Preparing for your guide dog partnership

We know the wait to be matched with a guide dog can feel like a long one. This is partly due to the time it takes to train each dog and carefully match a partnership, and partly down to the lasting impact of the pandemic. 

Given it takes around two years to raise and train a guide dog, we're still recovering from the essential pauses to our breeding and training programmes. We also lost many of our experienced puppy raisers and fosterers during the pandemic, so we're working hard to rebuild our vital volunteering community. The good news is that our guide dog success rates are recovering and the number of puppies we're raising and dogs we have in training are returning to pre-pandemic levels.

Your life doesn’t have to be put on hold while you wait for your guide dog. We have lots of information and advice to support you in the meantime. Our Vision Rehabilitation Specialists can help with a range of skills, from getting out and about more easily, to kitchen skills, and understanding technology. We also have guidance to prepare you for your new guide dog partnership, so as soon as you’re matched you’re ready to go.