Raising puppies for service dogs is one of the most rewarding, fulfilling, and sometimes challenging volunteer job you could find. Putnam Service Dogs is committed to transforming amazing puppies into capable, experienced service animals, lifting up lives in the process. They carefully select the pups they train, given the extensive period and expense to transform a pup into a service dog. Their dogs are exceptionally people oriented, confident, friendly, non-aggressive, and trainable.Â
Although we are always looking for caring homes for potential service dogs, we use discretion in how we select our volunteers. If you believe you meet the criteria for raising puppies for service dogs, or are considering becoming a volunteer puppy raiser, read on to find out more!Â
Why Raising Service Dog Puppies Matters
There’s no denying that dogs are amazing companions, and raising them is certainly full of fun and laughter. However, raising puppies for service dogs is quite different from raising puppies as pets. Service dogs play very serious and important roles in their recipients’ lives, often allowing them freedom and independence in social, emotional, and even financial aspects. Service dogs are expected to exhibit an exceptionally high level of obedience, by being non-intrusive in public, and calm in new situations due to their extensive socialization while they were being raised.Â
How Raising a Service Dog Puppy Impacts Real Lives
Volunteers who raise puppies for service dogs make a positive impact on no fewer than three lives – the puppy, the puppy’s eventual recipient, and the volunteer themself. There’s nothing quite as fulfilling as watching a puppy you’ve chosen, nurtured, and raised go on to give someone with a disability other than blindness or a veteran with PTSD their dignity, independence, and freedom. Transforming rescue puppies into capable service dogs and valuable members of their communities is an incredible cause, ensuring they live a life full of joy, love, and purpose.Â
What It Takes to Raise a Service Dog Puppy
Putnam Service Dogs does everything possible to help our volunteer puppy raisers succeed in all their endeavors. Ultimately, we want these puppies to be happy, confident, and highly trained, and it is our job as humans to set them and their raisers up for this task.Â
Service Dog Puppy Raising: What to Do Every Day
Although we work extensively with our volunteers to answer questions and provide as much support as possible prior to placing a puppy with them, some of the most important things we expect from our volunteer puppy raisers include the following:
- Rewarding the puppy for their good behaviors each and every day with kibble and positive praise. This involves creating an environment that is conducive to excellent behavior, such as using crates, leashes, and gates thoughtfully and responsibly.
- Using the gates, crates, and/or leashes (provided by PSD) to keep the puppy safe from harm.Â
- Keeping a structured daily routine. Structure helps puppies adapt and grow more confident with time, which is vital for socialization and their success later.Â
- Using appropriate language, body language, and tone with the puppy at all times. Dogs are very aware of human emotion, and while many dogs do learn to understand more than 200 words, they also use body language, volume, and tone of voice to assess situations. Volunteers must be kind and loving.Â
- Using house manners appropriately. This includes behaviors such as waiting by doors until they receive a cue that it’s okay to go through, asking dogs to wait before they are released to their toys or food, ensuring pups keep all four paws on the floor at all times, prohibiting mealtime begging, and ensuring the pups only chew on the appropriate toys provided to them.Â
- Ensuring correct interactions. This means using a harness when taking puppies for daily walks to minimize damage and discomfort from a leash on their collar, avoiding greeting all other dogs while on a leash, and including crate time as part of the daily routine, even if the volunteers are home with the puppy. Other activities, such as getting in and out of cars, feeding, and daily handling and health checks are required. Our highly skilled, highly trained trainers will guide you every step of your journey while you’re raising and training a pup for Putnam Service Dogs.
