Position Down
Paw Pad Game #4 - Down on the pad and changing positions – down, stand, sit. Duration in position and review of: negative punishment – time outs; how to positively teach a stay. Introduction of the verbal cue for down.
Dog to Dog Interaction - In the home; at puppy meetings; in public; what to do around loose dogs
Paw Pads Suggestions and Guidelines
Building a Confident Puppy with R+ - Behaviors indicating fear; explanation of desensitization and counter-conditioning; the three “D’s” as applied to these procedures
- Body Language of Fear in Dogs: Signs of Fear and Anxiety - A pictorial chart.
Guidelines for Use of High Value Food Rewards
Ruff Notes
Permanent archive of quarterly reminders and supplemental information based on frequently asked questions and puppy behavior challenges. Dates reflect when the Ruff Note was originally shared. The information continues to be useful and relevant. These Ruff Notes are also linked within other sections of the manual where they supplement the main instructional documents and offer additional troubleshooting ideas.
Ruff Notes June 2022 - “Here Comes the Sun”: Socializing GDB Puppies During Warm Weather (PDF) (Accessible WORD)
Ruff Notes Feb 2022 - Raising an Intact Puppy (PDF) (Accessible WORD)
Ruff Notes Dec 2021 - Getting Guide Dog Puppies Fit for Recall (PDF) (Accessible WORD)
Ruff Notes Oct 2021 - Socializing Puppies During Spooky Season: Halloween Edition (PDF) (Accessible WORD)
Ruff Notes June 2021 - Summer Socialization
Ruff Notes March 2021 - Yard Time for GDB Puppies
Ruff Notes Nov 2020 - Alternative Young Puppy Socialization
Ruff Notes April 2020 - Socialization & Puppy Training Special At Home Edition
Ruff Notes Jan 2020 - Smart Use of Reinforcement for Calm/Settled Behavior
Ruff Notes Nov 2019 - Settling Behavior
Ruff Notes May 2019 - Puppy Behaviors to Report to the Leader
Ruff Notes Mar 2019 – Fading the Lure
Ruff Notes Dec 2018 – Getting the Most Out of the Instructional Videos
Ruff Notes Oct 2018 – Relieving Review
Ruff Notes May 2018 – Someone’s at the Door!
Ruff Notes Feb 2018 – Surviving Puppy Adolescence
Ruff Notes Dec 2017 – Raiser Monthly Reports