What Not to Do When Raising a Service Dog Puppy
Some of the things we ask our volunteers to avoid when raising puppies for service dogs include the following:
- No dog parks or greeting other dogs while on a leash
- Distractions should be avoided with distance between the puppy and other people, dogs, cars, animals, etc.Â
- No dogs allowed on furniture except for their designated dog beds.Â
- No begging for food at the table. Dogs can wait human mealtimes out in their crates, if necessary.Â
- No allowing a dog to run loose in the house or otherwise when unsupervised.Â
- No soft toys like plushies or rawhide chews. We provide your puppy with safe, effective toys he or she will adore.Â
- No leaving the dog bed available to the pup if the pup is not being directly supervised.Â
Become a Service Dog Puppy Raiser with Putnam Service Dogs
Transforming rescue dogs into valuable members of society and capable helpers is a lengthy task that takes many people and plenty of patience. With the demand for service dogs at an all time high and many applications coming in every single month, we are on a mission to partner with loving, dedicated, benevolent puppy raisers who want to make an impact on their communities. Learn more about volunteering with PSD as a puppy raiser.Â
Frequently Asked Questions About Raising Service Dog Puppies
What does a puppy raiser do at Putnam Service Dogs?
A puppy raiser at Putnam Service Dogs helps build the foundation for a future service dog. Volunteers provide daily structure, socialization, exercise, and early obedience training while helping the puppy develop confidence, focus, and calm behavior in real-world environments.
Puppy raisers play a critical role in preparing rescue dogs for advanced service dog training and eventual placement with a person with a disability or a veteran with PTSD.
How is raising a future service dog different from raising a pet dog?
Service dogs are held to a much higher behavioral standard than pet dogs.
At Putnam Service Dogs, puppies are taught to remain calm, neutral, and responsive in public settings while ignoring distractions like food, loud noises, unfamiliar people, and other animals. Training focuses heavily on structure, consistency, emotional stability, and confidence-building from an early age.
The goal is not simply to raise a well-behaved dog — it is to develop a dog capable of working reliably alongside someone who depends on them every day.
Why doesn’t Putnam Service Dogs allow dog parks for service dog puppies?
Dog parks are highly unpredictable environments that can create overstimulation, poor leash behaviors, and unwanted interactions with unfamiliar dogs.
Future service dogs must learn to stay focused and neutral in public. Uncontrolled environments can interfere with that development and create habits that are difficult to reverse later in training.
Instead, Putnam focuses on structured socialization and controlled exposure to help puppies build confidence safely and successfully.
What kind of training do service dog puppies receive early on?
Early service dog training at Putnam Service Dogs focuses on foundational behaviors that support long-term success.
This includes:
- Basic obedience
- Calm leash walking
- Crate training
- Environmental exposure
- Controlled socialization
- Focus and engagement
- Public behavior foundations
- Confidence-building in new situations
Puppies also begin learning early service-related cues such as:
- Leave it
- Under
- Touch
- Fetch
- Door manners
- Food bowl manners
These foundations help determine whether a dog can move forward into advanced service work.
Are all puppies able to become service dogs?
No. Even with professional training and strong puppy raising, not every dog is suited for service work.
At Putnam Service Dogs, dogs are continuously evaluated for:
- Temperament
- Confidence
- Focus
- Environmental stability
- Trainability
- Public behavior consistency
Service dogs must be able to perform reliably in many different situations. Some dogs may thrive as loving companions but not meet the specific standards required for service work.
What happens if a dog is released from service dog training?
If a dog does not meet the behavioral or performance standards required for placement, they may be released from the service dog program.
Released dogs are often still highly trained, socialized, and well-mannered dogs. Putnam Service Dogs carefully evaluates each dog to determine the best next step, which may include adoption, emotional support roles, or remaining with their puppy raiser in some situations.
The goal is always to find the path where the dog can thrive successfully and safely.
Nancy Teague, the founder of Putnam Service Dogs, is a dedicated advocate who embodies the mission of the organization every single day. Alongside the passionate individuals who have joined the cause, she works tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of both people and dogs. With an unwavering commitment to championing service dogs, Nancy understands the transformative power that occurs when a service dog is matched with its recipient, forging a remarkable team.
